Yaron Mama

Episode 3

Nino sat in class waiting for the lecturer's arrival, the class was very rowdy, it felt like a market place. Second semester exams were fast approaching and very soon Nino would be a 200 level student.

'How time flies' he thought to himself.

He started reminiscing on major events that has occurred to him in the past one year. From his passing out parade, to how he gained little freedom from his dad, to how he met his ex-girlfriend, his mind got stuck in that particular memory for a while, almost like he had not gotten over her yet. He chuckled and looked around him, He noticed someone sitting 2 persons to his left. She sat quiet with her ear piece plugged in and her head down. He kept on staring, waiting for her to raise her head up so he could see her face clearly. Finally she rose her head, Nino was taken aback by her beauty, she looked so innocent though a little pale but still beautiful. He was still staring at her when they locked sight, she had beautiful dark eyes which oozed innocence.

'Oh shit! Oh shit!!' he yelled in his head

'look away, you are being weird. Adamu look away!!' His eyes and neck betrayed him

He couldn't look away. He was awed be her beauty, it felt like he was being sucked into her gaze. She didn't look away either, it was like they both wanted this to happen. She smiled at him and bowed her head shyly, a smile that melted his heart. He felt someone tap his shoulder.

'Guy, how far' Fa'ad interrupted

Nino's eyebrow furrowed

'Where you comot from? saboda Allah, saboda darajan annabi'

'ahn ahn' Fa'ad didn't understand why Nino was sounding a bit off 'Guy you still get data?'

'you no well, so na me go dey buy data then you go dey finish am bah' Nino scuffed

'i dey help at times na' Fa'ad said with a smirk lurking around his lips

'yeah the data don finish, i dey plan buy another one.'

'So what were you thinking about so deep like that, you even made that girl uncomfortable' Fa'ad asked with little concern

'Sadiya. That girl really got me man. i can't even believe i still think of her'

'it's normal to think of her, you guys had something together. Don't fight it man, it will go away with time' Fa'ad relaxed on the chair.

'Hmmm. It's alright, wait what are you even doing here. You don't have lectures ne?' Nino asked

'the guy is not coming, he sent the class rep to tell us.'

Sadiya, Nino's ex-girlfriend, not his first ex-girlfriend but the relationship he had with her was his first real relationship. At the birth of the relationship, it was always interesting around Nino, he was always happy. There was just something about Sadiya that always made his spirit lit up. They'd talk for hours on the phone just to share their day-to-day activities, the relationship was the distant type. But anytime Nino was in Lagos, they'd hang out a lot and do fun stuffs. Nino was faraway most times, she gained admission into the remedial program of a university in Ilorin, so the distance issue was even more prevalent. At first, it was tolerable for both of them, but after some few months Sadiya started acting up, she hardly picked his calls and replied his messages. Fa'ad and Dai'ba were not really in support of the relationship because they both felt like Nino was too good for her, Fa'ad would always tell Nino he was more 'beautiful' than Sadiya but like they say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Sadiya had broken up with Nino more than thrice but every time, he would beg her, sometimes for days, sometimes weeks, to consider everything they once shared. He was obsessed with her, she was already out of love with him but Nino wouldn't just let go. Until he came about the news on how she had been cheating on him with some guy in her school, he didn't want to believe at first. He called Sadiya and asked her if the news was true, she answered affirmative but that she was sorry and she didn't know what came over and that she wasn't sure how to tell him and that was why she was trying to break everything off with him. He was short of words, he just hung up and never called back again and she tried calling and sending text messages, he neither picked the call nor replied the messages, that was how they broke up. Nino really felt bad, it was just before the end of his first semester exams, so that period was very dark for him, he would stay indoors for hours and only come out to pray or to go write his exams. It wasn't bad enough that he is an introvert, he didn't have friends to talk to, Fa'ad was busy with his exams. It took Dai'ba weeks to break through to him and all she could get from him was "i am fine"

Nino was still in class waiting for the lecturer or the class rep to make an announcement. He looked to his left to see if the girl with the dark eyes was still there. She was gone, he looked around the class to see if she was still in class, she was gone. He didn't really look at her face much, he got lost in her eyes. He really wanted to see her again.

'will you be going off-campus from here or you staying back in school?'

Nino looked at Fa'ad with a little frown on his face 'room straight, there is nothing to do in school'

'This one you are frowning, you are still thinking about Sadiya?'

Just as they were discussing, the class rep came in and announced to the class that the lecturer wasn't going to be available but he gave them an assignment. The class rep wrote the assignment on the board. Nino's face lit up.

'kai, God go bless this man, at least i can go and rest' Nino said as he brought out his book to write down the assignment.

Fa'ad laughed 'oya let's go abeg'

They left the class heading towards the school exit. On their way out, they met Folake and Zibu heading towards the hostel, their class was also canceled. Zibu and Nino had their almost inevitable fight, although today's own was due to the fact that Nino asked Zibu for Asma'u's number. Zibu had always felt something for Nino, she liked him even though they quarreled a lot. Folake and Fa'ad were surprised, this was a new one, they have always knew that Nino and Zibu were like cat and rat, but something about today's own was different, even Nino was surprised. He couldn't understand how just asking for Asma'u's number was such a big deal for her.

'could it be the female monthly cycle?' he thought to himself

They said their goodbyes, as the girls were walking back to their hostel, out of curiosity Folake asked Zibu what that was about. That added more fuel to the fire, Zibu just increased her pace and left Folake behind.

'Maybe she is on her period' Folake murmured as she followed behind

Zibu entered the room with a frown on her face 'Assalamu Alaikum'

'Wa'alaikumu salam, ya dai' Asma'u continued copying her note, she looked up 'this one you are frowning like this hope all is well'

Zibu looked at her for like a second or two and replied her "i am fine, it's just the sun"

Folake came in and asked Zibu once more what the problem was, Zibu just hissed and left for her room. Zibu laid on her bed thinking about reasons why Nino couldn't see that she was really into in him. She really wanted everything between both of them to be cool. She has been crushing on Nino for close to 3 years now, ever since she saw him at a summer lesson, back when they were still in secondary school. She couldn't understand why it was so hard for her to get over him. She has tried her possible best to be in good terms with Nino but he always had something to say that always pissed her off.

Zainab, mostly known as Zibu, a girl in her early prime, a very beautiful 100 level Theater and Performing Art student. She is the youngest daughter of a very wealthy man, who doesn't allow his children lack anything, she also has 3 siblings i.e 2 brothers and a sister. She is Hausa-Fulani by tribe, that should explain for her beauty. She's got those big black eyes and nice lashes too, she could seduce you with just her eyes, she knows what God gave women eyelashes for. Very conscious of the kind of food she eats, that's why she has a well figured shape, all the curves in their right places and proportion. She loves herself so much to a fault, you can never tell her nonsense and go free. She always had a come-back, let's just say she is a no nonsense girl. You can't blame her, after all, her dad is a very strict no-nonsense man. Till today it is unknown if the man joined the military in his past life, his face always looks stern.

Zibu kept on thinking, she dozed off only to wake up some few hours later in the evening, very hungry. She put her hand inside her bag to bring out her phone so she could check the time. She saw 10 missed calls and 4 text messages, 2 from Nino and 8 from her room mate still wondering why her room mate called her 8 times, another call came in and it was her room mate again. Unknowingly, she locked the door from the inside and her room mate forgot her key to the door in the room. After the whole room-key brouhaha, it hit her, Nino called her twice, which has never happened before. I mean, they were friends but the only time they spoke on phone was through Dai'ba's phone. She called him back and he requested they hung out that he had something really important to discuss with her.

'What could it be?' she kept on pondering as she got ready to go meet him.