PART 18

The four persons were sitted on four of the six chairs available to visitors, huddled together and talking in whispers.

PART 17

The exact room, they were in was quite noiseless save for the clicking away of an old computer and the infrequent opening and shutting of the room's two doors. The air in room was stale and stuffy. The air-conditioner had been switched off to make way for the computer, which tends to glitch when the air-conditioner is on. The windows had been opened but it served little purpose, for such a crowded room.

PART 16

Elsewhere...somewhere in a more busy section of the Academy; where the administrative building of the Academy is, were four persons, whom I should say are essential to the incidence I am about to narrate to you.

The four persons were in the section of the administrative building where we normally gather to complete certain aspects of our academic registration.

PART 15

It may seem, I may have touched a soft spot - I did not mean to hurt or embarrass her. But knowing her I knew it was uncharacteristic of her to avert her eyes. she looked down into the half-eaten cup of yoghurt and said, ''he proposed to me.''

I screamed or more the point, squealed in delight. This was the best gossip ever. You are going to tell me everything, I left my bed to join her on hers. Don't spare even the teeniest detail.

''There is nothing to tell,'' she said, ''he just went on one knee and I told him - yes.''

''Aha you don't want to share the moment with me.''

This was equally uncharacteristic of her. Naturally she would be only too eager to share every detail with me. But on this occasion she chose to talk about me instead.

''What about Bewin ? When did you last speak with him ?,''she asked.

PART 14

''Do you know we now have a new rector ?''

''What happened to the old hallowed owl ?''

''No one knows,'' Oye explained,''some say he has gone on a sabbatical, others say he has retired.''

She opened the small refigerator and shifted things aside until she got to a plastic cup of yoghurt. The door of the refrigerator shut with a soft thud when she closed it.

''I very much prefer Old Ollie, this new rector; Revrend Pieterson breathes out fire and spits lava....he already has a name....the red old dragon.

I laughed again and stared with a bemused smile out of one end of my mouth,''you are supposed to tell me how you finally dealt with Timothy.''

''Which Timothy ?''

''Ah ah...your Timothy of course,'' I retorted,''Timothy Adebayo....your gentleman.''

PART 13

She smelled so nice, inspite of the fact she was just getting out of bed. I could have chided her about this though, but I chose to listen to her chatter about all that had ensued while I was away from the Academy. I breathed the floral-perfumed air in the room, grateful to be back and rolled my tiny-wheeled suitcase to my own corner of the room. I could hear muffled sounds of gospel music streaming in through the open window from the room below. The soft feel of my already made bed was a welcomed place to rest my weary legs.

PART 12

I smiled at her and quickly made to hug her before she got the opportunity to call me names, in reference I suppose , to my leaving the Academy while others had remained behind. ''Daddy's girl'', she often called me, whether implying I was spoilt by my dad or that she equally had no one to dote on her, I never was quite sure. But like the sensitive character I am I would struggle to find an appropriate byname to entitle her with.

''How is my pretty young thing, then?''

''Pretty young lady, you mean'', she responded,''lady of the bouquet''.

I laughed, or more to the point, half giggled-half laughed at what it was, her response reminded me of.

PART 11

Having retrieved the said key, I proceeded to open the door. But just at the moment I made to turn the handle of the door, someone yanked it open from the other end. Standing in the door way was Oye; Oye Osadolor my long term room mate and my greatest critic.

Oye in pink polka dotted pyjamas. Oye with a little disheveled look; hair and all. Oye with a comical and quizzical expression on one of the fairest and prettiest faces you could find in the Academy.

PART 10

I stooped to pick up an envelop that fell from my mini bag, which I had over my shoulder and which was half open and full of every imaginable bric a brac you could think of. I was at this point already at the door to my room in the women's lodgings.

Being that the room was a room shared by two other young women, I decided to knock in anticipation of someone being in it. There was no response from the other side of the closed door. Setting my mini bag on top of my suitcase I rummaged in the bag for a key I had collected from the porter's office and had slipped in the bag, before stepping out on the south lawns.