If there was something that Olwethu was good at, it was the ability to remember faces.

“You have a photographic memory, it’s so sharp,” people often told him, as if he had a very special and rare skill that they envied.

He couldn’t have possibly mistaken the face of the girl who was sitting alone at the back of the library. She was looking at the white-ceiling, as if lost in thought. It was Elsa. He remembered the face that had mesmerized him the other day in the cafeteria. How could he have forgotten the face that had kept him awake for the better part of yesterday night?

He surveyed the room and found himself a sit near a window, overlooking lush green lawns. The view was so beautiful that sometimes you forgot your books and lost yourself. But those times were when you didn’t have a beautiful girl sitting just a few chairs away from you.

As soon as Olwethu sat down, he took out his books and his stationery. He did all this staring at Elsa.

Her ebony black-hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Her glossy chestnut-eyes shone like two brown marbles. That’s how black angels must look like, he thought to himself smiling. He could see the lines on her face etched deeply. Results of years and years of loneliness, he thought. He knew much about loneliness, he could read it from a mile.

He looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Everyone was focused on their books and not paying him any attention.

“I am here to study. I will just steal one look at her,” he muttered under his breath.

Shifting his focus to her, he saw her phone light up. She was lost in thought, and was not aware of the ringing phone. It was probably on silent, he thought as he saw the “KEEP SILENT” sign that hung on the wall.

He now wished he could go over to her and say, “Hey, your phone is ringing.” He wished he could hear her speak.

She finally noticed the ringing phone. It was a message, reading it her face lit up like a thousand street lights. Olwethu knew it could only be Ntsika. Anger rose inside his heart.

Her phone rang again. She smiled a smile that could have won her any beauty pageant. Then she picked it up.

Olwethu was not so close to hear her voice. But her face changed as soon as she spoke on the phone. Like the blue skies that suddenly had been clouded, and so her smile was gone. Olwethu could see that it was not only the sign that made her whisper. It was something more than that.

Maybe he is asking her what colour was her underwear, he thought bitterly. He knew exactly how sinister Ntsika’s mind was. He was angry. How could they do this to her?

“Hey, my name is Olwethu Manjiya,” he said. His big body towered above her. He tried to smile but couldn’t. Elsa just stared at him, confused.

Noticing the textbook that lay in front of her unopened, he concocted his plan.

“I’m a Psychology tutor,” he lied, “I’ve been assigned to help you,”

It was only then a smiled appeared on her face. It was typical of first years, he thought. As long as you tell them you’ve been here far more than them, they trust you and take your word as the Gospel’s truth.

“We can’t study here. It’s too quiet,” she said to him after sometime of whispering. They had earned themselves ugly looks from the other library patrons. Her voice was heavenly, the sweetest, most gentle voice he had ever heard. It only made you want to listen to it.

“Let’s go to the discussion room, there we can discuss properly,” he said in sotto voce.

“Without that sign,” she said pointing at it, and she chuckled silently. Her laughter was musical.

She packed her bag, but stopped as if to ponder over something.

“But I am waiting for someone, he said will fetch me here,” she said, not sure if he would understand.

He didn’t hear her say that as he was also packing his bag. All he was thinking about was how he was going to tell her about Ntsika and his dirty plan. It seemed easy yesterday, but now that the heavens had granted him the rare chance, it weighed on him heavier than the bag full of 4th year books. He walked out of the Library, with Elsa following behind him…

***

Tell us what you think: Do you think Elsa will believe Olwethu if he told her? Would you?