Mr. Utomi going on strike made more sense to me than any other bad outcomes I could imagine. I wanted to stick to that idea, but Maxwell was eager to dig deeper into the problem. I was tired of dealing with so many issues, but I couldn't convince him to stop. We had to leave because we didn't have our ID cards. As for Kennedy, I knew I would meet him the next day, which would hopefully clear up my doubts once and for all.
...
On the following Tuesday morning, I found myself in a nearly empty lecture theater, realizing I must have missed a memo that everyone else seemed to have received. Only a handful of students were present. Standing at the back door, I observed them and sighed, regretting the transportation expenses I had incurred to come to school. I turned around and placed my hand above my eyes to shield myself from the bright sun. I gazed in the direction of the library, considering the idea of settling there, but then remembered I had forgotten my ID card, it was no need embarrassing myself again trying to get in.
I walked down into the empty theater and took a seat, hoping the lecturer might arrive or a few more people might show up. Either way, I wasn't eager to head back home immediately; I was too exhausted for that. I pulled out my phone to check my department's group chat for any updates about the class being cancelled, but there was no information. The same was true for the other archived group chat, where people were discussing whether the class was still happening. I chose not to respond because I didn't want to be the only one to suffer by coming to an empty class. Plus, I never participated in the group discussions anyway.
I considered what I had been anticipating for in class, which was meeting Kennedy to sort things out, but it looked like I would have to wait another day for that. I felt a part of me, like Maxwell whispering into my ear, urging me to stop avoiding it and just message him on Grindr to confirm he's not a catfish. I tried to push that thought away; it would be crazy to reach out to someone I had ignored for over two weeks. Also, I doubted that 'Kennedy from Grindr' would even respond.
"Ahan, did they cancel the class?" A voice broke the silence, it was Rasheed's. I turned around to see him, standing up as we approached each other.
I hadn't forgotten how upset he had been the day before and how he had left without resolving things, but now he didn't seem to be bothered anymore. I greeted him and mentioned that I hadn't been sitting for long.
"Seems like those guys actually went on strike," Rasheed speculated. It confirmed my belief about Mr. Utomi rather than the unfounded idea that he might have been arrested and questioned due to suspicions of being gay.
I wasn't fond of the strike idea. Sure, having days off sounded fun, but it would only prolong my time in school, and I didn't want that. Exams were approaching, and I preferred to take them and be done with it rather than going on an unexpected break and returning after a long time to face an exam I wouldn't be prepared for. Knowing myself, the holiday would end up being too long, and I wouldn't bother studying.
Rasheed sat down and expressed his desire to wait before leaving. This caught me off guard since I had planned to depart with him, enjoying the company for the walk back. However, he opted to wait until the scorching sun had subsided, which I understood considering the heat. Though I wasn't enthusiastic about the delay, it beat spending another 100 naira on a keke ride back. Thus, I decided to stay put and occupy myself until the time was right to leave.
While we passed the time together, both absorbed in our phones, I pondered asking Rasheed for advice about the Kennedy dilemma that troubled me. Yet, I held back because I wasn't prepared to open up to him about it. I believed he didn't need to be informed, and it might only lead to questions about the Me, Maxwell, Investor, and Prudence situation, which was his main concern, not specifically Kennedy.
And as stupid as I thought it was, since Kennedy wasn't his main worry, I wanted to test Rasheed's trustworthiness. I reasoned that if I shared my concerns with him and he responded negatively, I could pass it off as a joke, given that he had no inkling about my sexuality and no reason to suspect. Conversely, if his response was supportive, I could gradually share more. "Rasheed, imagine if you had a crush on a guy...?" I broached the topic indirectly, catching his attention as he put down his phone to focus on me.
Rasheed responded with a calm "Yes?" showing no signs of homophobia.
"You and this guy were in a talking stage for like a month on a dating app, before he ghosted you, then later you found out he was a catfish..." I began recounting my experience with Kennedy, altering the details slightly to maintain anonymity. "...but you lost his number, so do you meet him in person to confirm if he was actually a catfish?"
"Is this catfish Kennedy?" Rasheed's question caught me off guard.
"The fuck?"
"What? you said you lost his number, and I know you just recently lost your phone, so I thought maybe..."
"I wasn't even talking about me, I was talking about Sewa."
"Sewa was interested in a guy? Wow" Rasheed reacted with surprise.
"Guy I'm not gay na, why would you think that?" I had to outright deny it.
"Sorry. sorry." He apologized, so I believed he fell for it.
Rasheed pieced together my previous words quietly, before advising Sewa to find a way to retrieve the catfish's number and confirm if it matched the dating app persona. His plan seemed clever, but I couldn't think of a way to obtain Kennedy's number without directly asking him, which would be too obvious. Feeling the urge to leave and figure things out, I stood up, but the sun hadn't subsided. The atmosphere had turned somewhat awkward because despite Rasheed being accepting about me being gay, I had backtracked on the topic, possibly raising suspicions that he hadn't harbored before.
"I'll see you later," I told him, while he remained waiting for the sun to set as I left through the front. I sincerely hoped he would overlook our discussion just as he had with me and Maxwell. As I hurriedly walked, considering how to obtain Kennedy's number, I knew I had to revisit my previous conversation with "Kennedy from Grindr" for comparison. The idea of reinstalling the app, something I had been avoiding, crept into my mind.
I hurried my steps under the blazing sun, but my desperation to get away from it made me perspire even more. In a state of panic, I reinstalled Grindr. A car pulled up beside me and I instantly recognized it was Investor as the window rolled down.
"How far Ehis?" He withdrew his hand from the steering wheel and waved. I looked at him and offered a slightly awkward smile since it was just him inside. Then, he paused and gestured for me to join him with facial expressions, saying "get in, na!"
It was a generous offer, but I had my doubts about trusting him and declining would have given away my mistrust. I quickly checked around to see if Rasheed was unknowingly behind me and observing me, but he wasn't. Relieved to get out of the sweltering heat, I reluctantly took the passenger seat of the vehicle. The air conditioner's cold blow, when I got in, was rejuvenating.
"Where were you coming from?" He asked once I fastened my seatbelt, just in case he tried to get us killed.
"Class." I kept my response brief.
"Oh you didn't hear? They've gone on strike." He said, surprisingly speaking fluently.
"Prudence did not say anything on the group." It was only fair I blamed his girlfriend, since she wasn't present.
"Ah. She too, she was not sure, have you tried checking the group again?"
I stayed silent and reached for my phone, lowering the brightness to prevent him from seeing what was on the screen. I opened the group chat and discovered that Prudence had just shared details about the strike, mentioning that it was tentative. Meanwhile, in the other group, there was a mix of excitement and arguments. As I scrolled through the chat, I had a realization—seeing so many unfamiliar numbers with names beside them made me reckon that I could search for Kennedy's number by typing his name. My only concern was whether he used his actual name or a nickname like "Slim Bullet," that was typing.
During my search, Investor's car decelerated, and it felt like a flashback to the day of my arrest. Frantically, I swiftly deleted the Grindr app, fearing any unwanted attention. I looked out the window and realized he was picking up his former roommates, Madrid and Kunle, whom I had met before. They chanted enthusiastically with "Chairman! Boss!" from outside as Investor rolled down the windows. I couldn't even bring myself to fake pleasantries with them because I still remembered the incident of my phone getting stolen when they were around.
They got into the back, with Madrid extending his hand from behind to shake mine. I turned briefly to shake his hand with my right hand before facing forward again, not acknowledging Kunle. Madrid then asked "Where's your guy Maxwell?" and even though I wasn't sure if the question was directed at me or Investor, I answered that I didn't know where Maxwell was.
Throughout the ride, I made efforts to conceal my phone, anticipating either Madrid or Kunle to mention it. As they drove, their conversation revolved around girls, and I noticed Investor wasn't participating much since he had a girlfriend. "Like say I get mad money, e sure me say that girl for drop kpekus" Madrid remarked casually, discussing sex. Hearing their crude conversation was incredibly daunting, and I wished I didn't understand what they said.
"Ehis sef, you don collect head before?" Kunle tapped my shoulder from behind, and I glanced back at his chapped lips, trying to come up with an excuse.
Madrid unintentionally saved me when he spotted my phone in my hand and finally mentioned it. "You don buy new phone? Make I see." He requested, gesturing for me to give him. I quickly turned the phone towards him without handing it over. "iPhone? Mad mad."
When Investor suggested driving to my house after leaving the campus, I hesitated because I didn't want Madrid or Kunle to know my address. So, I lied and said I needed to stop further ahead near Sewa's street. Stepping down, the fear I had, dissolved like the chill from the car's AC. I refocused on my mission to find Kennedy's number on my department's WhatsApp group. When I typed "Ken," only one "Kenny" popped up. I choose to just strike up a conversation and try to determine whether he's the one instead of reinstalling Grindr again.
I messaged "How far, it's Ehis from Anatomy," choosing to be direct. Walking towards Sewa's place, I arrived at the shut big black gate, I reached through a small opening in the gate to unbolt it from the outside. After entering, I proceeded quietly and knocked on Sewa's apartment door, but there was no immediate response.
So, to distract myself, I checked my phone and found a message from Kennedy saying, "Sorry, I don't remember faces like that. Pls can u send me ur picture?" I felt a range of emotions from the response. It couldn't be the Kennedy from Grindr because he would have remembered my face after meeting me. He was just Kennedy, not the person who ghosted me, just someone who didn't consider me memorable enough to recall my face. When the door opened, I saw a good looking 30 something year old man standing before me.
I avoided staring at his exposed hairy abs through his unbottoned shirt, trying to figure out if I had mistakenly knocked on the wrong door. I was certain it was Sewa's house, but I regretted not calling Sewa beforehand to confirm if she had company. I couldn't help but wonder why Sewa was with a man like that. "Is Sewa home?" I asked, remembering he was still standing in front of me.
"No, she went out with my wife," he replied. It dawned on me that he was Eseosa's husband. I wanted to leave and return another time, but he insisted that I stay and wait for them, mentioning that they were just around the corner.
It had been some time since I visited their place. The girls' bedsitter was more aesthetically pleasing, with purses and wigs neatly hung on the walls. Their bedstand had LED lights underneath, but they were inactive due to the power outage. Eseosa's husband directed me to the only available seat in the house, which happened to be next to their child's cradle. "I'm Justice" he introduced himself, and I reciprocated. Trying to divert my attention from Justice, I playfully grinned at Favour, which made her laugh.
I returned to my phone and sent Kennedy one of the few pictures I had of myself, taken at Prudence's birthday. He responded promptly with, "Oh, I no u." That was all he said. I wanted to continue the conversation just to make sure he was the one and also to avoid giving the impression that I messaged him without reason.
I initiated a conversation about the strike, which was the only topic I could think of at the moment. He responded just as amicably as Kennedy from Grindr, continuing the conversation without questioning how I got his number. I observed his texting patterns closely, especially his use of "u" instead of "you," to confirm if they were indeed different people.
Justice removed his shirt due to the heat, expressing his discomfort as he did. This made me uneasy, and I felt it would have been better to come back another time so I could focus on texting Kennedy without distractions. I decided to wait since Justice had already assured me that they would be arriving soon.
In our chat, Kennedy playfully mentioned his whereabouts while joking about skipping morning classes despite living close to campus 2. This detail, along with other indicators, confirmed that I wasn't chatting with the Kennedy from Grindr. It brought a smile to my face, finally putting my suspicions to rest and starting afresh. I was uncertain about the direction of this new connection. It could simply evolve into status viewers, but for now, I embraced the moment.
Sewa and Eseosa arrived with foodstuffs, both visibly surprised to see me. Their reaction suggested they might not have wanted me there, prompting me to consider leaving. But, they seemed comfortable and friendly with each other, asking if I needed anything. I wondered if they had resolved their disagreement or if their cordial behavior was due to Eseosa's husband being present.
"Ehis you're here? You should've let us know earlier." Eseosa was eager to set things up and get started in the kitchen.
"No it's fine." I turned off my phone, putting it away in my pocket and stood up, ready to leave.
Eseosa tried to convince me to stay before I could mention leaving, but a knock on the door interrupted us. I joined Sewa in answering it, and we found Bukky outside. Sewa then led us both out of her home, and I was grateful for the fresh air outside the stuffy room.
"I was around so I came to visit" Bukky disclosed. It didn't seem like a good time for Sewa, and I had numerous questions for her, especially since she hadn't filled me in on her conflict with Eseosa.
Sewa hinted to Bukky about being busy without directly mentioning it, while I concentrated on texting Kennedy, trying to filter out the background noise. The faint whispers I initially heard from the room eventually grew into an argument, compounded with the baby's cry. Sewa pretended as if she couldn't hear it, but Bukky's expression showed she did and understood the situation. "I'm sorry. Let's meet later in the evening," Sewa proposed.
Bukky and I both agreed to reschedule, and it was time for us to go our separate ways. However, I decided to go with Bukky as she was heading towards campus 1, thinking it would be a good chance to visit the admission office there. As we walked out of the compound, Bukky subtly brought up the elephant in the room. She navigated through it by mentioning how people often mistook me and Sewa for a couple. "People even assume my roommate and I are dating, but we don't fight like that..." It was surprising how open she was with me, and I appreciated her comfort in sharing her experiences dealing with rumors about her sexuality. I simply chuckled and avoided gossiping about Sewa.
I had to momentarily stop texting Kennedy as Bukky and I headed towards her place. She flagged down a bike in front of us with the destination "Campus 1 Road side." This made me apprehensive as it was close to where Investor lived. I managed my unease and got on the bike, with Bukky behind me instead of in front, so as not to make her uncomfortable.
Upon reaching her compound, I caught sight of Investor's place in the vicinity. Maintaining a composed expression, I entered the compound alongside Bukky. "I hope my roommate is here," she commented, casting a gaze upwards at the multi-story building, hinting that she resided on an upper floor.
"She would be na. It's not like she has anywhere to be since there's strike" I followed her up
"He might not" Did I hear Bukky say 'he'?
I disregarded it and sent Kennedy a voice message, attempting to explain myself. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't even mentioned my phone getting lost, just in case he couldn't reach me the other day. I did this to keep the conversation going while climbing the stairs.
I was completely disoriented when I walked into the first open house we saw on the top floor and found Kennedy sitting on the bed. Kennedy sent me a voice message on WhatsApp, but the Kennedy I could see in person wasn't even with a phone. I lowered the sound a little and held the speaker up to my ear to hear a different voice—I had been conversing with someone who wasn't Kennedy the whole time.
"I'm sure you know my roommate, Kennedy" Bukky said.
The entire time she was talking about her roommate, I assumed it was a girl, so I looked shocked and perplexed. Seeing Kennedy residing on Campus 1 Road as mentioned on Grindr confirmed that he wasn't a catfish. It was clear that I had been ghosted by Kennedy.