It’s Not a Big Deal…

“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11

“If you identify yourself as a female, do not come to my office alone”

It was 3:45pm at Alfred Below University. Over three hundred students gathered at Stella Hall for Intro to Philosophy freshman class taught by Professor James DeLoco. Any class between 12pm -4pm was known as a “struggle class” to students of Alfred Below. Maybe because Major classes took place between the hours of 7am-12pm or professors got very irritated around this time or lunchtime just came with a special mixture of hunger, fatigue, and drowsiness. Whatever the case may be, classes after 12pm were unbearable. If you were courageous enough to make it to class, you might find yourself busy on the phone, chatting away with friends or sleeping to say the most. That was the case with Intro to Philosophy class.

But that is not what makes this class particularly peculiar. It was Professor James DeLoco himself, a prudish middle aged man, 6ft 2, with a nine months beer belly. He was known around the university as a chronic womanizer. Itt was said that no female students who ever encountered him personally, came back untouched. He wasn’t a person to hide his intentions, yet many ladies fell prey to his tactics. Although many females felt unsafe, no one had the mind to make a report to higher authorities, probably because of the status he held in school.

“If you get a bad grade and you want to change it, the girls know what to do,” He said on this faithful Monday. “The guys, we can work on some form of settlement, if you know what I mean” he grinned rubbing the tips of his fingers together for all to see. The class exploded in disarray of excitement, confusion, disgust, and so many other reactions. Amid this noise, seated at the farthest end of the class were four young girls who, like every other freshman, were still trying to adjust to university life. Joy, Laura, Sisi and Tani all met in Alfred Below and since they were all in the same course, they decided to stick together.

“Is he serious?” Laura whispered in disgust.

“Yes, he is oh…” Sisi says with a yawn. “My elder sister has been here for two years. He basically sleeps with anyone in a skirt”

“I thought he had a family,” Tani said distracted by her phone. “He even has a wedding ring on”

“You think he cares?” Laura scoffed “Men like him have no shame. They don’t mind destroying their homes for 5 minutes of pleasure.”

“Like joke, it feels like some African Magic drama,” Sisi laughed and Laura and Tani joined it. But it quickly dawned on Laura how serious the situation was.

“But girls, what are we going to do? I mean we’ll have to deal with this guy for the next THREE months. We will be submitting assignments back to back. How do we avoid him throughout the semester?”

“Laura’s right.” Tani agreed deep in thought. “We can’t avoid him throughout the semester.”

“Then none of us go alone,” Sisi said in a matter of fact manner. “We are four right? What’s he going to do with four of us?”

Laura laughed, “Some guys can be creative.”

“Nah! Two things could happen.” Sisi counted her fingers. “We could all attack him as a group, or two of us attack while the others go get help, either way, he is outnumbered.”

“True!” Tani agreed. Laura also nodded in agreement but she still felt very uneasy. She folded her arms and watched Professor James closely as he went on with his lecture. Why should they have to take such extreme measures in a place where they were supposed to be safe? It didn’t feel right. She silently made up her mind not to give any room for anyone to assault her.

“Relax.” Tani nudged her. “Others went through it and survived. It’s not a new thing. We will too.” Laura failed to see that as an achievement, but before she could reply, Joy, who had been sleeping on her lap woke up and stretched her muscles to life.

“Are we still here?” She yarned her complaint. “What is he still saying?”

“How will you know when you spent half the class drooling your senses away?” Tani joked Sisi and Laura laughed.

“What choice do I have? The guy’s voice is a lullaby” Joy said preparing to return to her sleeping position. The class lasted for another hour but didn’t close until the first semester assignments were given. The girls were the first to leave because they were closest to the exit. The hot afternoon sun greeted them harshly as they started their journey back to the dorms. Halfway to the dorms, Laura noticed she had left her phone behind. She quickly ran back to get it.

She arrived at Stella hall a bit out of breathe, the class was already empty except for a few students talking with Professor James at the entrance. Laura tried to tiptoe in without drawing attention but on her way in, she caught Professor James’ gaze. For a moment, he sized her up from head to toe and smiled, establishing his intentions. His gaze sent a shiver down Laura’s spine but she shrugged it off, she was more bothered about her phone. Onsight, she attempted to pick up the phone and exit in one movement but walked into a steady body that stenched of hard liquor and smokes poorly covered by cheap cologne.

“Can you watch where you’re….” Laura swallowed her irritation at Professor James’ presence. “I’m sorry sir I didn’t know it was you.” She took a step back. He gave her a wide smile still staring at her like a hungry tiger.

“It’s ok. It can happen to anyone. But you have to be careful where you put your personal items.” He said placing emphasis on ‘careful’ and ‘personal items’, “You won’t be so lucky to have someone like me protecting them.”

He was lying, Laura knew he was lying, but she could decode what he was saying. She straightened her back and looked him squarely in the eyes.

“Thank you sir” she gave a sarcastic smile. “But I’m more than capable of handling myself.” She said stressing the words ‘capable’ and ‘handling’ to show that she wouldn’t be intimidated.

“We’ll see.” He put his hands in his pocket, smiled and turned to leave. His last words were a threat and Laura knew. This semester might be a little bit more challenging than she realized. Her phone buzzed in her hand. Sisi sent her a text.

‘Where are you? We are at the cafeteria. We saved you a spot but some weird guy is staring at us’ Laura laughed. She would have to worry about Professor James later. But for now, she was hungry.

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A few weeks had passed and the weight of uni life had gotten denser. Laura especially felt the pressure, as assignments, tests, and exams grew more and more demanding each week. She started to take some free time to study in the classrooms daily. It was one of those days when Laura decided to study at the College of Law and legal studies building, mostly because the WiFi connection was strongest there. She chose a classroom close to the main entrance but hid at the farthest corner so no one would disturb her… or so she thought.

She had barely put in an hour of studying when Professor James passed by the classroom heading up a stairwell. He caught a glimpse of her through the window and retreated his steps. She noticed and quickly started to pack up her things, but before she could stand up, he ran over and sat by her side, trapping her between the wall and him. Unfortunately for her, the table set she picked was big enough for two people.

“Leaving so soon?” he laughed in triumph.

“Yes sir,” She said not accepting defeat. “I have other things to do.” Her nose was plagued by the stench of alcohol and sweat once again.

‘Is he always drunk?’ she thought.

“Since you’re done studying, let’s chat,” he said ignoring her resistance. “I don’t even know your name.”

She thought about faking a name but she couldn’t, he grades her papers.

“Laura. Laura Stephen.” She said reluctantly.

“Laura…” he savored her name with his deep throaty voice. “A befitting name to a beautiful girl such as yourself” Laura rolled her eyes and focused them anywhere else other than him.

“If I had a daughter, I would name her Laura.” He said stretching his torso to fish out his phone from his pocket. “But unfortunately I have only boys.” He pulled up a picture of a lovely fair middle-aged woman dressed in rainbow-colored traditional attire, smiling and holding in her arms three handsome boys, none up to the age ten, taken probably in a well-lit studio. As Laura gazed upon what supposed to be a happy family photo, a hot pool of disgust rolled down her body, she couldn’t help feeling pity for the woman in the photo. She swallowed her disgust and turned away. Just then, the unbelievable happened. Professor James placed his left arm on her lap, grabbing it firmly as one would hold a hot cup of cocoa on a cold day. ‘What the @#$&?! Who does he think he is?’ She thought. Goosebumps enveloped her arms, ‘Shout! Slap him! At the very least pinch his stupid arm!’ Her head was screaming, but she couldn’t will her body to move. She froze up, she trembled. It was then she realized her anger had been consumed by fear.

“Sir, please I need to….” Her plea was obstructed by an incoming student, Patricia. Laura knew her well. A fellow course mate who busied herself with trivial socialism like boys and parties, than her actual studies. Patricia and Laura never ran in the same circle, but at this point, Laura pinned her hopes on Patricia saving her from this predicament.

“Oh! Mr. DeLoco, I didn’t know you were here!” She said with a surprising excitement and swayed her hips to where they were seated. “What are you doing here? I thought you were a social science professor.”

“Ah! Patri Patri! I came to see one of my favorite students!” He said with egocentric confidence, his hand still firmly on Laura’s lap. Laura pleaded with Patricia with her eyes to rescue her, hoping Patricia would pick up on her nonverbal cues. But Patricia’s eyes slowly moved from Laura to Professor James’ hand on her lap and smiled. Laura knew she was doomed.

“Let me leave you two alone then,” she said walking away. “I’ll come to see you in your office tomorrow.”

Laura felt so cold and alone. Professor James waited for Patricia to be out of sight and earshot before returning his focus to her.

“So my dear…” he said inching his body against hers. Laura could feel his icy scaly fingers slowly dragging up her skirt. Panicked, she sprung up gathering all her belongings with her.

“It’s getting late sir. I need to leave.” Her voice was shaky but she fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

“So soon? Why?” His voice was so salty.

“I have other things to do” She repeated, but more firmly.

He wanted to persuade but decided against it. He did not stand up for her to leave, instead, he repositioned his legs. She squeezed her self through in such a hurry that her books fell to the ground. As she stooped to pick them up, he viciously grabbed her buttocks with both hands. She jumped up in horror and stared at him in shock. She wanted to hit him or curse him out….but she just froze on her feet. The tears that she tried so hard to suppress, started to flow in streams. But he wasn’t moved by her tears, her fear fueled his ego and he laughed so heartily.

“I will show you that I’m the king of this city, and I always get what I want.” he shrugged.

Laura ran. She didn’t stop until she had reached her dorm. She threw her books on the floor, flung herself face down on the bed and wept loudly. She had never felt so dirty… like a foot matt anyone could rub their feet on and walk away. She wasn’t angry at Professor James, but rather herself. She was angry that she was too cowardly to stand up to a bully, that she let him treat her like a common house rag. As she wept she felt arms gathering around her, trying to calm her down. But she couldn’t be consoled.

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For the next few weeks, Laura’s name was labeled ‘Casted’ throughout the school. But she didn’t let it bother her so much. In fact, she spent her weeks nose deep in her studies forcing herself to forget that dreadful night. She also tried as much as possible to avoid Professor James, she never even went studying in the classrooms again. Her friends noticed a change in her behavior but she couldn’t confide in them for fear of reliving the moment. What will she say happened? Who would believe her? She wasn’t the first person being assaulted by Professor James. If others could where not heard, what makes her different? What if Professor James came for her life? All these questions and many more ran through her head. But she knew one thing for sure, it was her cross to bear, no matter how heavy it was.

Midterm exams had come and gone, and the results were out on each department’s notice board. Intro to Philosophy class results was also out and Laura, Sisi, Joy, and Tani had decided to go check theirs after Political Science class. On getting there, Sisi, Joy, and Tani quickly found their names under the A grade list but Laura kept on searching. Her eyes carefully ran through the alphabetically ordered list over and over but couldn’t find her name. She moved from the A list to the Bs and Cs ….but her name was nowhere to be found. Just below the D list was an F list, with a single name written in a field of white, “Laura Stephen”. Her head started to spin. Her anger began to boil and rise but it was quickly drowned by fear once again. She knew the game Professor James was playing, he was drawing her out, but she wasn’t strong enough to fight him.

“How is this possible?” Tani who had followed her gaze screamed in anger. “We all studied the same thing. How can we pass and you fail?”

“Everything I wrote down I learned from her,” Sisi added as baffled as Tani was.

“It must have been a mistake.” Joy added, thinking up error possibilities. “Maybe her name was mistaken for someone else.” But Laura knew otherwise but said nothing.

Slow clapping and mocking laughter drew their attention from the board. Patricia had appeared out of nowhere,

“So your plan didn’t work at the end?” She shouted, obviously drawing attention. “After all the sneaking around?”

Laura was furious, but before she could reply the other girls stepped ahead of her simultaneously; “Will you shut up?!” “Mind your business!!” “Who asked you?!” With loud long hisses, Tani grabbed Laura hand, the four walked passed Patricia, Joy brushing Patricia so hard she fell elbows first to the ground. They headed straight to Mr. James’ office. On arriving at his office, a female student rushed out, attempting to straighten up her shirt and hair, she didn’t even seem to notice them. The girls exchanged a puzzled look before entering the office. The atmosphere felt different inside, it smelt musky and stuffy, even with the standing fan at the corner at its highest speed. Professor James himself was seated behind his desk, just a few meters away from the door, legs apart, sweating profusely, with his shirt wild open, and a was-white singlet fully exposed.

“Yes? What do you want?” He looked very irritated, he picked up what looked like a student’s exam paper and started to fan himself with so much exuberance.

With this picture in mind, the girls took a minute to find their words. Although they were four, each of them felt very uneasy. Tani was the first to break the ice.

“Sorry for disturbing you but Laura’s paper wasn’t graded correctly.”

Professor James’ eyes caught Laura’s, he gave her a quick side smile. Joy, Sisi, and Tani may not have seen it, but Laura definitely caught it. The fear crept back in. She clung to her friends, hoping to borrow their strength.

“How do you know?” He asked.

“We studied together. We practically wrote the same thing.” Joy said.

“So all of you are guilty of exam malpractice.”

“No oh!” They all shouted in surprise. “we studied toge…”

“You cannot come and ambush me!!” Professor James slapped a hand on the table, faking anger. “If she thinks she did better, let me talk to her one on one.”

Laura began to panic, her grip tightened in Tani’s hand drawing Tani’s attention. Laura was pale with fear and Tani could see it. It was then she noticed Laura hadn’t said a word since she saw her grade. Tani was confused but before she could act, Professor James started shouting.

“Can’t you hear me? I said leave let me talk to her.. Or I’ll fail all of you because of your insubordination”

Reluctantly Joy, Sisi, and Tani started to leave, Tani left last but not without whispering;

“We’ll be waiting outside. We need to talk.”

Tani left with the rest of Laura’s courage. She stood there balling her hands so hard her knuckles turned red. Her heartbeat was so rapid, her ribcage hurt. Professor James waited for the door to click shot before returning his attention to her. He didn’t speak for a long time, she didn’t either, she was too frightened to think straight. She looked everywhere else obviously trying to avoid him but she could feel his eyes undressing her. After what must have felt like forever, he licked his lip and chuckled.

“Come on, have a seat, Laura.” She didn’t move. She couldn’t will herself to move. He sat up and propped himself with one hand on the table while gesturing to the seat in front of him. She still didn’t move at first but when she realized he was willing to wait for her, she dragged herself to the chair. She rocked her body to and fro with her legs together and her arms tightly resting on her laps, visibly shivering with cold sweat pouring down her temple. He could see how frightened she was and enjoyed it. She hated him for making her feel so vulnerable, she hated herself more for feeling so small.

“So you want to see your scripts?” He asked with a cool voice. Her answer was a single nod. He pushed back his chair and stood up revealing an open zipper; buckle, and holes flying in different directions. She jolted back suddenly, the spike of fear showed in her eyes. She was half standing when he waved his hands to stop her.

“Relax. The room is just stuffy.” But she didn’t relax her, how could she? This psycho was definitely up to something. She sat back down, eyes locked on him, on guard and ready to run at any slight off movement. He didn’t seem to be disturbed. He staggered across the room to the file cabinet behind her, near to the door. He fondled with the locked cabinet for a while before he turned to meet her alarmed eyes. Pointing past her head, he said;

“Pass me the keys.” She turned and looked around the table for the keys. But from behind her, she heard the locks click. Her reflexes jolted her to her feet, just in time to catch him locking the doors.

“What are you doing?” She shouted. At this point, terrified could not do justice to her fright.

“Relax,” he instructed, arms wide open and gradually closing the gap between them. “It’s not a big deal. It’ll be over before you know it.”

“HELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Trying her best to put a distance between them. “GET AWAY FROM ME!!! HELP!!!”

“ Nobody will hear you,” he said with a mocking laugh. “You are not the first and you won’t be the last.”

She found her way behind his desk and frantically reached for anything she could grab and throw at him to slow him down, but it didn’t work. At this point, his chair obstructed her movement. She turned to climb over but he pounced on her with the strength and swiftness of a cheater. He locked her in his arms and tightly against his body, pulling her away from the table, not minding her frantic kicking and struggling nor her piercing screams for help. He just kept on laughing. She then back kicked his sensitive parts, which made him push her away in pain. While he tended to his middle part, the force of the push put her off balance. She slipped and her head bounced off the angular edge of the table before she flopped on the cold tile. She didn’t feel pain, in fact, she didn’t feel anything. A low tone played in her head as her vision became blurry and red. Her breathing grew heavier by the second. She could barely see Professor James, but she could hear him repeat “OH MY GOD!” over and over again. She could also hear excessive banging and screaming from the door. But all these commotions began to grow distant, or the tone in her head grew louder, she couldn’t identify what it was. Soon she couldn’t hear nor see anything, but she felt cold and extremely alone. Her final breathe was spent thinking of her family back home.

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