TEMPTED SOUL

Just as the woman was about to lash the cane at me. The blood of Jesus escaped from my mouth and I came back to reality. My mother hurried into the sitting room when she heard my scream.

“Nne, what happened? Why were you shouting like that?” My mother asked immediately, as she walked abruptly to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. She looked worried. I looked perplexed. I didn’t know what to tell my mother.

“It’s a dream, mum. A woman was chasing me in a dream, and she wanted to flog me because I had refused to help her.” I tried to explain the dream to my mother as she sat next to me, but my mother didn’t believe me.

“I think you have some malaria symptoms and you need to take some medication or go for a check-up,” She said, and took the remote and switched on the television.

“Mummy, trust me, I am not joking. I really mean what I said. I do dream, but this particular one got me confused.” I tried to make her believe me.

“Well, I don’t think that has anything to do with you. It’s just a dream, okay? I don’t see the reason why you would be worrying yourself over a common dream,” my mother said. I was scared, and I didn’t understand why I had such a horrible dream in the daytime. Something was wrong somewhere, I thought as my heart kept beating in fear.

In the evening, when it was time for supper, I couldn’t eat my dinner because the thought of that dream kept replaying in my memory; it made me lose my appetite. I was just staring blankly at the plate of fried rice and chicken on the dining table.

When my elder brother noticed my change of mood, he decided to ask me what was amiss. So, I explained the situation to him, and I was surprised to see him laughing sarcastically instead of pitying me. What was really funny?

“Why are you bothering yourself over a dream? It’s just a dream. People dream and it never comes to pass.”

“People also dream and it comes to pass,” I threw back at him.

“Yours is different; it’ll never come to pass. Cheer up and eat your supper before it gets cold.” My brother said, as he continued smiling, to me, I don’t know why he thought it was just a dream. This was not just a normal dream or something to joke about.

“That reminds me, Mr. Cletus called me today to inform me that the Jamb results are out. Tomorrow, you can close the shop early and go check your results,” my brother said after he had finished eating and left the table, followed by my mother. I was so thrilled to hear that. It’s what I’ve been waiting for.

Then, the thought of that dream vanished from my memory. I was happy now because soon I would be called a university student. But, what was I even happy for? I hadn’t even checked my results to know my score and performance. I thought. I managed to eat a few spoons, then cleaned the table and went to bed.

The following day, I didn’t bother to call Alfonso, nor did he bother to call me. After the day’s activities, I closed the shop around 3 o’clock and hurried to check my result at a Jamb center. I got to the area where I went to check my result. It was a busy area with a lot of people from all walks of life. When I got to the center where I enrolled for my exam, at the roadside I saw a dark-skinned woman in her early fifties and a young, beautiful girl, whom I literally assumed to be my age mate.

The two of them sat on the roadside, there were beggars. Although there were still other beggars sitting beside them, my attention was caught only by these two people, who I assumed to be a mother and daughter.

I was startled at the condition they were in. I wondered why mother and daughter would be begging at the roadside at the same time. Why wouldn’t the daughter apply for work? Why wouldn’t the daughter look for something more enticing to engage herself in? A lot of things ransacked my mind.

Well, in life, we don’t really know the stories of other people except when they tell us their stories. I didn’t take much money with me, but I had extra cash. So, I walked to the place and dropped the money into their plate.

The girl was staring at me when I put the money into the plate. Even when I went far away from them and was about to walk into the result hall, I noticed that she was still staring at me. I was a little bit scared and confused.

My heart was beating when I stepped into the office. The lady who was in charge asked me to sit on the stool and exercise patience while she checked my result. In my mind, I was wondering what would really be my score, but I was sure I would make it.

Alas! After checking my result, she gave me a smile of hope and congratulated me. Yes, I made it to study my dream course. I was filled with excitement when I walked out of the office with my result slip and file in hand. My heart was dancing to the tune of my music. It has always been my dream to gain admission into the best university in the city and pursuit my dream course.

While I ambled forward looking for a tricycle to board home, the young girl who was sitting with the woman started following me. She was following from the start and to the roadside. I was scared and wondered why she was following me up and down like a dog.

Even when I tried to see if she was heading somewhere else, trust me, she wasn’t going somewhere else. She was just following me, so I doubled my walking steps to avoid stories that touch my heart because I didn’t know what she was up to. Did they send her for me? Did I do badly to sacrifice my little money for them? I thought as I increased my steps.