"Excuse me, you dropped your purse." I stretched out my hand to Teni. Yeah, that was her name. Teni was very popular among the freshman students at Edward College. Her height alone was intimidating: 5’9" and chocolate brown skin with bilateral dimples whenever she smiled, which she did often. Her dressing was mostly corporate, and a few other times she wore a gown that perfectly outlined her curves—my kind of ideal lady. This was my first conversation with her, unplanned yet long overdue, as I had always admired her, even from a distance, wishing for a moment like this. At this point, numerous thoughts flooded my mind at once; my heart beat as though it would tear my chest apart and explode to the surface.
"Oh, thank you. That’s kind of." Teni replied, taking the purse from me and turning to leave.
"The name is Femi." I said it shyly. I felt awkward after the words dropped from my lips. I wondered where the guts erupted from. I expected her to ignore me and walk away, but then those dimples of hers greeted me as she smiled at me.
"I’m Teni; see you around Femi." She replied and walked slowly away. I stared at her for a while before she made a U-turn and disappeared from my sight. Just then, my erratic heart slowed and rhythmically synchronized with normalcy. Throughout that very day, my mood jubilated in ecstasy as my memory recounted in several episodes my encounter with Teni.
The following days were uneventful for me; it seemed fate distanced my path from Teni’s despite my conscious efforts to align our paths. We shared the same lecture hall.
"I like Teni!" I suddenly burst during one of my conversations with Daniel, my trusted and only friend in college. Daniel burst into prolonged and sarcastic laughter, making me uncomfortable.
"Forget it, bro; she’s way out of your league. Haven’t you seen the caliber of people she walks with? I’ll hook you up with someone less sophisticated." Daniel replied.
ENDING NUMBER ONE
"If you do not have my practical handbook, quietly leave the laboratory," Professor Kola announced. Unfortunately, I did not have enough cash on me. I packed my books and headed for the door with a few others who had not purchased the practical handbook. I knew Professor Kola would not compromise, and I had forgotten to pick up a copy for myself before then.
"If it’s fine with you, I’ll pay for your handbook." A voice behind me spoke quietly. I could not mistake that voice for another; It was Teni’s! At this point, I was excited to hear her voice and wished she had referred to me, but I felt I had my pride to protect. "Femi, right?" Teni said as I turned in the direction of the voice. I saw her beautiful set of dentition shining at me with a few blinks of the eye. I wondered what excited her so much, but I was more excited when she called my name. It had been a month since we first met, and I thought she had forgotten all about me.
"I’ll pass, Teni; I would not want to bother you. Thank you, though," I replied, turning to leave.
"Something tells me you want to say yes, but you do not want to concede easily. Perhaps you can take it as a gesture of our friendship?" Teni said it almost in a whisper with a smirk on her face. I knew she was enjoying this stunt, and I felt she was sincere with the offer. My other colleagues were already leaving the practical room, and I did not wish to cause any unnecessary attention.
"Alright then, thank you. But on the condition that I pay you back." I replied with a smile.
"I’ll determine what the payback would be." Teni replied with a chuckle. I seemed to enjoy this part of Teni. Little did I know that this second encounter with Teni would herald a new chapter leading to love and forever bliss.
ENDING NUMBER TWO
I knew Daniel was right; Teni was way out of my league. Oftentimes, Teni rode with the rich and famous on campus. My timidity had a greater grip on me.
"You are right, Daniel. Teni is out of my league. What will be will be." I replied with a resolution of defeat.
I walked into the Practical room, where Professor Kola had already started with instructions on the course. My heart froze for a split second when I saw my friend-Daniel and Teni, whom I admired, in a corner of the Practical room, giggling and acting all lovey-dovey. I walked up to an empty seat far away from the duo but kept my eye on them. Many thoughts ran through my mind; my questions popped up without answers. First I was overwhelmed with envy, then bitterness saturated the anger that ravaged my very being. Daniel had discouraged me from walking up to Teni, and now he was all lovey-dovey with the lady my heart beat for.
Throughout the practical session, my mind was with Daniel and Teni, who seemed to enjoy each other’s company unbothered. I wanted to disappear or make the practical session end, but I had to endure the torture of their presence while I fought to distract my mind from them. Daniel betrayed me!