PART 6: The Watch My Grandmother Left Me

“Hi, Nancy…”

Nancy looked up from her phone immediately she heard my voice. For a split second, I saw something flash across her face. Guilt? Surprise? Fear? I honestly couldn’t tell because it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

“Oh, you’re back already?” she asked, adjusting the expensive handbag hanging on her shoulder.

I nodded and stretched the nylon containing her wig towards her.

“Thanks for lending me your wig.”

She collected it and smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Then silence.

She couldn’t even pretend to care or ask “How was the rest of your day?”

No “Are you okay after what happened at the restaurant?” despite she being part of it.

Nothing. Just plain, awkward silence.

I stood there for a few seconds, expecting her to say something else, like her saying her usual “You know I don’t mean those words..” like she always do after every public embarrassment. But she simply walked past me into the kitchen like nothing had happened.

If someone had told me back in secondary school that Nancy and I would one day become this awkward around each other, I would have laughed so hard that even my village people would have pitied me.

Because Nancy and I didn’t just meet yesterday.

Ah, me and that girl were like two inseparable sisters from different mothers. In fact, throughout our secondary school days, people genuinely believed we were cousins because if you saw one of us, the other person was usually not far behind.

We met in SS1 when both of us were thrown into Science Class against our wishes.

I wanted Arts because I loved stories, books and anything that didn’t involve calculations trying to send me to an early grave. Nancy, on the other hand, wanted Commercial Class because according to her,

“Yemi, Physics na punishment from village people. Nothing anybody wan tell me.”

We were like two confused girls trying to understand why Chemistry practical always smelt like danger and why Physics existed in the first place.

We became friends almost immediately. Maybe because we both loved fashion or because we were both dramatic. It really felt like I had found my soul sister. A sister I never had.

To make it even more interesting, our parent’s houses were in the same estate. So, sometimes we were always in each other’s room doing assignment or having girls’ sleepovers.

By the time we graduated from secondary school, we had become practically inseparable.

Imagine our excitement when we both gained admission into Covenant University at the same time.

My mom was especially happy because in her own words, I finally got the sister she couldn’t give me in a friend.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t become roommates because Nancy’s parents could only afford one of the smaller hostel suites while my parents paid for a bigger room.

But if you think that stopped us, then you didn’t know us then.

Even though the school rules were strict on sleepovers, sometimes Nancy would sleep in my room for almost one week straight. Other times, I practically relocated to her room. The only thing missing from our arrangement was a legal tenancy agreement.

Nancy studied Accounting while I studied Psychology.

Now, anybody that truly knows me knows one thing: Mathematics and Statistics have always been my thing. Don’t ask me why because till today, I genuinely don’t know. Maybe I inherited that from my grandma because she was a number baddie in her days.

So whenever Nancy got frustrated with her assignments—which was almost every other day—she would dramatically burst into my room.

“Yemiiii!” she would cry. “Please explain this balance sheet to me before this lecturer is after my life! This is the 5th correction I am doing.”

And because I loved my friend, I would patiently explain.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Sometimes till 2 a.m.

Those late-night tutorials, endless gist sessions and shared dreams strengthened our friendship.

Then in our 200 level, I met Becky.

There was a faculty seminar organized for students in Social Sciences, and somehow Becky and I ended up sitting beside each other.

She was studying Economics from her ID card; I was so happy I finally found someone in the same faculty as mine.

After the seminar, we exchanged contacts and gradually became friends. Anytime we had lectures around the faculty building, we would gist afterwards.

One afternoon, Becky invited me to her hostel.

That was where I met Susan. Hmm.

How do I describe Susan?

Susan is the kind of person that if you ask her for the time, she will first insult your wristwatch before telling you the actual time.

From rumors, her dad was very rich and owns a much percent of the school’s shares and she is a very beautiful girl and also intelligent.

Hence, her outspoken nature didn’t faze me but low-key I was always weary of her insults.

Still, she was fun to be around and somehow, she liked me.

Since I already had Nancy, I quickly introduced her to the girls. Becky took an instant liking to Nancy and before we knew it, the four of us had become one of the most popular female friend groups in school.

Everywhere we went, we went together. Even our lecturers were beginning to think we live in the same building or related somehow.

We attended events together, read together, ate together, gossiped together and whenever we wore matching outfits for outings, people would literally stop us to take pictures.

Life was sweet.

At least, that’s what I thought.

Looking back now, I think the signs had always been there.

Susan had always had a sharp mouth. If she was angry with you, everybody around would know. Sometimes Becky would caution her.

“Susan, o ti po ju. Apologize jare.”

And Susan would hiss.

“Abeg leave me. People are too sensitive these days.”

We all laughed it off because, well, that’s just Susan.

Or so we thought.

Then one afternoon during our final year, something happened.

The four of us were reading inside one of the lecture halls.

Nancy was struggling with an Accounting assignment. Becky was highlighting almost every line in her textbook as usual.

Susan was pressing her phone instead of reading, as usual.

And I was trying to convince myself that Statistics was just too easy to be worrying your head over as I was helping Nancy with her assignment.

I reached for my water bottle and somehow spilled the entire contents all over the desk.

“Jesus!” I shouted, jumping up immediately.

Before I could even react, Susan had started.

“Yemi! Why are you always clumsy? Honestly, sometimes I wonder how you even survive on your own.”

Becky burst out laughing.

Nancy laughed too.

I laughed awkwardly because honestly, what else could I do? Cry?

Unknown to us, there was a guy sitting a few seats away from us.

A very fine guy for that matter—tall, dark and fine in a way that would suddenly make you feel self-conscious.

The guy stood up and walked over.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I was so embarrassed that I wished the ground would just open and swallow me.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Not only had I disgraced myself publicly, a fine boy had witnessed it too.

I nodded quickly and rushed off to get a mop.

By the time I returned, Susan was already talking to him.

Of course. Who else would take a shot at every walking greek god?

But honestly, that wasn’t even my problem.

The real shock came when I got to them and the guy gently collected the mop from my hand. “I’ve got it,” he said with a smile.

That smile almost sent me tumbling over.

Ladies and gentlemen, that was how Kamchukwu entered my life and unknowingly, that was also how my financial downfall began.

_____________________________________________________________________

Things are just beginning to get interesting!!

Comment *LOVE* if you want Part 7.

#thecomfortadeyeye#FictionStory#AllRightsReversed#NoCopying