UPenn College Clinic.
Ifes opened her eyes and found herself lying on the hospital bed, with a band-aid plastered to the spot at the back of her head where she was hurt.
Mandy, Megan and Ayo sat with some school officials on the seat adjacent to her bed.
"Oh, Ifes, thank goodness you are awake." Mandy rushed to Ifesinachi's bed and hugged her. "Don't you ever do this again, you hear?" Mandy said, eyes moist.
One look at Ayo and Ifes knew he had spilled the beans. Only one prayer was in her mind now, that he had not told the officials anything about it yet.
Megan stood, walked to Ifesinachi's bed and sat down beside Mandy. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Megan placed her hands gently on Ifes to feel her pulse.
Ifes smiled bleakly. "It's alright. Thank you so much."
One of the officials walked up to Ifes, standing close to her bed, he cleared his throat. "Mmm! If you ladies don't mind, we would like to ask her a few questions."
Mandy and Megan adjusted a little to allow Ifes and the officials enough space to interact.
One of the officials placed a recorder beside her and the other opened his book to jot down points.
"Good day Miss Uzondu. I believe you are doing better now."
"Yes, thanks for asking."
"My name is Mr Dimitri Collins." The official pointed to himself before gesturing to his colleague. "And he is Mr Todd Melbourne."
The official continued, "We got a report that you were attacked by Mr Ryan Miller after saving him from being hit by an oncoming vehicle. How true is this?"
Ifes moved her gaze from the officials to Ayo, and he replied with the look that read, "I didn't say anything."
"Well, it was just a trivial misunderstanding."
Mr Dimitri shot her a confused look. "Miss Uzondu, we understand that you're trying to protect the interest of a fellow student, but I think it will be just proper that you tell us the truth of what happened."
"And I just did."
"But we were told that you were under attack and he saved you," Mr Dimitri pointed to Ayo.
"Umm! I don't really know what you were told, but I would like to tell you that Ryan and I are friends and what happened between us was just a trivial misunderstanding. You know how students carry rumors around these days."
"Miss Uzondu, would you like Ryan to be summoned before the board for violence and indiscipline?" Mr Melbourne asked, unsatisfied with Ifesinachi's last reply.
"No, leave him be."
Ayo clenched his fist fuming at her response. This girl was stupid ooo!
"Alright, if you say so. But we'll keep an eye on him to be sure that this doesn't repeat itself again."
Ifes nodded and the officials stood, thanked her for her time and walked out of her hospital room.
Mandy and Megan heaved a sigh of relief after the officials slammed the door behind them, then turned to face Ifes. "Thank you for not testifying against Ryan."
Ayomide sharply turned towards Megan, fuming. "What did you just say?"
Megan was filled with dread with Ayo's angry tone.
"What did I just hear you say?" Ayo walked towards Megan like he wanted to continue from where he stopped with Ryan.
"Umm! Ayo, please calm down. She meant no harm," Ifes called out.
"W–what! I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. For heaven's sake that guy almost killed you!" Ayo clenched his fist. "What if you had a brain injury, a seizure, or something similar? This would have affected your education, and you're laying down there covering up for a heartless person like him?"
"No!" Mandy chimed in. "Please hear her out fir–"
"I don't want to hear anything!" Ayo faced Mandy. "And you, you better stay out of this. I wasn't talking to you!"
Mandy trembled violently at his cold words, afraid of Ayo doing something stupid to her and Megan.
Ayo swore. "I can't believe this. I'm outta here." Ayo walked towards the door, yanked it open and slammed it behind him, leaving the three ladies stunned.
The trio gazed at each other, speechless.
After a while, Ifes broke the silence. "Please, girls, don't see him like that. He was just a little over the edge."
"He reminds me of my brother Jason." Mandy smiled bleakly. "He would always do anything to protect me."
Megan remained speechless; dread still swept over her body.
Ifes was later discharged by evening time when the doctors confirmed that she was now stabilized.
"Thank you so much for your care and concern," Ifes thanked Mandy and Megan as soon as they entered the dorm room.
"My pleasure, dear. Anything for you." Mandy brushed her knuckles on Ifesinachi's cheek and smiled.
"I'll be on my way now," Megan said after a few minutes of chatting.
Before Megan got to the door, the trio heard a knock that made Megan stop in her tracks.
"Don't worry, I'll get that," Mandy said as she reached for the doorknob.
Mandy opened the door and saw Ayo standing in front. Her eyes widened by a fraction of an inch.
"Uh! Is Ifes around?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck. The act made him look like a remorseful little boy.
"Yes, she is." Mandy left the door ajar and stepped beside it to allow him entry into the dorm room.
"Hi!" Ayo waved at Megan cheerfully and she was perplexed by his change of gesture.
"It's good to see you again." Ayo stretched out his hands for a handshake.
"Likewise," Megan replied, returning his gesture.
"I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you ladies this afternoon," Ayo apologized in a low voice. "I'm not really good at getting angry, and when I do, I regret my actions afterwards."
"That's okay. Go and sin no more." Ifes beamed and they all laughed.
"Alright now, I have to run along." Megan stood, grabbed her purse and made for the door.
"So soon? I was just beginning to enjoy your company," Ayo said.
Megan blushed. "Thank you. Same here. We'll meet some other time."
Ayo also stood with his bag hung on his shoulders. "Wait up, I was also about to leave anyway, will just go together so I'll get to know more about you."
Megan's cheek blushed pink. "Alright, but there's not much to say about me."
"Leave me to worry about that," Ayo said. Ifes grinned, remembering that day on the plane to Philadelphia. Leave it to Ayo to make a good socialist out of you.
"alright, gals, see you later." Ayo waved as he stepped out behind Megan.
Mandy slammed the door behind them and Ifes couldn't decipher the look she saw on her face as she walked to her bed. Was it admiration or surprise or quizic?
-----
The driver who almost ran over Ryan the previous day sat in one of his sofas thinking of his failed mission. A call came into his phone from a woman in Texas, the same woman that gave him his mission. He glanced at the caller ID before pushing the answer button.
"Hello, Ma'am, good afternoon."
"Keep quiet you idiot! What is good about the afternoon?"
"I am sorry, Ma'am."
"I said keep quiet. You don't interrupt me when I'm talking!"
The driver wanted to apologize again but remembered the woman's warning.
The driver could hear her inhaling and exhaling deeply. He could imagine the scowl on her face, and the long strides she was probably taking, and her tight grip on the phone as if she would crush it into smithereens.
"I thought you were competent."
The driver wanted to reply to her. He opened his mouth but could barely get out a sentence.
"I thought you were a man but I never knew you could be worse than a jellyfish, Mr Black, or whatever you call yourself. You are not a man. You are a failure!"
At this point, Mr Black was almost in tears. How many times had his wife told him the same thing? "You are not a man! You are not man enough! You are a failure! You are not a man! You are not a man! You are not a man!"
Mr Black placed his left hand on his head as those words bellowed in his head and heart. His wife had been the reason he decided to take up this dirty job. He wanted to show her that he was man enough, that he wasn't a failure. Now, another woman was calling him names because of his wife, the same names she called him, the same words she tormented him with.
It was also a woman that destroyed his mission by pushing his prey out of his way. All women are the same. Curse be upon them!
His phone made a click sound in his ears, that was when he realized the call had been disconnected. It rang again, and this time it sounded to him like a dirge.
He hesitated at first when he discovered it was the same woman, and then heaved a long frustrating sigh before slowly tapping the green circle on the screen of his android phone and placing it back to his right ear.
"How dare you snub me when I'm asking you a question, Mr Black, huh?" the caller from the other side of the phone said.
"I am s–sorry."
"Why am I even wasting my time with you? I'll explore other alternatives to getting rid of that son of a *****. This is where our contract ends, and you are not getting your complete payment from me. You and your wretched family should go to hell!" The woman disconnected the call.
"What a failed mission!" The driver cussed. The driver stood from his couch, straightening his shirt. Today he was going to do what he knew how to do best, what he always did—drinking himself to stupor.
His phone chimed again, but he ignored it. He took up his car keys, walked out of his living room to where his car was parked. He opened the door of his rusty car, sunk heavily into the driver's seat and switched on the ignition. The engine roared to life, and he drove out to his favorite drinking spot.
"I'm coming for you, babes!" Mr Black grinned, speaking to his favorite drinks.
-----
Woodway Texas.
The woman disconnected the call and tossed her phone on the table close to her wine bar with a thud. She spat out a foul word. "The semester is almost over. I can't believe Ryan is still alive!"
She groaned and pushed the bottle and glass of wine before shattering it on the floor.
"Nonsense! You survived this session but you won't make it in the next session, I swear! I'll use you to avenge what your father did to me. You are my scapegoat." The woman laughed wickedly. "Did I just say you? You? Haha! I wouldn't be satisfied with only you."