He walked into the empty class with his head bowed as usual, his slightly knocked knees slowing down his movement as he swung his legs apart in an attempt to avoid them touching. I was seated on a high stool leaning against the open window and staring at him in his green school trousers and short-sleeved white shirt. My heart pounded against my chest like it was going to burst open. It was painful, just staring at him walking towards me. His skin was as pale and as flawless as marble, with a well-defined oval face and broad shoulders that seemed to be calling to me every second. I couldn't believe this sixteen-year-old young man was mine.
He slowly lifted his eyes to meet mine and coiled his reddish-pink lips in a smile, I smiled back. Then he arched a well-trimmed eyebrow and asked, “How are you?” in an almost inaudible voice; I read his lips and responded, “I'm fine”, beaming with a smile. He let out a low-throated laugh and stretched out his hand to take mine which was already extended towards him.
The green-painted walls of the classroom, together with the cool evening air and the picture of the disappearing sun in the distance, like the painting of a meticulous painter, added to the electrifying feel of the evening. It made my head turn as I watched the orange rays of the sun reflect on his face.
“Happy Valentine, “ I said, staring up into his eyes; they were tiny and looked like he was squinting all the time, yet they held a cool but intense look in them whenever he stared at me. I loved them. But it was funny how he loved my large bulky eyes instead and said they were more endearing.
“Happy Valentine my love,” he responded.
“Come, come, take a seat, you're going to sing for me.”
“Oh really?” He asked, laughing. He had the richest and smoothest voice I had ever heard. It was like the smooth running of spring water on a hot day whenever I listened to it.
“Yes!” I responded wide-eyed.
He dragged a stool from the middle of the class to the window next to me. “What do you want me to sing?” He asked.
“Baby by Justin Bieber,” I said giggling. We both laughed. Then he coaxed his head to the side as he tried to recall the lyrics.
We were two high schoolers about to write our final examination. Outside school, we lived two states apart from each other, but we didn't care if we were going to meet again or not after our exams. It was our last year in school and we wanted to spend it with each other as much as we could. We had met as freshers one hot afternoon during afternoon prep class. He had sauntered into the class wearing a half-buttoned shirt and carrying a black cardigan which were both disallowed in the school. He walked straight to the table beside me and threw his school bag on the table, dropping his weight on the seat roughly. The wooden chair had rocked and creaked loudly, and I had observed him, wondering where such a loafer came from. But he had kept his eyes in front of him, saying nothing to no one. He seemed not to care about the mopping eyes which threatened to bore holes through his back. A few minutes later, the sanitary prefect walked in and ordered him to stand up. He was paraded out of the class to be punished, and his cardigan was seized. I thought to myself, that's right, he deserved it. But a few weeks down the line, we became best of friends because he helped with all my class work and assignments in technical drawing class. He turned out to be quick-witted and intelligent, especially in science subjects. But he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend until the first term of our senior year.
“Baby, baby, baby uhhh
Like baby, baby, baby uhh …
I thought you'll always be mine, mine_”
I listened to his voice, it felt like the dropping of oil on a smooth canvas, it lulled me to sleep. I held his hand and rocked from side to side as he sang, mouthing the lyrics with him and singing an alto part to a line or two. When he was done, I said, “Your voice is heavenly, I could never get enough of it.” He laughed and one could see the blood rush to his face.
“You're turning red,” I teased, laughing. He reached out and pulled down my head, running his hands through my hair roughly. I screamed and laughed as I struggled to get his hands out of my hair. Just then, we heard a teacher's voice.
“Who are those in the classrooms?” It was the compound master. We sat up immediately and my hands went over my mouth. “Return to your dormitories right away before I come up to those classes!” He added. We heard kids from the other classes trot noisily out of the classrooms,
down the stairs. The young man in front of me hurriedly squeezed my hand and mouthed that I go first, I waved at him and ran out, he ran out the other way a few minutes later. As I walked to the dormitory, I kept glancing across the large football field that separated the boy's dormitory from the girls’ to watch him walk away. He glanced back at me severally too, and every time he did, my heart sank. We had really wanted to spend the day together. This was a total disruption to our plan.
Later that night was going to be a variety night to celebrate Valentine. So I encouraged myself with the thought that there was still an opportunity to see him again. I could already feel the excitement in the air as I walked into the red gate which secured the entrance to the girl's dormitory. The dormitory was a series of buildings connected to form a square shape with an open area in the middle, like a square arena with a Neem tree standing at its center. That was where the junior students gathered every morning for sanitation and every afternoon for one punishment or the other whenever they deferred. I observed the square as I walked in, responding absentmindedly to greetings from juniors passing by, and remembered how I had also once been a frequent visitor to that space, which looked like a trial ground.
“Where are the white socks I gave you to wear to school yesterday? How could you possibly misplace them?” I heard a voice yell in one of the junior hostels.
“I'm sorry mummy, I think someone stole them from my box,” a tiny, shaky voice responded.
I didn't turn, I knew it was one of those school mothers exchanging words with a school daughter over a missing pair of socks. I walked away, slowly to my room; thinking about my ruined Valentine date.
A little while later, while I sat on my bed sulking, a junior student ran into the room. I could hear her greeting my roommates loudly from the door.
“Good evening, senior,” she said, standing in front of my bunk and breathing heavily.
“Good evening Arike, how are you?” I responded looking at her, wondering what the fuss was about.
“I'm fine, senior.” She said smiling. “The social prefect for boys said I should come tell you that he is sorry, he won't be able to come for social night today because he and the sanitary prefect have a meeting with the boarding master.”
I sat up. He didn't tell me that, I thought. He set up the variety night himself, being the social prefect and made all the arrangements, now he was going to be absent? Just when I thought I was going to see him again? “Ahhh!” I exclaimed and made a crying face. Then I remembered
there was a junior student in front of me. “You can go,” I said, dismissing her with a wave of my hand. She said ”Thank you senior,” and ran out. I collapsed into my bed. “Oh no!” I cried. It was going to be one hell of a boring and frustrating social night.
About an hour later, we were all jam-packed in the large school hall, screaming the lyrics of the song blaring from the loudspeakers. The DJ seemed to be exhilarated by the screams from the I'm nLlcrowd as he kept playing popular songs that made the students go wilder. All the time, there was a tight knot in my throat trying to find its way out in a scream. I closed my eyes and wiped off the sweat from my forehead with the back of my palm. When I opened them, there was a group of girls in front of me, twisting their waists and dancing deliriously while some boys clapped to the beat of the song and cried, “Go! Go! Go!” I rolled my eyes and turned around, bumping into a junior student. She quickly waved her hand and said “I’m sorry,” then leaned forward to speak in my ear. “The social prefect for boys is calling you outside,” she said. I glared at her as a wave of excitement and shock hit me at the same time. Then I turned around and pushed my way through the crowd until I was outside searching frantically in the dark for him.
Where are you? My mind raced. Was this a prank? Why are you not here? If this was a prank, I was going to deal with _. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around me from behind, then the smell of the familiar perfume hit my nostrils as my back rested against his chest. “Did I keep you waiting?” He spoke into my ears. I laughed and said “Yes”, and all the anger suddenly vanished. He giggled and turned me around to face him, then leaned forward and planted a kiss on my lips. I giggled childishly and covered my face with my palms.
“Don't do that,” I cried.
“Does that make you shy? Hmm?” He teased.
I burst out laughing. “Stooppp!” I yelled while laughing. He laughed too. Then he picked up a little bag beside him and handed it over to me. “Happy valentine once again my sweet, shy, girlfriend of the year!”
I laughed louder, “Awwnnn,” I cooed after I was done laughing. “Thank you.” I put my hand inside to feel the contents of the bag as I couldn't see clearly in the dark, but he stopped my hand and said, “you'll see it after the social night.”
“Okay your majesty,” I responded jokingly. He got the bag and gave it to a female junior student to drop it on my bed in the dormitory. Then we walked into the hall holding hands and feeling like the best couple of the year. And indeed, about an hour later, the MC announced the best couple of the year, and it was us!
That night, as I lay hugging my red-furred teddy bear with the words, “I love you” written on its chest, I thought we were a match made in heaven. A perfect match made by God, and I could never wish for anything more.
Mmeyene Joseph
