DIARY OF A CORPER — EPISODE 19: TRUTH OR DARE
The first day of that week was Bassey’s birthday, but he decided to push the celebration to the weekend because of work.
He said he didn’t want anything big—just a small celebration with his friends. In Bassey’s language, “small” meant music, food, drinks, and a house full of corpers.
Chioma was invited. Peter, Bassey’s close friend, and some other corps members were invited too.
Hameedah and Aliyah, the twin corpers who had recently moved into our lodge, were also invited, even though I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. They had spent only a few weeks in the house, and they had already cemented their reputation as troublemakers.
They were not identical twins, but what they lacked in physical resemblance, they made up for in character. They were both very loud and chatty, and they meddled in everything. I remembered laughing so hard the day I heard Mummy Tobi call them Ibeji-oran. Even Taiwo had subtly shown her dislike for them.
That Saturday morning, Femi and I followed Bassey to the market to buy drinks and food items. Taiwo offered to cook, which was perfect because she cooked better than the rest of us. Chioma arrived later and helped with the setup.
We kept stopping Bassey from tasting everything because he wanted to eat before the party even started.
At some point, he got tired of us stopping him and said, “Oya, I’m not doing again. I want to eat everything. Shebi it’s my birthday?”
We burst out laughing, and even Taiwo had to drop the big cooking spoon she was holding.
By late afternoon, we were done preparing the food and setting up the venue. Femi’s room wouldn’t accommodate a large crowd, so we made use of the open space around the tap area. Some of the neighbours who walked past stared at us, some children loitered around, and a few even danced to the music, probably hoping to get some food.
By evening, some of the guests had started arriving.
Music played from Bassey’s big Bluetooth speaker. Hameedah and Aliyah had already taken over the event as if they had been paid to be the MCs. Sometimes, I wondered how they had settled into the compound so quickly when it had taken me months to feel at home here.
We ate, played games, danced, snapped pictures, and made videos that would later flood everyone’s WhatsApp status.
As everyone settled into the party, Hameedah called out.
“Let’s play Truth or Dare!”
A chorus of groans and cheers filled the compound.
“Ah, this game brings wahala,” Peter said.
“That is the point,” she replied with a grin.
And just like that, the game began.
We spun the bottle, and whoever it stopped in front of had to choose truth or dare. The person would either be asked a question or dared to do something. If anyone refused to do either, they had to take a shot of Orijin. Trust Bassey to provide the punishment. He had bought some earlier, according to him, for his boys.
The first victim was Femi.
Hameedah grinned. “Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Call your ex and tell her you still love her.”
The compound erupted with laughter.
I saw Taiwo roll her eyes.
Hmm, this is how wahala starts o.
“I don’t have her contact,” he said calmly.
“What do you mean? Didn’t you people date?” Hameedah asked.
“She moved to the UK. I don’t have her new number.”
“Ehn ehn.” She grinned. “Is that why you guys broke up?”
“Ha...meee...dah!” Taiwo said.
“What?” Hameedah rolled her eyes.
“It’s dare, not truth.”
“So?”
Taiwo hissed.
Eh, God abeg. I knew peace would not survive this game.
“Femi, you have to drink,” Aliyah declared as she poured some Orijin into a paper cup and handed it to him.
I watched Femi gulp down the drink. His face remained expressionless.
One person had to run to the gate and back within thirty seconds. Another had to recite a self-made love poem to anyone at the party.
But as the game continued, the dares became bolder, and the truths became more dangerous.
When the bottle stopped in front of me, I chose dare. I wasn’t ready to start spilling details about my life to people I barely knew.
I didn’t know I was creating an opportunity for the devil.
“I dare you to kiss the birthday boy on ten different parts of his body.”
I froze.
Did I hear that right?
“Ah ah, Alhaja, your mind is dirty o.” Peter chuckled as he turned to Hameedah.
People were already cheering.
I was confused. Ten places? Where exactly?
Chioma, who was sitting beside me, had started whispering places I could kiss instead of his lips.
I glanced at Femi, but he wasn’t looking at me.
Taiwo, on the other hand, kept cheering.
I was beginning to regret choosing dare.
Without thinking, I reached for the bottle and gulped straight from it. The bitter taste hit my tongue.
How did people even enjoy this thing?
Groans of disappointment replaced the cheers.
Bassey smiled.
Aliyah spun the bottle again.
It stopped in front of Bassey.
“Ohooo! Birthday boy!” someone called out.
“Truth or dare?” Hameedah asked.
Bassey chuckled. “Hameedah, I don’t trust you, so I’ll pick truth.”
“Coward,” Taiwo muttered.
Hameedah’s eyes lit up with mischief.
“Bassey… do you like Dewa?”
I knew this girl was sent from the pit of hell.
“Of course he likes her. Aren’t they friends?” Chioma chipped in.
“No, not that kind of like,” Hameedah said. “I mean romantic feelings.”
“Aah.” Chioma looked at me.
Taiwo looked up from her cup. Femi was on his phone.
The compound fell into an expectant silence.
Bassey scratched his head and laughed nervously.
“You people want trouble.”
“We want the truth!” Aliyah shouted.
For a second, I expected him to simply say no or take a drink.
Instead, he looked directly at me.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
A chorus of “Awwn!” and laughter filled the compound.
My heart began to beat faster.
“Since when?” Hameedah asked.
Aah, this girl, kuku kill me.
Bassey smiled.
“I’ve liked her for a while.”
For the first time that night, there was no joking in his voice.
Heat crept into my face. I suddenly became very aware of everyone around me.
I didn’t know where to look, so I stared at the floor.
The compound, which had been full of laughter only seconds earlier, now felt unbearably small.
I finally looked up.
Bassey was still smiling, though a little shyly.
And Femi…
Femi was looking at me.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Just looking.
And somehow, that unsettled me more than Bassey’s confession.
The game continued, but I barely heard anything after that.
Somewhere between the music, the laughter, and a spinning bottle, a truth had been spoken that none of us could pretend we hadn’t heard.
End of Episode 19
To be continued…
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