Maya took another perfunctory look at the room she was supposed to share with a girl called Bianca and nearly passed out. For a student, her side of the room was like a miniature electronics shop. On one side of the corner lay a laptop, a cozy home theatre and a 20-inche Sony plasma television set while a rechargeable fan, a shoe rack containing dozens of shoes of different kinds and two suitcases, stood on the other side of the room. All these nearly swallowed half of the room. She shook her head in amazement. “Could she actually own all these things?” she asked no one in particular, almost speaking her thoughts aloud. “Is it possible?” Her Mom smiled. “I’m afraid, they belong to her. But she must also realize you need space too to put your own things.” She smiled secretly, wondering what she meant by ‘your own things.’ They proceeded to arrange her things, which amounted to nothing compared to the boutique Bianca had turned their room into. With her iron box and faded, outdated clothes, she looked out of place in Bianca’s world and felt like a squatter as the minutes crawled by. “I hope she doesn’t throw you out in seconds,” May jeered. “How dare you say such a thing?” she cried. “She’s only joking,” her mother soothed her. “Don’t let her intimidate you, honey. Always remember who you are in Christ, okay?” She nodded. Her father took her hand. “Maya, don’t sell your salvation for anything. Not for money, good grades, or school life. Be careful also with the type of crowd you associate with and make sure you attend church services and fellowship regularly.” “Don’t forget prayer is the key to success, pray always,” her mom said.
After the homilies, they prayed together, her dad leading the prayer. Soon, it was time to say goodbye. She hugged her parents and sister in turn. Her mother tried to console her as she held her tightly to herself. The tears came suddenly. She released her and without looking back, got into the car.The car shot out, raising dust in that dry, September afternoon. The dust rose into the air and instantly covered the departing car. She continued to wave until the car disappeared from sight. Feelingsad as if the whole meaningful world had said goodbye to her, she went back to the hostel.
For nearly thirty minutes, she busied herself with arranging her things and putting up her write-ups in the proper order. On her bedpost, she placed an artistically designed ‘What Would Jesus Do’ (W.W.J.D) sticker, an acronym that had become part of her life in the past 2 years. Next to it she placed another write-up Jeff gave her and many others. By the time she was done, she was famished.She slumped on the bed to rest and her eyes caught Bianca’s DVD plate lying nearby; she picked it up.
The door burst open suddenly and Bianca stormed in with two young men.They were probably students and reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. She stopped the minute she caught sight of one of the stickers, ‘There’s pride in virginity.’ She turned and regarded her like a strange animal. “Hey, that’s not a hand fan. It’s a DVD,” she hissed and snatched the DVD from her.Turning to her friends, she cried. “What sort of luck has Mother Nature bestowed on me, for Christ’s sake? Why me of all people? Why me? How am I going to tolerate this crackpot fanatic?” She choked. “Bianca… that’s … that’s vulgar.” “Oh, shut up your dirty, stinking, big mouth or I’ll shut it up for you. Now listen to me and listen real good, do us both a favor, get out of this room the way you got in before I get back or be ready to take a one-way ticket to hell,” she jerked her head at her friends and they fled the room, banging the door so hard that all the articles she’d so painstakingly put in place tumbled down. She slumped on the bed and cupped her face in her hands. What has she done to Bianca to deserve such treatment? She barely knew her. Her phone rang, startling her. She grabbed it and heaved a sigh of relief as she saw the caller ID. “Hello, Jeff.” “Hi baby,” he said across the line. “Where are you?” At other times, she would have protested against the use of the word ‘baby’ but she was not in the mood to argue. “In my lodge. When can I see you?” she whined. She heard him catch his breath. “I hope there is no problem?” “Yes, but I want to see you.” “Okay, I’m on my way.” A few minutes later, Jeff knocked at her door and she threw it open. “Hi, baby.” She heaved a sigh of relief. “Glad you are here.” He looked at her and saw the worried look on her face. “What’s going on? You don’t seem okay?” “I have bitten off more than I can chew.” “I can see. What happened?” “It’s Bianca.” “Bianca?” his eyes narrowed. “Your roommate? What about her?” “She… she doesn’t like me.” He gave her an odd look. “What do you mean she doesn’t like you?” “She … she hates my guts, hates everything I am. You need to see the way she looked at me and the horrible things she said.” He laughed. “What’s funny?” “Nothing,” he was still laughing. “You’re in school and you must learn to live with different people, that’s why it’s a university.” “It is easier for you to say because it is not you.” “I’m hungry. I was going to look for something to eat. Will you come with me?” After lunch, he took her round the campus and pointed out places of interest before taking her back to her hostel.
***
She spent the first few days formalizing her papers and the necessary registration protocols. Jeff, as usual, was her guide and she found the process easy unlike many ‘freshers’ who had no one to guide them. “I wonder what I would have done without you,” she told him as he walked her back to her hostel. He took an instinctive look at his wristwatch. “That’s what friends are for. Well, I have to go. I’ll come pick you up for night vigil later.” Her heart missed a beat. It always does whenever it was time to go back to the hostel. She dreaded the endless taunts and mockery from Bianca and her friends. “Why don’t you come in for tea?” “Guys are not allowed in the hostel.” “We can stay in the lobby,” she did not want to let him go. He consulted his watch again. “I have to go. I need to rest before the night vigil begins.” Her face was crestfallen. “I wish you’d stay awhile.”  “I wished so myself,” he shrugged. “But I have to go.” 
Bianca was not in the room when she got back. She had a quick shower and got into bed. With any luck, she may snatch an hour or two of sleep before she comes back. However, just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard someone knocking at the door. She hesitated, wondering who it could be. She was not expecting anybody. The knocking persisted. She got up and threw the door open. It was Cynthia, a 100 level Economics student and one of the pretty, classy, sassy and outgoing girls she’d gotten acquainted with just recently during an evangelism outreach in the campus a couple of days ago. “Hello,” she called, but on seeing the look on her face, added, “I hope I didn’t get you out of bed?” “It’s all right. Is there anything I can do for you?” she opened the door wider to let her in. “Yes. You see, ever since our last discussion, where you explained some things to me, I can’t seem to find peace of mind.” She frowned. “I don’t think I understand?” “I…I,” the girl stammered. “What exactly is bothering you?” She blushed. “My crimes. My conscience keeps… keeps blaming me.” “It’s simple, clean up your ways, and stop compromising the word of God. No one can serve two masters at the same time.” “Thanks. Just one more thing, is salvation not free?” “Yes, it is. Why do you ask?” “Why then did Apostle Paul ask us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Do we have to work for it?” “Yes.” “How?” “You fuel your salvation by attending fellowships, church services and other Christian gatherings such as vigils and crusades regularly.” “Okay.” “You also work it out by studying the word, praying, and fasting regularly. Remember the Bible advises us to study to show ourselves …” The door flew open and the two girls, startled, looked up simultaneously to see Bianca charging into the room like a wounded lion. She stopped when she saw them discussing the Bible. Her eyes hardened. “Listen and listen real good, you church rats. This is not a chapel and the earlier you realize that the better,” she picked up the remote control and turned the home theatre on. Loud hip-hop music filled the room and drowned their voices.