“Story time!” Omolabake called out to her daughter. Poojah screeched with excitement and ran towards her mother. Labake watched as her daughter arranged herself at her feet and suddenly overwhelmed by the wave of love she felt. Poojah was a nickname her daughter had chosen for herself after watching an Indian movie and the name stuck. At times Labake herself forgot that Peju was her real name. Poojah stared at her mother, waiting patiently for her to begin. “Once upon a time…” Labake began. She went on to tell a folktale she’d heard from her grandparents, the story of a mischievous tortoise who had a knack for involving other animals in his hair brained schemes. She couldn’t help but notice the animated look on Poojah’s face so she made gestures to add spice to the story. Poojah collapsed into a heap of giggles and Labake felt her heart swell. After the story, Labake watched Poojah as she played with her dolls, she said a silent prayer of thanks and exhaled in gratitude. “Everything about our lives seems so perfect,” she thought. “But it wasn’t always this way. It was such a long and painful journey.” She closed her eyes and began to relive it, the struggle, the heartache. All of it, as if it were yesterday… ***** Born to strict parents, Labake and her brother, Tolu, were taught that morals, etiquette and education were paramount. “No one remembers number two,” Labake remembered her mother saying. From childhood she vowed to always finish first. The Ezekiels were perfectionists. Labake and Tolu rarely fell short of their parents high standards. They became reference points throughout their college days beating records and amassing numerous awards. Labake was proud of herself for keeping her vow, she had done everything right. She’d won every award available and finished first all but once. Labake collapsed onto her bed after a long, exhausting day. Lectures had become so draining because lecturers were rushing to cover topics that the ASUU strike had disrupted. She was worn out. “Sorry dear, lectures wan kill you abi?’ said Tope her roommate as she walked into the room. “Nawa for them,” Labake replied without looking up. Her stomach growled and she silently wished she had a house help to help her cook. “I cooked rice,” Tope announced, as if she had read her grateful roommate’s grateful mind. Labake hopped up from her bed and made her way to the kitchen. “Ah ah, I thought you were tired,” Tope mocked. Labake dished the rice and ate with relish. “Thanks for the meal,” she said between bites. “Even if na concoction.” They both laughed and talked about their respective days. Tope was still talking when she noticed her roommate had fallen fast asleep on the couch. “She always does that,” Tope thought, tempted to launch a pillow at her unsuspecting friend. She looked at Labake and blessed the day they met. Since she wasn’t feeling sleepy, she started clearing away the plates. *** It was way past midnight when Labake woke up. Tope was asleep by then. “Ugh, I’ve overslept,” she thought. She took a quick shower and sat down to study. “Can’t wait to be done with school,” she whispered fighting off drowsiness. It took a few minutes to get into her books, but before long she was in full flow. She didn’t bother waking Tope up, she slept like a log, it would be hopeless. Labake studied until nature got the better of her and she fell asleep at her desk. “Babe, you don late for class o,” said Tope as she tapped a dozing Labake. Her roommate sprang up instantly and rushed into the bathroom. “Thank you,”she yelled slamming the bathroom door. She hurriedly did ‘rub and shine,’ washing her teeth, face and feet.She grabbed her bag and ran out of the door so quickly she didn’t even shut it behind her. She beat the lecturer to class by two minutes but the lecture theatre was full. She saw a space open up and made a dash for it but someone got there before her. “Damn!” she swore. Standing throughout a lecture was no fun. “Hey, you can have this seat,” said a deep voice from behind her. She turned and a stranger removed his bag to create a space. “You are a lifesaver,” she smiled as she hurriedly sat down. She scanned his face quickly. He looks a little familiar, she thought. “Whew! I was lucky,” she sighed with relief. “Indeed you were, because there’s going to be a test today,” her ‘saviour’ informed her. Just then the lecturer appeared, closing the door behind him “Good morning everyone, test time,” he announced. *** “That was close,” she said, after the last test paper had been collected. “Very close,” her new friend replied. “So what’s the name? ” he asked putting his books in his bag. “Omolabake Ezekiel,” she replied. A smile spread across his face, “I knew it,” he said, ‘I knew there was something familiar about your face but I didn’t want to push it’. She searched his face, hoping she would remember his name. “Seni Hassan, ” he said “Wow!” she exclaimed shocked by the memory. The first and only time she took second place was because he took first. “Small world,” they said in unison as they walked out of the lecture theatre. They exchanged numbers and promised to stay in touch. Labake smiled as she made her way to her next lecture. Wow! Seni Hassan , she thought, small world