Lovers Story: Brother Samson and Sister Debbie 6
“In as much as I try to understand you, I want to say, in case you have forgotten my name, my name is Deborah and people call me Debbie, please ma, for God’s sake just address me as sister Debbie…”
“Heh?”, interrupting Sister Debbie’s words looking surprised, “do you think I “fit” do what you said sist…” trying to recollect the name again, patting her head
She completes it for her, “sister Debbie.”
“Yes ma. Sister Debbie. I am afraid, I may not be up to this new task ma”, putting up resistance to what she has said she should be called.
“Yes, you can ma’am, and you will, I believe”
“If you said so ma, I really pray so”
“Ma, the sister has covered the respect with which you have in mind to be showering on me”
“Okay ma, Sister Deborah, it is not likely I forget this name because one of siblings bear that name, although we do not shorten it as you have shortened yours’, the cleaner said
“I am not the one who shortened it, it was shortened by my colleagues when I was in the university…”
Interrupting her “Oh, I see.”
“So, ma, I would be enormously happy and grateful if you do not forget and you can be calling me that as from thence”
“Uhm mm”
“We are yet in Polyglot island of Shebotimoh republic, not in the developed world where anything goes, even in some advanced countries, people there still have means of respecting their elder ones, their superiors”, Sister Debbie on a note of finality said, as she makes an attempt to go, taking a step, while the woman replied her.
“This is taken ma”
She abruptly stopped again and face the cleaner, asking, “excuse me what about the secretary?”
“I have not seen her this morning ma”
“Okay” Debbie said as she started walking towards the door that leads to the main building, then the woman’s question halted her back “I hope there is no problem ma?”
“No there is no problem. I just asked after her when I could not see her on seat”, she replied the cleaner as the security personnel by the door that leads to the entrance of the main building greeted her, and then opens the door for her to enter, she was faintly hearing the Cleaner’s response as the door closes gently behind her, her footsteps were faintly heard as she started climbing the stairs, her office is on the second floor.
As the old woman continues with her work she said to herself, “I really hope this woman will not get angry with me one day, because what she asks me to do, I am sure that I will fall short of it one day, I only pray that the day would not be one of the days when she will be on her edge, when her adrenaline would be higher such that she will be angry”.
Punctuality
Sister Debbie is one of the members of staff of Uncommon Favor Auditing Conglomerate (UFAC) that used to get to the office early. Work starts at 8:00 hours till 17:00 hours every day except Saturdays and Sundays, each worker is expected to have resumed for work by 7:45 hours at most. Majority of the staff however do get to the office around 7:45 or 8:00 hours, but that is not for sister Debbie as she used to get to her office around 7:15 hours daily. What will make her report late to her office is if she comes down with a bug or attending some family needs at home.
Everyone in her firm has noticed her for this, and when she was discussing with the accountant of the firm one day, on why she used to report early for work, she said that is how her parents have brought them up. Both are disciplinarians, they do not take nonsense. Either or not you have something to do at where you have in mind to go, get there at least 20 minutes before the program starts to be a good example to others, her parents used to tell them.
When we were young, 7:00 hours or most 7:10 hours we would have been taken to school. “When I was in the university that I ought to choose my path, I found it hard changing from that way, as I would be in class early, that is how I developed how to read for about 30 minutes to one hour before others arrived for lectures. It has been part of me, can’t change from the way again, except for the place that I will not go to, but for me to get to the place that I have in mind going, I just cannot do that, rarely though, when unexpected incidents developed at home, that may happen that I will be late to where I have in mind going, but that too is verily rare, it is once in a while.” She said to the accountant that day.
As she climbs the stairs to the first floor where her office and other top officials of the UFAC is, she remembered the fruits and juice that she wants to buy for her mother, how would she get them, she started thinking about this for she does not plan to out of the UFAC premises that day because of the Open Zion prayer program in the evening.
The program used to start at 18:00 hours, the leader of the group, brother (and at times he is called evangelist) Samson as she and others used to call him do not waste time, his associates too are prompt and by 10 minutes before 18:00 hours ardent members of the praying team would have arrived at the venue of the program. During this period or earlier, people who wanted to see brother Samson would have been there talking with him, seeking for counsels on some of the burden issues of their hearts.
But others who do not have issues to discuss with brother Samson will be discussing among themselves pending the time that the program would start at 18:00 hours. When the program starts during this time, it rarely exceeds the 19:00 hours, because it is a one-hour program of prayer every week.
Others who couldn’t meet with brother Samson would squeeze time to visit him in his office the business center. Some members of this group find it easier going to his office to ask for counsel from him, because there would be no hurrying in him attending to what they have brought before him there.
Those who used to meet with him at the Open Zion venue are mostly people who coming to the program for the first time or those who are fresh members of the program. Hardly do old members of the program do this because they know his office and home and could arrange for meeting with him any time.
When he can’t finish with the new people who wish to see him before the program starts, he will arrange for meeting with them at their convenient time, this may take him to their houses or offices depending on the urgency of the matter they want to see him for.
Where Debbie’s Parents Met
About 30 years ago, Mr. Bulimah Bulimo (of blessed memory) got admitted into the University of Tripartite island on merit into the Political Science Department. About 6 weeks after, the list of the Vice Chancellor of the University was released, and on this list was the name of a beautifully created lady, Perine Perino who has also been given provisional admission to study Political Science in the university.
Orientation of the new students to the campus terrain, system and style has barely been completed during this time, thus, lady Perine Perino and others whose names were on the vice chancellor’s list have not really missed any academic works.
Bulimah, Perine and their mates got to know one another during the first semester but their closeness was not that intimate.
After the first semester examination, they were given two weeks break, but most of the students did not resume until four weeks after.
By the beginning of the fifth week, the lectures have heated up, with several notes and assignments given to the students. While solving some of the assignments Perine and Bulimah got close and their closeness increased by the seconds.
Both were regular worshipper of University Campus Fellowship and belong to virtually the same association together on campus, except for association that has to do with ladies or guys alone, those are the associations that they do not belong to together and they were living in different hostels, Perine lives in the ladies hostels, while Bulimah resides in male hostel.
As their friendship grows, it becomes an open secret to many that they were having feelings for themselves, stronger feelings that transcends the common friendship status to which they have been in.
By the mid of the second semester, Bulimah announces his interest to Perine. Perine, though has seen the handwritten on the wall before Bulimah made the announcement to her, she however did not agree immediately as she asks him to give her sometimes to contemplate on what he has said because she wouldn’t want to start what she will not be able to continue with.
Bulimah told her that he understands and that she should think the matter through, for he had also thought it over and over before resolving that whenever he wakes up in the future he wants her to be the first person whom he will be setting his eyes upon, if he will be returning home from office he wants her to be the person whom he will be returning home to meet, if he will be making minor and or major decisions, he wants her to be his closest confidant, someone he will be consulting before taking decisions. “I have thought this through and through, you are the one I wish to spend the rest of my life with”, Bulimah conclusively said looking straight into the eyeballs of Perine.
Adrenergic Release At Work
With this word coming out of the mouth of Bulimah, Perine felt as if something runs through her entire body, starting from the crown of her head all through her spines and down to the sole of her feet. It should be sympathetic nervous release she reasoned as she had been thought in her pre-University college. The person whom she freely interacts with as if she was interacting with a person of the same sex as her, she discovers that she sees and senses something different as from when he uttered that statement and she started feeling shy, the person she used to look freely in the eye, eye-to-eye contact, she immediately her eyes off his’ when he looked at her straight in the eye and she puts her face down, started thinking within her, “what could be to me? Is this how love is? What could the matter be?” she was ostentatiously now not listening to Bulimah again as she has been subsumed in her thoughts. And when Bulimah would ask her if she has comments on all that he has said, she would stagger and look bewildered, “please give me time to think about this as I said before” was what could come out of her mouth.
“Okay. I heard you at the initial I was thinking maybe you may have a word or two to say now that is why I ask for your comment” Bulimah responded
Since they used to walk together, read in common, and they were in the same department, Bulimah does not ask for special meeting with her before chatting her up, as they finished lectures around 18:00 hours that day and they were walking to the hostel arena, that was when Bulimah seized the opportunity to chat her up when they got to a T-junction where they would be separated with each person moving towards his and her respective hostels.
Bulimah who proposed to Perine that day hardly heard some of what the lecturer was teaching them that night as he has been thinking of what he would say and how he would present the word to her that day. The thought of how to present himself to her without her being miffed engulfed her mind all through the last lecture period. And as fate would have it, some of their friends who used to walk with them that day did not walk with them, thus making the time a perfect time for them to talk about this crucial matter that has been boiling in the heart of Bulimah for a while.
Initial Response To The Proposal
That night Perine did not go to the night class as expected and contrary to the earlier agreement with her friends during the lecture hours. She did her studies in her room. The following morning, that she ought to go to the library to read before lecture starts at 12:00 hours, she did not leave where she was in the hostel.
She was living in a room of four, her roommates left her in the room and after they left the room she continued to study in her room as she tries to read her note so do the torrents of the thoughts of Bulimah filled her heart, for most if not all the time that she stays alone after this discussion it was the thought of what he said that keep ringing in her ears, running through her minds. “Can I be married to him? All guys are supposedly liars my mother used to say. But if we close our eyes so that evil people would pass; good people would also pass without our knowledge so the elders used to say. How do I know that he is not out to ruin my life? Can he be trusted? Can I entrust my heart into his hands without it being broken? Maybe all that has been in his heart since the first day that we started friendship is he getting romantically involved with me.” This and more were what was running through her mind as she tries to read her books.
She stopped walking with him, stop being in his company, given him and others excuses for staying apart. She will either leave the room early or leave very late after seeing that he has left the hall.
Eight days after Bulimah has proposed to her, the authorities of the institution gave the students mid-semester break and Perine who has said she won’t be travelling home for the mid-semester break was among the first sets of students to leave the campus for the break.
Bulimah too has noticed the changes in her disposition towards him and he knows that it was what he said that led to her changed disposition towards him. He initially was not very happy with himself for this and started to blame himself. “She should have come out plainly that she does not wish to be romantically involved with me instead of doing this, she has started to affect my academics negatively” Bulimah said to himself one day before the mid-semester break.
Bulimah At The Stadium
He also went home for the mid-semester break and while at home, he went to the football pitch to watch the training of the Tripartite Football Club. Some boys about his age age were siting close to him and they were talking about the issue of one of them who has proposed to a lady, the lady he proposed to also seems to be avoiding him, they told him that he needs not to be disturbed about the lady’s actions because that is expected of ladies. He has done what is expected of him to be done as a man, it is left for the lady to decide if she wishes to go with him or nay. They told him many things out of which was that he should give the lady sometimes more before approaching her for her final decision on what he has discussed with her, the crucial issue of life.
Bulimah was hearing all that they were saying, and he was putting himself in the position of that friend of theirs, that what the person was passing through is the exact thing that he is passing through at that moment.
Perine At Home
When Perine got home, her sister was surprised to see her because she told her that she will not be coming home for the midsemester break. Her sister, Dusty, could not but ask her if everything was okay with her and she replied that all was okay with her.
That night Perine told her sister about Bulimah’s proposal, it wasn’t as if she did not see that coming but she has been disturbed about the age difference, for Perine was about eighteen months older than Bulimah.
Dusty told Perine that she understands what she was thinking, she however, told her that, if she really loves him and thinks she can live with him assuming she did not know the age difference at the inception, or assuming something brings them together like war, whereby they would not be able to ascertain the age differences before falling heads over heels in love with each other, she can go ahead with him because after a while age differences may not matter at all. “Age will not live with you at home, and sometimes one may be younger but mature in mind and action while some would be older but grossly immature in mind, actions and dispositions to life and life issues. Darling,” putting her arms around her shoulder as she stands from where she was initially sited, to pace around the room, “love really matters in this, for it is you that will live with the man”, she conclusively said to her sister.
All through the days she spent with her sister during the midsemester break that was what their discussions were centered on.
She spent additional days extra with her sister before returning to campus. Before she left her sister’s place, she has resolved that she will accept Bulimah’s proposal of love and give the relationship a trial, she prays and hopes that the relationship works perfectly well, works according to what she has been dreaming of for a relationship, her ideal relationship to be.
Back On Campus
She got back to the campus on Sunday afternoon, after dropping her luggage in her room she left for male hostels, to Bulimah’s hostel and asked the Potters to call him out for her because it was not yet visiting hours. The Potters sent someone to Bulimah’s room to tell him that he has a visitor at the lobby of the hostel.
Soon enough he gets to the waiting room and saw Perine on seat, after greeting the Potters, he went to her and sat by her side. “Everyone in the department has been worried for the past few days when we couldn’t see you on campus, I hope all is well with you and your family?”
“All glory to God. Everything is fine. I returned few minutes back, just dropped my loads in my room, I am yet to even put them inside the wardrobe, as I rushed out to see you, to tell you that I have arrived”
“Oh! Is that so?” Looking surprised for he has been thinking that she has arrived for sometimes before deciding to come to him.
“You looked surprised”
“That is, it. I am surprised”
“Do not be.”
“Thanks for coming then. I really appreciate this. I am much relieved now” he said
“I will like to go and tidy up my loads in my room” she said as she stands up, facing the Potters, “thank you sirs”, one of the Potters replied her, “you are welcome fine girl”, Bulimah also stands up as he started seeing her off on getting to the walkway, she asks him to return to his room, “maybe you should return to your room, because it is not yet visiting time.”
“I will, let me walk with you a while before returning.”
“Okay.”
“Do you mind my coming to your room during the visiting hour?” he asked
“I wouldn’t mind your coming, infact I brought something from home for you”
“Is that so?”
“Oh yes, it is. Let me get going to put my things in place and to clean my room”
“Alright. Be expecting me” he said as she left him, hurriedly walking back to her room.
As Bulimah walks back to his room he was silently smiling to himself, thinking about her, her going home has changed her, it seems as if she is no longer annoyed with me.
It was as if the remaining minutes before the visiting hour was ten years to him, for his mind was no longer at where he was, his mind has been with her, he desires more than anything to be with her, for it has been days that they had interacted last during those period he cannot even describe what he passed through the psychological agonies passed through thinking about her. He feels like holding her forever, like embracing her and not letting her go when she departs him.
Bulimah At Ladies Hostel For The First Time
During the visiting hour, he left his room heading for hers’ after looking at himself over and over in the mirror without the mirror, asserting that his dress was okay. On getting to the lobby of her hostel, he meets with the Potters who asked him to fill register for the visitors, after filling the register, he asks for the way leading to her room because he has never been to the female hostel before. The Potters told him the way to take that leads to her room. He walks to the staircase, climbing the staircase because her room is upstairs, the last room in her section according to the description given by the Potters.
As he walks, he keeps checking through the numbers on the doors of each room he passed by to ascertain what the Potters have said as if the Potters would have made mistakes. At the last he got to the last room, which is room 20, because the numbering is in ascending order, it started from 14th as one climbs the stairs to where the rooms started on the second floor. He heavily inhaled and exhaled the air as he knocks at the room’s door, pulling his shirt at the edges as if straightening it.
“Who is it?” a voice not Perine’s asks from within the room
“A male”, he responded
“I did not ask for the sex, the voice replied, but I ask for whom it is?”
Clearing his voice, it may be that Perine has told her roommates that I would be visiting, he thought within himself and said, “It’s Bulimah”
“Who do you want to see?” the voice asks again
It means she has not told them about my coming contrary to my earlier thought, he reasoned within himself, before answering the person again, “it’s Perine I want to see”. There is no response, but he could hear some movements on the iron bed, as the person drags the bathroom slippers she was putting on as she walks towards the door to open the door for Perine’s guest.
“Oh, sorry dear for the grilling…”
“Please do not mention that” interrupting her.
“Thanks for understanding”, he nodded his head as he said this in response to her words as she continues, “come on in” opening the door wide, leaving the entrance for him to enter the room, “Perine goes to toilet, she will soon be back”, pointing to the right end of the room, “this is our corner”
“Thanks” as he waited for her to remove the curtain with which the corner has been covered from the small passage way they have created as passage to enter the room and walk to the balcony.
Each corner of the room has been covered by curtains to partition the room into two corners, right and left corners. While Perine and her friend occupies the right, the two other occupants of the room fills the left corner of the room. They joined their curtains to the nails fastened to the doors at the entrance and the one that opens to the balcony to make it two corners.
The curtain that Perine and her friend used is golden in color. And their side’s windows are covered with golden window curtains too.
She used her left hand to raise the curtain for him to enter their corner. After Bulimah has entered, she also entered the corner, then move to the window and raise the curtain of the window to allow for more air and rays of light to enter their corner for clarity. After doing this, she draws out a chair that has been pushed close to the reading table that has been partitioned to two to allow for both to read in the room in case they do not wish to go to the class or library to do their reading. “Here, you can have your sit”, after drawing out the seat.
“Thanks a bunch”, he replied as he sits on the chair.
After saying this, she draws out a 10 liters keg of water from under their bed, opened the wardrobe and took a mug cup from the plate rack placed on the second level of the wardrobe. While she was doing this, Bulimah keeps looking at their corner and he sees that beside this wardrobe is their shelf partitioned to two like the reading table where they can put their books and notes on. And he could see the notes and some of Perine’s textbooks in one of the partitions. He could decipher this because the names of Perine was clearly inscribed on the edges of the books.
After taken out the mug, she rinsed it and poured the water into an empty bowl, then poured the water into the mug, hands the cup to him saying, “please, take this before she comes”.
“Thanks” stretching his hand to take the mug filled with water from Perine’s friend’s hands.
“She will soon be back” she said again as she wants to sit at the edge of the metal bed.
As she was about to sit on the edge of the bed, Perine saw Kosmet through the window since the curtain of the window has been folded up a bit, but she could not see clearly the person siting on the chair. She entered the room, briefly opened the curtain of her roommate on the left-hand corner, greeting them, she did not wait for their response as she raised hers and enter their corner.
Smiling “welcome. Sorry I went and ease myself”, she said, facing her friend, “how are you doing?” she asked.
“I am fine”
Replying in between swallowing the water, “I was told that by your friend, unfortunately it is a work that one cannot commission anyone to do for him or her, individuals have to carry out the work themselves”
“Which work?” Perine asking
“Easing one’s self. Going to the toilet. Passing urine or defecations is a work that no one can do for someone else, irrespective of how rich or educated one is, one will have to do it himself or herself”
“Uhm mm. I see” Perine’s friend said, adjusting herself on the edge of the bed where she was sited.
Introduction
“I think there ought to be some forms of introductions in this room today” Perine said
“Are you thinking or …”
“Won’t I think about this first?”
“Nothing to think about in this”, her friend replied, while the other room mates at the other corners also raised their voices to add credence to what she has said.
“Don’t mind Pery, that is how she would be acting like a naïve person” first lady said
“Isn’t she naïve?” second lady asks from first lady and it seems they have turned that to discusson among themselves on the top of their voices so that we can hear
“I do not think she is”
“Why does she behave like that then if she isn’t?”
“She likes creating scenes”
“Well”, second lass replied her bunkmate, “stop creating scenes oh Pery, when you are not a comedian and act normally” she enthused
“Alright oh. I will stop creating scene, but you won’t mind if I start the introduction from my end here”, Perine replied them laughing
“It is said that one starts eating steamed bean inside Sarcophrynium brachystachys leaves from the edge, it makes sense, if you start from your side, after all Jesus himself admonishes his disciples to start preaching the gospel from their immediate vicinity before reaching to the other parts of the world. By doing that you ain’t creating a scene darling. I support thee in this”, the second lady said.
“Alright oh. I heard you quite well.”
“That is brilliant as there has been no misconstruing” first lass replied from the leftcorner.
Perine clearing her throat, touching her friend which is sited by her side on the bed on her right thigh with her left hand says, “this is my bunkmate and corner mate, a 100-level student like me, her name is Kosmet” and pointing her finger to Bulimah, facing Kosmet, she says, “this is my coursemate, and my friend, Bulimah”
Kosmet was just looking at her mouth as she was talking to her not even looking at the person she was pointing to. Bulimah stands up from where he was sited walked takes a step or two to where they are siting on the edge of the bed, stretching out his hand to her and said, “it is a pleasure to know you today”. Kosmet shook hands with him and replied that, “the pleasure is mine”.
“But if I may?”
“You are free. What is it?” Kosmet replied
“What is your course?”
“Computer Science.” She replied, looking at his face asking, “but why do you ask?”
“I ask because I have not come across you, and assuming you are doing a course like mine, I think I should have come across you one day in the walkways”, he enthused
“Oh, yea. I get you. Our departments are miles apart, like heaven is to the earth is it far” They all laughed. “If not that, as you have said we ought to have come across one day before now, but because of the distance, anyone who will be going to your end must have something doing there and ditto for anyone who will come from your end to mine, the person would have something cogent that she or he wants to address there, else, people from your end may not come across people from my end till they graduate in this institution”, she concluded.
“And the General Course that would have brought us together did not, as the lecturers lecturing you differ from ours, the lecture hall which you are using is equally different from ours’, Bulimah added.
“Something used to bring people together, today, it is my friend, Pery who has brought us together”
“That is it oh”, he said as Perine holds him by the right wrist with her left hand, pulling him along as she says, “let me go and introduce you to other roommates before they drag me to the court of law” she said smiling.
“And you surely know that you will be convicted”, the first lady’s voice is heard replying Pery as she draws apart the golden curtain that has been used as partitioning to open the way for them to leave their corner, and when she wants to enter the second corner, she used her right hand to draw apart the blue curtain they used to enter into their corner.
aduralagba 