Seventeen

Bimpe and Tola stood next to the Coca Cola sellers stall. Bimpe was sulking, they had arrived at school early that day because for once traffic was light. Since they were in early, they nipped out to get some sweets from the mallam up the road but when they got back, they were given a shortened break time as punishment for coming in late. They argued they were in already as evidenced by their bags and books at their desks. The punishment remained but the crime was now for leaving the premises unauthorised. It was better than missing break time altogether. Unable to wonder off with everyone else, they settled for cold bottles of coke from the lady who sold them just outside the school walls.

‘I don’t know why these teachers are so strict, what is the big deal?’

Tola was a lot less bothered, ‘relax, it’s just for today.’ She chuckled, ‘they have probably already forgotten am sure.’

‘No they haven’t, Mr Awotunde reminded me again as I was leaving.’

‘That’s because you are always in trouble Bimpe.’ Tola pushed her friend’s forehead back with her forefinger, Bimpe took a step back to maintain her balance, ‘anyway, isn’t he the one that gave you his phone number?’

They both cackle at this. As they stood sipping their drinks, groups of their classmates trooped by calling out to them,

‘Aren’t you girls coming?’

‘Where is everyone going?’ Bimpe asked

‘Turkey joint!’

‘Damn!’

‘We can’t come, sorry.’ Tola didn’t seem to mind the punishment. Bimpe scowled at her, it was because her boyfriend didn’t attend the school and wasn’t going to be at the turkey joint. She had in fact made plans to see Dele after school so it didn’t matter what she did during the day, her fun started later. Bimpe’s boyfriend was leading the pack headed out, he blew her kisses as he walked by, she shook her at him.

‘Traitor!’ she yelled as he winked at her.

His best friend was beside him, her relationship with him was lukewarm; they didn’t like each other, only tolerating themselves for the sake of Dapo. The best friend looked at her disapprovingly, he thought she was a bit of a tearaway, not good enough for his decent soon to be medical doctor stand-up guy best friend.

‘You will never meet his parents, can’t see him doing that.’

‘You will never have a life outside of him, can’t see you managing that.’

‘What type of girlfriend are you, can you even call his name properly?’

‘Are you his bloody father? Mind your beeswax!’

‘Bitch!’

‘Faggot!’

These was the conversation they often had, spoken with their stony stares and cold body language.

‘Shayo, what’s up?’

‘Bimpe! You good?’

That was the actual conversation that transpired when they couldn’t even look at each other. How the hell didn’t Dapo see it? Having ignored her, Shayo’s smile broadened as he addressed Bimpe’s friend,

‘Tola, babe, we need to talk.’

‘Oh he is such a twat!’ Bimpe thought. The group eventually migrated past them, there were that many of them, it took several minutes for the crowd to thin.

‘What is Shayo’s problem with me?’

‘His best friend is spending all his time with you, you really need to ask?’

‘Screw him!’

‘Oh you had better not!’

They both cackle again. Bimpe looked at her wrist but she had forgotten her watch at home that morning,

‘what time is it?’

‘Time to move, let’s go.’

As they returned their bottles to the seller, Deji approached them with a boy who didn’t attend their school. There were a lot of people who hung around just because it was a good source of bodies, most of who were female. Theirs was a summer school for kids who needed to boost their grades to get on the course they wanted to at university, or to up their grades in order to get in at all. The facility boasted some of the best teachers in the land and was oversubscribed for this reason, it was hard to get in and Bimbe was lucky that the proprietor was her father’s cousin. The parents liked it because of its record, the kids loved it because there was always a collection of good looking, non-nerdy boys and girls in abundance. Located in a residential part of town, the street adjacent to the school had been closed off so there was no thoroughfare, it was here that the boys who drove did all sorts of tricks with their cars much to the amusement of all gathered. There was also the occasional fight, displays of the latest dance moves and general gatherings during break times and after school.

It was in this “close” that the coke seller had set up shop, the kids only bought bottled drinks from her, they didn’t trust her other products. As she sold liquid contents only they drank by her stall and returned the bottles to her afterwards.

‘Bimpe how far?’ Deji didn’t wait for an answer, he carried on talking before she could interject,

‘this is Bayo, Bayo, this is Bimpe.’

‘Ok?’ Bimpe said to Deji searching his face for more explanation. It was a bit of a bums rush introduction she thought and Deji walked off immediately which meant that the conversation was intended to carry on without him. He raised his brows at Bimpe as he walked past, they said ‘behave!’ Bimpe and Deji hit it off from the get go, she trusted him and if he introduced someone to her, the least she could do was entertain the person without being a brat about it. Tola knew her presence was also not required so she caught up with Deji and they walked towards the entrance. It all happened in a flash and before she knew it, she was standing alone with Bayo not knowing what to say. He spoke first,

‘Nice to meet you Bimpe.’

She smiled in response. She was still irritable from being on punishment and was now a bit anxious that she had almost run out of break time. She needed to make her way back to the teacher to report herself present, Tola had already returned so that would make things worse for her if she got in late. She explained this to Bayo who agreed to walk back with her. He spoke as they walked, she wasn’t listening, her mind on her boyfriend and his annoying best friend, the teacher that would be standing at the entranceway waiting for her to return, on Deji, she was going to give him a god almighty grilling. Who, why, what? Bayo kept up the conversation while she ummed and ahh'd. He was soft spoken and had a polite manner about him. Already in his second year of university, his maturity could probably explain his grown up behaviour, most of the boys around were loud, lewd, rude, sometimes awkward but done in good fun and in an attempt to impress the girls (which it did).

When they got to the front of the porch leading to the entrance steps which was as far as he could go, she stopped him.

‘I have to go, sorry.’ She felt bad because she knew she was being rude without reason and despite all that, this chap remained the perfect gentleman. She started to make for the stairs when he said,

‘I am sorry our first meeting didn’t go too well, I hope our next meeting will be more forthcoming.’

She turned to face him. Despite her awful behaviour, he was still so polite, and he still wanted to see her again. Bayo was a smallish guy but his proud posture made him seem much taller than he was. There was something calming about him, something so sure in his manner. All of a sudden, the tables were turned, he held Bimpe’s stare as she struggled to come up with an appropriate response. She was now the nervous stammering one while he seemed to take control of the situation. He tilted his head sideways as he waited for her to say something.

‘I hope so too.’ Was her response, which was perhaps not very convincing as she stammered the barely audible words and for the first time since their meeting, she looked at him. There was a glint in his eyes now which she couldn’t help but smile at. Her guard down, she reached out for a handshake as a sort of apology and she hoped that she would get to talk to him again. His grip was firm which didn’t surprise her. She was half expecting him to do that very naff thing of scratching the middle of her palm with his finger but he didn’t. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she turned to wave at him, he hadn’t moved; he stood waiting for her to make her way safely back into the school before he left. He wasn’t going anywhere, literally and figuratively.