“A wink was the only conversation I’ve ever had with her – Ella. And now she hates me? Was I wrong to have winked?”. “But what could I have done? She stared at me, she smiled at me too. Her eyes glistened like the reflection of a mirror in a shallow stream. I was only enchanted by her smiles. The fault was all hers; not any of mine. I never meant to smile back, I was only betrayed by my lips and then… That wink from the pit of hell! Aaargh!”. My right palm covered my face. To think that it didn’t end there, Rita just had to make everything worse. Just imagine the guts; “Hello, my name is Rita, this is my friend Ella and she doesn’t fancy fair guys…” Oh Lord! What the! Who asked you?! “But…”, I bit my finger as two voices conversed in my head. “could it be that she really doesn’t like fair guys?”. “Oh! snap out of that already, who wouldn’t like you?!”. “Hmm really now? Can’t you see she doesn’t? At least it doesn’t seem like it”. I frowned. “So she doesn’t like me and she was so shy that she eclipsed her face in her arm?” “Oh wow!…. So she was shy. And that meant she liked you? And now she wants nothing to do with you?” “Oh God!”, I slapped my head. “Touch that person”, Dr Nnadi knocked me off my thoughts. “You on the third roll”, she pointed. I jolted up flickering my eyes sideways and hoping not to have been the one caught by her drooling hook. “You”, She gazed at me. I patted my chest weakly like I was being maltreated. “Yes you”, she affirmed. “You seem like the most attentive person in this class so answer the question”. “Oh God! There was a question?”, My heart pounded in my throat. Then the silence of the class yelled back at me. “Yes there was!” Jeez! I had no clue! My eyes foraged the class in search of a hint that I was sure would never come. Every eye that met mine looked a little perplexed, expecting the smartest guy in class to dish the answer with the snap of a finger. But then, my shoe ached in my teeth and they had no idea because they never had to wear them. Things couldn’t have been any worse, SHE was in the class too! I felt tiny balls of sweat converge eagerly on my forehead while my palms sprouted warm waters. My spirit was gravely stirred, but in the middle of it all I knew… More than anyone else that “I don’t know” was a “NO NO” for an answer! So I’ve caught to do something!. I exhaled deeply and adjusted my tie. “Uhmm… I didn’t get the question ma pardon me”. “You couldn’t have”, she retorted. “An unexamined life is not worth living”. “Oh no”, My heart sank. She was about to decimate my life with her usual strategy – The quotes first before the pangs of her stinging words. She fixed her gaze at me, “Who was quoted to have said that ‘an unexamined life is not worth living’?” What?! It was near impossible that I believed that. That was it?! “Socrates!”. I rushed the answer like it would run off. “Socrates”, she smiled. “Handsome and smart altogether”. The class cheered, “heeeeeyyyy!”. She chuckled and teased them off. “Children of Sodom”, that will be all for today, have a nice day”. She glanced at me and smiled while she walked out the door. Then I felt my heart tick back to life as I let off an onerous smile, slumping back to my seat with a heavy sigh. My heart still beat a bit faster than usual but my blood pressure seemed to have been dropping to what appeared more normal than before. “So even lecturers admire you these days”, Edozie nudged my shoulder. I laughed. “Please allow me, you hallowed son of Adam”. We laughed and stormed outside to the open veranda where students as a matter of routine chat and kiss themselves goodbye at the end of each lecture that marked the last of the day. “So how is your Rita?”, Edozie chuckled. “Whose Rita?” “Your Rita” “It’s your own Rita”, I smirked. “Woops!”, He made a funny face, “speak of the devil!”. “Sorry, speak of wha….?” I felt someone’s arms stream around me from behind. Edozie grinned and turned his back at me. “See you in the hostel man”. My eyes smiled before dropping onto the arms that grasped me. One wore a gold bracelet and some finely shaped finger nails at the tips, the type that would make you wish to observe the English practice of kissing a hand all of a sudden. “Rita”, my lips whispered. Resting her cheek on my back and pressing her body harder against mine like she wanted to submerge herself into me, she exhaled softly. “Mmm?”. I felt a bit uncomfortable as people watched; Some in admiration, some out of scorn, while others brewed with envy. Rita was such a beauty, the type you would wrestle Hades to glance at just one more time if you passed by. Tall, fair and finely shaped like an hourglass. Her skin looked soft like the petals of an infant rose; almost penetrable by the eyes. Her face was a priceless work of art; second only to one – Ella’s. She stood there at a distance – the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her slender body looked even curvier as she stood on a wedge with both feet in close proximity. Her fitted top sunk neatly into her skirt and gifted her butt a neatly carved shape like a “c”. The breeze added to her glory, swaying her natural afro hair gently and backwards with levity while long lashes spread over her eyes like frayed wings of serene flees. I felt the urge to run a finger