PINOCCHIO WITHOUT A NOSE

I've always liked Pinocchio, maybe for the fact that he couldn't tell a lie without you knowing or perhaps it was the fantasy it portrayed that you could always detect liars. I'm not exempted, I'm a liar and I'm a 300 level student in the faculty of science (just for the record this isn’t one of my lies, I’m telling the truth) and this story of mine started off late 200 level. I was hesitant to tell the story, as it is still unfolding. But I was convinced by my friend who owns this blog that my story needs to be heard. He probably lied when he said he was doing it for my own good, but I've grown used to hearing lies that it's beginning to sound like the truth lately. Lies from the government about a change era, lies from your parents about no money, lies from your friends about not preparing well before exams and lies from your boyfriend.

I'm deviating. My story started late 200 level, my first year in this university, I'm an A'levels student. So when a 400 level male student in my faculty said he liked me, I was a little bit dazed to be honest but I didn't really like him, I just liked that he liked me. After the usual serenading, I said yes to him, he was in his final year and we'd break up soon. It was all fun and games till late 200 level when my laptop spoilt and I gave him 15,000 with my laptop to help me repair the screen, since he was going to Lagos the next day. He said he couldn't get it done at computer village and then he went to Samsung office to fix it, they said it was 20k and I sent the money to him, the extra 5,000. Now all these money I was sending to him it wasn't like I was rich or gallant, my dad has been posting me with talks of economy situations and all so i was taking loans from friends, my department really depends on having laptop. After a while, he, let's call him Lancelot (because he lies a lot). Lancelot said he was coming to Ibadan briefly, he met me outside school that night in a tank top and shorts, he said he just coming from the Olubadan's palace, I asked why he would go there dressed in a tank top and shorts, he said they were relatives and they had a family meeting, that it was nothing serious. Lancelot later mentioned that he forgot to bring my laptop that he had fixed it and since he was coming to school to do his clearance next week, he'd bring it then. I willingly agreed. The next week, he came to school as he said. And then he said, my laptop had spoilt again but this time it was not screen, it was the flex. I trusted him.

 We were lying down in his apartment one day when he went out to buy some stuff and ergo, I found my laptop in his bag. With the screen still spoilt the way it was. I confronted him when he came back, he said that that just happened yesterday. That I shouldn't worry. I left angrily. And he didn't call, neither did I, we let the silence linger on, at this point, I was in 300 level , my first semester.

   During this lingering silence, he texted me that he was going home to Lagos, I ignored him, I sought to check his name one afternoon in the book of life after my friends kept teasing me on what he graduated with, I didn't find it. So I asked someone I knew in his class, she said the last time he showed up for any class or exam was his 200 level. He finally called and asked to meet, we met at his place and I asked that he return my money and my laptop, well, the summary of this part of the story I eventually got my money back after weeks of disturbing him. I asked him about what the girl said, he waved it away and said he had switched to DLC after 200 level.

 So after I left, I did my research and found out that his course wasn't listed among DLC courses. I called him and asked that we meet, he suggested his apartment, I said yes. On getting there, his phone kept ringing, I asked him who it was he said it was his sister that I shouldn't worry. He stepped out to get drinks and then the number texted, pardon my curious self, but I read the text. Apparently, it was his mom. She asked him why he was taking so long to get his result so they could process his Canadian visa.

 I asked about this. We had a big argument over why I went through his phone, he eventually apologized and said he was going home next tomorrow. This was near exam period, 300 level, first semester, July 2016 to be precise

I was walking back from the exam hall about a week after, when my phone rang

 The caller said she was Lancelot's mom, she said she got my number from his best friend, and asked why I had been holding her son down in Ibadan for the past two months. I said I hadn't seen him in about a week. She just kept screaming that I leave her son alone. Minutes after she hung up, a friend of Lancelot's walked up to me and asked where Lancelot was. I said he should be in his apartment.

His friend said he wasn't there and that Lancelot had better surface soon, because he owing about three different people a total sum of 47,000 naira and the money needs to be paid. I hadn't heard from Lancelot till last week Tuesday, I didn't text or call him. He called and he said he wants to meet and work out our issues. I am scared of meeting him. I don't know who he is or should I say, what he is. He has lied to everybody; me, his friends, and even his mom. Why should I trust anything he says? Curiosity they say kills the cat but that isn’t stopping the urge in me to find out the truth.