Chapter 6: Wake Up Call

My roommate Ejiro no gree believe say I break up with Ifedike at all.

She dey follow me upandan for hostel, dey poke head inside my room every five minutes. "Temi, abeg gist me, abeg!" Even when I dey bath, she dey knock.

She dey chase me dey ask,

“If he come back beg you, you go agree?”

She dey look me, eye big like boiled egg. I just dey laugh, dey dodge question. For her mind, love na movie—break up dey last small, dem go patch soon.

“If una really break up, you sure say you no go too sad, come do something crazy?”

She check my phone, dey look if I delete him contact. She dey fear say I fit go do something mad.

“You too calm now, e dey fear me…”

She dey side-eye me, like say she dey expect me to dey cry upandan. For her mind, na film trick I dey do.

True, why I dey so calm after break up with Ifedike? Even me no expect am. No be me talk say I no fit live without am?

I dey reason am. Last semester, if I even miss him call, my heart go dey fly. Now, my chest dey soft like agege bread. Wetin change?

For am, I bet everything—even change my course.

I no go lie, I bend over backwards for Ifedike. I dey always want make am proud.

I be art student. I don dey paint for over ten years.

Painting be my escape. I dey lose myself for colour and canvas. My people dey tease me, say I dey use acrylic clean trouble from mind.

Boys wey dey around me na all those art people—free, creative, sometimes dem get wahala for head.

Art boys dey wild, their gist dey funny. Sometimes we go dey paint for night, dey drink zobo, dey yarn about life. But none catch my eye like Ifedike.

But Ifedike for my eye na like new paint colour wey I never see before.

E different. E get formula for everything, e sure for him step, e dey always plan ahead. Me, I dey freestyle life.

For art, answer no dey one way. But for Ifedike world, everything get solution.

He dey calculate love like maths. For am, e be like say love be equation, not feeling.

One na one, two na two.

The answer for girlfriend matter too, na only one.

The person gats follow am go Unimak for masters, gats work for Makurdi with am.

But Unimak no get art department.

To follow am go Unimak, I gats change my major.

E pain me, but I do am because love dey cloud my eye. Na so I shift from art to another department wey I no even like.

I ignore my teachers and friends, drop my paintbrush, forget chance to japa, just dey library dey read all those boring books.

My best friend dey beg me say I dey throw away talent. My teachers dey shake head. Me, I dey struggle to pass course wey no sweet me.

One friend ask me, “You no like art again? You fit drop am because of guy?”

The question long for my mind. The answer short, but my heart dey heavy.

If na sense, him dey correct.

But I be art student—no be every time sense dey work.

My brain dey jam colour and line, but my mumu head just dey follow love road. For Naija, sometimes na mumu dey win.

My mumu head just wan dey with Ifedike.

For am, I fit do anything.

Ejiro don curse me tire say I dey craze for love, say donkey kick me for head, swear say I no go ever wise up.

She dey talk say, "Na so Yoruba babe dey craze for love—Temi, open eye, no let them use you do yeye!" But my heart no dey hear.

But when I wise? I think am well. Maybe na just one day, just one moment, my eye clear.

For this life, sometimes na small thing dey shift mind. Just like that, the cloud clear, sun shine.