Vagrants

Chapter 46

The exams came to an end and the teachers were busy with marking and collating results while most parents had come to take their wards home and the remaining students stayed in school, having fun with friends.

Myself and Mr. Akinola had less work to do. We'd already marked and collated the results as soon as the students wrote their exams. We just went to school on few occasions to see how things are going with other teachers and we assisted in whichever way we could.

I had assisted the Commerce teacher with marking one afternoon and I took a break. I visited the school canteen to have lunch when Cassandra and few other ex-corpers approached me.

I got up to leave when Cassandra said. "I want to talk to you."

"I don't want to. I'm very busy."

"When will you be less busy?" Cassandra asked.

I checked my watch mockingly. "Never."

"Please forgive her." One of the ex-corpers said.

"I see you brought people with you." I turned to the ex-corpers. "You only forgive those who offend you and Cassandra didn't offend me."

"She said she threw you out." A lady said.

I took a seat, I was tired of standing. "I'm pregnant, she isn't able to carry me and throw me out."

"You know what she meant." Cassandra said.

"You called me a beggar, Cassandra! I look like a beggar to you? My family is struggling but we are not suffering. We have a house to call our home. I just wanted to squat for the time being because of the distance." I yelled.

"Calm down." Someone said.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" I yelled. "I was quiet before and you brought out the anger in me and you want me to calm down?"

"Okay, don't calm down. Keep ranting, we're listening." A guy said.

"I should..." I refused to be frustrated by these people so I just took my bag with me and left.

I couldn't believe that after all these while, Cassandra wants my forgiveness now. Why didn't she try to talk to me the next day after she threw me out? She could have asked where I spent the night. Did she even care to know if I slept in a house that had roof or under a bridge?

She definitely didn't want my forgiveness and I didn't care about why she's putting on a charade because I just won't buy it.

I got out of the school and I struggled to find a cab on the streets so I kept walking down the road instead of standing in the scorching sun. Then, a car passed me by. It seemed to belong to a rich person because of the tinted glass but I didn't care. Rich people these days just drove past you and even splash dirty water on you without even looking back not to talk of offering a stranded person a ride.

Surprisingly, the car came to a halt. I had to look at my body to be sure that water wasn't splashed on me. There was none so I kept walking, thinking the car came to a halt for something else.

Then I could hear the window winding down as I walked, I felt I was being watched but I ignored.

"Adeola!"

The sound of my name gave me goosebumps. That voice seemed very familiar and I knew something was wrong with it but I didn't care. I just knew the owner of that voice. It belonged to Damba.

So, I walked faster. He was back to ruin my life and I wasn't going to let that happen.

I knew God wanted to save me because immediately I tried to get away from him, I found a cab. I was so glad that I got in quickly and told the cab driver to lose the car.

I planned on finding Damba and paying him back for what he did but now that he's found me, I'm just not prepared. I don't have a plan and if he manages to sweep me off my feet again, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

Unfortunately for my unstable mind, I started reminiscing the moments I shared with Damba and my heart started pounding against my chest. It was then I knew that I was still in love with him! I needed something or someone to take my mind off him.

*

I was still in the cab trying to get away from Damba when Abisola called. It was probably true that twins are able to connect with eachother .

I was so relieved on hearing her voice that I cried.

"Adeola, what happened?" She asked in Yoruba.

"N-Nothing." I sniffed. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine. Tell me how you are doing?"

"I'm fine too."

"You're lying. Aunty Kemi told me everything." Abisola said.

"You went home?"

"No. She's here."

"She's where? Your school?"

"Yes."

"What's she doing there?" I asked.

I could hear rumbling from their end before I heard Aunty Kemi's voice.

"I wanted to tell her everything and there's no way I could do that over the phone without being heard."

"I see." I sighed. "But why did you call this number when I already told you I was changing number?"

"Shebi you said you will text me your new number and since you haven't, I knew you hadn't changed it." Aunty Kemi said.

"What if I forgot to...?"

"Wo. Emi o raye gbogbo yen. I have to get back home quick." See. I don't have time for all that.

Aunty Kemi said.

I looked back from my seat in the car and realized Damba was no longer following us so I sighed. "Thank God."

"Thank God what?" This came from Abisola.

"Damba was following me."

"Ehn?" Abisola and Aunty Kemi exclaimed.

"You better run for your life. You want another problem abi?" Aunty Kemi warned me.

We hung up not long after that and I gave the driver my home address after I was sure I wasn't being tailed by Damba's car.