LIVING OFF CAMPUS 6

“Did you lean on it too much”I asked even as I bent to help her pick the pieces. Mixed feelings of annoyance and surprise enveloped me. Why was she even vomiting in the first place? Definitely Riike was right. As I dropped the broken sink outside the house, I could still hear Bukky and her visitors chatting loudly but I wasn’t concerned anymore about that.
Worry over Ife and what could become of her if she was truly pregnant took over. I was about entering the house when Doyin whose room was closest to the backyard where the dumpsite was came out.” That loud noise came from your room?” she asked in vernacular I replied in the affirmative “how did it happen? “she continued, I knew if I was going to safe Ife from any form of shame or embarrassment I had to cut the conversation short, so I just replied that I didn’t know because I just came into the room when it happened. I had just gotten free from Doyin who kept trying to draw out information from me, only for me to enter our room and meet Riike and Laura.

Wow, there was no way we could escape these ones, I thought. I greeted them, it was then I knew Ife had told them she was ill and was vomiting when the sink fell. I knew the girls would never accept that story but somehow they played along. After a while they left for their rooms while I prepared for the next day which happened to be a test day for me.

Later in the evening I tried to encourage Ife to visit the school clinic, since she still held on to the story that she had chronic malaria. She kept on telling me there was no need for that, all she had to do was get to the chemist down the road and she would be fine. I became angry again, exams were only two weeks away and my obviously pregnant roommate was avoiding school yet still lying.

I was about leaving the room angrily when Tunji burst into the room. I was so infuriated at the manner in which he came in that I had to ask him why he couldn’t knock. He didn’t even respond to me he only turned to face Ife on the bed and started to call her names. He tried to hit her then I had no choice than to call for help when I couldn’t stop him. He kept calling her a prostitute, fool, all manner of terrible names despite the fact that our housemates were gathering at the door. Some of our male housemates, Wole and his friends tried to get him out of our room, as he was being dragged out he kept shouting “she is a crazy idiot, a dirty fool, she was collecting money from me and giving Toye my friend she was also sleeping with him”

I had never been more shocked my whole life, no wonder Toye left us some of the properties in the room for free. I was so embarrassed and ashamed, Riike, Laura and the other girls came in to show concern and question Ife as to why she did all she did but I knew they were only mocking her. As if that wasn’t enough Wole shouted from outside his room “Ife, please you have to return my money o sharp sharp” as he cursed under his breath.
I looked straight at Ife and asked if it was true, I was filled with annoyance when she replied that she borrowed just ten thousand naira from him. What on earth did Ife need the money for, she was still owing me some amount of money which I’d already written off because I knew she would never mention it not to talk of pay back. The other day some foodstuff and provision sellers in the neighborhood approached me to help tell her to pay them the money she owes them. Why was Ife borrowing so much money and yet she was still broke?