Maryann and I were on the verge of attending a night vigil holding at campus when my phone beeped. I had wanted to ignore it because I was already delayed, but when I saw it was Gabriella calling, I picked it up.
"Hi Natasha. How are your studies going?" Gabriella asked.
"Perfectly well. And you, how are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm okay."
"And business?"
"Flourishing. Erm… I just wanted to tell you something."
"Is it urgent?" I asked, taking a glance at my wristwatch.
"Yes, it is."
"Okay, go on. I'm listening."
"There is this one affluent politician, Chief Harrison, who had just returned from abroad…"
"So?"
"Lady B had asked me to go meet him for a cheque of five hundred thousand dollars."
"Gabriella, tell me this is a joke."
"I am damn serious."
"I thought we talked about this. Why do you still want to go back to it?" I asked in an irked tone.
"Natasha, I have no choice. You know on my own I wouldn't, but Lady B is the one who connected me to this new client," Gabriella lamented.
"For goodness' sake, Gabriella, you are no longer working under Lady B. Don't you get it?"
"You never can tell what this woman did for me after the death of my parents. I can't just disappoint her. She means a lot to me, as much as you do. Look, babe, I promise this will be my very last one-night stand, okay?"
"After breaking the first promise, you want me to believe this one, abi? Abeg, free me joor. You don vex me."
Gabriella laughed over the phone. I told her that I would call her back, that I was going somewhere with my roommate, and with that, I hung up.
The night vigil lasted for three hours. By the time it ended, I was exhausted. Maryann and I took a night cab back to our lodge. My phone rang over and over again but I didn't bother to pick it as I was feeling drowsy. I put my phone on silent mode and slept off peacefully.
The next morning, I woke up to prepare for morning lectures. I saw twenty missed calls on my phone, all from Gabriella. It was unlike her. Ever since I've known Gabriella, she can only attempt to call a person five times, and if the person does not pick up after the fifth one, she stops. But that particular morning was different—twenty missed calls from Gabriella all through the night.
I tried calling her back but her line was unreachable. I then decided to try again after lectures as I was running late.
Again, after lectures, I called Gabriella while waiting for Maryann under a tree shade, yet she was not picking up. I thought she might be angry with me for ignoring her calls last night, so I planned on visiting her. At that interval, Maryann showed up.
"Have you heard?" Maryann asked.
"That the school management will be organizing a matriculation day for the year one students," I guessed.
"You're right anyway, but not that."
"What then?" I asked.
"In fact, the story is trending online."
"What story? Please, Maryann, talk to me and stop getting me curious."
"A young girl was murdered in cold blood with a mutilated body," Maryann said ruefully.
"That's a pity! So sad to hear!" I exclaimed. "When did it happen?"
"Just last night. You can take a look at it," Maryann said as she showed me the snapshot on her phone.
The young girl in the photograph was dumped near a heap of refuse with her private parts sliced off. Taking a second and a deeper look, I saw there was a striking resemblance between the girl in question and Gabriella. My heart skipped a bit as fear enveloped me.
I told Maryann that I needed to get home quickly. She asked if all was well, and I replied affirmatively. From school, I hurried back to my lodge, packed a few things, and left for Gabriella's house. When I got there, she was not around. Then, I moved to Lady B's house to see if perhaps she was there. My arrival was welcomed with Lady B being held and consoled by other girls working under her as she wept uncontrollably.
There was chaos everywhere that for a moment I didn't know what was going on. I asked one of the girls what the matter was, and she told me that Gabriella was found dead earlier that morning. At first, I thought it was a sort of joke, but reality gradually began to dawn on me. I sprawled on the ground helplessly as tears fell off my eyes.
I thought of how I first met Gabriella—the day she paid my transport fare. I thought of when she paid off my hotel bills while I was stranded. I thought of all the good times we spent together, and I couldn't help but cry bitterly.
Maryann called me to know what was amiss. I told her that I lost a friend and I wouldn't be returning anytime soon. But I never ever mentioned to Maryann that the girl she showed me earlier on was the friend.