Too Good to Be Real

Chapter 58

She got accustomed to the room pretty quickly as she focussed on remembering the good times when the room had bubbled with people and gossip and not the bleary image of Asa with her head cocked to one side, bleeding to death.

That night, people flocked to their room, asking of Asa. Apparently Asa was a favorite here and Oma realized that if anything ever happened to her, no one would really notice. She told them Asa was sick and in the hospital and luckily, no one suspected she'd actually harmed herself.

She had a few snacks she'd purchased for the night and watched videos on her phone. She tried to read, but the entire hostel building was so noisy, any form of reading was totally impossible. When she was tired of watching videos, she tried to sleep, but sleep wasn't forthcoming either.

She thought of Asa and her deadbeat father who'd all but forsaken her. She'd promised her he'd give her the money that evening, now she had to find the money somehow.
She dialed Nia's number.

"Hi dear." Nia sounded happy. She'd probably gotten a new business deal. This was the best time to call. Oma didn't really know what it was her mother did, it was weird but she really didn't know.

"Hi mum. Good evening." She said, feeling nervous. "How's everything going?"

"Everything is perfect. Do you need money?" Oma couldn't help but feel bad. She only called her mother when she needed money.

"No, I mean yes, but it's not for me."
There was silence on the other end.
"You know my friend, my roommate."

"Oh yes, the manly one. I liked that girl." Oma exhaled.

"Well, she's in the hospital and her mother just died last week. I want to pay for her bills..."

Nia gasped.
"Why would you just dump all that information on me in one sentence. Ah! What killed her mother, what sent her to the hospital?"

Oma told her everything, excluding the fact she'd tried to commit suicide and the fact they were probably sisters.

"Her father sounds just like your father. Useless people." Nia said with much emotion. "I'll send you the money right away. Will two hundred thousand naira be enough?"

That had gone way easier than she'd thought.

She showered and at once, the wave of sleep overtook her.

***

By five o clock the next morning, her alarm began to ring. She kept skipping and adding an extra five minutes until it was ten minutes to six. There was no way she'd be at Obi's place at exactly six.

She prepared sluggishly, taking her time as freely as she could. At exactly six o clock, her phone began to ring and she stared in disbelief. He seriously expected her to walk that scary road to his lodge this early in the morning when there was probably no means of transportation.

She watched it ring out and go off. She didn't pick the call because she was...scared. Meeting him, hearing his voice, meant seeing Nathi and addressing what had happened. The situation was both embarrassing and annoying to talk or think about.

Plus, she didn't know exactly where they were at the moment and how to act around him.

"Just open the door. I know you're awake."
She jumped, startled. The voice was coming from the door. He was there! She breathed in and out, automatically striking up a yoga pose before she remembered she had to open the door for him.

He walked into her room like it was his and sat on Asa's bed. He got up immediately when he recalled what'd happened there but slowly sat down again. Oma cackled inwardly; seeing him awkward made her feel more at ease.