Chinwe was a student of one of the state universities in the east. She looked forward to a brighter future which would be opened through the door of education. But suddenly, she fell head over heels in love with her roommate. Going back down the road of memories, Chinwe recalled how she came to seek the touch of her fellow female. She was a ‘jambite’, and the school surroundings were breathtaking to her.
She looked out of place. Standing with the wall as a support, she noticed a very beautiful fairskinned lady, who couldn’t be more than a few years older than her. She thought she looked friendly and could help her. After much turmoil in her mind, she decided to approach her for directions. “Good day, aunty,” she greeted her but was stunned when the lady opened her mouth to respond to her.
Her voice was so soft she almost had to strain her eyes to hear her properly. She had the most angelic voice she had ever heard. “Good day dear and how are you?” she questioned her back. “I am fine.” Chinwe hurried her words for she was every bit anxious over this first meeting. “I am just lost as this is my first day in school. Could you please direct me? I am on my way to the outskirts of town.”
“Sure, come with me. That is where I also stay and I am already on my way.” It sounded like music to her ears to know that she would finally be on her way after a hectic day in class. She could not hear half of what the lecturer was saying because she was sitting in the middle having arrived thirty minutes late. The lecture was so boring she almost slept off in class. It was like they were destined to meet each other.
During the course of discussion, she got to know that the lady who would later be her roommate was called Grace. Grace hails from Rivers State but was born and bred in Lagos and was in her second year. Chinwe thought the name fit her because she was so graceful. She walks like she is on water, so cool.
“I just got tired of the hustle and bustle of Lagos. I have always wanted to school in the east and I have never regretted my decision,” Grace told her. Chinwe was left in reverie as Lagos was only stories she heard from people who travelled back to the village during ceremonies. The state university was the only big place she had ever travelled to on her own.
She had always lived a very sheltered life with her grandmother, as the sun had set for both her parents. She was quite delighted when she received her admission letter to go to her dream school. She could not stop smiling and talking about it to anyone who would spare her a minute of his/ her time. She was quite hopeful to pass out in flying colours.
But life as a student is very hectic. Waking at the crack of dawn to prepare early enough for a front row in school was tasking as she hardly slept at night. Sometimes she caught herself dozing off during lectures, but she knew where she was headed, to a successful era after education.
Her motto which she always recited whenever she felt like slacking was: “Education is the key to success” and she so much wanted that key. Her friendship with Grace blossomed so much that they were always together at school even though they were in different departments. Chinwe was studying Banking and Finance while Grace was studying Business Administration but this did not in any way affect their closeness.
They were study mates, always seen together after lectures in the library, smiling and laughing out loud over ridiculous and mundane things. Things got a little tight for Chinwe and she was later cajoled by Grace to be her roommate. After much ado about nothing, Chinwe agreed and she found out she could save a little for herself to make ends meet in the process.
It felt like the world was at her feet and she could concentrate on her studies without disturbance from landlords. Grace had never asked her to pay a dime because she came from a well-to-do family. Her father was a business tycoon and his private firm had two branches in Lagos and the capital city, Abuja. She was the only female child in the family of four and was quite pampered. Two months after they started living together, Grace told her she wanted to discuss something important with her, which could also be shocking to her.
Chinwe thought it was just the usual trivial school incidents, but she was wrong. “I have something I want to share and I want you to see reason with me,” Grace said to her. Chinwe replied that she could always say whatever is bothering her, after all they had been friends for a long time. “I want you to be my lover because I am always happy when you are with me,” Grace said.
It dropped like a bomb shell but Chinwe could not help it. She burst out laughing and thinking aloud that Grace could not be serious as to say such a thing to her. But something kept lingering in her mind as she recalled the unusual disappearances of her roommate during school hours, and the sketchy explanations she gave whenever she returned from another friend’s birthday party which Chinwe never got to be invited to. But the truth dawned on her as Grace revealed her secret. Grace told her how she had joined a lesbian club during her freshman year, paying the sum of N30, 000 and meeting with older ladies before she was accepted as a full member of the club.
She also revealed to Chinwe that all those disappearances were escapades with her lesbian friends. She said she was also making plans to travel to Brazil for a film shoot and possibly reside there permanently. Chinwe’s jaws could not help but drop as she heard this from someone she thought she knew so well. She had grown to love Grace as her elder sister. She felt disappointed but at the same time intrigued, for she had heard tales of the existence of a lesbian club. Chinwe’s curiosity got the better of her because she wanted to know how it felt being a lesbian, and she allowed her roommate to satisfy herself without any thought to moral teachings.
No day passed without Grace deriving pleasure from Chinwe’s body before and after class each day. As a result, Chinwe began to lose her focus, and her grades at school began to nosedive. She no longer cared about what she had chosen as her life ambition, but was swayed from her set path. Chinwe was no longer interested in going to school.
It was like torture for her to be without Grace for a moment, and she could not stand being separated from her mate even for a minute. Staying in class was just for her to answer present to the roll calls which were sure to come. She had no time even to chat with her fellow course mates. All she ever thought about was going home to be in bed with Grace. Chinwe particularly dodged those socalled born again disciples of school fellowship to avoid being invited, but a particular boy kept pestering her to attend the fellowship. His name was Jude and he had brains to go with his good looks. She thought that she may have been interested in him, but only if she were into boys.
So she sighed for the umpteenth time while thinking about him. “Excuse me, Chinwe,” Jude blocked her way. “Come with me to the school fellowship even if it is for only today. I have a feeling you need to be there.” Just to get him off her back she agreed and made a promise to come another day since the notice he had given her was too short and she already had her day planned.
This went on for a while until one day she stumbled on an ongoing programme held in the school. The programme which centered on youth and relationships was more interesting than she had thought. It was a talk on godly relationships leading to a blissful marital life. This got her thinking and she realized that no matter how much time and energy she had spent in a relationship with a fellow female, it wasn’t right with God and was neither fruitful nor accepted by the society.
She could not hold back her tears during the delivery of the sermon. She cried helplessly while Jude held her, not saying a word through her emotional crisis. When the time came for altar call for deliverance, she tearfully stepped out without much prodding, pleading with God to be merciful unto her.
Tears streamed out and rolled down her face in quick succession and she cried to her heart’s contentment. She promised never to stray from the path of morality again and she moved out of her roommate’s house after Grace kicked her out for quitting their relationship. However, before she packed her bags, Chinwe had advised her friend to change for the better.
Jude has now become Chinwe’s hero, helping her through her academic struggles to rise back up to the top of her grades. She is quite hopeful of both her academic and romantic future, as Jude has fulfilled lot of the promises he had made to her, including taking her to meet her future parents-in-law.
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