Boma

          Boma showed up by her table and took a seat opposite her. He set a plate of fried rice and a Pepsi drink on the table.

'Wow, this is really good' Pam commented as she savoured the spicy taste of the food.

'Told you' Boma smirked at her.

Pam got a chance to really observe him. He was wearing a polo shirt and jeans. She took notice of the gold locket he had around his neck. There were light stubbles on his chin. He should be twenty or thereabouts. He had an air of charm and there was something about his voice and his smile that made one want to drop all their defences around him.

Well you can never be too careful, Pam thought

             'You're a fresher right?' Boma asked her as he glanced at her.

              'Is it obvious' Pam bit her lip nervously.

              'Mm, maybe a little bit' Boma said chuckling.

              'Probably because I can't seem to fit in.' She said, sighing.

              'Relax, it takes time.' He have her a reassuring smile. 'What's your department?'

              'Microbiology. What about you' Pam took a look at him.

              'Civil Engineering'

              'Wow, that's awesome'

They are their meal in silence for the next few minutes. Chatters were heard from around the room. Music was blasting from a speaker nearby.

               'Um, am supposed to have a class at DLI, could you direct me there please' Pam asked as she finished eating.

She uncapped the lid of the bottle water and took a large gulp.

               ' I'm heading in that direction, might as well take you there' He shrugged. 'You ready to go?'

               ' Yep'Pam chirped as she stood up and slung her bag over her shoulders.

Boma stopped to buy a bottle of water before they left the restaurant.  

                They walked briskly on the pavement down the road.

'I think we should take a cab. You might be late for your class. What time is it anyway?' Boma asked.

'It's by 8:00' She had a grimace on her face as she stole a glance at her watch, 'And it's 7:30 right now.'

'So we really need to hurry, the car park is just in front'

'Don't you have class this morning' Pam looked at him, eyebrows raised.

'Nope, not until ten' He smiled cheekily at her, ' You can't get rid of me that easily you know'

'I wasn't trying to get rid of you,' Pam mumbled, 'And besides I need you, so why will I be chasing you away'

'Ah, geez, I'm just messing with you'  He bumped his shoulder with hers.

'Okay, whatever' Pam said, rolling her eyes.

There were only about five people lined up in queue waiting for a cab.

   'Thank God, the queue is short' Boma said as they quickly joined the queue.

    ' Is it normally longer than this'

    'Yep, sometimes, on busy days.

         A taxi pulled into the parking lot and they all rushed to get on it. The driver looked back to ensure everyone was seated and then drove out into the road.

'The fare is #50 right' Pam asked Boma who was beside her at the backseat.

'Yep' He was scrolling through his phone, frowning slightly as he read a message on his WhatsApp. His course rep had sent in a project from one of the lecturers,Mr Akeem. Damn that man is one of the strictest lecturers I've ever seen. I'll have to do that today' he sighed.

           Pam stared out the window as the cab drove. The campus was beautiful, with lush vegetation. The cab stopped at the front of a bank to allow so.e passengers alight. A couple of school kids that were waiting on the curb got in the taxi. A petite girl wearing black oversized glasses attracted Pam's attention. She should be about sixteen. That was me just a year ago. How time flies. She sighed imperceptibly.

              The short drive gave Pam the breather she desperately needed. She was beginning to get nervous and uneasy.

This would have been easier if Pat was with me. She thought sadly. He always had a way of easing my worries. Tears brimmed in her eyes but she quickly blinked them back. He wouldn't have wanted her to be crying, especially not today.

'Pam' She could hear Boma calling her. She tried to put on a smile and turned to him. That was when she realized that the cab had stopped. Had she been that lost in thoughts?  Boma was out of the cab already, waiting for her. He gave her a hand . She looked up at him gratefully. He started to lead her out of the park but Pam stopped him.

  'The fare' He looked at her, noticed how her eyes were glistening with tears but wisely refrained from saying anything about it.

'I paid for you already, let's go'

'Thanks' Pam smiled at him and followed him lead.

Pam saw a sign that read 'Distance Learning Institute'

'What's this place?' She asked Boma.

'It's just as the name implies,' He shrugged. ' That's when they teach people who learn and get a degree through online classes'

           They reached  a small gate and were stopped by a security guard who was performing a routine check. There had been a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the university handout strict measures in place in order to prevent the spread of the virus. The brawny security guard only let them through when they had put on their masks.

They walked by a large two storeyed building.

'That's the DLI building' Boma pointed out to her.

'Is that where I will be having my classes'

'No, that's strictly for the lectures and other administratives. The building you guys will use is behind' Boma explained.

Pam could vaguely make out some persons working in the building as they passed by. They stopped in front of a two storeyed building.

'Alright, here we are. This is where you will be having your lectures . And this,' Boma gestured to the building in front of them, 'is Block A and that one adjacent is Block B.'

'Okay,' Pam nodded. 'I have my classes' in Block A'

'So... I'll be on my way then, I've got to go and meet a friend. He just texted me'

'Alright, thanks. Sorry for keeping you'

'No worries.' He flashed her a smile. 'See ya'

Pam had just turned to go up the stairs when Boma called her back.