Library Dancer
Cynthia couldn’t wait to get to her favourite spot at the library. The one right close to the Sydney Sheldon shelf. She quickened her pace as she made her way to the librarian’s desk.
“Ekaro o” Cynthia greeted Mrs Bode who sat behind a desk and was reading a newspaper. She and Mrs Bode had come to an understanding, probably because Cynthia visits the library every single day and Cynthia had come to love the petit woman with grey natural hair that she always had in cornrows and her eyeglasses that Cynthia loved to make fun of in her head mostly because it looked so thick and old. Cynthia wondered if Mrs Bode ever changed those glasses. It made her look like the old woman at her church.
“Good morning my dear. You seem to be in a good mood today” Mrs Bode said looking up from her newspaper.
“I am always in a good mood and besides today I will finally finish that book I was reading” Cynthia said as she handed over her library card.
“You do know that you can always borrow these books. You are literally the only one in this whole university that comes here every day to read books. Students these days would rather stay on that… Kilon pe… Phone. Very lazy “Mrs Bode said with a look of disgust on her face as she took the library card from Cynthia’s hand.
“I just love the feeling of reading a book and being around books. The smell of the books just makes me salivate” Cynthia said avoiding Mrs Bode’s comment about students. Although she loved reading she has never seen the need to shame others for not being interested. “To each his own I guess” She thought.
Mrs Bode chuckled as she inputted details into the laptop on her desk and handed back the card to Cynthia “Enjoy. What book are you reading this time? Sidney Sheldon”.
“Not at all. I decided to read something else this time, I don’t even know the name of the author but it’s a cute story about a ballerina that breaks her leg and falls in love with her neighbour” Cynthia placed her card back in her bag.
Mrs Bode smiled. Cynthia really did not get why people disliked the woman. She was often referred to as a bulldog by students and Cynthia could guess it was because of her sagging cheeks and her baritone voice. She honestly did not get what they usually see when they go into the library but Mrs Bode was the sweetest woman she had ever met besides her mum. She made her way to her favourite spot and as usual, the library was empty. Cynthia loved to visit the library in the morning for this fact, it gave her time to be alone and soak in all the goodness that lies in a book that is not related to Business Administration.
She dropped her bag on the table and headed towards the Chemistry bookshelf where she brought out the book she was reading. It was a habit of hers to hide books she was currently reading on an academic shelf just so that no one would grab them. She headed back to her desk, plugged in her headphones and played her music as she imagined herself as a ballerina. She wondered how it would be. On the stage. With adoring fans. She decided to get up and bust some moves.
Twist. Turn. Just like a ballerina. Now throw in some Naija moves. A little gwara gwara here. A little move that wants to look like shaku shaku. Throw some hands. A little leg work or her definition of leg work.
“Guy, you dey go library?” Joshua’s friend Tobe asked him as they made their way out of the lecture hall.
“I gas go o. I have an assignment due today and the book I am looking for is at the library” Joshua said looking at his best friend.
“Okay o. I hope you have your library card”.
Joshua patted his pocket.
“Good before that bulldog woman harasses you. As for me, I am carrying myself to the field.”
“Field?”
“Yes na. I hope say you no forget. We have a match today by 6pm and practice by 3”
Joshua groaned “I almost forgot o”.
“Abeg guy, you no suppose forget that kain thing. We need you”.
“Okay, once I am done with the assignment, I will come over to the field. But it’s just 10am why are you going there?”
“I want to hang out with Bose” Tobe said winking.
Joshua smiled, shaking his head at his friend “Who is Bose again?”
“I will gist you later. I have to go” Tobe said patting his friend on the back with one hand and typing on his phone with the other.
“Okay o” Joshua said and they parted ways.
He was already close to the library and could not wait to be over and done with the work he had to do. He could have taken the easy way out and given his work to someone else to do for him for a small fee but he was a little nerd on the inside and would rather earn his grades himself but what he didn’t like was the fact that he had to use a book in the library for the assignment.
He entered the small school library with its dim lights and musty smell. Mrs Bode was typing on the small Hp laptop on her desk
“So this woman sabi use laptop” Joshua thought and smiled to himself as he made his way to the desk.
“Good morning ma”.
“ Library card” Mrs Bode said, her hand outstretched and her eyes on the laptop screen.
“Why is this woman such a witch?” Joshua thought.
“This card will soon expire you need to renew it” She said looking at his card.
“How much is it?” Joshua said. He could not help looking at the woman with disgust.
“N4000”.
“I’ll pay”.
“You better pay. If not, you are not coming inside my library”.
“Your library? You wish” he thought.
Mrs Bode handed him back his card and he made his way to the Mass communication shelf with his hand in his pocket, when he saw a sight that made him stop in his tracks.
A lady was moving like she was possessed at the library.
Joshua turned round to see if anybody saw what he was seeing but it seemed like he was the only one seeing this.
Or was he hallucinating?
He had to admit it was a fascinating sight. He leaned against the nearest shelf and folded his arms as he watched this lady with closed eyes move her arms and legs in funny ways. She had a nice figure and if she opened her eyes he was sure she would be a pretty girl.
“What the heck is she doing now?” Joshua couldn’t help himself bust out laughing.
Leg work. Hand and leg. Zanku. Waist whining.
Cynthia was feeling her song. She wasn’t in the library anymore. No. She was on a stage with lots of adoring fans all screaming her name. The great ballet and Hip Hop dancer. Cynthia.
What is that sound though?
A laugh?
Was that real or just her imagination? She spun around and froze with the music playing through her earphones.
“Who is this and why is he in the library at this time?” She wondered as she looked at a guy she had never seen before, the first things she had noticed were his broad shoulders and his smooth flawless skin. His cheekbones were high and she found his dimple charming as he smiled.
“Come off it Cynthia,” She thought “It’s a public library”
They stared at each other for a while although he had a smug look on his face. Maybe if she stared at him for a while he would think she was a statue or better still she could just disappear.
“Where is Harry Potter’s invincible cloak when you need it?” She thought.
She saw his lips move and that was when she remembered that she was still listening to music. She removed her earphones and kept her phone on the table
“What did you say?” She asked avoiding his gaze
“Nice moves,” He said and Cynthia could see that he was holding back laughter.
“Thank you” She said looking at the floor. How come she had never noticed that there was a crack in the tiles before?
“You don’t need to feel embarrassed”
“I’m not”
“Okay”.
Awkward silence.
Joshua felt bad for laughing after he saw the look of embarrassment on the girl’s face. He didn’t mean to laugh outright but it was just too funny he couldn’t resist.
“I’m sorry I laughed at you, if you had seen yourself you would have laughed too” He said with a smile attempting to break the silence.
“I guess” She said looking at the floor
“Em… Do you know where the mass communication books are?” He knew where they were but he just wanted an excuse to talk to her. He could see the fear in her eyes when she turned and looked at him and he didn’t like it one bit although he had to admit, he found her rather attractive but in a nerdy way. She had round eyes that she highlighted with eye pencil or whatever these girls call it, her nose was pointed and her cupid bow made her lips look attractive.
“You shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts” he chided himself admiring her figure that she obviously tried to hide in her yellow oversized flowery top and leggings but it was a lame attempt at hiding it.
“The communication books?” She asked, already looking around. He was so sure she was trying to get rid of him with the way she was searching with her eyes.
“I think it’s somewhere around there” She said, pointing towards the left.
“Please show me. I have never been to the library”.
She cocked her eyebrow and sighed.
“Follow me”.
“Which kain wahala be dis?” Cynthia thought as she looked for the communication books. This was not her job and she really wanted to get rid of him and leave the library to avoid embarrassment.
“At least he didn’t record a video of me” Cynthia said, imagining the horror she would have felt if he actually had made a video of her. But again, what if he did?
They got to the communication shelf.
“Here you go” She said, pointing at the shelf although she could feel his eyes on her profile. It made her feel a tad bit uncomfortable, being looked at like that.
“Thank you. Look, I really did not mean to embarrass you. I actually found it cute”.
“Cute?” Cynthia thought knowing his type already. She had to admit he was good-looking and had a certain charm that she couldn’t resist but she had known better than to take boys or men at their word.
“I will leave you to your reading now” She said, turning and ready to leave.
“Can I at least get your number?” She heard him ask.
Joshua stretched out his phone as he waited for her to turn around.
“Please don’t leave me hanging” he pleaded in his mind.
She hesitated for a moment before turning around and still avoiding his eyes she typed in her number and left before Joshua could ask her for her name. He could have followed her to ask her but decided against it. She was already embarrassed as it was. He checked her number and saved her name as “Library dancer” a smile creeping up his face as he remembered her dance. A part of him was glad that he had experienced that alone, he would not have been able to ask for her number with his friends being around and his friends were not the nicest. They would have videoed her and posted it on Instagram and if he had asked her for her number with them around they would have wondered why and mocked him.
He did not know why he asked for her number himself and although she seemed to not want to talk to him, he had a feeling that this was the start of a great friendship.
