Midnight| by Justin Muodebelu

Midnight.

I’m scrolling through different writes on my newsfeed and then I see a wedding picture. A closer look and it’s my crush from the uni.
With a wide smile I click on it.
I wasn’t the one who started crushing, she was.

Started in 200 level.
Our class wasn’t so spacious so people who were late for lectures stood outside. It was after one of those two-hour lectures, she walked to me and asked for my note. Sat there waiting for her till she was done. Then we started talking about quizzes and lecturers.
The next day we had another two hour lecture, she was late. The whole place was filled to the window. She squeezed herself in, smiled at me and asked to sit on my laps so she could try and catch up. I was shocked but then she didn’t even wait for me to decide and since I was at the extreme it was easy for her to just sit almost immediately.
I was uneasy through out the class. As in ehn, seriously uneasy. After the class, she took my notes and copied.
Days went by.
More 2hrs classes, more sit lap.
Green light was splashing on my face anyhow I was still doing what I don’t know. Some friends were even asking if we were dating. One friday afternoon after the last lecture she asked what I’d be doing during the weekend, I said nothing. She started talking about how she was lonely and how her food gets bad because there’s no one to eat it.
Green light o and I was just busy telling her to go and stay with her neighbors.
Saturday afternoon, she called, saying she wanted to show me something. I dressed up, took a bus from Agbani to Umueze where she stays.
The smell of nicely cooked hot jollof started greeting me from her gate. After hugs and how are yous, we went inside her room.
I sat on the bed.
She brought rice, I ate.
I asked what she wanted to show me. She brought out one handout, she was having issues with some concepts in traditional legal system. We talked about almost everything. Then I realized she was lying beside me, very close and then we were silent.

I’d ran out of things to say and didn’t know when I said “so, do you like okpa?”
she smiled and told me how she grew up eating a lot of it.
I was so shy. She drew closer and I stayed that way. Freezed.
She asked if I was dating. I said No.
She turned the other way and within few minutes she was sleeping. The sleeping involved throwing her legs on my body. Almost rolling over my body sef.
I stayed there like log till it was past 5.
Then I carried my two legs asked her to see me off to the gate, entered bus back to my hostel.
I was soo shyyy in uni. My god!

See wetin societal construct dey cause.
A woman would want something, but she won’t say anything and wait till the guy makes the first move.
The university didn’t teach me much about sighting green lights. I’m still short sighted like that.
It will have to be very very obvious.

But then who needs green light these days when consent is the new black.
Kemen sense is very common now my brother.

I will click the picture with a heart and pray she enjoys her marriage.

Me, I still dey find money.

 

   Justin Muodebelu studied Sociology and Anthropology. He’s a Media person shuttling between presenting for radio and directing for TV. He writes to understand.