Chapter Sixteen

After receiving a lot of instructions and reminders from Mary regarding where and when to drive, the driver eventually arrived at Mary's apartment. She had a bungalow-style apartment with corrugated roofing. Unlike the concrete floor to which Bianca had almost grown accustomed, the area was covered in sand. At the bottom left corner of the house, there was a small garden with spinach and other small plants growing there. Something that appeared to be a stick but wasn't a stick encircled the garden. The land was a little bit roomy, but it wasn't quite as full as a single plot. Maybe a quarter or half of a plot of land. The building was designed in the style of a boy's quarters, which contributed to its spacious size. The driver remained in the car, most likely waiting for the next order, as they got out and cheerfully complimented each other.

"Who is that man to you?" Mary asked wryly.

"A driver," Bianca responded quickly.

Mary stopped walking and peered at her in a surprising way.

"My God!" she exclaimed, "Just this quick."

Bianca smiled. She wished Mary would interpret the meaning of the smiling because it had a number of connotations and denotations. If only she had known that, in contrast to her, who had an apartment, she had no place to stay. The surprises probably wouldn't have meant as much to her. They arrived at the structure. Mary opened the door by removing the door's key from her purse. They entered the room. The first thing Bianca noticed was a square arrangement of chairs with a small round table in the middle and a small flower next to it. When she raised her head, she noticed some framed portraits hanging on the wall as they entered gradually. As Bianca's eyes darted around the room, she noticed a plasma TV suspended from a large table at a right angle between a chair and a couch, occupying the space where the 90° was marked. Bianca knew it was the sitting room after giving it a thorough inspection.

"Let me show you everywhere," said Mary.

"The sitting room looks grandiose," said Bianca.

"I did what my strength can take. Just simple style."

As she left the living room, she uttered. The sitting room was constructed so that a person could leave the sitting room, branch right into the first room, and then proceed directly into the kitchen without encountering any obstacles. Opposite the kitchen and the first room, on the left. A small freezer was placed, and as she moved back towards the sitting room, she saw another room with a wall separating it from the sitting room.

"This is for visitors," Mary said after opening the door. She then walked back to the sitting room. "Is this a rented apartment?" Bianca said.

"No," Mary responded, "This is one of my father's properties. He kept a tenant here before. But because of my school, he told me to stay there whenever I was done with lectures."

For Bianca, Mary's mention of the word "father" was draining. The mood of Bianca twitched, as if two wires—positive and negative—had accidentally connected and caused a spark. She then returned to normal and engaged Mary in lively conversation. Bianca was made to laugh by Mary's jokes, at the very least. Her jokes brought back memories for Bianca of her college days when Mary was required to call all the girls together during break and instruct them on how a comedian conducts themselves on stage. She observed that they were still bored (no laughing among themselves,) Mary decided to take on the task of showing them how the comedian performed on stage. She took notes on every demonstration the comedian used. It was impossible for even the most dejected person among them to gradually break out in loud laughter—such was Mary's talent for this. The traits appeared to have followed her up until this point.

"Which course are you studying at school?" asked Bianca.

Mary stopped talking for a while. "Medicine," she said.

"Why didn't you dive into an entertainment related course?"

"Oh," Mary echoed, "That has been my calling since the day I became mature in age."

"Quite unfathomable," Bianca replied, "Maybe you joining medicine gives you the chance of becoming a laughter therapist."

They both laughed together amusingly.

"Oh really," Mary exclaimed. "That would be nice."

"Of course."

"What about you?" Mary asked.

Precisely when Bianca was about to speak, the car horn blared in their ears and both of them ducked a little and covered their ears with their hands as Mary's temper slightly flared up at this. She said angrily, "How on earth did you get such a clumsy driver like that."

"It was a gamble. Don't mind me. Desperate times call for desperate measures," Bianca answered, rising up to her feet, "Please a minute. I will be back in a moment."

"Alright, my Dear. I am right here waiting for you to be back."

After opening the door, Bianca left the house and headed towards the car. When she arrived, she opened her bag's zipper, slung over her right arm, took some cash out of it, and gave it to the driver. The driver appreciated her. He gave her the car key and then asked for her number.

"My number? Why bother about it?"

"To chat you up and know the next time, you might need my help."

"Just give me yours."

"Okay," he said, "No problem with that. I will give you mine right now."

He read out his number from his brain while Bianca scribbled it down on a paper and folded it up, dropping it into her bag.

"The way you dropped it into your bag means that very soon I will be forgotten. Let me just have your number."

"No need for that. I appreciate your efforts. Thanks. See you later soon." She said forcing the conversation to an abrupt end. The man simply gave her a startled look before forcing a smile onto his constricted face. Most likely, the state of the nation's economy was what gave him that face. He stumbled before finally walking away as though a scorpion had stung his leg. She turned around to face the front door and entered the sitting room without stopping. The sitting room underwent a swift change. A tray with plates of food was placed on the centre table, which had previously been cleared. In her life, she has learned how to be less concerned about food about which she was unaware of the whereabouts or the method of preparation. She took a seat on the big sofa and awaited Mary. She then continued to look around the sitting room before turning her gaze back to the wall and the pictures there. This time, she got up and moved closer to the image where she spotted Mary's portrait. Mary was an average woman, standing between four and five feet, with a round face and an Americana-like pointed nose. She also had long, curly hair that added to the illusion that she was half-caste, but she wasn't. She appeared to have pink lips in the portrait, or perhaps she had applied glossy red lipstick to her lips. Bianca giggled as she turned to a different image and saw Mary beaming once more while proudly displaying something with both of her hands. The paper in her hands looked like a certificate to her when she looked at it; the writing and the cursive handwriting on it led Bianca to believe that it was a certificate.

"Oh, you looking at my pictures. Do I look beautiful in there?" Mary asked walking into the sitting room, holding another set of dishes on a tray.

"You look so pretty," Bianca said, still engrossed in the pictures.

"That was my graduation day at my secondary school where they gave the outgoing student testimonial certificate,"

"Really," said Bianca, turning her face back to where Mary was.

"Yeah." she said.

"I haven't collected mine. My school certificate is still in the school."

"How come?"

"We were urged to pay some amount before we can collect it."

"In government school again."

"Yes."

"That means our country has decayed since then. How would they say you should pay some money before collecting your results? It meant to be free. For God's sake."

"True."

"Since there wasn't any other way. You would have just paid for it."

"Oh, c'mon, do you think that is easy?"

That response from Bianca made Mary surprised, "How?"

"The transport fare, the money itself to obtain it—"

"I thought you had a car?" she asked, interrupting Bianca.

Bianca smiled. A pessimistic smile that almost turned to a laugh because of its duration and kept Mary in wild suspense. She walked back to the sofa and sat down on it. "Do you want me to explain how I got a car?"

"Okay" she said, adjusting her back to relax on the back of the chair.

"Do you ever notice that the car looks so new?"

"Of course," she responded.

"It was today. It was being delivered to me."

"Wow. That's nice."

"Should I tell you how I got the car?" Bianca repeated once more.

"Yes," Mary echoed, paying rapt attention.

Bianca began the discussion by describing how she first met Joe and how he treated her—like a queen. Then, the arrival of Esther as his girlfriend. The fight that began between her and Esther in which Bianca called "an act of jealousy that led to pure hatred" and gradually metamorphosed into her being tired of life and wished she was not worth living on the earth. Her life being spared by an ICU machine. She then described what happened after she was released from the hospital. Really intolerable was Joe's abrupt change in attitude towards her. Bianca explained that Joe had expelled her from his home, so she had come here simply in search of a place to sleep for at least one night. She didn't forget Lucky, the comedian who treated her like a sibling. She explained to Mary how she would always remember Joe and Lucky in her heart, body, spirit, and soul.

At intervals, tears dripped down and rolled on Bianca's cheeks, which made Mary get into a sympathetic mood, as if she was the one.

"Don't worry, Bianca. The two of us will manage this place from now on. I will tell my Dad about your condition."

Bianca went on her knees appreciating her.

"Get to your feet." Stretching her hands so Bianca could get back to her seat, "Why do I call you my best friend in school? A best friend will always be there in times of need."

"I appreciate it," Bianca responded, getting back to her seat, cleaning up her tears.

"I know Joe's life back then when he was in school." Mary said after consoling her.

"I don't think so," said Bianca, surprised at Mary's previous statement.

"Was his name not called JK," asked Mary.

"Of course," Bianca said with a widened grin, "But I still doubt you."

"Your choice then. But you may be shocked if I say I knew how he and Esther got into an intimate relationship."

"What?" Bianca got shocked the more, "Tell me. I am eager to know."

"Calm your nerves. That is a story for another day." She said, opening up the plate that covered the food, "Let's eat."

"I'm not hungry. All I need to know is about their relationship."

"Not ready today. If you force me to tell you now, you wouldn't enjoy the story as it ought to be enjoyed."

"This is an unbearable suspense. But I will endure," Bianca replied.

Bianca was invited to begin eating by Mary, who removed a plate from the tray for herself and pushed the other over to her side. Bianca thanked him for it and prayed for the food as she ate it, savouring each bite.

Bianca had continued to reside in Mary's apartment after several weeks. They acted like blood sisters, doing everything with a shared passion. Her father saw Bianca and had compassion on her and adopted her as a daughter and promised to raise her up to be somebody worthful in this life. Mary, on the other hand, had to pay to have Bianca's school diploma returned because she really needed it to continue her education. Despite the fact that she had no resources, her goal was to become an accountant. Despite this, she didn't let it demoralise her. She would do it even if she had grey hair and was an old woman.

To prepare for the UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination), Mary had to pay for a tutorial course for Bianca with her own money in order to be admitted to the school at the learning centre. She noticed a lot of people who had registered at the same location, including big boys and girls who were at least her age or slightly older. She was genuinely shocked by that. The only people she had anticipated were students between the ages of 16 to 18 because she had assumed that her older friend had joined the university. The drawback was this: although they were present, they were insignificant in comparison to her age-mate.

After three days of regularly attending the tutorial, she began to notice that students came for a variety of reasons, including having fun, getting a boyfriend or girlfriend, and paying close attention in class to ace the test. A student who intended to enter the tutorial with a serious mindset will, unless he or she is steadfast, be distracted in some way. Bianca was aware that she had been waiting a very long time for this chance. Any deviation from her direction will result in disaster, a catastrophe that might never be repaired. No deterrent could shake her from her plan because she was so focused on passing the test. She continued to read endlessly, as if someone were giving her drugs. Her goal was to achieve a very high score so that she would be sought out by all schools in the nation.

The time for the raw examination has come. Bianca was delighted because this was the first time in a long time that she had sat down and begun to mark her answers from A to D. Her examination was for 7:00 am. The simultaneous emergence of two contradictory and intertwined ideas eluded her understanding of time. Was the time designated for you to arrive at the centre or would the exam start that early in the morning, when no business would have thought to open? Mary gave her an explanation, helped her get ready, and showed her how to approach the test.

Around 6:55 am, they arrived at the centre. Bianca was already anxious about how long it would take her to arrive at the UTME centre. When they arrived, Bianca was surprised by the lengthy line she noticed at the gate.

"Join them quickly," Mary said in a hurrying tone.

"I thought we were late." Bianca responded.

"That is our country for you. Keep your book inside your bag and drop it with me because they won't allow you to enter."

"No problem." Bianca said.

She dropped her bag and was about leaving Mary and joining the queue when she heard Mary saying, "Goodluck, Dear".

The check-in security agent quickly searched the line with their hands and a metal rod as the checked student hurriedly entered the building. Bianca believed she was being led into the hallway so the test could begin right away. Unfortunately for her, there were more delays ahead as they used their fingerprints to pass the point of attendance.

She finally arrived at the main examination hall after spending roughly twenty to twenty-five minutes at the point of attendance. She seated herself in the chair after finding her seat number. A laptop was placed in front of her. She fixed her attention on the test's name that was displayed on the screen.

"No one should touch the laptop, much less type anything on it," said one of the exam monitors. His advice sounded threatening. When she turned to look at her left side, she saw that the boy sitting next to her was simply playing with his pencil and scribbling on a piece of paper that we were all permitted to bring in. Within Bianca the time was far spent. She imagined the time to be 8:05.

After a while, the man gave them another directive allowing them to begin entering their registration number. After about 15 seconds, he motioned for them to begin the examination.