Chapter 5 The Bodyguard

"Agatha,  please can I sleep for the night at your hostel?" Gabrielle pleaded after narrating what happened last night in her room. 

"Yes, but first you need to tell your sister what they did to you. Look at your lips, Gabrielle. " 

"I called her, but she was already on her way to Cape Town. I know my sister very well, if I had told her, she would have come back and I don't want that." 

"Gabby, what is wrong with you?" She offered to take you out of that lodge, but you declined. Now the game has started. Where do you intend to go from here?" Agatha asked 

"I want to get my pictures, then go home, cook, eat, bathe and then go to hall B for night class." 

" And then what?" 

"Sleep in your hostel if you permit me."

"Let's get the picture first," Agatha said. 

The two girls left in search of the Political Science department. Mike told Gabrielle to meet him at his department for her pictures. 

The girls were not yet familiar with the departments. The departmental blocks look the same. However, the names of each department were written on each block.

"Smallie!" Mike called from behind. 

Gabrielle and her friend halted when they saw Mike running towards them. Gabrielle lowered her gaze immediately she noticed that Mike was taken aback by the look on her face. 

Mike walked close to her and lifted her face with his right hand. Gabrielle knocked his hand off with her left hand. 

"Obviously you did not sleep last night," Mike said with a bit of jealousy. 

"The guy that kept you awake all night, I hope you know him very well?" Mike asked. Gabrielle nodded and Mike looked away, pretending he didn't see that. 

"That's a lie, she doesn't know him." Agatha threw in. 

"What? Smallie, how could you sleep with a total stranger? Oh my God, I'm so disappointed in you right now. You know, I think you are smart and intelligent and ...."

"Well it's none of your business, I'm here for my pictures." Gabrielle interrupted him rudely. 

"She did not sleep with him." Agatha threw in again with her face looking in another direction 

"Agatha!" Gabrielle shouted, trying to call her to order. "I do not owe him any explanation and as a matter of fact, he is not in any way related to me." 

"Smallie, I'm like a brother to you. Please, is there anything I should know?" Mike said, holding her hand. Gabrielle pushed him away from her. 

"Yes, there is something I think might interest you," Gabrielle said. 

"Tell me please," Mike pleaded. 

"I want you to know that I'm here for my pictures," Gabrielle said derisively. 

"Agatha!" Mike called. 

"Pictures please!" Agatha responded. 

Mike kept mute for some seconds. 

"Well, your pictures are not ready yet. I was busy throughout yesterday, so I could not get it done," Mike lied. 

"When will it be ready?" Gabrielle asked. 

"On Friday."

The two girls left and walked towards their department, while Mike stood still staring at Gabrielle and wondering what happened to her. He wished she could see through him that he meant well to her. 

"Mike!" a female voice called behind. Mike turned and saw Jane glaring at him. 

"Why are you looking at those girls, please don't lie to me because I saw you talking to the tall one from afar," Jane said angrily. 

"She is like a sister to me and worried about her," Mike said. "Please don't give me that angry look, I don't need it now. That girl is in danger and she wouldn't let me in on it." 

"Mike, you never cared about my safety the way you just cared about that stranger over there," Jane lamented. 

"You know that's not true right?" Mike asked. 

Jane left angrily and Mike ran after her. 

"I have come to warn you, stay away from my man!" Jane said, poking a finger at Gabrielle's face. 

"Jan... Jane, I don't like what you are doing," Mike stammered as he dragged her away from Gabrielle and her friend. 

"Gabby let's go, you don't need this right now, but to be frank, I don't like how you treated this guy. He might be the savior you are looking for."

"He is such a jerk and he deserved what he got." 

"Why, what did he do?" Agatha asked.

"He saw my face and concluded that I slept with a man. That was why I could not get some sleep, can you imagine? I was expecting him to ask what happened and not his conclusion," Gabrielle explained. 

The girls parted ways after they had agreed to meet at hall B by 7:00 pm. Gabrielle took the narrow path that led to her lodge. She was a bit scared when she got closer to the main gate of the lodge. The incident that happened last night kept replaying in her mind. 

She waited for some minutes at the gate, ran her eyes through the lodge's rules and regulations, and began to wonder why the occupants of the lodge never tried to keep any of the rules. 

"Gabriel!" The caretaker called her as soon as she entered the lodge. Gabrielle turned and saw the caretaker sitting with a man by the side of the gate. The good-looking guy had big muscles on the upper part of his body. 

"Gabrielle!" She corrected after greeting the caretaker and waving at the visitor. 

"Gabriel, Gabrielle they are the same." the caretaker gave her a toothy grin. 

"We have been waiting for you for quite some time. This is Mr. Manga," the caretaker introduced his friend that sat beside him.

"The man I told you about, he is a native of Bedford.

"Good evening sir."

"Good evening Angel, how are you?" 

"I'm fine thank you."

"I am Mangasi, your brother." he smiled at Gabrielle. 

"Welcome," Gabrielle said before leaving. The caretaker called her back. 

"Are you going to leave your visitor outside Gabriel?" the caretaker asked. 

"He is not my visitor." 

"Come my dear we need to talk." The caretaker took her to a corner and began to explain the reason why he invited Manga in a lower tone. 

"If you must live happily in this lodge, you need Mr. Manga as your friend. He has saved many young girls from the hand of bullies in this institution. He is here to save you. What happened last night will never happen again if you accept him." 

"You heard what happened last night yet you did not make any attempt to rescue me?" Gabrielle asked. 

"The rescue mission is what I'm doing right now because what you saw last night was just the tip of the iceberg. I mean a tip." the caretaker demonstrated with the tip of his thumb. 

"I could not come out last night because I have kids and I need to stay alive for them. If you must live here happily till your rent expires, you must do as I say. All the girls who lived here happily did so because they adopted my strategy. Go and meet him, he has something to tell you." 

"We will talk outside, I don't want another drama," Gabrielle said as she took some steps forward. The caretaker disappeared immediately. 

Gabrielle sat beside the stranger and held her handbag tightly to her chest. 

"I'm listening."

"Pa Uzo told me what these guys did to you yesterday. Did they rape you?" Manga asked. 

"No I resisted him, but his presence kept me awake all through the night," Gabrielle responded weakly. 

"Your people made a very big mistake. You are too young to live off-campus, especially here. But I'm here to provide a solution." 

"What is the solution?" Gabrielle asked curiously. 

"These boys are scared of me. They know me too well and would let you be if I tell them you are my babe." 

"Over my dead body! Me, date you? Are you for real, I mean you don't mean that right?" 

"I'm not asking you to date me, let's pretend we are dating."

"Why not tell them you are my brother," Gabrielle suggested. 

"I know these guys, it won't work. This is just for you. I felt bad when I heard what they did to you last night, I decided I will help because we are from the same town." 

"I don't trust you." Gabrielle stood up but Manga held her hand as though he knew her for long. . 

"Have I given you a reason to doubt me now?" 

"No"

"Then give me one chance, if I blow it, you can go ahead and doubt me." Manga pleaded. 

"Okay, please, I need to go in there, cook, bathe and leave for hall B. Can you watch me from here?" 

"Yes, but you need some sleep since you did not sleep last night," he said. 

"I don't want to keep my friend waiting. I've already told her that I will sleep in her hostel tonight." 

"I will take you to hall B to see your friend and I will also bring you back here. Gabriel, you need to sleep."

"Okay, please do not call me Gabriel," Gabrielle said before leaving. 

"Yes ma," Manga said jokingly.