The class erupted in laughter. Opus
was at it again, cracking the place up as usual. He was after all, the
designated class clown however, where others made up for their lack of looks by
having to be witty and funny, Opus had it all going for him. Looks, height and
that razor sharp wit.
She sat at the “house of lords” so
coined because that was where the mischief makers sat. It had been the standing
tradition in the Nigerian Law School Lagos campus for many years. While the
effico ones aka the “we know it all” sat at the front of the class and earned
the moniker “House of Commons.”
One would wonder however why a
reserved conservative young lady such as herself would choose to be seated at
the “House of lords” seeing as she was neither a trouble maker nor a rabble
rouser. The truth? Deep inside, she yearned to be. She longed to be the one at
the centre of jokes. The one causing raucous uproar and being famed for it but,
fear. Well, not necessarily fear but low self-esteem.
Having spent years under a heavy
handed father and an over bearing mother, she had learned to fly under the
radar often keeping her thoughts to herself for fear of any form of verbal
backlash and so, with that she grew into what some would call a nerd. A book
loving, music enthusiast, isolated and shy individual who wanted to reach out and
help people so she decided to become a lawyer.
It however seems a curious mix for a
shy almost introverted person to want to be a lawyer right? Well, for this turn
of events, we have the good Lord to thank who blessed her with quiet
determination. What she wanted, she usually went after so long as it did not
involve any form of social interaction in acquiring it so, she pursued her
dream.
Once in a while, life saw her break
out of her shell momentarily to do something bold and outrageous like singing
before a crowd however, one bad review or snide comment often ensured she
retreated swiftly into the comfort zone, safe and free from ridicule, criticism
or scrutiny. But, she had it in her to be great, she knew this but the choke
hold of her father’s often harsh words and the awful put downs from her mother
had her in its vice like grip. It was going to take a miracle to break free.
Now at the home stretch of her
dreams, with her finally making it to the Nigerian Law School, it would seem
that fate decided a change was in order and stepped in. Day one of law school,
an error on her bank draft for school fees payment would see her frantically
trying to correct the error so as to make it on time for classes. The
administrators of the school were pretty strict on registration and class
attendance but try as she could, it was either one thing was wrong or the other
and finally after battling each road block, the bank draft error was corrected
and she was free to go.
The auditorium was massive as she
silently trudged in to find the place packed full. Every seat in sight taken
and she had to keep searching while eyes followed her every move. Dressed in
the mandatory black and white ensemble she stuck out like a sore thumb being
the only person standing and walking about in search of a safe haven to sit.
Finally, a marshal led her up to the
“House of lords” when it became clear she was becoming a distraction and that
was that. Seated high up several days later she noticed Opus who sat four rows
away from her. Funny, charming and quite intelligent and it seemed everyone was
drawn to him. She sighed deeply for he would never notice her and she turned
her attention to Miss Fashaki the civil procedure lecturer.
Most days after class, she stayed
indoors while other students met and dined at “the ala carte” a restaurant on
campus grounds where students were expected to eat at as cooking in the hostel
was seriously frowned upon and was grounds enough to get a student kicked out
of law school. Others stood at their various balconies washing or gisting or
doing whatever caught their fancy. The hostel was alive with noise and
activity. While she, was holed up in her room. Her roommates thought her a
little odd but did their best to tolerate her. Many times, they let her be because
making small talk with her often got awkward pretty fast so they limited their
interaction to school related things. Talking about the law and courses they
were taking were the only times she lit up with excitement so they only went to
her when they had tricky legal issues that required her keen mind.
On this particular day, dizzy with
hunger and too much reading, she decided to head out to eat something and just
as she stepped out and turned from locking the door, she came face to face with
Opus. Damn, he had the most amazing hazel eyes she had ever seen. They looked
like fire when the sun hit his face just right. “Good afternoon” she murmured
quickly lowering her gaze as she practically streaked past him heart thumping.
The incident was soon forgotten after that.
Monday, a day we all love to hate
found Lola (yes that was her name) rushing to beat the 8am deadline for class.
At 7.45am she was usually in line to sign the attendance register for class
(believe me, The Nigerian Law School does not play with attendance which forms
40% of ones assessment to be eligible to take the bar exam) but today
everything was all Topsy turfy so she practically had to race to beat the time.
Signed in, seated and slightly out
of breath, she awaited the Company law lecturer Mrs. Adebiyi. A super cool
ultra-chic lady whom she had a lady crush on. Soft spoken, oozing confidence
and a commanding presence, this was the type of woman Lola wished to be but
that debilitating fear held her firmly in its throes.
She searched for her other crush Opus in his usual spot but found his seat taken by another. Frowning a little she wondered if he was alright but that thought was quickly forgotten when Mrs. Adebiyi stepped out on the stage and began to lecture. Today was about directors, their powers, scope of duties and whatnot. Next thing, in walked Opus who on seeing his seat taken quickly went up the steps stopping beside Lola. “Excuse me” he said in a crisp British accent. “Can I go in?” heart thudding she stood to let him pass. “Goodness gracious, Opus is seating beside me.” Nothing Mrs. Adebiyi said from that point on made any sense. Her mind reeled as she took in the scent of his perfume. He had his hands on the table as he leaned forward to listen to the lecture and she watched those tapered fingers as they moved once in a while. He had lovely skin she mused noticing he wasn’t wearing a wedding band as some law students were already married. Suddenly he turned to her and said… “Sorry, did you get that?”
She searched for her other crush Opus in his usual spot but found his seat taken by another. Frowning a little she wondered if he was alright but that thought was quickly forgotten when Mrs. Adebiyi stepped out on the stage and began to lecture. Today was about directors, their powers, scope of duties and whatnot. Next thing, in walked Opus who on seeing his seat taken quickly went up the steps stopping beside Lola. “Excuse me” he said in a crisp British accent. “Can I go in?” heart thudding she stood to let him pass. “Goodness gracious, Opus is seating beside me.” Nothing Mrs. Adebiyi said from that point on made any sense. Her mind reeled as she took in the scent of his perfume. He had his hands on the table as he leaned forward to listen to the lecture and she watched those tapered fingers as they moved once in a while. He had lovely skin she mused noticing he wasn’t wearing a wedding band as some law students were already married. Suddenly he turned to her and said… “Sorry, did you get that?”
“Oh my goodness? Get what? What is
he talking about?” her mind raced yet having no idea what he was referring to
she had to ask “get what?” “Never mind, she’s repeated it.” And with that, he
went back to listening to the lecture. The classes after that were a blur as
Opus chose to remain seated beside her for duration of the day. For Lola, class
ended the very second Opus sat down with her.
All work and no play as the saying goes and soon, it was time for a one hour break which Lola was thankful for hoping that Opus would seize that as an opportunity to mingle with the other British-Nigerian students who were referred to as “bar part 1” students because they schooled abroad and had to go through more courses to catch up with their Nigerian counterparts. Usually, this exclusive group chose to stay a close knit group but Opus did not move. This was going to be a really long day for Lola.
All work and no play as the saying goes and soon, it was time for a one hour break which Lola was thankful for hoping that Opus would seize that as an opportunity to mingle with the other British-Nigerian students who were referred to as “bar part 1” students because they schooled abroad and had to go through more courses to catch up with their Nigerian counterparts. Usually, this exclusive group chose to stay a close knit group but Opus did not move. This was going to be a really long day for Lola.
Opus decided he would busy himself on social media and so time ticked slowly by with both of them refusing to stand up. In Lola’s case she feared she would do something embarrassing so it was safer to stay seated. Suddenly Opus turned to her saying “urm yeah, you dropped this the other day.” Lola’s head spun. He was talking again. Opus was talking and to her?! She looked at what he held out. It was a two hundred naira note. Aha, so that’s where that went. She knew she had been two hundred light and had wondered if her roommates had gone through her stuff and taken her money the other day.
“Thank you” she said as she took the money pocketing it inside her blazer. “What is your name?” he asked. “This is not going to end well” thought Lola as she became tongue tied forcing Opus to take her note book in search of her name. “Lola” which he pronounced like Barry Manilow in the song “Copa Cabana” she still said nothing. “My name’s Opus. I am from River State but I live in London. I just came in to complete my dream of being a lawyer.” Still she remained silent.
“Come on!” say something Lola prodded her tongue. Stop being an idiot and say something. When she heard the words “good, good” coming out of her mouth, she wanted to hide under the table. “Kai, Lola she thought. What the heck does “good good” mean? Now he is going to think that you are a prize idiot.” Her inner Lola chided so she quickly blurted “erm yes, dreams. I have dreams too.” “Jesus! Lola waaaay to go. Are you now Martin Luther King?! You have dreams?! Quick say something smart!” Inner Lola screamed. Then she stumbled on a plan. “Pretend he is a client what would you do? For a minute Lola was silent then she turned, stuck out her hand and said “hi, I’m Lola and yes, it has always been my dream to be a lawyer too.”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Written by Dawn W.
Dawn weaves stories borne from her love of life, fantasy & romance. An OAP, Lawyer & writer she blends an eclectic mix of her nature to bring you spell binding and soul touching stories.
Comments
Post a Comment