The student union bar was a den of the most political inclined and to a point obsessed students on campus. They were students who played the rules of the game tactfully and had their agreements over a bottle of vodka. Every part of the bar reeked of cigar, alcohol and glowed with circle of colored lights: blue, green and red all hovering around the place. Loud music emanated from the speakers. At a far end in the bar, Drey laid asleep on a soft cushion chair, his mouth drooling with spittle. Two ladies , one blonde and the other a brunette in glitzy short dresses laid asleep beside him. The blonde had one of her heels draping from her feet. Drey sensed a presence towering above him and finally woke up. The figure calls him three times but Drey ignores and in lieu weaves and stretches his joints even though his eyes were still closed. It is at the third call that he feels a strong hand holding his collar and pulling him up.
"Yo man take it easy" Drey said finally opening his eye and dabbing his hand at his mouth to clean the spittle. The presence who he now sees clearly was a hefty guy with short dreads and piercings all over his ears. The large ring which hung in the middle of his nose made him look like a bull.
"You owe me money and you still have the guts to come here and play with our girls" the guy said, fuming out an air of indignation
"Like you said, our girls" Drey said slightly tipsy
"You piece of shit!" the guy said throwing Drey to the floor
"Common man, you know my dad doesn't give me money except my reasons are credible." Drey said rising and staggering on his feet "I've exhausted all my allowance dawg. Just give me more time"
"I have given you three months yet you have refused to even pay back a dime"
Drey could sense his rage heightening that he began to stagger back. The guy had already beckoned on two more hefty guys like him. They all pounced on Drey but he was quick to escape their clutches. He staggered, tottered but still managed to scarper out of the bar but the three thugs were still on his tail. Running towards his bike, his hope shattered when he saw the tire deflated with an iron rode. Providence shined you him when he sighted a neon red sedan driving towards his direction.
"Louis!" he yelled and just as he had anticipated, the car halted as the windshield rolled down with Louis popping his head out and searching for who called his name.
"Drey?" he said confused finally sighting the person
" Louis please, you gotta help me. They're after me" he said with short breaths
"What? Who's after you?" Louis asked
Drey wanted to say something but was disrupted by the distant yell from the thugs who were almost gaining on him
"I'll explain later" he said rushing into the car and sat beside Louis who sped out of the area.
"You can't run and hide forever Drey!" the lead thug yelled
"Why do you always get yourself mixed up with guys like that?" Louis interrogated
"I just owe them a little money that's all", Drey said non-chalantly
"These are guys from the student union. Do you know the kind of game they play there? They could actually use you and you picked them of all people to owe money"
"It was just a little misunderstanding Louis nothing more than that"
"Oh just a little misunderstanding." Louis mimicked " What exactly did you do that led to this little misunderstanding?"
"Well…
"Drey?" Louis called drawing the name through his mouth in ire.
"Okay okay, I just borrowed money for one of my friend's campaign, that's all"
"And you couldn't pay back"
"Yes but look who came through" Drey said smiling
"No, no and no. I'm not cleaning up your mess. Every single time you do something nasty behind dad's back, I cover up for you"
"Well, that's because you're dad's favorite." Drey said. There was a change in his countenance as his voice was more deeper.
"You are his son" Louis said at the brink of emotions
"But he doesn't believe in me, he never does"
"Yes he does" Louis said with a finality in his voice as he abruptly stopped the car. For a while, the brothers sat frowning in silence, their chest heaving side by side with the tension that erupted between them. It was in this silence that Louis spotted someone from the side view mirror. He pooped his head out of the side window and looked back.
"Amopha" he called out as Amopha startled on hearing her name stopped on her tracks
"Mr. Louis, what a surprise to see you out here in the middle of the night" she said nervously
"It's three o'clock in the morning dear, I should be asking you that" he said
"I actually went for a night tutorial"
"Night tutorials, so they do that now, strange. In my time, we only read during the night because it was more safer. Hope you know it's not too safe out here Amopha?"
"Don't worry about me Mr. Louis, I'm perfectly okay"
"I'm sorry but you'd would have to blame me for being worried. I'd like to drop you at your hostel if you don't mind"
"Mr. Louis, you are so kind but I will refuse" Amopha said as Drey rolled his eyes already tired of their conversation
"No I insist Amopha, it's not that safe. There are a bunch hoodlums just few feet away from us that might be heading this way"
"Hoodlums?" Amopha asked, suddenly petrified
"Yes, yes, hoodlums" Drey said popping his head out of the window and resting his elbow on the base of the car. Immediately he noticed her, he frowned
"You?" she frowned
"You?" he said
"Do you? Do you two know each other?" Drey said puzzled
"No" they both responded
"It's just that my first encounter with him was he shoving me to the floor and calling me a blind bat" she said as Louis stared at Drey in bewilderment
"She bumped into me" Drey said defensively
"Oh and he also brought a dog to campus" Amopha continued
"You brought Bruno to campus" Louis said
"Yes Bruno if that's his name. Bruno snatched my pen and I wasn't able to use it until I had to dare Drey to get a new one for me which he did" Amopha concluded as Drey stuttered
"Is…is this some tattle tale now? Like a tit for tat?" Drey asked
"Your first encounter with a lady and you make a wonderful impression" Louis said sarcastically "Get in the back big guy"
Drey tried to protest but all what came out from his mouth were stutters and mixed up words. Finally, he yielded and went to the back folding his arms sullenly. Amopha entering the front uttering a shy 'thank you' avoiding eye contacts with Drey.
"I presume we met the other day at the school clinic Amopha" Louis said as he ignited the car and began driving.
"I suppose we did sir" Amopha said
"What's with all the formality? Please call me Louis"
"I can't"
"Why?"
"Because Sarah spoke so highly of you the other day"
"Sarah? Who's Sarah?"
"My friend" said Amopha as Louis creased his brows and suddenly widened his eyes like he had just received a revelation.
"So that's where I met you"
"Huh?"
"At the cafeteria with your friend Sarah. So you guys were talking about me" Louis said smiling
"You are always talked about. Your triumph in your academics and career is worthy of emulation" Amopha said shyly but Louis didn't say anything. He simply smiled and stared at her.
"Hope you know that's not a definition of who I truly am. That's just what I am but people make mistakes"
"Well forgive me for being part of those people. I'm not sure I know you enough"
"Don't you want to get to know me?"
"I'm afraid I have other things to do Mr. Louis. I believe as we meet occasionally, we might get to know each other" she said as the car stopped abruptly in front of her hostel. "How did you know I stay here?" she asked creasing her brows
"Just a lucky guess" Louis said as Amopha stared at him not in amazement but in horror "Are you scared?" he asked noticing this
"Good night Mr. Louis" Amopha said coming out of the car and trotting into the hostel.
"Louis, I hope what I'm thinking is not what you're doing right now?" Drey asked suspiciously
"Your opinion is yours brother" Louis said still watching Amopha as she disappeared into the building.
The next day was followed by bickering about boys and future houses and Amopha was one person not pleased to hear these banters. Their bickering filled up the room clashing with the hip hop song Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD. Amidst her daily routine, she could hear her room mates chattering about how they wished to cook for their husbands, how he would enjoy their massage and their expertise in bed. A nice aroma to them was a pass to be in a successful man's house.
"What about you Amopha?" Tilda, one of her roommates with a dark skin asked
"What?" Amopha responded.
"How do you intend to treat your husband?" Tilda asked. The room was suspiciously quiet. Everyone had become mute at her response. They knew she was not the chatterbox like they were. When everyone would drown and engross themselves in trivial matters, Amopha would curl herself in her space doing her personal chores as quietly as possible. She was often forced to speak on a topic which she would blatantly respond to.
"I don't intend on having one" she said with a finality in her tone. She could hear sighs and whispers from amongst them but she didn't care, even as a tension formed.
"Do you want to become a celibate?" Ronda, the fairest in the room asked
"No. I have other important things to think about than just a man" she said, the tension growing
"Amopha, a man provides everything for you if you treat him right" Tilda said
"I don't need a man now. What I need is to focus on my books and make my As" she said
"Oh so we that are thinking about the future are not serious with our academics, is that it?" Marie-lou, the roomie with the slanted eye said
"That's not what I mean, there's more to the future than just looking for a man" she said, her voice folding into muffles. Sensing the tension, she began recoiling back to herself.
"At the end of the day, a woman's dreams and herself will end up in a man's house. That is the future of a woman" Tilda said as everyone nodded in concordance "You chase the bag and take it right up to the doorstep of your man"
"You see Amopha, your mentality is the reason why you're still single" Ronda said as everyone chortled melting the tension in the room
"Maybe she would become a nun and reside in the Convent" Marie-lou said, as the chortling increased.
Amopha couldn't blame them for their taunts. They all had boyfriends who brought them dinner , called them at midnight and took them out occasionally. She hugged her knees close to her chest and rested her head on them, her arms blocking her ears from their laughter. Like a needle, a sharp sound pierced through their laughter to her ear. She rose her head sighting that a girl with a lot of freckles and a dimple on each cheek was standing at the other side of the door was which was ajar.
"Chantelle" Amopha said, her eyes brightening with relief. Immediately, she dismounted from the bed, opened the door, took Chantelle's hand, pulling her away gently as she shut the door. "You came on time Chantelle"
"When I heard your roomies laughing, I suspected that you're somewhere buried in their colloquy" Chantelle said, her dimple deepening into her round cheeks. Other than Sarah, Chantelle was a friend of Amopha. Being a fresher too and residing in the same hostel with her, she was always drawn to Amopha's solitude. They had met at a lecture theatre, and on finding out they stayed at the same hostel began bonding on their way back. Amopha found her to be quite courteous to a fault even though she was from an affluent home. Being an only child of a real estate manager, a lot of people wanted to be her friend due to her status, but on meeting Amopha, she realized that she was just an introvert trying to get over her childhood trauma and inferiority complex and didn't care one bit about anyone's status. She was bona fide and worst of all, vulnerable.
"I will get used to it." Amopha responded as they both began strolling through the corridor which was in the middle of a lot of rooms with their entrance doors abreast each other.
"What were they even talking about anyways?" Chantelle asked
"About how the dream of a woman is to end up in a man's house" Amopha said rolling her eyes.
"Your roomies' knowledge are limited. Maybe they're saying this because they have guys that take care of them. They should not be too sure that those guys would end up as their husbands"
"If I tell them that, that room won't be able to contain any of us. They are going to kick me out"
"You don't need to tell them. They realize soon enough" Chantelle said as Amopha chuckled "But…but even though, a woman chooses to be independent with her dreams blazing trails for her, she would always have a man."
"I know, but that shouldn't be our priority right now"
"I know, I know. The irony of life is that some of your roomies, if they are responsible and their partner is too, there is a possibility that they might end up together."
"So are you telling me some people see their soul mates in school now?"
"Yes. My dad met my mom in their freshmen year and they've been together ever since. Dad said she stood by him through thick and thin till he became the man he is today"
"Well, I don't believe in it. It might have worked for your parents but it might not work for me. Look at me, I'm too rigid to fall in love"
"Rigid?" Chantelle uttered gasping and laughing at the same time "Amopha, no one's too rigid to fall in love. Hope you know you're not getting any younger?"
"I have all the time in the world" Amopha said walking ahead of her. She was getting fagged of her banters
"Not even for a young, tall, handsome, sexy guy with cute lips and blue eyes?"
"You have a wild imagination"
"Not even for the guy that dropped you off the other night?" Chantelle said as Amopha halted and immediately turned
"How did you know?" she asked, her eyes widened
"Silly girl. I was also coming back from my usual night reading when you highlighted from his vehicle. Passing the car, I realized that it was the famous Louis Chandler, the youngest judge in the city"
"Alright, you caught me." Amopha said feigning guilt. "For your information, he coaxed me to get into the car and I didn't want to be rude. It was just a lift, nothing more"
"Hmmm, just a lift. And in that lift, are you sure there was no discussion?"
"No" Amopha said trying to divert her eyes. She knew if she told Chantelle, she would fantasize the whole situation. Chantelle noticed her eyes and rushed towards her holding her shoulders tightly.
"You're lying to me. We are friends and friends tell each other everything"
"It was just a mere conversation. I praised him for being who he is and he told me that people only look at what he is and know who he is."
"Uh uh, uh uh" Chantelle said beckoning on her to continue
"And that I should get to know him"
Hearing that, Chantelle acted like she wanted to explode. She grinned widely ergo making her dimple deepen so much, one could stick a pencil in it.
"Chantelle are you okay?" Amopha said nervously trying to recoil from her grip
"My friend is finding her soulmate" Chantelle said finally, releasing her hands and spreading in the air
"You have got to be kidding me. Not you too" Amopha said rubbing her face with her palm
"What did you say to him after that?"
"Nothing" Amopha began walking away
"Nothing?"
"Yes, he dropped me at the hostel where you saw me and I immediately went inside."
"Wow, you're a real snub. This is the youngest judge in the city we are talking about. One of the best prototype our school has ever produced and he gave Amopha Murray a lift. A lot of girls are dying for that lift".
"They can go to the gallows for all I care." Amopha said walking away and leaving her behind
"Amopha, you've left me" Chantelle said surprised to see that Amopha had walked so fast, she was already far ahead of her.
"You will only walk by my side if you stop speaking about that guy" she said
"Alright" Chantelle said throwing in the towel as she came towards Amopha "Do you want to get something at the buttery?"
"Sure" Amopha said. As they made their way to the buttery, reminiscences of the other night wafted into Amopha's memory. She thought of how soft Louis approach was and juxtaposed it to Drey's boorish attitude which was concealed by his sturdy physique. But Louis was sturdier, and gentle and soft spoken. His eyes was a ravishing Bermuda triangle drawing one into its endearing trap but Amopha was not one to fall so easily. He could woo all the women in the world but not her. She was as rigid as Lady Justice.