THE STORY: in love and in war

PROLOGUE

      Present day.

As she sat at her table placed right in front of the window overlooking the next compound, Susan sighed as she sighted Dele, one of the numerous people living in the next compound. She had been trying all day to sort out the assignment before her with no avail. Her mind kept wandering- like she was having a premonition or something close to it. She allowed her mind to dwell on Dele now as he got out of his car, a tiny golf that seemed ironic to his personality considering his size and style. She smiled in spite of herself and remembered the first time they met…       

     

        She was alone in her apartment as usual pondering over what to scribble down in her poetry journal- she loved playing with words and writing them- when there came a knock on her door. Instinctively, she knew it could only be the two girls living as roommates in another apartment just down the corridor because she hardly ever had visitors since she moved into this house. They were more or less like a whirlwind in her little apartment but she loved them as she would if they were her sisters. They- Vivian and Tola- started chatting almost before they got in through the door.     

“Brooding mantle! What is it you’re brooding about now? We’ve been hoping you’d at least pop in to say hi to us on your way back from school.” Vivian said animatedly in her sharp voice.     

 “Well, I thought u guys were sleeping when I got back as it was awfully quiet.” She was so quick to defend herself that they all had to laugh. They knew her well enough to know that she loved hiding in her room reading newspapers or writing. To both Vivian and Tola, Bola was quite an interesting girl, with lovely manners and taste but she just seemed kind of queer to them, too into herself but they always managed to draw her out a bit, lighten up – at least enough to contribute to the discussion- like she was doing right then. They- the three girls laughed on and talked together almost at once not giving each other room or space to talk at length without chipping in. it was a wonderful sight.          

           There was another knock and Bola tensed visibly, frowning. Tola opened the door to allow two young men into her apartment. “Please, we’re so sorry to bust in on you like this. We’d checked u both and were about to leave when we heard your voices, so, we traced it here. Hope you don’t really mind?” Dele inquired looking at Vivian, who in turn looked at Susan. Introductions were made between Susan and Dele and Dele in turn introduced his friend to the trio. His name- Akinola. They chatted on for a while exchanging pleasantries and then plunging deeper to talk on politics in Nigeria . Susan, being an observer in nature and through experience, noted immediately that there was another observer in the room-Akin, as fondly called- which made her kind of weary since she relied on placing tags on people based on what they said or the manner or demeanour with which they said it. She cringed and withdrew inwardly- something she did often as a defense mechanism- but smiled on the surface and spoke when spoken to. Eventually they took their leave-the whole lot- after what seemed like eternity when in reality it was just a little over an hour.               

      All that happened three weeks ago and since then, she has had to cope with Akinola’s appearing acts whenever she was on campus. It was rather unsettling. She didn’t like his eyes that seem to bore down on her each time as though he was trying to read into her soul... 

    She snapped back into the present with a jerk of her head toward the door. It seemed that whatever brought her back, though invisible, was right there at the door. She listened and her breathing quickened with unknown fear.