The Roommate
Episode 1
© Eunice Ansah-Agyeman
The day was Friday, and the cool, refreshing and invigorating evening air filtered through the large windows of the lecture hall as the lecturer continued his one-of-a-kind presentation on logical and critical thinking.
He was well-built, handsome and every inch a man. Most guys on campus called him the ‘Ladies Man’ since he was always surrounded by ladies who wanted one thing or the other during his free time.
The only thing that gave the male students relief was the fact that he was a very principled and happily married man and thus had no eye for any other woman for that matter.
© Eunice Ansah-Agyeman
The professor was one of the few lecturers every student on campus found endearing, and as he talked, with gestures and tone modulation, most of the students were busily scribbling the points in their notebooks and electronic devices, and Mina Addison was no exception.
Mina became instantly intrigued when she raised her head at a point during the lecture and saw Julie-Anna dab at her eyes as if to wipe tears from them.
It was intriguing because Julie-Anna always carried herself as if she was made of stone and nothing got to her.
Mina, listened to Professor Canon Patrick Okiajah-Bortier as he brought his lecture to a close with his usual closing statement, “I’ll see you as and when I see you.”
Most students got to their feet to socialize when the professor exited. Surprisingly, Julie-Anna remained seated, with her left hand moving at short intervals to dab the tears that streamed down her cheeks.
Usually, Julie-Anna would have been one of the first to get to her feet and fool around with her circle of friends who were mostly males. The few females she moved with were the ones people have branded slay queens and lived with the notion that life ought to be enjoyed without a care about who got hurt in the process.
Mina packed her books and laptop carefully into her one-of-a-kind backpack as one of the male coursemates who sat next to her during the lecture tried to engage her in chit-chat.
By the time she was able to get him off her back, the lecture hall was almost empty.
Knowing Bastian, her fiancé would be waiting for her at the car park, she made for the door with her bag strapped to her back and her phone in her hand.
She was almost at the entrance when her phone dinged.
Realizing it was the special tone for the love of her world, she navigated hurriedly to the message and was deflated instantly.
“Sorry, Love. Have to run an urgent errand for Mom. Promise to see you first thing in the morning tomorrow and spend every minute of the whole weekend making it up to you. Love you, Bas!”
© Eunice Ansah-Agyeman
Sorely disappointed because thoughts of him had left her horny the whole week, and the fact was she was really looking forward to some good funky moments with him as was usual on weekends which for them, started on Fridays.
With dropped shoulders and deflated spirits, Mina made for the door.
She stopped at the door and took another sweep around the lecture hall when she heard raised voices.
Julie-Anna was standing in front of the first row with the security man who was obviously losing his patience.
Seeing they were the only occupants in the lecture hall now, Mina inched closer when she remembered Julie-Anna’s demeanour during the lecture.
Julie-Anna was on the verge of tears when Mina reached them and she frantically begged the security man to give her a few more days to sort things out.
“Miss, you do not understand me. This is the only job feeding my family, and I don’t want to lose it. I told you my boss found out you have been passing the nights here and has given me a final warning. You can’t stay here anymore. Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”
There was no sense in what she was hearing and before she could think about anything else, Mina, with confusion written all over her face, moved closer to her coursemate.
“What’s going on Julie?”
Julie looked flustered and very frustrated when she turned to look at Mina.
She tried to speak but for some reason, only her lips moved.
After a spell, Mina pieced all the puzzle together and took her coursemate into her arms when she broke down in tears completely as she tried to explain herself.
“I ran into some problems with the hostel manager. He kicked me out when I could not pay the balance of the rent I owed. And since all efforts to secure free accommodation failed, I ended up sleeping here. I was hoping I could finish the semester and then worry about what to do next sem.”
“How did you manage to move into the hostel when you have not fully paid up? It’s a bit intriguing, you know, concerning the strict rules that apply as far as the university’s accommodation is concerned.”
Julie-Anna laughed only with her lips and looked at Mina as if she was looking at some naive person.
“There are exceptions to every rule, Mina.”
“What about your friends, can’t they help you?”
“Nah. They are all living outside campus with their boyfriends in tiny apartments, and think three will be a crowd. I am now beginning to understand the saying that you only know your true friends when your back is against the wall and there is nowhere else to turn.”
Mina was not sure what to say or do as a myriad of questions flooded her mind. She was finding it difficult to believe that one could just enter the university without a plan.
“What about your parents?”
“I wish I could say that they would be able to help me. I have not set eyes on the bastard of a father who caused my birth my entire life, and my mother prefers not to talk about him. My mother is a petty trader and cannot help that much. There was a man who took it upon himself to cater for my education. I was expecting some inflows from him but things took an ugly turn when his wife found out he was helping me that is why I find myself in this dilemma in the first place. If I can get a place just for the rest of the semester, that would be a relief.”
Mina had a lot more questions but knew it was not the time or place for them. She stood looking from Julie-Anna to the security personnel and after what seemed to be a battle of the mind, she looked into the pleading eyes of her coursemate and offered the help she could afford at that material moment.
“I think you can stay with me for as long as you need. There are terms and conditions though. ”
“Really!!!” Julie-Anna exclaimed, quite surprised by Mina’s offer.
Surprised because Mina did not share her apartment even with her younger sister who was a fresher at the same university.
“Your wish is my command, Mina. You are a lifesaver. I am truly grateful for this. I owe you one.”
“You owe me nothing. Just a few things to keep in mind – I don’t like loud music, don’t bring friends to the apartment, don’t go through my stuff or use anything of mine without my prior consent, and I like to sleep with the lights off. Basically, I want you to stay in the space I give you. The rest of the conditions we can talk about later but we need to go now before these giant mosquitoes feast on us.”
“As you wish, Madame,” Julie-Anna said with a bow, causing the three of them to burst into laughter.
Mina ordered a ride and with the help of the security guard, packed the few belongings of Julie-Anna into the boot of the car.
After a few minutes’ drive, they arrived at the plush apartment Mina lived in.
Julie-Anna was quite surprised about how lavishly the place was set up.
The edifice was a four-storey l-shaped building with lots of greens, garden chairs and neatly demarcated parking spaces for cars. She had never been to that part of the university because she did not know anyone who lived there. Besides it was a place for the children of the affluent in society and she sure was not one of them, at least not yet.
Mina’s kid sister was at the parking lot when they arrived, obviously summoned by her big sister and, as Mina and her kid sister, who lived next door, helped Julie-Anna with her belongings, she vowed to herself to turn her fortunes around so she could live as the queen she was meant to be.
You may also like The Last Kiss by Eunice Ansah-Agyeman
Read it here 👉🏻 https://aaron-ansah-agyeman.com/2018/10/03/the-last-kiss-episode-1/