Before December 12, I would sit in front of my screen, reading feverishly from my favorite Liberian-Nigerian author.
Source
If there was anything I wanted, it was to become like Stella who moved to the States from Nigeria, joined a book club, and entered her first international writing competition which she won, enabling her to fund the publication of her first book.
I had to sign my documents at my faculty, so on that December morning, I took out the necessary documents and headed to school. Unfortunately, the office labeled ‘Room 6’, where I needed to submit the documents, was locked.
As I walked out of the faculty building, I saw that the weather had become gloomy.
I was almost at the school gate when droplets of water began to kiss my face. I stood at the gate with the hope that a commercial vehicle would come along but a black Hyundai stopped in front of me instead.
“Mind if I give you a ride?”
I was in the car before I could think of saying no. The rain intensified as we went along, making me turn to have a good look at the young man at the wheel.
I was genuinely glad that he had saved my documents and me from the rage of the fiery downpour but when he began asking personal questions like “Where are you from? what do you study in school and what do you do?” I started becoming impatient.
“I'm a writer,” I told him in reply to his last question.
“Oh wow,” he cast a curious glance at me. “I don't know what affiliation I have with writers. I'm always surrounded by them”.
I wasn't interested in asking what he meant by that statement until he asked if I knew Stella.
“That's my favorite author,” I replied.
“Me too,” he was grinning.
“Really? Which of her books have you read?”
“She's my cousin so I've read all of them”.
I nearly screamed. Martins was amused when he saw how elated I was and how rapidly I was talking about her.
When the rain intensified, Martins asked if he could park his car. I told him it was okay and as he did, asked him to tell me about Stella.
“She's a hardheaded one, but very creative.” I bobbed my head up and down in agreement. “I have an idea. When this rain stops, how about I introduce you to her?”
“You're joking right?” My heart began knocking violently at my chest.
“I'm serious. If you wouldn't mind coming home with me…”
“To your house?”
“I know how that sounds, but I'm not here with my phone so I can't call her…”
I was nodding before he finished talking.
The rain subsided a few minutes later and we began the ride to his house. I almost couldn't contain the excitement of speaking with Stella one one-on-one.
“Come on” he nudged me when we arrived at the house. I could see Stella's pictures hanging on the wall of the corridor between rooms as we walked past. My heart was swelling with excitement, I was going to meet a real celebrity.
Martins asked me to wait in the living room while he went to fetch her, then returned after a couple of minutes.
“She stepped out not too long ago, Can you wait?”
It wasn't a problem until I had waited for 3 hours. At this time, my roommate had begun calling incessantly.
“I'm sorry, I have to leave,” I said to Martins after my roommate called the 6th time.
“Oh, she's on her way already. You just have to wait a little longer…”
My heart was pounding with fear now, Several negative ideas began flooding my mind.
“My mom has been calling,” I began the quickest lie I could think of “She's going to get frantic if I don't return her calls or return home now”.
He seemed to be thinking then walked over to the door and unlocked it.
“I'll send my regards to Stella,”
My roommate could hardly believe her ears when I told her the story, “But I never expected this from you. I wouldn't have believed you went with a stranger to his house, I understand the car ride because of the rain, but his house?” She was obviously irritated.
I didn't know which feeling was stronger within me; the feeling of shame or embarrassment at having dropped my moral values for some obsession.
Sometimes I sit and think of what could have happened to me that day. I still do not know if Martins was truly related to Stella as I never got to meet or communicate with him again, but what I know is that I wouldn't be accepting lifts from strangers or going to their houses ever again.