LIVING OFF CAMPUS
I was excited when Ifeoluwa suggested that we became roommates. We were very good friends and it was our second year in the university and having spent our first year in the school hostel we decided to see what it was like to live off campus.
The thought of living together outside school got me more excited. We immediately set out together to search for a suitable apartment. The first day ended and we were disappointed as we were unable to find a place that suit us. After 3 days of frantic search with no success we were beginning to lose hope and was preparing to go back to the school hostel when a friend called to inform us of an apartment . He was moving out of the apartment so it was luck on our side. The apartment was self contained and Toye our friend left his rug, window blind, kitchen cabinet for us without collecting a dime. I was so overjoyed that I didn’t think there was more to Toye’s generosity we just thanked him and packed into the room.
The first two weeks was great, I enjoyed the company of our other housemates and neighbours although they were a pain in the neck at times.
Wole was next room to us. He was lazy, very stingy and ruthless. He could be friendly at times but whenever he was its was only because he needed a favour. Wole knows the exact time we cook and have our meal served there was no point denying him a plate, he would get it by all means even if it meant stealing it. Wole is so untruthful that if he tells you its 1pm in the afternoon you should go check again yourself. Wole also had this irresponsible friends who were also nothing to write home about. They were pests like him. wole liked to feel among, he could steal for that as well.
Timothy also lived next door . He was a very quiet and decent person. He was also nice and respectful. He couldn’t hurt a fly, he hardly had visitors. He lived a simple life, he would come around at leisure times to share the word of God with us. Ife and I often laughed each time we imagined what kind of girls Timothy probably thought we were. We gist all night, laugh hysterically as we mock guys who tried to ‘’toast’’ us. Obviously Timothy must have heard every conversation we had each day from his room. We didn’t care after all he was a ‘’man of God’’.
Laura was the girl that lived in the first room of the building. Laura could be annoying at times, she was a big girl obviously (wore latest designer clothes, weavons, footwears, shoes of different colours and designs). Laura started using blackberry ever before it became popular and she has had her brand changed about four times. She always uses the latest models. Despite all this Laura would knock on our door at odd times to ask for food, bathing soap and toiletries as if she was a poor student. It was really so amazing and annoying.
As for Riike, if you didn’t go to church you are a sinner and will perish. She was a religious fanatic. She would discriminate people she called sinners and would speak in tongues even when killing a mosquito. Yet Riike comes to our room, to gossip and eat our food. She even had more guts than the others, she would walk into our kitchen, open our pots to see what we were hiding. She also had the habit of talking about her boyfriend whom she said was God’s will for her. I believe in God’s will but whether she was right about hearing from God was what I didn’t know. She was always talking about him. It got to a point Ife and I thought she was trying to make us jealous.
AK lived in this same building. Mere seeing Ak you wont need a second guess to know he was on crack. He would turn the music playing in his room loud anytime of the day even at midnight. All efforts to stop him proved abortive. He hardly spoke to anybody and his eyeballs were always bloodshot red. He was so secretive and lived a secluded life that we only got to know his name 2 months after he moved in.
Tunji was Timothy’s next room neighbour. Tunji was our level mate and he was really a ‘’big boy’’. He often suffered parasitism like us. Laura, Wole and others all go to him for money and food. Wole’s irresponsible friends also’’ tapped’’ from Tunji.
Tunji really had money he owned a boutique close to campus where he sold male and female wears. he was also from a rich home. He often comes to our room to chill out and he allows us charge our phones in his shop each time we had electricity problems. He was really helpful but he had no regard for women. He believed all they wanted was money which he had. His alias was ‘’MONEY OVA BITCHES’’. He slept with different girls everyday, for some reasons I don’t know he tried to hide it from us but we found out.
Bukky was lazy. She was also a call girl. She was so lazy to the extent that she couldn’t cook or wash her clothes and underwear. She often paid a dry cleaner to help her wash. She was in 200l too. Bukky would sleep with any man for money, she was at that time dating alhaji our caretaker. She was from a poor family but always wanting to feel among. She often lied about using the latest things. Ife and I often laugh at her back. She thought we were easily fooled.
Ugo and Uche were brothers, they were also roommates. They were both in 400level and were really cute guys. Not only were they cute they were from a wealthy home and were also very brilliant both were first class students. Even Ife and I were almost tripping for this guys. We always enjoyed being noticed by this guys. We weren’t the only ones who were interested in this guys we only had enough dignity to keep ourselves but as for Laura, Bukky and even Riike it was like a rat race. They all threw themselves at these guys, when one person was leaving their room another was going in. Ife and I laughed about this in our room. We both secretly knew the guys didn’t want any of them. Ugo and Uche often visited us in our room but they never visit the other girls. This almost caused a kind of beef, these girls thought we were also on the rat race to win this guys.
Our last roommate Doyin lived her entire life for her boyfriend Ronald. She hardly interacts with other housemates except when she wanted to talk about Ronald. She would snap her picture every morning after dressing up( either Ife or I help her) to send it to Ronald before leaving for lectures. She was in 100l. Every weekend is spent at Ronald’s place. She often showed us the goodies he gave her.
Interesting housemates isn’t it? We learned to live with them and we never had serious problems. Even Ife and I only had little misunderstandings which we settled within ourselves but one day everything changed. I saw something that broke my heart. Ife was in fisheries department while I was in microbiology so we had lectures at different times.
On this fateful day I had lectures in the morning but ife had no lectures. I was always in a hurry to come back if Ife had no lectures because I didn’t like walking alone around school. When I came back everywhere was silent I opened the main door I didn’t hear anything. I wanted to catch ife unaware and scare her (we do this to each other from time to time) so I didn’t call her I just opened the door. I was surprised to find she wasn’t in. I tried to call her number but it was switched off. Where could she have gone leaving the door unlocked I wondered. After looking around I saw Tunji’s footwear were at the entrance of his room so I went to ask him. I knocked on the door and he took a while I was wondering if he was sleeping. When he opened it I was shocked at what I saw!
TO BE CONTINUED
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