The proposal

                                    

                                          
Soon enough, Sent became our buddy and we ate rich food from only-God-knows-where which he never ate himself, every other night after lights out. Talk of dishes ranging from locals like banku with okra soup, fufu with groundnut soup and some unbelievably big chunks of meat. Apapransa, and intercontinental dishes like fried rice, jollof rice, irony rice, what-not-rice and the likes. Then after we're done eating, he'd whisper, "Let what has happened here, remain here" and mumble an almost inaudible goodnight, turn his face towards the wall and cover his head with his duvet. Many moons passed, about two fortnights and a day. Everything normal remained normal and everything abnormal remained as such. Then during one lunch recess at the canteen while I munched delightfully on a bowl of waakye with salad and a hard boiled egg one Friday. Senu spotted me among the lot and walked up to me. Everyone around followed him with their eyes. "I need to talk to you. Privately" he said, eyeing a second year girl who seemed the type who'd eavesdrop. "Okay" I mumbled swallowing the last bit if waakye in my mouth. I washed my hand and followed him behind a nearby classroom block, reeking of garlic and onion as usual. There, he took my hands like a lover who couldn't suppress his feelings and looked straight into my eyes. "I need your help" he said. "With what? " I asked.  "With something very important to me." "If only it is within my capabilities, why not? " I replied "I know you can, that's why I came to you. " "Okay now, tell me. What is it?" "I need you to accompany me to the cemetery tonight to collect a book from someone. " "Eh?! " My mouth gaped open at his words. "Sssshhhh!" He cautioned "Someone might here us. " "Senu. Of all the places in this world, why the cemetery go chrissakes? And why at that time? What kind of book is it that can't be collected anywhere or anytime else anyway?" "Ow. Getting this book really means a lot to me. Please
Pleased pleased please. Please help me please. " He howled like a hungry cub. His plea was so touching and I didn't know how he did it, but he soon got me falling for his sudden childish to antics to persuade me to go with him to the cemetery. "Okay, okay." I finally said "but getting to the cemetery at that time would mean breaking bounds. And breaking bounds would mean outright suspension I caught. Right or wrong?" "Right. " He replied " But we'll be over and done with it before even know it. " He paused " So? A deal then? " "Deal!" I said accepting his hand and shaking it to seal the agreement. When the sirens wailed for prep over, Senu met me under the big neem tree across Trost street, right adjacent the volleyball pitch in front of Aku house, rehearsed the moves to undertake for the mission and walked briskly to our cubicle upstairs in Aku house room 3 to already gone Clement, Yao, Hayford and Folk. They were in the first gear of sleep, entering into the second as soft snores escaped their throats through their noses. By then, it was three minutes to lights out. That was odd. What made them so tired as to fall asleep so fast? I wondered.