The Ada trip was perfect maybe too perfect.
They came back refreshed. Glowing. A little more careless.
And that's where the problem began.
The Slip-Up
It was a Tuesday.
Kwabena was on his way to invigilate a Level 200 quiz in Lecture Block A.
Manda, who had finished her morning class early, passed by just to greet him.
Nothing dramatic.
Just a soft:
"Hey, Mr. TA."
She smiled. He smiled.
And without thinking, he reached up and tucked a curl of her hair behind her ear.
One second.
That's all it took.
The Witness
Unluckily (or fatefully), Abigail a loudmouthed student in Basic Education, who lived for
campus drama was nearby.
She didn't say anything then.
But by 3 p.m., she had already posted a tweet:
"So we were writing quiz and TA Kwabena was busy caressing someone's hair. Hope it was his
girlfriend ooo ."
By 5 p.m., it was all over UEW Campus Vibes WhatsApp groups.
And by nightfall, some genius had made a meme:
"MATHS TA BE DOING PRACTICALS WITH STUDENTS
The Fallout
Kwabena got called into the department office two days later.
Not for punishment but a "friendly conversation."
"You know, Kwabena," his supervisor began, "TA's are expected to maintain certain
boundaries."
"Yes, sir."
"You're an excellent assistant. Don't ruin it with… distractions."
"Understood, sir."
He left the office shaken. Not guilty. Just… exposed.
Manda's Side
Manda handled it differently.
She didn't panic.
Didn't cry.
Just came to his place that night with a meat pie in one hand and sarcasm in the other.
"So. I'm now the famous TA snatcher."
"I'm sorry," Kwabena said quietly. "I didn't think"
"You were just being sweet. We were being us. Let them talk."
"What if I lose this position?"
"Then we'll find you a better one. Maybe TA for my heart."
He laughed for the first time that day.
Then kissed her forehead.
"You're trouble."
"But I'm your kind of trouble."
The gossip didn't last forever.
By week's end, people had moved on to the next scandal something about a student caught with
"expo" in her wig.
But for Kwabena and Manda?
The bond was stronger.
Tested. Tempered. True