Vagrants

Chapter 11

Knock! Knock!!

"Who is there?" Damba's voice made me blush.

"Adeola."

"Come in."

I walked in to see Bayo sitted with him on the bed.

I turned around to leave. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding something. I'll leave."

"No! Ah-Ahn. Sister Deola, I should be the one going." Bayo got up.

"Thank you!"

"Don't mishandle my cousin or else I'll punch you." Bayo left the room.

Damba chuckled and I turned to him.

"I hope you like it here."

"Are you kidding me? I love it!" Damba grinned.

"Okay, cool." I leaned on the wardrobe which was built against the wall.

We both stared at eachother for a while without saying anything. Then, it was becoming awkward so I broke the silence.

"Why don't you tell me anything about yourself?"

"You didn't bother to ask." Damba shrugged.

"Do you actually want us to talk this night or I should just go to my room so I won't disturb you?"

Damba laughed. "You want us to talk and you're standing there, I'm not an animal. Come and sit down." He patted his bed.

As I moved forward in an attempt to sit, a knock came on the door.

"They probably came to check up on you." I said.

Damba smiled. "Come in."

My mother and Aunty Kemi walked in with a tray and on it was a jug and a cup.

"We thought you might be thirsty in the middle of the night." Mother said.

"Wow! That's so thoughtful ma. Thank you ma. "Damba bowed his head.

"Ahh! Deola, you're even here." Aunty Kemi stared at me as Mother's head turned to my direction.

"Yes ma." I nodded.

"Okay oh. Eku ife oh." Happy love. Aunty Kemi teased.

"Make sure you go to bed early." Mother said before they left.

I leaned back on the wardrobe. "I hope you have a nice rest."

"You're leaving too?"

"Do you want me to sleep here ni?"

"I thought we were talking." Damba made a face.

I shrugged. "You definitely weren't talking."

"But you were about to sit down."

"That meant nothing. You probably wanted to have me close by so you can see my face." I smiled.

"Don't flatter yourself. I don't like talking to people when they aren't close by. We need to have eye contact." He paused. "Don't you know the etiquette of a good conversation?"

I shook my head. "Must there be etiquette for everything?"

"Come and sit down." He patted his bed, gesturing for me to sit.

I sat down and he smiled at me. Then, he started a conversation that never ended.

*

The next morning was more than enough to be called an embarrassment. I don't know who opened the door first and why they came in but I just know they shouldn't have without knocking.

I woke up on Damba's bed. We didn't have the best of nights because we didn't sleep well. The last I remember was that we were both sitting at the edge of the bed, talking. Probably the upper parts of our body plopped down on the bed and that's how we woke up, beside eachother. Funny enough, not any part of our bodies touched eachother, not even the hands. Maybe that's because we don't fidget in our sleep.

I sat upright on the bed uncomfortably because my body ached. I looked at the faces of my family who were standing at the door. I was embarrassed because even Bayo was there watching with widened eyes. They know me too well not to share a bed with a man and seeing this now will be astonishing to them. Then I wondered what they'll think of me if they found out what we both did that night during camp.

I got up on my feet. "Good morning ma, Good morning sir." I genuflected to greet them all.

They were all blushing and smiling.

"Good morning sir, Good morning mas." Damba got up and prostrated.

"Good morning, Good morning." Aunty Kemi grinned.

"I'm so happy you both have progressed." Uncle Jide smiled.

"Progressed?" Damba had a confused look on his face.

"You see," Abisola spoke. "My sister never shares a bed with any man not to talk of going to their bed."

Damba raised a brow at me as though reminded of the one night we had in camp.

"I see." He made a face.

"Please teach me all your tactics so that I'll make the hardest girl fall for me." Bayo smiled and we all laughed.

My eyes drifted to my mother who was watching us keenly. Then our eyes met briefly before she left the room. Nobody noticed because they were busy talking about Damba and I.

"Excuse me." I left and followed my mother to her room.

"Adeola!"

"Ma?"

"Adeola! Adeola!! Adeola!!! E melo ni mo pe e?" How many times did I call you?

"E meta ma." Three times ma.

"What were you doing in that boy's room?"

"We were talking yesterday night ma and didn't know when we slept off."

"Talking? So you couldn't keep track of time? Your body would tell you if you're feeling sleepy and you didn't find it necessary to excuse yourself and go to your room?"

"No mummy. It's not like that. You know..."

"You people just arrived and you are doing this!"

"Maami," Mother. "Damba hasn't touched me yet and he won't, at least not yet." My mouth felt rather heavy as I told that lie.

"Okay, I believe you." Mother sighed. "But be careful."

"Yes ma."

Mother dragged her ear to warn me. "Adeola! Mo n kilo fun e o." I'm warning you.

"Yes ma. You can trust me."

Mother smiled and patted my face. "I trust you."

"Thank you ma." I said with a heavy heart.

I wish the trust my mother had in me hadn't been destroyed the way I did. Right now, he is in my house and it feels like I'm shameless. I just hope that nothing goes wrong along the way or my family will have to face the consequences of my misdeeds.