The Pink Clouds – Episode 18

Episode_18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard was almost done with his registration. He was asked to go and conduct a blood test before his registration would be completed. As he walked out of faculty, he suddenly remembered about the teaching hospital saw opposite the main gate of the school. He wanted to board a taxi to take him there, but he thought he can save money if he walks there. He walked beside the university highway and watched as vehicle were moving on the road. The bricks that divided the highway was painted black and white. Beside the highway was a walking path constructed with interlocks. Between the walking path and the highway were beautiful yellow flowers.

 

 

 

He was suddenly reminded of the he had on his first day at his previous university, he felt a pleasure he hadn’t felt in years. The buildings around him, and how the

 

 

people around him interact were pleasing. He walked for some minutes before arriving at the main gate of the school. He saw the teaching hospital as soon as he got out.

 

 

 

As he was approaching the hospital, he saw that something that made him to question his consciousness. He thought the brief excited he had was too much for him to handle that he started hallucinating. But as he got closer, he came to term with the fact he wasnt hallucinating. The girl in front of him was indeed Rebecca. And she looked so beautiful more than ever. She was more like the perfect being he could ever describe. He felt as if everything that happening to him was in a dream. She talked and laughed with her course mates as the headed towards her parked car.

 

 

 

Richard felt as if his legs were glued to the ground as they got closer. Rebecca finally looked when she just some few metres away from him. The instance their eyes met, his breathe seized and his heart started beating faster. Hundreds of memories flashed back to him within a matter of seconds. He felt something he hasn’t felt in while. Rebecca stopped walking the instance their eyes met.

 

 

 

“Why do you stop?” Mary asked.

 

 

 

“Is okay, let’s keep going,” Rebecca replied.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard finally gain the courage to walk to them. As he got close to them, Rebecca looked away, Rebecca looked and frowned her face.

 

“Rebecca!” Richard called out excitedly. she turned and looked at him angrily and didn’t care to stop.

 

“Rebecca, are you going to walk pass me with bothering to say hi?” Richard asked and kept walking without looking back.

 

 

 

“Are you really blind? Can’t you see that a girl like her is way out of your league?” One of her mates said trying to him away, but Richard didn’t bother to reply.

 

 

 

“Rebecca Thomas,” he called her by full name.

 

Rebecca turned towards him slowly.

 

“Were you talking to me?” She questioned.

 

 

 

“Are you really going to ignore me?” Richard asked.

 

 

 

“I don’t even know you, besides, while should i bother talking to a trash like you? What do you think I am? Do you think I’m useless like you?” Rebecca shouted.

 

Unknowingly, tears started dropping from his eyes.

 

 

 

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said as he walked away.

 

 

 

“Crying over a rejection. Are you even man?” Asked another boy.

 

 

 

“Can’t you see how dressed? This guy is a psycho,” Dixxy replied.

 

 

 

“He got what he asked for,” Mary commented.

 

Rebecca got into the car with her friends and drove away.

 

Richard walked to an empty bench close to the parking lots and sat down. He covered his face with hands as he control himself not cry. For the first time, he regretted all the decision he had made in his life. He wished be has stayed in school and graduate. At some point, he thought he deserved what she did to him. But he promised himself he will make her regret it.

 

 

After about 30 minutes, he finally stood up and went into the teaching hospital and had the blood test. He returned to his faculty and completed his registration. He was given an accommodation in hostel that was not faraway from his faculty.

 

“Hey, where are you heading to?” Someone asked behind him. He discovered that it was Thomas when he turned.

 

 

 

“I’m heading to my room in the hostel,” Richard replied.

 

 

 

“I’m heading to hostel too,” Thomas said as he covered the distance between them.

 

 

 

“That’s great, do you happen to know where Block D is?” Richard asked.

 

 

 

“Is not faraway from here, I’m also in block D,” Thomas responded.

 

They walked to the tree where Richard kept his luggage.

 

 

 

“Is this everything you came with?” Thomas asked confusingly noticing how scarce it was.

 

“Yes,” Richard replied somewhat disappointed.

 

“Is okay, let me help you with it,” he said as collected the small bag Richard was holding.

 

 

 

“Thank you,” Richard smiled.

 

As they were walking to the hostel, Richard thought he should be Thomas’s friend noticing how nice he was.

 

“When did you finish your secondary school?” Richard asked breaking’s the silence.

 

“I finished my secondary school last year, how about you?” He asked Richard.

 

“Six to seven years ago I guess,” Richard replied.

 

 

“Wow! I was a little boy at that time,” Thomas laughed.

 

“You can say that,” Richard smiled.

 

“But how about your sister?” Richard continued.

 

“Actually, she is my twin sister,” Thomas replied.

 

“We attended the same school and the same class throughout our lives,” he added.

 

“Really?” Richard asked astonishingly.

 

 

 

“Everybody get surprised when they find out that we are twins. We actually the opposite of each other; she is tall and I’m short, she fair in completion and I’m completely dark in completion,” He revealed.

 

 

 

“You are completely nice, and she is totally the opposite of that too,” Richard laughed.

 

“Well being nice is one thing we have in common, you will realize that when you get to know her,” Thomas replied.

 

They walked for about ten minutes before arriving at the dormitory. It was a ten storey building, huge enough to contain almost three thousand students.

 

 

 

“Wow! This certainly is the biggest hostel I’ve ever seen, is about ten times larger than the one of my previous school,” Richard revealed, though he was not planning on revealing to anyone that he once attended a university.

 

 

 

“Did you attend a school before coming here?” Thomas asked.

 

“Yes, but I got expelled for cheating in the exams,” Richard said to cover up.

 

 

 

“Oh that must have been very devastating for you,” Thomas said.

 

“Yes it has been,” Richard replied.

 

 

The hostel was surrounded by a tall fence that was almost as high as the ground floor. The walked through the gate into the surrounding of the hostel. Richard was so impressed by how beautiful the surrounding was. The floor was Covered in grass carpet and there many short trees around.

 

“Which room are you going to be staying?” Thomas asked.

 

“Room 106 I think,” Richard replied.

 

“That’s amazing, that’s also where I’m going to be staying,” he said excitedly.

 

“What a coincidence, I’m really happy web are going to be staying together,” Richard smiled.

 

The walked to their room that was on the third floor. When they entered the room, they found three other people in it. There were three bunks in the room with a mattress on each. They were arranged side by side, and opposite to them was a very big locker. There was ceiling fan that was moving with a very high speed at the top of the room.

 

“Are you done with your registration?” Asked one of the boys. He was sitting at the upper part of first bunk.

 

“Yes I am, and this guy happen to be in this room, we are from the same department,” Thomas responded.

 

“That’s great, is always nice to be in the same room with your course mate,” the boy replied.

 

“You can put your stuff in the locker,” the other boy offered.

 

“Thank you,” Richard replied. He opened the locker and noticed that it was divided into six segments. That brought him to the conclusion that the room is supposed to be occupied by six people. He was so impressed by how neatly the things were.

 

“So are you from this place?” One of the boys asked Richard.

 

“No, I’m from Kogi state,” Richard answered.

 

“That cool, I’m also from Kogi state,” the boy replied.

 

“What part of the state do you live?” Richard asked.

 

“I live I lokoja, how about you?”

 

“I’m from Okene,” Richard smiled.

 

 

“Did you also graduate from secondary last year like Thomas?” He asked.

 

Richard suddenly started laughing when he heard that.

 

“What’s so funny about my question?” The boy asked.

 

“Do I still look that young?” Richard asked.

 

“Maybe,” he laughed.

 

“He is quite older that he looks, he told me that he finished his secondary school six years ago,” Thomas interfered.

 

“From the moment he set his foot in this room, I knew he was an old man,” sat the last boy. He had been silent Richard came in.

 

 

 

“Well, I will take that as a sacarsm,” Richard laughed.

 

 

 

“By the way, I’m Achuba, and the other two are Dino and Armstrong,” the boy introduced.

 

 

 

“You can call me arms for shot,” The other boy added.

 

 

 

“And I am Richard,”.

 

 

 

“So, which course are you studying?” Richard asked.

 

 

 

“We are studying political science,” Achuba replied.

 

 

 

“Wow! But I know is not a coincidence that the three of you ended up in the same room,” Richard suspected.

 

 

“Clever boy, my uncle works here and he happened to be in charge of the accommodation committee, so he sorted it out for us,” Achuba smiled.

 

 

 

“That’s really nice,” Richard replied.

 

 

 

In the evening, Richard had already settled. He tried his best to fall asleep, but he couldn’t. He kept thinking about Rebecca and the words she said to him. He regretted why he left school and his family. He wished he had endured all the criticism people laid on him back then about Janet’s death. He thought about his sisters and neice and imagined how she might have grown up.

 

He thought about Rebecca to the extend that it drove him crazy. He vowed to himself that he is going to be great again and make her regret how she treated him. He finally got up and came down from his bed.

 

“Are you going somewhere?” Achuba asked.

 

“Do you know anywhere around here where I can buy some new clothes?” Richard asked.

 

“There is mini market behind our hostel, you can get anything you want there,” Achuba replied.

 

“Do you mind taking me there or you are busy right now?” Richard requested.

 

“No I don’t mind,” Achuba replied.

 

As they headed out of the room, Thomas went after them.

 

“I’m also going,” he announced.

 

The three of the walked out of the hostel and stopped by the highway of the university.

 

“I thought you said there is a small market behind our hostel,” Richard said when he noticed Achuba trying to stop a taxi.

 

“There is somewhere I would like us to go,” Achuba replied.

 

“I hope we are not going to a party?” Richard asked.

 

“Absolutely not,” He laughed.

 

 

“He wouldn’t be dressing like this he was going to a party,” Thomas commented.

 

They boarded a taxi and drove out of the school. They drove for some minutes before arriving at a very big shopping mall. It was a three storey oval shaped building made completely of glass. The lights in it were all emitting of golden colour.

 

“Are you sure you have taken me to the right place to shop? Because I don’t have much money with me,” Richard announced.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Achuba smiled.

 

They walked into the building and Richard could see many shops in it selling all sorts of things. The climbed to the third floor to one of the shops that happened to be a boutique.

 

“Hey customer, its been a while since you last came here,” the owner of the shop gladly said when he saw Achuba.

 

“We just came back from the holiday remember?” He smiled.

 

“Well, then how was your holiday?” The man asked.

 

“It was great, I just have some few complains about it,” Achuba replied.

 

“I can see you brought me some customers,” he said referring to Richard and Thomas.

 

“Yes, my friend here says he need some clothes, could you please make him look perfect?”

 

 

 

“Don’t bother, I will make sure that I make girl go mad over him,” he winked and the three of them started laughing.

 

 

 

The boutique was filled with many different kinds of clothes and accessories. Richard kept looking around and was really thrilled by beautiful it was. The went around the boutique brought Five T-shirts, five long sleeve shirts and five trousers. He asked Richard to go a small room at the extreme of the shop to try the clothes. Richard went to the small room and tried them, he was so picky that he couldn’t choose any of the clothes.

 

 

He came out of the room wearing a blue T-shirt and a black jeans. He was holding two long sleeve shirts and a brown trouser in his hand as he walked out.

 

 

 

“After a long period of decision, I finally choose these once,” Richard announced as he walked to them.

 

“What do you mean by that? Don’t you that your friend has already paid for all of them?” The shop owner asked.

 

“Really?” Richard asked looking completely flabbergasted.

 

“Yes, so if you want any of the clothes to be changed, you can say so. But believe me, I have chosen the best for you,” the man said.

 

Richard was completely surprised that he didn’t know how to start thanking Achuba.

 

 

 

“Are you satisfied with the clothes?” The man asked again when he noticed Richard silence.

 

“Yes of course,” Richard smiled.

 

 

 

“I’m glad you like them,” the man said.

 

 

 

“I don’t really know I should start thanking you,” Richard said after he had gotten close to Achuba.

 

 

 

“Oh please don’t mention it,” Achuba smiled.

 

 

 

The shop owner put the clothes in a white packaging bag.

 

 

 

“What about your old clothes?” The man asked.

 

 

“I don’t need them anymore,” Richard replied and Thomas started laughing at him.

 

 

 

“Well, at least I can use them for dusting,” the man smiled.

 

“Alright, we’ll be leaving,” Achuba announced.

 

“I hope I will see you around soon,” the man smiled.

 

As soon as the walked out of the shopping mall, Richard noticed a saloon on the opposite side of the road.

 

“I think I should cut my hair before we leave,” Richard suggested.

 

 

 

“I was thinking of telling you that, but I thought you love your hair like this,” Thomas joked.

 

“Well, I change my mind,” Richard laughed.

 

They went to the saloon and Richard had his hair cut.

 

“Wow! You look absolutely great, I wonder why you left your hair to he so messy,” Achuba commented.

 

“I have my reasons,” Richard replied.

 

It was already night at that time, and Richard thought they should head back to the university.

 

“Aren’t you hungry?” Achuba asked.

 

“Of course I am,” Richard replied.

 

“I know of a very good place to go when it comes to excellent meals,” Thomas offered.

 

 

 

“Alright then take us there,” Achuba replied.

 

 

 

They boarded a taxi and went to the most expensive restaurant in the city.

 

 

“Is this where you call the excellent place? I have been here several times, and their food isn’t even that too,” Achuba complained.

 

 

 

“Maybe you have been ordering the wrong food,” Thomas laughed.

 

 

 

They walked into the restaurant through the glass door. The lightning in the restaurant bright, and the tiles on the floor were reflecting it. All the tables and chairs in the restaurant were white. At the edge of every corner was a flat screen TV. It was so cold due to the Air conditioners installed. Richard has never been to a restaurant like that as far as he could remember. The way things are in the restaurant, it was obvious that it was meant for rich people.

 

 

 

They were approached by the waiter who gave the menu. While they were deciding what to order, a girl walked into the with two of her friends.

 

 

 

“Wow! What an absolute beauty,” Thomas said as he was facing the entrance of the restaurant.

 

 

 

“I know who her, she is called Tina,” Achuba announced.

 

 

 

“Really? Can we go and talk to her?” Thomas asked as he was completely captivated.

 

 

 

“Actually, I have been in love with her for the past 2 years,” Achuba replied.

 

 

 

“Really?” Richard and Thomas asked interestingly.

 

 

 

 

“Where did you meet each other?” Richard asked.

 

 

“In school, we used to attend the same courses during our first year. She left our department when we were in the second year,” Achuba explained.

 

The girl walked to an empty table with her friends and sat. They ordered for a chicken and it was soon brought to them.

 

 

 

“Have told her how you feel about her?” Richard asked.

 

 

 

“No I haven’t, we have only spoken only once,” he replied.

 

 

 

“Okay you should try and be her friend first before you ask her out,” Richard adviced.

 

 

 

“I just can’t. I have tried several times to talk to her, but each time I get close to her, I instantly get consumed by fear,” Achuba explained.

 

 

 

“Well, is quite normal to feel like that. Even the greatest play boys get scared when they talk to a girl they really love,” Richard said trying to calm him.

 

 

 

“I don’t know that you are a love expert,” Thomas teased.

 

“I’m veteran, you can come to whenever you have a problem,” Richard winked and Thomas started laughing.

 

 

 

“What do I do now?” Achuba asked.

 

 

 

“We will go and talk to her,” Richard smiled.

 

 

 

 

“I can’t do that,” he complaint.

 

 

 

“Listen, all you have to do is be yourself. Don’t complement about her look, and try to avoid bragging and showing off as much as you can, I’m sure she will listen to us,” Richard said.

 

“What if she embarrasses us?” Achuba asked.

 

“Is better to try and fail than not trying at all. Just talk to her freely as if you are talking to a normal friend

 

 

 

After some minutes, Richard and Achuba finally stood up and headed to the girl’s table. Achuba tried to walked back, but Richard held his hand tightly and Thomas couldn’t resist laughing.

 

 

 

“Good evening ladies,” Richard said when they arrived at their table.

 

“How can we help you?” The girl asked.

 

“My friend and I are new to this restaurant, what do you do suggest we should order? We are looking for the best meal,” Richard asked as he smiled.

 

“That’s the job of the waiter, you should go and ask him,” the girl replied.

 

 

 

“The last time asked him the same question, he suggested a food that taste like it was prepared by a girl,” Richard replied.

 

 

 

“And how does a food cooked by a girl taste?” Tina asked.

 

 

 

“You are a girl, you should be familiar with the answer. It was so spicy that I almost drank a sachet of a toothpaste trying to neutralize it,” Richard replied.

 

 

 

“You are lying, aren’t you?” Tina asked.

 

 

“Of course I am, I will be a psyco if I drink a sachet of toothpaste because of some spicy food. Besides, they don’t even have spicy foods in this restaurant,” Richard uttered.

 

 

 

Tina suddenly started laughing after Richard said that.

 

 

 

“Nobody will believe this lie afterwards,” she said after she had stopped laughing.

 

 

 

“Actually, your friend have actually believed me. Perhaps is because they never been in political science class. They would have been taught how to lie and identify a lie” Richard mentioned.

 

 

 

“Wait, how do you know that I once attended a political science class?” She asked confusingly.

 

 

 

“My friend here used to be your course mate,” right said pointing at Achuba.

 

 

 

“Hey your face look familiar, you are that smart kid,” she said.

 

 

 

“Kid? I was 17 years old when I came to this university. You can’t call a 17 year old boy a kid,” Achuba said and Richard was impressed by his statement.

 

 

 

“Well, a person less than 18 is considered to be a child according to the law. I thought you should know that since you are a political science student,” Tina replied.

 

 

 

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t know my age back then,” Achuba smiled.

 

 

“I have quite an extraordinary gift of knowing people age just by looking at their faces,” she smiled.

 

 

 

“If that’s the case, then how old do you think my friend is?” He asked as he held Richard by the shoulder.

 

 

 

She paused for some few seconds before she finally moved her lips.

 

 

 

“20 I guess?” She uttered.

 

 

 

“He’s actually 27,” Achuba said.

 

 

 

“Hey! Where are you taking me?” Richard shouted and the girl started laughing.

 

They talked for minutes before she finally gave them her phone number. She left the restaurant with her friends after that.

 

 

 

“I can’t believe it happened, I have never imagined myself talking to her like that,” Achuba said as they headed back to their table.

 

 

 

“I told you, you could have been her boyfriend for a long time ago if you had spoken to her earlier,” Richard said.

 

 

 

“I’m really glad I’m talking to her today, because without your advice, I could have ruined my chamce,” Thomas revealed.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

 

“I was thinking of express my feelings to her on the first day we start talking,” he explained.

 

 

 

“It would have turned out terribly,” Richard laughed.

 

They walked back to their table and ordered for a chicken and fried rice. They ate til they were satisfied. At last, they decided to go back to their hostel. The three of them stood up and headed to exit of the restaurant. As soon as they got out, Richard saw two expensive cars parking in front of the restaurant. Unexpectedly, he saw Rebecca coming from one of the cars. Another young man came down from the car and held her hand, and soon, they were surrounded by tree of his bodyguards.

 

Rebecca was wearing a red gown at that time. She looked so beautiful that Richard couldn’t take his eyes off her. When their eyes met, he instantly felt like he was sinking into the ground. He instantly felt like he was in a vacuum with no air. Rebecca quickly looked away as if he doesn’t exist. Richard felt like he has been stabbed with a sword through his heart.

 

 

 

“That’s the daughter of our new Vice chancellor,” Achuba announced.

 

 

 

“Wow! I never knew girl like her exist in our school,” Thomas said.

 

“You just arrived at the school today, there are a lot for you to discover,” Achuba laughed.

 

 

 

“And who is the man with her?” Richard asked.

 

 

 

“He is a senator of this district,” Achuba explained.

 

 

 

Story_Continues

 

The pink Clouds ⛅