HOW I MET MY CHEATING GIRLFRIEND

Episode 35

"We shall have our sit-in CAT on Public Speaking tomorrow at 7am. The lecturer has said we get prepared for it because there will be no take-away." I saw the class rep's message in our WhatsApp group on Sunday afternoon. We used to take CATs and sometimes, main exams together with Otis. However, I just felt things had gone astray. I sat down for the rest of the day and night revising for the CAT.

The following day, I woke up at 5am to make the final touches. I went to the lecture hall where we were to have the CAT a quarter to seven o'clock. I never saw Otis when I got in, neither did I see him entering the hall after me.

The lecturer did observe time and at exactly seven, already we had the question papers and we began the exam. It was to take one and a half hours. Spending a half of the day and night revising for the CAT wasn't easy. Surprisingly good, out of the three questions, two were direct from the notes I had just revised on before getting to the hall. The third one was based on the application and it never stressed me. I smiled and comfortably answered all the questions.

After the paper, Mercy and Belrose caught up with me and asked me about Otis. The whole class knew we were part and parcel with him.

"Where's your friend today?" Mercy asked.

"By the way... haven't seen him in class." Belrose added.

I was stranded and failed to get the best response, since I never knew his whereabouts. "I thought he was here...but I don't know." I said.

Mercy had his contact. He called him but unfortunately, a female voice received the call. She hanged up the call to confirm if she might have dialed a different number.

"Does this number still belong to him or he has changed it?" Mercy asked.

"Yes, it's this one. What's wrong with it?" I asked.

"Someone else has picked it...a lady." She said. I smiled and started to make few steps forward.

"No, Oscar. You must be knowing where Otis is. Who is that lady?" Belrose asked. I stopped and turned towards them.

"Mercy, just call the number again then if she picks, ask her where Otis is. I think that will be better..." I said.

Mercy called the number once more. The call was almost ending when it was again picked up by the previous female voice. It was 9am in the morning.

"Hello, where's Otis?" Mercy asked.

"He's sleeping. What do you want him for?" The female voice asked.

"And who are you?"

"I'm Sweeney, his wife!" She said.

"Okay. Tell him Mercy had called to find out where he was because he has missed exam this morning."

"Fine." Sweeney responded.

After hanging up the call, I heard Mercy and Belrose murmuring out something, and both burst into laughter, slapping each other's shoulder.

"Oscar... Eeeiii! You're not a good person..." They echoed.

"What have I done wrong?"

"You couldn't tell us Otis is already married. I just heard 'am Sweeney...yes...am his wife...eeh...what do you want', haha." Mercy said, trying to copy how Sweeney talked to her.

"I certainly don't know...am not aware that my friend is already married...that can be good of him." I said.

"Bel, we need to go to his place...how do you see that?" Mercy asked.

"Wee, Mercy! I can't risk. Leave Otis alone. Once someone is married, even if you were best friends, you start drawing visible lanes between you." Belrose argued.