Fiction: Love Is Not Kind To Me (Part 1)

Roguish expression was plastered all over my face, one of the final year students noticed it and laughed sardonically. 

Play straight or go him billboard was staring at me, a wild thought ran down to my marrows. The scrambling of lizard on the tree bark beside thatch, mud house, a glorified shade kind of, parts of the roofs were saggy like a fresh bread from the oven. Some of the panes were cracked like an angry, descending thunder strike. The manky veranda reminded me of my grandfather’s kind of resting place in the village. The narrow corridor was like the tiny tunnel to the world unknown.

I proceeded, suddenly; a spider web strands on my face, I used my left palm to wipe it off, some children were playing, suddenly; one  rubbed dust off the road  with his right index finger, licked the tip and points towards the sky to prove his innocence, I laughed awkwardly in the way that showed only my four center upper teeth, I remembered I used to do that. 

“Hello Chinelo, I don reach ooo”

“Ask anyone to direct you to RC” she said. 

Getting to that dusty, rough T-junction, the rustling branches of the mango trees were welcoming me with pleasant smiles, a very tall, well crafted work of technology was staring at me also, with a drone humming sound like an angry bees.

I moved further to behold myself gazing and stealing a glance at my face through a glorified kiosk. The mirrors were stained, probably due to the number of students using a plastic card to create money around it. 

The greenish kind of a thing was very angry, I was walking down to RC, my legs were sliding through the dried leaves on the ground making cratch, cratch sound,  through the detritus making krokro sounds. 

I finally got to Relaxation center (RC).

The face me, I face you chairs were scattered everywhere, the center pillar was defaced with SUG election posters, students were moving here and there, I saw one girl, her hairs were unkempt, tufts of foam with lice nesting in it. 

A horse cry echoes across the sky, tracing chills down my spin, I began to quack in my boot, I also wished to batten down the boot but no way, I looked straight and saw an ugly owl screeching across the sky, “hello John” the alluring and  erotic voice gasp through my tiny hole, she starred at me for some seconds, her brown teeth were glittering, her hairy skin was looking at me. I roved my eyes to behold her straight legs, her average hight was adorning, with her chocolate colour skin. “awwwww exquisite chinnel, good to meet you “ she chuckled in a way that produced  charming dimples on her cheeks. 

“You are welcome to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu, Alike.  AE-FUNAI” She said with an unimaginable cute smile . “I’m Chinelo AKA exquisite chinnel, a final year student of Economics. 

Is this place an university or secondary schools? I asked still looking around...she laughed loudly..here is temporary site.

Welcome to Ae-Funai.

The next day I decided to visit the school Library.

I stood closed to the  giant pillars to look around. The serenity of the place reminded me of “dolun city”. 

I gazed through the glass to adjust my collar. My beady eyes went far to capture hawks on top of the tall, well-crafted work of technology.