A Choice of Destiny

INDUCED HOPE

As a medical student in school, I had a lot of people who had tons of expectations from me. I was everybody's girl. I was pretty much a dreamer, I knew exactly how I wanted my life to turn out. My parents were average income earners, however, they made sure I and my siblings had what we needed. My life was going on pretty well as I had always imagined until he came along.

Femi was all over me in 300level. He was a student of Pharmacology, same level as I was. He always appeared friendly to me and was willing to help by all means possible.

He had friends who were seniors in the medical field, so he made sure they were always putting me through school projects and basic medicine essentials. One day he offered me money for my textbooks but I was unwilling to receive his help because I felt he was already doing too much, plus he is also a student like me. Even though his Dad was a wealthy politician.

I made sure to kindly refuse his money oftentimes but this one time, he forced the thousands of naira into my purse and said he wasn't going to be happy if I refused this one. I reluctantly agreed to keep the huge sum of money he put into my purse.

It was a Friday evening, I couldn't get myself up from bed. I was struggling with menstrual cramps and it comes at me so terribly. When I was a teenager growing up, I often would be admitted to the hospital for so much pain. It was that serious.

This time, I had learned to manage the pain even though it was still crampy. Femi had just finished his 7 pm lecture and was heading home when he decided to stop by. His custom was to call before coming, but that evening was different.

I heard a gentle knock on my door, and I tiredly responded to know who it was. Immediately I heard his voice saying he was the one, I abruptly stood up not even minding the pain I was in. I stood up and began to wonder what textbook or material Femi had forgotten the previous day he visited, couldn't remember any.

I opened the door with a surprised look on my face and he just smiled and said, he just wanted to say hello differently this time. And he meant, without putting a call through. He came in with a plate of ice cream and shawarma. Heavens! I couldn't get sugar into my stomach right now, I was seeing my period.

He looked at me and was worried, he asked if I was doing fine, I shrugged and said yes. Although it didn't sound convincing, he just didn't want to push it. He handed over the gifts to me and I received them with thanks.

I was heading towards the freezer when he asked me if I wasn't going to take the Ice cream and shawarma right away. I told him I would take it later, that I just had dinner shortly before he came. I knew I was telling a lie, but I wasn't so sure if he suspected anything.

Femi held my hands immediately and drew me close to him, looking intently into my eyes and asking if I was sure about being fine. I slowly pulled myself away from him and said, I was having cramps.

Femi smiled so childishly and was teasing me. He concluded it was because of the cramps I couldn't take the ice cream, he knew my likeness for ice cream was very high, so when I didn't take it immediately, something just had to be wrong. Femi was that smart, one of the many reasons I was fond of him.

Five days later, I was in the lecture room when my phone rang, it was Femi. He was calling for something urgent, he didn't say what it was on phone. He wanted to see me in person.

I was worried, although I couldn't express it as much as I wanted. I was too much of an introvert. We made plans to meet in Pharmacology common room. He stayed in a school hostel.

Femi wasn't looking so healthy at all. I asked what the problem was, he said he couldn't tell me about it where we were, he suggested we met at a bar where students and lecturers usually frequent. The bar place was named after an old lecturer who believed that there had to be a place where students and lecturers could strengthen their bonds outside of the classroom. I still don't get the point. Why would I want to bond with my lecturer outside the classroom? It sounded unethical to me.

Femi insisted it was a safe place to talk. I couldn't understand how that public place could be safe. The meeting was at 8 pm, I got there at exactly 7:50 pm. The bartender came with a bottle of vita milk and a plate of a peppered snail. I was surprised and I told him, I wasn't the be who ordered, it must be the wrong table.

He gave me a cunny smile and said it was on Femi's instructions. I was surprised and was also getting uncomfortable with it.

I put a call through to Femi, but there wasn't any response. It was always forwarded to a voice mail. I left a voice mail with him to let him know I was at the bar already, I hadn't seen him yet.

It was 45minutes to 9 pm I was still waiting and got tired after several calls and bar rooms unattended to. I stood up to take my leave when the bartender and three other guys came in front of me and said I couldn't leave. Is this supposed to be a joke or something? Why couldn't I leave? I was already getting upset and confused when one of the guys held my hands so tightly pulling me into the barrooms, I began to scream at him and asked him to let go of my hands, then the two other guys brought out a handkerchief from a black nylon and covered my face with it, I felt my heart squeezing inside my chest, I couldn't bring myself to imagine what was going on with me until I blacked out.