By Muhammed Akindele
It was a not-too-breezy night of the year. When the Caliphate sun had just dropped its final retirement for the day. Just a few minutes after the Isha Prayer, as a Danfodite, I was getting ready for night class. However, I could sense that hunger bites, the soft grumble within my stomach is the telltale sign. To quench my hunger, I decided to stop by the Denkali De Awara joint. The Yoruba adage “okun inú lafín gbé tìta.” was my inspiration. ‘Okun’ means strength. And that’s all I needed to assimilate in the class.
With a filled stomach, I went back to the hostel to grab my materials. Off to class. “I will cover all these topics today before I come back.” I had whispered to myself with the greatest of inspiration.
After a careful perusal of various classes that constituted the A cubicle, I finally found myself an empty seat. Just a few seconds after settling down, I received this strange phone call which I picked up. To my surprise, it was a melodious feminine voice on the other end. But the surprise was short-lived, as the call dropped before I could even reply. Wonder.
Like a baby whose mother offered a breast to suck, I quickly called the caller back because, to be honest, I loved what I heard. Fascinating.
When her voice beamed back, the caller introduced herself as Hauwa. “Wow! That must be why her voice was so sweet. She’s a Hausa lady, she probably comes from Kano,” I was saying in my mind.
After she introduced herself, I replied with my name. But before she could say anything, I inquired about where she got my number because I couldn’t recollect knowing any Hauwa from the chemistry department.
She apologized for disturbing me during this hour of the day, while I might probably be in class. I told her, with a smile on my face, not to worry and that I just wanted to know the reason behind the August call.
It’s nothing special, but I want to discuss something with you. I told her to go ahead and tell me what she wanted to discuss.
“Erm… Actually, umm… You know, I’ve always had a crush on you all this while, but I just didn’t know how to approach you. Luckily, I got your number from my friend who happens to know you. That’s why I’m calling you. I want to know if we can meet today. I’m staying at the DV hostel. Can you please come tonight so we can talk better?” She said
Oh, wow! I told her not to worry and that I would be there in a jiffy. With my books and bags left behind, I made a run for the DV hostel.
I called her as soon as I reached her hostel, and she told me she would be with me soon. While waiting, a thought of regretting not using perfume once crossed my mind. One minute passed, then 10 minutes, and still no sign of the Hauwa. I called her again, but her number wasn’t reachable. I said to myself, “Maybe she’s trying to call me back.”
After waiting for 1 hour and 30 minutes, I decided to call her number back. Unfortunately for me, the number was saying “switch off.” Is this a new prank? Did I just get pranked? Oh my God. This can’t be real.
Dejectedly, I went back to the class I was in before I left, but at that moment, the zeal to study was no longer there. Besides being served an unprecedented breakfast, I had gotten tired from all the stress of walking up and down. I packed up my books and went back home, still thinking about Hauwa’s melodious voice that was still haunting my mind.
The following morning, I received another call from Hauwa, who was laughing hysterically. She told me it was a prank. She only got my number from a WhatsApp group we are both in. “So you like girls like this?” she said, still laughing.
Well, I don’t know how to cuss, but I know that my God will judge Hauwa.