Chapter 4 THE STORE

Randy was a young notorious cultist, he was presently the capone of the Vikings movement in the University of Science. He was tall, dark with a face that masked effectively the fox he actually was within. He wasn't very handsome, but what he didn't get in his appearance, he made up for in the manner with which he carried himself. To the unsuspecting students, he could pass as an innocent serious minded student. He walked with a gait, bouncing as he moved, a habit that had eaten deep into his personality.

Randy lived off campus in one of the rooms in an uncompleted two storey building, situated by a tiny track, leading towards the village where Sobrina had found accommodation. Opposite the uncompleted building, just across the tiny track was located a shop, it was popularly called "Blue Corner Shop", by the students who frequented it. Mainly because it was painted blue.

The owner was an ugly short chubby young lady, she sold a variety of things - mostly provision and cheap alcohol. One of the main attractions of the Blue Corner Shop was a short-thatched-low-walled batcher hut, built few paces beside the shop. The hut was decorated with a dwarfish wooden table, and dwarfed wooden chairs were scattered about the low wall.

That evening, Randy was sitting in the hut by the Blue Corner Shop surrounded by his friends, they were drinking alcohol, jesting and laughing when he saw a pretty innocent young girl, walking past the tiny track between the Blue Corner Shop and his house. He fell in love at once. He swore he would do everything in his ability to date her.

Each evening, around when she would be returning from lectures, he would come out by the tiny track and call to her. She ignored him regularly due to many reasons - of which she was ignorant of the actual reason why she should have never listened to him. He wasn't her type, he wasn't handsome enough, he wasn't always well dressed, and she didn't like the languages he used in addressing her, he called her names such as Baby, Babe, Damsel. Names which were against her religious upbringing. But he was persistent.

One of the days, he managed to get her to spend ten minutes with him. They sat on a small round table on the pavement of the Blue Corner Shop. She was exhausted, she had walked all the way from the campus towards home. He offered to buy her a bottle of cold soft drink, it was a miracle and they talked a little before she continued for home.

With time, he found out where she was staying, a small compound where other students lived. She lived with Jerry, an older boy who had offered her accommodation when she was stranded on arrival to the University few weeks ago. Her parents could not provide her with proper accommodation as they couldn't provide her with anything at all. Jerry had offered her accommodation hoping to date her in return, but apart from the fact that she was innocent, she didn't like him and so they just shared his one room apartment, as well as his food.

He had stopped bothering her for sex after he tried on one occasion but couldn't penetrate her, because she was stiffened. He didn't accommodate her happily after that, but accommodated her still, he did.

One evening, she was studying in the room while Jerry was busy washing his clothes outside, when someone knocked on the door, and entered after she allowed him. To her amazement, it was Randy. He came gently close to the mattress where she was lying and squatted.

"How are you Sobrina?" he questioned. He was always very sober and gentle around her, like he could never hurt a fly. He placed his hands between his thighs avoiding any form of body contact, Making the visit seem very formal to the innocent girl.

"I'm very well, thank you", she innocently responded, not suspecting anything, neither was she alarmed. To her, he was just a visitor. She didn't wonder about how he knew the place or her exact room. She absent mindedly concluded that he must be good friends with Jerry.

"Jerry said you'll be inside" he told her. "I came to see how you're doing", looking very concerned.

"I'm okay", she responded feeling better, it was a relief that someone cared enough to check on her. She was already not feeling too well with the constant quarrels she was having with Jerry over sex. And the fact that nobody cared what she did or didn't, didn't sit too well with her. She had never experienced so much freedom. She almost broke down in relief and told him everything, but something she didn't quite understand, stopped her. But it showed in her countenance.

"If you need anything, remember I'm not too far away", he said as he stood up and left the room. It was great to know that someone was watching over her from that moment, she was really lonely.

That evening, Jerry started trying to send her away with the excuse that his landlord was threatening to report him to his parents for living with a girl, he claimed all of a sudden that his landlord knew his parents.

Sobrina was devastated, but for lack of where to go, she remained. Two days later, she returned from lectures only to find that Jerry who had the only keys to the one room apartment was not around. She thought he wasn't through with lectures and patiently waited outside. She called his cell phone number hours later, when it was almost dark, and was directed to his voice mail. He never returned her calls, she waited until 8pm and out of frustration went in search of Randy - the only other person she knew around the University community. She was new, a fresher in the University. He was in the hut by the Blue Corner Shop, beside his house across the tiny track.