LAY

As she came towards I while I was on second floor watching a basketball match at a basketball court below, I could not refuse her charms. I can see that she was coming to I but nothing she did made sense. I did not why a lady like her will look at I the way she did. Not especially after her brother and I had fought over a chair while looking at the match. I looked around to see if he was around but, thankfully, he was not there. I had told his brother that I am a conservative scholar who did not take kindly to stereotypes like him.

I watched his face scrunch like he had been hit by very basketball that hit the court’s ground with vengeance whenever players bounced it skilfully or out of sheer depression on a court’s turf. You know, none of us mankind hates losing a contest but, like to battle. So, her brother had lost intellectual battle with I but, had won a chair battle because hated making noise with my mouth but, with my pen during class and home work.

Therefore, he was no competition of I in a class full of cracks or the intelligent. Out of ten I came forth but , that still did not make any sense to me. I prayed and prayed to God in the name of Jesus to please give me more intelligence but, all of that seemed to be in vain as class after class I found myself coming fourth or even further down in a top ten list. My very own brother had warned me that, if you slip out of the top ten come end of the year, you are most likely to find yourself failing the following year. Say what? I could not make sense of what he was telling me. Lisa came towards me just when we were about to go into class, five minutes before the siren rung.

I became shy to say anything to her she put her hands around my waist and gave me a tight squeeze. Being a virgin of note, I could not understand why she came to I, or why she had decided that my waist needed a tight squeeze. I was blind in love and the only approach I knew was winking and buying the girl you love some gift. Then came this; a tight squeeze. I turned my head and looked at her.

She continued and asked; ‘ So, you want to be gay?

Say what? I thoughtfully said. Minutes quickly coming off my wristwatch like a stained white school shirt after school after she and I have made love.

‘No,’ I replied trembling.

‘You must be. Just look at your greasy hair and earrings. Damn! ‘

‘I’m not Lisa, okay?’

‘Alright. For I to stop having doubts that maybe you’re, you’ll have to show me that you aren’t
afterschool.’

A siren signalling the end of an hour-long lunch wails and I find myself not knowing what to do because she and I were beginning to have some chemistry. We walk hand in hand into out classroom and I am still baffled by what is happening. She is making inviting gestures and I can swear that come afterschool I am going to be in trouble if not big trouble. I look around just after we have entered the classroom and the steely eyes of her brother are on us.

‘I guess he’s still angry with me about what happened earlier on,’ I tell her.

‘Yah,’ she agrees. My brother takes too long to forgive. It’ll be for the best if you can go to him now and ask for forgiveness or our afternoon may be spoiled.’

I do not reply and just walk towards him.

He gets off his desk and walks outside the classroom. I know he is the type who does not have much time or respect for teachers and can just light up a cigarette at the corner of the corridor facing the men’s toilets.

‘Hello bro,’ I say. “It wasn’t my intention to belittle you earlier on. I just wanted my chair. That’s all.’

‘Your chair?’ he replies menacingly.

‘Yes, my chair.’

‘There’s no ones chair in that classroom or in this school. All chairs belongs to the department of education and it belongs to the state. Do you get my point?’

‘Noted.’

‘Sweet. What are you doing with my sister or to be frank, what do you want to do to her?’

‘Nothing, man. She and I are just friends.’

‘Friends who cuddle publicly?’

‘Yes. Why not?’

‘Because she’s my sister. ‘

‘I love your sister. Is it wrong for I to love her?’

‘Not at all. I’m her big brother and I just want to make sure she’s fine.’

‘Sweet.’

‘Get out of here. The teacher is coming. I can hear his footsteps.’

‘Aren’t you coming to class?’

‘It’s a free period.’

‘There’s nothing like that. It has been phased out long ago.’

‘Walk.’

The teacher goes to him while I quickly elope into the classroom. I and other learners hear an exchange of words between the teacher and him. He is told to get inside the classroom or get into the classroom and take his bag and leave but, will still be required to stand before the class the following morning to tell learners what the lesson was all about Lisa winks at me and I wink back at her.

It takes us four hours of hardwork before she and I can make a quickie. We pretend to be learning while his brother, Japhta, knows exactly what is happening. He keeps lying that she has went to a choir practise. We wait for her parents to go to the living room and I quickly slip out of their yard.
She runs bath water and bathes while her parents agree unisonly that she had indeed went to the choir practice.

I on the other hand am just happy.

__END__