A walk into the past episode 4

A WALK INTO THE PAST
EPISODE 4
BY AUTHOR SMART

There are certain times in a man’s life, when it looks like life really was so bleak and so so harsh. The pain of his uncle’s death really shook the family to the marrow. Richærd’s mom was almost gradually turning into a bag of bone. She hærdly ate. She was of recent diagnosed of high blood pressure, of which was accelerating at an alarming rate every passing day.

After a month of his uncle’s death, Richærd and his brother managed to pull themselves together and began their normal activities. But Richærd couldn’t drop it all, it was more like a suppressed pain. The wh0le pain and anxiety still lay down there.

He started harbouring this fear of anyone coming close to him, especially when one tried showing him any act of kindness or love. He always did his best to push everyone out. Including his brother and mom for fear of being the cause of their death in the future. He was of the belief that once beaten twice shy.
He believed his father and uncle dying wasn’t just a coincidence. His father took him out on his birthday and died in a ghastly motor accident and his uncle promised to sponsor him in school and died mysteriously that same night.

He became a lot more reserved and cold. He could stay in his room for days without coming out. This had become a routine that everyone now finds it normal. The once cheerful and family happiness flickered out like a hurricane lantern placed in the middle of a seething wind.

He also wrote JAMB and applied to study English and Literally Studies in the prestigious university of Nigeria Nsukka. He scored quite highly in both his JAMB and Post UTME. He was very much optimistic that he would get an admission and true to his belief he got an admission.

He resumed school in the university. He was so low profiled in class that people who knew him in class and who he intEr×¢ted with could be counted with the back of the hand.
His life was more like from his Hostel to class and from class to Hostel. He wasn’t interested in any social activities and as for his religious involvements it was practically zero. He had long lost the vim and vigor in regards to anything called church.

He lived a life full of self pity, bitterness and isolated himself from the rest of the world.
It was just as usual in class one faithful day, when Richærd who was lost in his own world as usual, and was oblivious of what was happening around him, matched on a girl who was answering busy on with her phone as she was on a call. She was full of smiles, not until Richærd marched her, the pain inflicted on her was too painful for her to bear and more like a reflex action, her palms came hurtling towards Richærd. Richærd who got himself and was about to apologise to the girl was blinded with a hot slap that left him tongue tied and he immediately swallowed what he wanted to say.

Richærd held on his cheeks as he felt as if a smelting iron was pressed forcefully on his face, the pain was scalding hot. He glanced at her without uttering a word turned and left.

The girl realizing what had happened, covered her hands in her mouth in shock as she clasped her hand in apology, but Richærd had already walked quite a distance. She ran after him, marching up to pace with him, held his hands and muttered.

“I’m …… I’m actually sorry, it was never my intentions to slap you.”
She apologized.

” Ok”
Richærd muttered without his expression changing, he pulled his hands from her hold and walked away.

The girl stood their staring at him with her expression flickering in guilt as she blamed herself for acting way ahead of herself. She knew the guy was still very angry and annoyed.

Richærd who had already left the premises felt so pissed off that he decided to not attend the days lecture and rather head back to his hostel. He clugged his ear pod to ear and listened to the song permeating his eardrum.

He had already imprinted the girl’s face into his mind and made a mental calculation to avoid and steer clear off her in class as he described her as toxic and over bearing.

Since his emergence into this world no one had ever slapped him, not even his biological parents and teachers in school, no matter his offence then . Now a random girl dared raised her hand to his face because he marched on her.

To the already very much unhappy and bitter Richærd, who was gradually seeing everyone as an enemy and he coupled with the fact that he was the type who hærdly forgave past offences no matter how little, held it as a grudge in his heart. Even disregarding the fact that she later apologized. He counted her as people he would do his best to steer clear off in class.

Just then his phone rang, looking at the caller ID and it was his mom. He sighed and picked the call up.

After exchanging pleasantries, his mom stated.

“Something happened. And that was why I called you.”

Just then Richærd’s heart sped up. His breathing became labored as he prayed for the worst scenario that he had always been praying against not to happen.

His pounding heart, threatening to jump out of his mouth and his mouth running dry as if suddenly losing all saliva within it all.

Tbc