Yetunde had been the typical damsel in distress on that eventful Tuesday afternoon. She was very much unaware of what fate had in stock for her; she had gone to get some utilities from the market. The shopping was as stressful as it could be for an average Nigerian student in an economic situation that was as bad as it could be. She boarded a taxi after alighting from the bus without checking for her purse which she left on the bus. On reaching the school, she realized that her purse was not in her bag and she had no other money on her.
The taxi driver was not even going to listen to such fables, he had heard stories of girls who board taxis with no intention of paying they rather end up telling the driver all kinds of stories to draw his sympathy. This trick may work on others but not him, never, not when he has six children and a pregnant wife waiting for him at home. He was prepared to do anything for his money; he was ready to make a big scene or even detain her until she paid him.
Meanwhile David had just finished the last scene of one of their class theatre sessions, a Yoruba play where he had to play the role of the village chief priest. After the session, he realized that Jude had played a very ill-timed prank on him; Jude had gone home with his clothes. He had threatened to do so but David didn’t take him serious, Jude had driven off with some friends and taken the clothes with him in David’s bag. He had no other option than to head home in the chief priest costume. This was different from acting before an audience, he felt like sinking into the ground. As he reached the monument just before the faculty of arts building a superior force caught up with him; the force of love.
David was stopped in his tracks, spellbound by her elegance; he just stood by the monument ogling her and being completely lost in fantasy. He was dragged back to reality by the taxi driver’s voice; he watched the driver walk to the other side of the vehicle where Yetunde was standing.
“Gimme my moni jare! You think say I come here to look your fine face”
David was still too star struck to move; then he remembered he had taken his wallet along to the theatre for fear of Jude spending his money. He thought of the most gentlemanly thing to do, it would be a perfect opportunity to closely appreciate the beauty before him; there was just one problem, for which he cursed Jude for picking the wrongest of times to do his mischief. He was still battling within his mind when his legs started moving as if they had their own minds.
“Anything the matter” he said as he stared into Yetunde's blue eyes. She lowered her gaze and kept twisting her sweaty fingers; he turned to the taxi driver who was still getting over his amusement about his dressing.
“She enter taxi and she no wan to pay me”
“That’s not true” she responded in a shaky voice, “I think I lost my purse in the bus and I don’t have any money on me”
David could tell she was already very embarrassed; he liked the tenderness in the way words rolled out of her lips.
“Oga how much is your money?”
“Five hundred naira”
“Its three hundred naira we agreed on” she said, her gaze still lowered.
“You fit talk now abi, yeye girl” mocked the taxi driver.
“Oga it’s alright, take the money and give me change” David said handing him a five hundred naira note. The taxi driver got into his taxi and threw out a two hundred naira note before driving off. His heart leapt in triumph; he had won a battle which most of his colleagues would have lost.
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