Her
feelings were in a turmoil. A somewhat happy turmoil. Out of the
blue, he said he loved her. He was handsome. He appeared to be
wealthy. No young man had ever said that to her. She did not know
what the appropriate response was.
This
was her first year out of High School, and her first semester
enrolled at a university. The complete and utter chaotic freedom on
campus was already taking a heavy toll on her heretofore staid
personality. So many choices. All exciting. Too many, contradictory.
At nights at home, the excitement was the cause of her sleeping
neither well nor long.
And
now this! She had seen him from a distance over the days, now and
then, among the crowds of students. She had seen many, many young men
she had caught herself secretly and harmlessly lusting after. But
even in her most hidden deepest desires, she had never thought any of
those handsome men would take a serious interest in her.
When
she recovered from her momentary shock, she had stammered "Uh,
sorry. I don't feel like that. For you." And he left. She stood
there for a minute or two, breathing quickly and haphazardly. When
she felt she was beginning to regain control of her emotions, her
first recognizable reaction was an inward shriek of immature laughter
whipping her on to find someone with whom she could share her
disrespectful and insensitive hilarity.
Some
of her High School friends had come to university with her. She
instinctively searched for them to make them 'green with envy' and, a
few, downright jealous.
She
instinctively resisted. She wasn't
that
bad a person. She would wait a day-or-two. After all, when she
decided to enroll at university, she had promised herself she was
going to be a better person than she had been at High School. She was
quite open to waiting longer than a day-or-two.
She
didn't see him around again for weeks. She looked for him,
surreptitiously, of course. Sometimes she caught herself wishing he
would pester her. There was nothing deep about her curiosity. There
was nothing deep about her in these few weeks on campus. In all ten
years of school before university, she had built a reputation of
being a silent and deep student. So far, there was no indication of
that reputation. The demands of too much fruitless campus freedom.
He
would have been easy to spot. He was always dressed in bow tie, suit,
and hat. She was pleasantly confused at what to think of a man that
young wearing a bow tie. Her first ever.
The
quality of her academic studies became a casualty of her popularity.
She failed the first two tests in all four of her courses. She should
have been devastated. She hadn't failed a test in her previous ten
years. She was only mildly embarrassed. Mild was all she could manage
because of the wealth of romantic attention she was being showered
with by handsome young male students every day, everywhere she went
on campus.
Her
wildest fantasy materialized. A young unmarried professor was sending
her discrete signals that he was interested. She went to his office,
ostensibly for academic counselling. He suggested she enroll in the
two courses he taught.
It
pained her to decline his offer because he was teaching in an area
she had not heard of until he mentioned it. She was going to have to
spend extra time to do better, much better, in those other four
courses.
Another
failure would result in her being put on academic probation. Her
parents would be vindicated. They had not allowed any of their
previous four children, all daughters, to attend university. Two of
them had been married off halfway through High School. Her parents'
opposition was not as determined with her only because it was
significantly diluted by the presence of seven grandchildren, and
more promises from her than she could remember.
Probation
would nullify all freedoms; would bring out the worst in her sisters
whom she had ever believed hated her because she was more beautiful
and higher IQed than any of them and their husbands.
She
would be bundled off in an arranged marriage. She knew of at least
three potential husbands favoured by her parents, waiting to pounce.
She was the youngest; the last of her parents' Cultural and Religious
responsibilities. After they married her off-and-away, they could
live happily ever after, basking in the envy of all other
Grandparents in their local Community.
She
couldn't afford to fail another class test. Even a low pass would be
good enough in these desperate times. A low pass was acceptable? How
had she descended to this? She shoved it out of her mind.
She
was confident she could do both; improve her standing in those four
Courses, and continue to secretly be close friends with the
professor.
Two
weeks later she struck gold! Perfect marks in all four courses! Her
flighty friends were ecstatic for her. She had reverted to being her
usual exceptional self, as they always knew she could be when she
chose.
In
her intoxication of pride with having become her original excellent
self, she misplaced her expensive genuine alligator leather bag
fashion accessory. Hand-made, one of its kind,
over-the-shoulder-strapped.
A
High School graduation present shipped by her sister who was
wealthily married in one of those countries infested with alligators
and crocodiles and other human-eating beasts. A conversation piece
wherever she took it. Some persons gushed about alligator; others
about crocodile. She didn't know, nor cared about the difference. The
scales glittered different colours, night and day, no two scales the
same colour.
Her
professor had been particularly interested, declaring he was unaware
those killer reptiles glittered in the wild. Definitely a
Mother-nature mistake in engineering.
She
had surprised and impressed both herself and the professor by
impulsively asking, "How so a mistake, professor, when neither
ugly thing had a natural enemy predator-for-food in the wild?"
Strangely,
she could not recall where she last held the accessory. Had to be at
home. Had to be, especially since her spectacular successes in those
two tests. Some of the contents were priceless souvenirs.
She
received an anonymous note in the mail at home. Someone had found her
priceless accessory. It would be returned to her in the library at a
specified time and at a specified study-kiosk.
She
knew the note was not from the professor. They were meeting
'accidentally' often enough for him to not need a special meeting to
return her accessory.
Whoever
had found it, she desperately hoped they wouldn't look inside.
She
hurried. She arrived early. There were few people in that section of
the library. The kiosk was almost hidden in a corner behind shelves.
She saw nobody at the kiosk. She recognized the accessory on a desk.
She saw the note taped to the accessory. "Downstairs. Red car."
Red?
Must be new. They had gone places in his dark-blue car. She was
excited, so excited that she didn't pay close enough attention as she
opened the accessory. She bruised a finger on the bronze locking
mechanism. Worse; the piece was empty! Her sudden fright upset her
balance. She stumbled-sat in the chair.
He
had removed everything! Anger expelled fright. Her dry eyes burned.
She needed tears, but she wasn't in the mood. She dashed downstairs,
clumsily clutching the thing.
She
turned the corner. The red car! The bow-tie man! He opened the
passenger door. She did not know how she got into the car. He was
driving them through a quiet and socially upscale district of the
city.
"Congratulations
on your perfect test marks. I was not aware you had such expertise in
that area." "You looked inside!" "I had to find
out to whom to return it. And there the tests were. One hundred
percent in both tests? You are a genius. I feel so fortunate to know
you so closely."
In
mightily controlled anger and disgust, "You do not know me 'so
closely.' Please return my papers!" "In time. After we
talk." "I don't want to talk. Where are you taking me?"
"To my home." "I don't want to go to your home. You
are kidnapping me." "The tests are at my home. For
safe-keeping. Your tests with the perfect marks. And the professor's
notebook with the answers you copied."
Her
mouth dried up instantly and fiercely. She gasped. Her tongue stuck
to the roof of her mouth. The tears gushed so suddenly, she didn't
have time to prevent them from splashing into her mouth and up her
nose. She convulsed in a spasm of coughing and choking and messy
sneezing.
He
stopped the car. He hurried to the other side and opened the door. She
stumbled out onto the quiet street and vomited on the sidewalk.
She would have collapsed to her knees had he not quickly came to her
side and steadied her.
He
offered her a voluminous handkerchief. She snatched it. He helped her
back into the car. "You are not being kidnapped. If you prefer
to not come to my home, I will drive you anywhere you want. Just say
the word." "Just drive! I hate you!"
"By
the way, your bag's fake skin." "It is not! It's a present
from my sister and her husband. They live overseas where those wild
animals roam free."
"My
Dad and Mom work in such a country for a few months each year. They
are volunteer wild life conservationists. I sometimes accompany them.
I have handled such animals in the wild. Although I have never had
the misfortune to have held an animal's real skin taken off the
animal, I know all about the faked version. Your side-bag is fake;
expertly done; but every bit fake. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I
am happy for the animal that escaped. Please become happy with me;
you will be a better person for it."
Perhaps
later. She didn't care right now to become a better person. She
strangled the glimmer of liking him that smirkingly ambushed her from
deep within. She just wanted to re-possess her incriminating
possessions!
They
reached his home. "Here we are." He slowed down to make the
turn as the metal gates slid open. "Don't be concerned. There's
nobody home." "That's the very reason I am concerned.
Look, you know I cheated on the tests. And now you are going to take
revenge because I turned you down."
"My
love for you is honourable. I have no intention of revenge. I believe
all wild life chose to give me leverage. Come, now. What was the
number of possibilities that I would be the one to find that fake
love of your life? And where I found it? If I wanted revenge, we
would not be having this conversation. Come look at my home. If you
still do not care to have a romantic relationship with me, so be it."
"Even
if I turn you down again, you will return the tests and the notebook
to me?" "Of course. Although I hope you will consider a
minor reward for my being so decent." "Minor like what?" "Shower safe-
sex."
Those
many wild fantasies she had conjured up with him before the professor
had entered her world, came to his assistance. Shower safe-sex was a
small price to pay to avoid exposure as a cheat that could get her
expelled, and get the professor dismissed.
Besides,
it's bound to be a fabulous shower. She's already overwhelmed by the
size of the home from the outside. His car. The gardens! The variety
of cuddly, wild, furry little beastie animals!
Her
mind threatened to succumb to dizziness at the probabilities what
remedies her parents would resort to at the disgrace she will have
brought on them.
"Shower
safe-sex just once." "Just once. You choose the day or
night, and the duration."
"Right
now. And I get the papers immediately." "Immediately."
And
so it happened. Safe shower-sex. She was let down by herself. She
was mildly disgusted with herself for allowing the shower session to
last so long. She splash-slapped his hands away a few times, the last
times somewhat gently. She resisted smiling at being aware of how
careful he was about staying clear of her teeth.
So
many things about his home were far more luxurious than she had known
existed. She shamefully wished she could have had opportunities to
explore some of those other shower angles.
She
was triumphantly content her virginity was intact. He had proven to
be honourable and courteous in every manner and maneuver throughout.
Darn! Damn him!
They
were dressed. She faced him sternly. "My papers?" While
putting on his coat, "In your thing." "No, they are
not in my "thing! I have looked." "I take it, then,
you don't know about your thing's false bottom? I put the papers
there when I left the thing for you in the library."
She
clenched her teeth! That's it! Last straw! She had to kill him! With
her bare hands! This is the perfect place and time! Nobody knows
she's here. There are any number of best places to hide the body in
those beautiful gardens. Those many adorable little cuddly wild life
furry creatures could be roped in to be expert accomplices in
disposing of the body. Long before his wild-life-animal-loving
parents returned he would have become stinky compost.
And,
even, best of all, I won't have to tell my professor!
