By Muhammed Akindele
Right after confirming that being tricked, by the mysterious Hauwa. I felt a deep pain in my heart, and to sum it all, I was too shy to go back to the A10 lecture hall to read the following day.
“What if she was even there when I ran out like a mumu from A10 to DV hostel? That means she’d been laughing out loud with some of her friends while I was rushing out,” I was thinking. “I’m a man after all, a man is meant to be found in tough places. I can’t be weighed down by a mere lady’s prank,” a part of me encouraged.
I’m a very reserved person, I hardly tell people my problem, but in this kind of situation, I think I need to tell some of my friends about this mystery I had encountered. Little did I know that I wanted to add to the fire. Perhaps, this Justified once again, the reason why I’m always a reserved person.
A’ishah is a friend of mine, we met at ETF3, on my freshman days, while we wanted to collect our admission letter in UG1, although I made some advances to A’ishah then, but she told me she’s already engaged. So, I settled as her friend. Sad, right?
I told her about my ordeals with this faceless angel, Hauwa, and asked for her suggestion, if perhaps, there’s any clue to demystify the unseen.
“A’ishah, something terrible happened to me last night, one of your gender played a very dangerous prank on me. I want to know your thoughts about this, that’s why I’m telling you this,” I asked.
A’ishah, after telling her everything, was laughing hysterically that even the passersby could not help, but kept opening their mouths in surprise with the way she was laughing. I wished I had not let her know.
“Sorry o, fine boy. So have you now gotten any updates from your secret admirer, since then, or could Hauwa be scared of approaching you herself?” She added again with a mischievous smile on her face.
A’ishah’s laughter only added salt to the wound, but deep down, just deep down my mind, I knew A’ishah might be saying the truth, actually. Maybe she’s a shy girl after all. That thought alone left me with some hopes.
“No updates,” I said, feigning a fake smile.
A’ishah calmed down, placing her arms in mine, a gesture which made our distant friends wonder if we had anything going. “Okay, here’s what we can do, forget about Whatsapp. It’s too easy to fake profiles and numbers. You remember the number she called you with? Send a direct message to her, because it’s obvious she won’t pick your calls by the way. Who knows? Hauwa might be waiting for your message too,” I raised an eyebrow.
I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I believed she was making some sense. I went through my phone and sent her a direct text message asking her if this is real, she should let us meet at the Normal A10 class or any class that’ll be convenient for her.
A few days after I sent the message, when I’d even forgotten about her, my phone buzzed!
The message read, “Sorry about the prank. I know this is random, but can we just move to the gleaming part and keep it like this? Your voice in my memory is enough,” The text read.
I wasn’t sure if I was okay for some moments, but I felt relieved when I learned that Hauwa was real.
“Fine, but for every prank, there is always a price. Maybe, just maybe we are meant to be. Be prepared,” I typed back.
Still didn’t figure out who Hauwa was, but I knew from that moment one thing, this wouldn’t end here. It was just the beginning of a unique accident, an exciting prank and perhaps an existing connection.