"Hello, assalamualaikum," I said in a small voice, holding my phone up to my left ear like my life depended on it.
Well, my life really depends on this call. I thought bitterly.
"Waalaikumsalam, please who is this?" I heard Zain's manly voice on the other side.
"I'm Ruqayyah; your course mate, the same group on ARB101," I said timidly, twiddling with my hair nervously.
"Oh Ruqayyah!, sorry I didn't check the caller before receiving it" he chuckled lightly and that made my stomach flip.
"I need your help," I said and I closed my eyes for a bit, massaging my temple nervously.
"What help?" he asked urgently as if sensing the hesitation in my voice.
"Erm..you know..em," I stumbled with my words. It was embarrassing.
I mustered up my courage, "I was supposed to enrol for seven courses but I only enrolled for two courses. Please can you email me the remaining course PDF files?" I asked weakly, wishing he should say yes.
"Okay send me your email address" he replied instantly without missing a bit.
"Thank you, thank you very much, I am very grateful" I chimed happily, bowing my head in gratitude as if he could see me.
Foolish girl
I called Zaid too and he also said I should send my email address. Within some hours, I received the mails from Zaid, exactly what I needed.
I slumped down on the tattered couch in my messed up room and opened my WhatsApp to chat with Zain.
I'd already given him a nickname due to the fact that I was comfortable with him.
*Me: Hey baby boy.
*Zain: Small girl.
*Me: please, who is a small girl.
*Zain: You duh.
*Me: Whatever, let's play twenty questions...
*Zain: Okay but dunno how to play it.
*Me* I'm gonna ask you twenty questions and you're gonna ask me. Vice versa.
*Zain: Okay.
By the time we were through with the game, I'd learnt so much about him.
He was in his early thirties, samosa was his favourite food. His parents were from Kogi but he was born and brought up in Kaduna. He studied mechanical engineering at Abu Zaria. His father married two wives; he was the fifth out of twenty from his father's children while he's the first out of twelve eight children from his mother.
We talked about me too, I was in my late teens but behaved like a brat sometimes.