“Hey, Lain, where have you been?” Maina shouted when I tried to sneak into the classroom evading him.
“Sir…er...good afternoon,” I stammered, as I tried to hide my face full of scars.
“You are late, you know we keep time here, the students have been waiting for you,” he continued now heading in my direction:. “Why did you fight at that Hotel?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You and your many girlfriends fought at the restaurant…You think I don’t know? Look at your face,”
“Who told you that?”
“Does it matter? That kind of balbalic behavior is tarnishing the reputation of Next Generation International College,”
“Er...Sir…, it’s not like that,”
“Now get to Class, because we are here to make money!”
Maina then stomped out, his hand full of posters and I knew he was going to market his Professional Services. I headed to class and the two students there just stared at my scratched face. I started them off by giving them an assignment to enter on the Excel Workbook. I then scribbled absentmindedly on my notebook until I heard the door being knocked.
“Come in,” I said. The door was pushed open and Chema walked in.
“I came to pick my bag,” she said then reached for her bag.
“Chema wait,” she did not and she briskly walked out. I quickly followed her.
“I can explain,” I said as I patted her shoulders.
“Rain, what could you possibly have to say? That you now have a girlfriend, what explanation do you have for my torn clothes? For my face? For my shoe? For my dignity?” she turned directly facing me, her eyes moist and red. She reached for a handkerchief and blew her nose.
“Please, I am sorry,”
“Save your breath man, just save it, I don’t want to hear a thing,” she said then walked away.
I thought of following her, but then I knew I could possibly do more damage because I was not prepared. I just stood at the entrance to the college, still unsure what to do. Jane the receptionist was not there, so I took her desk and stared at the various quotes that Maina had placed on the wall. The walls needed a fresh painting, I noted. I read through Abraham’s Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, letter to teacher of his son and one line ignited my interest: Teach my son that for every enemy there is a friend: How untrue! I was deeply engrossed in the letter that I did not realize Stella’s entrance
“There you are!” Stella announced, as she stepped in.
“Stella, how did you find this place?”
“Please, Rain this pathetic place is what you call a work place? You are really proud of this place?” she said as her eyes roved through the subdivided office. “And you can afford to take someone out?”
“Stella, you have no right to say that! The owner might hear that,”
“Whatever! I am just wondering do you really love me?”
“You know I do, and you took things to the extreme!”
“I don’t think so Rain, I came all the way and found you cheating on me!” She paused for a while. “You are such an ungrateful bastard!” She shouted then trotted out.
“Stella wait!” She did not wait. She walked briskly away. By the time I walked to the corridor, she had already disappeared. I went back to the reception.
After a few minutes, my phone rang. The screen blinked with Sila’s name. Why would he call? I picked it up. “Hallo?”
“Rain, how are you?”
“I am fine,”
“Well guess what?”
“Talk to me!”
“The results are out!” he screamed enthusiastically. “Guess what I got?”
“You passed, of course!”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s not rocket science!”
“Do you know what you got?”
“Don’t tell me!”
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