Ivie waited all evening for Itohan to return back from following Father Chibuike to the Dean's office. She was calm now, the boiling anger had been cleared from her eyes and her rationality had returned, but she still wanted to confront Itohan, to ask her why she did what she did.
That was one reason Ivie could not sleep that night.
Another reason was because Father Chibuike's cat didn't find a better place to lay than beside her, on the bed, intently watching her. How could she ever sleep with the cat piercing eyes locked into her, especially when they shared a close proximity?
When Father Chibuike said it should remain with her, she had forgot to ask him until when. In fact, she hadn't thought it necessary and that was her mistake.
She sighed for the umpteenth time and rolled off the bed. If she couldn't sleep, she may as well use the time to write the priest's ridiculous letter, only that she wasn't sure if Itohan spilled on her to the Dean and she should be packing instead.
It worried her, that first that would happen, and second, why Itohan would even do what she did in the first place. She hadn't fought with her recently and as she thought over the possibility that maybe she had, she wondered if Father Chibuike's theory was correct. Maybe it was one of her friends who told the Dean about him, and then about her. But what didn't add up was why.
She sighed again and tore out a sheet of paper. For now, she only had to trust Father Chibuike that she won't be going.
A lot seem to be happening, and fast. It was only days ago when she was cray cray about Precious's death and had just received her letter, but it felt like an eternity had passed, and now, she was at the face of betrayal from a friend.
As well as the invasion of another person, aside the cat, inside her room. A lot does seem to be happening fast.
She noticed the movement from the corner of her eyes and grabbed her lamp with one hand while on the other, she positioned the nib of her pen, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
How come she hadn't noticed anybody entering the room? Even the cat did not make a sound. She shot a glance over to the bed, it was no longer there. Springing up, she hauled her arsenal into the air, ready to strike whoever was in her room.
The person held her hand and whispered, "Ivie, it's me."
It was Father Chibuike.
Ivie calmed. Her heart had been beating faster than she imagined thinking that she was going to be attacked again when it was only Father Chi—— what? Father Chibuike?
"What are you doing here?!" She would have shouted at the craziness if she didn't need to be quiet about it.
"Came for my property, of course. Do you suppose I would leave it with you and put you in deeper trouble?" The cat was mulling on his leg, eagerly waiting to receive a scratch since Ivie had been too stingy with her pet.
"Yes…I mean no. But," she kept the lamp back on her table. "This is midnight, what were you thinking?"
"I just told you, I came to collect my cat."
Didn't the priest think at all? He was a priest, at the female dorm, at that time of the night, in a room alone with a student, did he not think at all?
"What? Should I have knocked on the door and alerted everybody? If that's what you prefer then." He walked towards the door, ready to yank it open and have the dorm woken up.
Ivie held his arm. "Stop. See, just take the cat and go." She didn't need to be told twice, this priest was crazy, maybe he escaped a psychiatric home before becoming a priest. "How did you get in here anyway?"
"You have a bad habit of keeping your window open, silly girl." His eyes crossed over to her desk. "Were you going to write me that letter? This reprobate juvenile wants to be forgiven as fast as possible, I admire that."
She rolled her eyes.
"Don't your eyes ever hurt with the number of times you do that? Well, for someone who chews gum better than how a goat ruminates, you have a knack for so many stupid things."
"Father Chibuike, this is not the best place and time to pick up a fight with me."
"Pick up a fight with you?" He scoffed. "I have better ways to waste my time." He squatted to meet his pet. "Hope Ivie treated you well?"
Ivie left his side and sat on the bed, waiting for him to finish and leave. "Do you intend on sleeping here tonight."
"Do you hear that, Amaka? Dear Ivie has offered to let us use her bed while she scoots to the floor."
"I didn't say that."
"What then do you suppose, that we share the bed? Somebody has an imagination that runs wild."
Heat rushed up to Ivie's face. "That wasn't what I meant!"
"So you agree to make the floor your nest?"
"You have your cat, just go."
"Amaka here is upset that you didn't try to pet her once despite how long you both were together."
How did he know about that? Did he have a mind link with the cat or something? "Why is her name Amaka?"
"Don't you see how beautifully unique she is? Chiamaka means Godisbeautiful, I couldn't find a better name."
"Where did you get her from?"
"A parting gift from my mother."
"Your mother is late?"
"A very long time ago. Now, quit asking those boring questions and come here to pet her, we'll leave after that."
But Ivie didn't leave the bed.
"Whatever are you waiting for?" Father Chibuike asked, his head tilted to the side to look at her.
"I'm scared. In my dream she chased me."
"I guess I wasn't in that dream then. How about you try reality with me in it. Except you're dumb, you should know I won't let her hurt you. And well, she wouldn't hurt you either. She's been here since forever, she had all the time to rip your body apart."
"Can a cat do that? Rip people's bodies apart?"
"Normally, no, but this one has special talents. Come over, Ivie, there's nothing to be scared about, I'm here."
She nodded and came to stand by him.
"Squat."
She crouched to meet the floor.
"Now carefully caress her." He demonstrated with his hand. "Do it gently. I want your scent to rub on her, I want her to master your scent so she can identify you just by it."
"I rather—"
"Shh. Don't talk while in a class."
Ivie did as instructed and the cat purred slowly to her, nudging its head softly against her leg.
"She likes you," Father Chibuike told her. "Especially now that you've gone out of your way to protect her."
"Actually, I found her in my room when I came to lock myself so I wouldn't go with them to your office."
"You both make a great team then."
"Father?"
"You want to ask me about Itohan? She took all the fall, I made sure of it, so not to worry, you're going no where."
"That's not what I was going to ask."
"You're welcome anyhow. Go ahead."
"Have you been busy, like yesterday, the day before, and the day before that day?"
"Hmmm," he pretended to be thinking. "Those days corresponds with your stay in the infirmary, upset that I didn't come to see how you were doing?"
"It was so unlike you. You have this thing going on and on about being my form teacher and responsible for blah blah blah, so I thought….I just wanted to know if you were busy."
He smirked. "No, I was not busy in the sense you mean. Yes, I was busy, but I was thinking about you."
"Me?" Ivie paused her stroke.
"Don't sweat it. You see, something has come into my notice. Remember the first time we went to the canteen, when you touched Ekene and zoned out like you saw something?"
Ivie brought her hand to her side, definitely he caught on something.
"Then after your little tug with Odion, you paused like you were in a trance? Then you told me to pray with you and it happened again, that's what had me thinking."
Silence reigned between them.