DIARY OF A CORPER — EPISODE 12: DO YOU LIKE FEMI? 

It was Saturday morning.

For the first time in a week, I didn't have to rush to the hospital.

It felt strange.

My phone rang.

I reached for it and peered at the screen.

It was that married man again.

I hissed.

Ever since I gave him my number, he had been calling every day. We met at the hospital during Femi's admission. He had walked up to me, introduced himself, told me he had brought his second child for treatment, and then confidently asked me out.

I said no.

Apparently, to some men, "no" simply means, "Try harder."

He pressured me into giving him my number. I didn't want to create a scene—I was already attracting attention to myself—so I gave in.

He seemed excited.

The way some men think that once they have your number, they've practically secured a wedding date is something I'll never understand.

How does giving you my phone number suddenly guarantee that I'll date you?

I can ignore your calls.

Better still, I can block you.

I cut the call, dropped the phone, and stepped outside.

On Saturday mornings, Taiwo was usually the one knocking on my door before sunrise.

"Dewa! Water!"

That was our routine.

To make sure we fetched water on time and got all our containers filled, we started waking up early enough to join the queue before the pumping machine was switched on.

That morning, she never came.

I assumed she had overslept.

Outside, I found people already lining up their buckets, bowls, and kegs around the tap area. The pumping machine hadn't been switched on yet, but everyone knew that once the tap started running, the race would begin.

Taiwo was already there, talking to one of our neighbours.

Wow, so much for oversleeping.

"Taiwo."

She turned.

"Yes?"

"You're... awake?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to knock my own head.

Of course she was awake.

She was standing right in front of me.

She gave me a look that said exactly what I deserved.

"Yes," she replied.

Was it just me... or had that sounded cold?

I walked towards the queue, lined up my containers, and went back to where Taiwo was standing.

The neighbour had walked away.

"Can I ask you something?"

She nodded.

"Have I done anything to offend you?"

She looked at me for a few seconds.

"No."

"Then why have you been acting differently for a while now?"

"Acting differently how?"

"You've not been talking to me, and when I try to talk to you, it seems like you're distant."

I tried to choose my words carefully. I didn't even know what the issue was yet.

She didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she folded her arms.

"Can I ask you something too?"

"Sure."

"You have to answer me honestly."

"Okay..."

I wondered where this was going.

"Do you like Femi?"

"What?"

She repeated herself.

"Do you like Femi?"

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

Why was she asking me that?

The accident had brought us closer. We had spent days talking in the hospital. Somewhere along the line, I had started caring about him.

But did I like him?

I honestly didn't know.

I hoped this wasn't about to turn into one of those telenovelas where friends become enemies because of a guy.

One thing I knew for sure was that I wasn't about to lose my friendship with Taiwo over Femi.

Not now.

Not ever.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I finally replied.

She looked straight into my eyes.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Before I could respond, water gushed out of the tap.

At once, everyone abandoned what they were doing and rushed towards their buckets, including Taiwo.

I stood there for a moment before remembering that if I didn't move quickly, someone else could take my spot in the queue. I joined the queue too, but my mind wasn't on the water anymore.

The past few days had already been strange enough.

Bassey and Chioma were away at the orientation camp with the Editorial and Publicity team, training the new OBS corps members. They wouldn't be back for another two weeks.

Femi's parents had taken him to Lagos immediately after he was discharged. They insisted he recover at home, where they could take proper care of him.

Suddenly, the people I had become used to seeing and talking to every day were gone. The compound somehow felt quieter.

And now, even Taiwo seemed to be drifting away from me.

Throughout the morning, I kept trying to catch Taiwo's glance, but she expertly avoided me while chatting with other people as though nothing had happened.

After struggling with buckets, jerrycans, and the usual Saturday morning hustle, I finally returned to my room.

Just as I dropped the last bucket...

My phone started ringing again.

Without checking the screen, I grabbed it.

I was already irritated.

In my mind, it had to be that shameless married man again.

This time, I was ready for him.

I answered immediately.

"See, if you don't stop calling me—"

"Hello, Dewa."

My heart skipped a beat.

"How have you been?"

That voice...

"Femi?"

I almost cried.

End of Episode 12

To be continued…

 

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 Previous:⬅️ Episode 11: He's Alive

Next: ➡️Episode 13: Things Fall Apart