Library
Search
Home / Romance / The Impossible Destination / Chapter Two

Share

Chapter Two

Author: Ukiyoto Publishing
last update Last Updated: 2021-07-12 11:13:29
 

8yrs Later

September 29, 2016

Lagos, Nigeria

01:45pm

 

Arafat Amin Musa had his eyes fixed on his wristwatch as he prayed for the hands of time to lead his existence to 2pm which was the closing hour as his boring physics teacher kept trying to explain one of the most important and complicated theory in the history of scientific discovery and human existence.

Mr. Edward their physics teacher kept trying to impact the knowledge of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity (GR) into the minds of his bored students but everyone in the classroom was exhausted and had only one thing on their minds ‘Home.’

Arafat still had a busy schedule ahead of him but Mr. Edward was not yet about to let everyone in the class have the final minutes of school to themselves. He kept trying to force their minds into the world of his dear mentor ‘Grandpa Albert Einstein.’

During weekdays Arafat had to get home before 2:30pm in order to get a shower and have his lunch before his Islamic pedagogue arrived at 3pm. At 4pm he usually had an evening lesson with another home visiting teacher and at 5-6pm he did his assignments. From 6pm above he had the rest of the day to himself.

Currently his only problem in life was the man standing in front of the classroom blabbering words that no one was interested in hearing. If there was something the late Albert Einstein forgot to take along with him when he permanently departed this world, it was Mr. Edward because the man belonged to the mid-20th century. Whenever Mr. Edward aver words about creators and inventors he said those words with the pride and respect of someone wishing he had existed at a time when inventors and philosophers were the darlings of the world and not the celebrities of today.

It had taken Arafat the courage of a Japanese air force officer bound for kamikaze to write the letter in his hand. He could see her from the corners of his eyes. She was no doubt the prettiest girl in the class and one of the most beautiful girls in the school.

Claudine Douglas was an only child to a Canadian mother married to a Nigerian. She was tall, slim with brunette hair, long nose, grey eyes and a complexion that reminded him of his favorite celebrity, Beyoncé Knowles. She always looked outstanding in her uniform comprising of a maroon suit, white shirt and a Burberry necktie.

Arafat had been nursing a crush on her since the first day he laid his eyes on her at senior high school. He had a feeling she also had a thing for him because he could feel the chemistry they shared whenever they both made eye contact. Whenever she flashed one of her trade mark smiles his way, his heart froze. He wasn’t sure Claudine felt the same way he felt about her but he was ready to risk his reputation of being one of the most celebrated students at Sterling International Secondary School (SISS) to reveal his innermost emotions to her.

There was a possibility he possessed some of the characteristics and qualities a girl of Claudine status could desire in a guy. He was tall, athletic built, dark in complexion with a snub nose and big round eyes. Some of his friends often teased him that he was the pirated copy of famous Afro-American actor Idris Elba. Arafat was just 16yrs old but he knew Beyoncé was a fantasy but Claudine was a reality that could be achieved with hope, prayers and good luck.

The time was now 1:55pm but Mr. Edward wasn’t showing signs of slowing down and concluding his boring escapade in the world of GR. God, how he wished gravity could just swallow his teacher into the innermost core of the earth and keep him there for good. The physics teacher was obviously one of the best in Lagos because apart from the boring class sessions he had received from Mr. Edward, he had also learnt an infinite lot from the man. For a teacher to qualify to teach at SISS he had to be one of the best in the country. The school fees was no child’s play compared to other private schools in the country that was why most of the students in the school were either from families with rich backgrounds or prominent figures in the country.

The teacher standing in front of the classroom had thought him that “Like-charges attract while unlike-charges repel.” The law seems to prove that Claudine and he were both likely to attract because where she was calm, he was agile and where she was free, he was reserved. Claudine loved the company and attention her natural magnetism attracted to her but he thrived better in solitude. She was his ‘Yin’ and he was her ‘Yang’ and together they were the Chinese symbol of creation.

The time was now 1:58pm and there was just two minutes left before the closing alarm rang. He desperately needed to find a way to get the letter to her but he had to make sure no one saw him do it because rumors at SISS spread like wildfire especially on social network which was the immediate destination of most students when the closing alarm rang.

The closing alarm rang and Mr. Edward shut his mouth like someone had just hit the stop button on his loquacious existence. Everyone sat eagerly with their books and bags packed as they waited for Einstein’s modern day disciple to pack his belongings and exit the classroom. There was a strict rule at SISS that no one was permitted to leave a classroom when a teacher was still inside except that person had the full permission of the teacher. The rule was also in effect during closing hours.

There were a total of three rows in the class and each row consisted of ten desks with ten students. Claudine was occupying the first desk on the middle row. Arafat was the 10th student occupying the last desk on the last row.

Mr. Edward gathered his belongings and was about to leave but Arafat stood up and said, “Sir, I have a question regarding one of the equations on the board.” There was mass grumblings inside the classroom as students started expressing their dissatisfactions towards Arafat for delaying their departure. Some of his classmates were murmuring insults at him. “What equation?” Mr. Edward asked pointing at the board. “That one,” Arafat replied. Arafat knew that there was no way his teacher was going to know which of the equation he was pointing at because he was not pointing to a specific one but just pointing directly at the board which had more than twenty equations written on it. “What equation?” His teacher kept asking but he kept pointing directly at the board and saying, “That one Sir.” When Mr. Edward got tired of trying to figure out which of the equation he was pointing at, he asked him to come out to the front of the classroom and identify the equation he was referring to. There were more murmurs and grumblings but the teacher ignored the angry students as he waited for Arafat who already had his bag on his back to arrive in front of the classroom.

Arafat was close to the front of the classroom and inches away from Claudine who was on his right. He could smell the sweet scent of her lavender fragrance. Mr. Edward was looking at the board and most of the students had their heads bowed down towards their lockers where their mobile devices were switched on with the volumes reduced while they roam the internet. Claudine hands were also under her locker, he could see the light coming from the screen of her mobile device. Arafat saw the opportunity he had been waiting for and he took it. The moment he got beside her, he dropped the squeezed letter on her laps before quickly pointing at one of the equation on the board before asking his teacher what it represented. “This is the mass-energy equation. It is one of the world’s most famous equations. Please do some extensive reading on it Arafat because you will find it very useful when you advance into the never ending world of scientific breakthroughs,” Mr. Edward replied. After saying those words the teacher walked out of the classroom with Arafat close behind him with the other students following.

Arafat didn’t turn around to look at Claudine as he walked out of the classroom but if he had, he would have seen the look of bewilderment on her face after opening the letter and reading its contents.

Arafat didn’t sleep well as the thought of what Claudine’s reaction might be left him battling anxiety all through the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Related chapters

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Three

    If you were the only child to a father who was a doctor and a mother who was a nurse, you had to find a way to adjust to the demand of such a reality which included being a companion to yourself and also finding other things to keep you company when you were not in the company of your cronies. Arafat didn’t have a lot of friends because he didn’t need a lot of them. His rule for making friends was based on intuition, tolerance and respect for personal space. If you were lacking in those three departments he marked you as an invalid and the problem was most of the people around him were invalids and so was the fool standing before him screaming at him because he had kicked the ball wide instead of putting it in the net. Today was a Wednesday and school hours on Wednesdays at SISS were split into class hours and sport hours. Sport hours was currently in progress and the captain of the soccer team was already making him feel the wrath of his ever growing ego. Tunde Badmus

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Three

    “Hello my heartbeat. I can’t seem to get you out of my mind because you are the soul that powers my existence.” Claudine laughed at his words sensationally. It was 1am on a Saturday morning. Ara was surprised she had picked the call on the second ring. It had taken him all the confidence he could muster to place the call in anticipation of how their first phone conversation was going to turnout. The words he had just told her were as true as the blue of the sky because Claudine was the only happiness in his life keeping his mind off the mysterious incidence of the past two days. “So it took you two full days to find the courage to call me?” Claudine asked. “No Claud, it has nothing to do with my confidence but everything to do with me being nervous with everything that has to do with you. I guess it is love,” Ara replied. There was a short silence on the other side of the line before she finally said, “I love your choice of words as long as they don’t give birth to equat

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Four

    It was 5:30pm on a Sunday evening and Ara was out shopping with his parents at a mall. VC his best friend and he were both at a table inside a cafeteria in the mall helping themselves to some burgers and soft drinks. Their parents were also seated at another table in the cafeteria deep in conversation. Victor’s dad was also a medical doctor and a close friend of Ara’s dad. Just like Ara’s mom, Victor’s mother was also a nurse and a close friend of his mom. It was funny how people could keep the same company as the ones they spent time with at work. He would die of boredom because whenever both VC and his self were in the joint company of their parents, the topic was always health related. VC was a student of the commercial class at school and had dreams of becoming a chartered accountant in future while Ara was a student of the science class and had a dream of becoming a scientist. VC was a smallish guy in size with big eyes that were always occupied by the lens of his m

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Five

    Claudine frowned after reading the letter before tearing and tossing it into the trash can in front of the classroom. The alarm for closing hours had just gone off and the students were walking out of the classroom. Claudine was furious with Ara because he had not called her for the past few days and he was not returning her calls and text messages. When she had gotten tired of playing cats and dogs with him, she had made up her mind to break up their brief acquaintance once she got the opportunity to confront him in person but the words attached to the note he had slid into her locker at break-time had her conscience telling her to at least give him a chance to explain himself. The only reason Claudine was reconsidering her decision to dump Ara was because she had a crush on him long before he wrote her his mysterious equations. This was the only reason she was really pissed off. Claudine Douglas might not admit it to the world but deep inside she knew she loved Arafat

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Six

    Two weeks later, Ara was back in the classroom hopelessly staring at Mr. Edward his physics teacher. It was his first day back at school after the incidence. Claudine was still breathing through a ventilator and her life was being sustained by life-support system and equipment at the hospital. The news from the hospital was that there was no sign of improvement as her health deteriorates. Ara had been put through the scope by Claudine’s parents and his parents. The only reason he haven’t been interrogated by the police was because Claudine’s parents believe that he is innocent. The most difficult part of the whole incidence was sitting through a session with a shrink hired by Claudine’s parents. The shrink had psycho analyzed Ara and even though his parents had offered to seat with him throughout the session he had declined. Ara’s parents had ended up telling the Douglas that the session with the shrink was going to be the last time they would put their son through furthe

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Seven

    The matron was in a hurry. It was now 9:15am. She was already late and there was a lot of work to do before 10am when the Douglas and their delegation will be arriving to witness the painful process of their daughter and only child being taken off the life-support equipment and techniques. The matron kept greeting her colleagues on her way to the ICU. The moment she stepped into the room, she froze. The bed was empty and the life-support equipment was nowhere to be found. She checked the bathroom and found it empty. She was hyperventilating like she was going to have a heart attack when she used the intercom in the room to call the reception but the receptionist confirmed that there was no record of a Claudine Douglas being checked out of the Lagos Island General Hospital (LIGH). Using the intercom again, she called the morgue but the response she got was that they had no record of a Claudine Douglas. Finally the matron stormed out of the room to alert security and the m

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Eight

    Ara brushed his hand through her hair. Claudine looked peaceful and beautiful as always but she also appeared exhausted. She was still lying on the gurney he had used to wheel her into the old abandoned equipment room at the apex of one of the buildings at the LIGH. The brightness from the LED light he was holding radiated her skin. She was putting on a hospital gown and she still looked beautiful in it. The old equipment room was dark and stuffy with no source of light and though the electricity connection and the switch in the room were still working he couldn’t turn on the lights because he was going to attract attention he was not looking forward to. If he was going to execute his task without flaws he needed to remain Isolated and untraceable. Breathing was not easy in the old equipment room but that was the least of his problems. Ara felt relieved that the digital flow meter on Claudine’s oxygen cylinder that was connected to her ventilator showed that there was still

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Nine

    2016 Back at the hospital, Ara’s parents were seated in the office of the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of LIGH. Before them was the CSO and a Police Inspector. Claudine’s parents were influential figures so law enforcement officers were taking the case of the missing girl serious. It was 3hrs since Ara’s dad found out his ID card was missing while getting ready for work and 30mins since he was invited to the Security Division of the hospital. On his arrival at the security division he had been alarmed to find his wife Maryam seating nervously inside the office of the CSO. About 2hrs ago he had personally dropped her off at work at the private clinic where she worked that’s why he had been shocked to find her seated inside the Security Division. At first, he thought that he was being invited to the security division due to the complaint about his missing ID card that he had forwarded earlier on his arrival at the hospital. The news of the missing Douglas girl was a mystery t

    Last Updated : 2021-07-12

Latest chapter

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Seventeen

    Paris25th Dec, 2038 (Twenty two years later) There was a total of four people sitting opposite the chimney inside the large study and their families were downstairs socializing. The faces of the inhabitants of the study were barely visible in the dark background because the only illumination in the room was coming from the chimney. The ongoing meeting was more of a tradition that had been going on for over 40yrs. Only fully blooded family members attended the meeting and it took place every Christmas involving the four members of the Russell Todd family who were the owners of Life Windows Pharmaceuticals (LWP). LWP was the largest Biological and Pharmaceutical research facility in the world. In the middle of the study was an expensive Italian center table with drinks, snacks and cigars on it. Seating directly opposite the chimney behind the table was Professor Emeritus Jack Russell Todd aka ‘JRT.’ He was 85yrs old and the CEO and founder of LWP. Prof Jack Russell T

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Sixteen

    2016 When the anticlockwise movement of the backward effect stopped, Ara still kept his eyes shut because he wasn’t looking forward to the pains awaiting him in 2016. The feel of a warm and gentle hand on his forehead compelled him to open his eyes. Ara found himself staring at the smiling face of Claudine. He felt too weak to move and he could feel himself bleeding through his nostrils. Looking up at Claudine he said, “I am sorry my love.” Claudine looked at him puzzled “For what?” she asked. “For everything my love,” Ara replied. “It’s okay Ara. We all have our path and timing and no matter how hard we try to make certain adjustments to our fate, destiny will always have the final say,” Claudine said still smiling. Ara began crying when the reality of the situation dawned on him. He had noticed that Claudine wasn’t in the hospital gown she was wearing when he left her on the gurney. She was currently putting on her Sterling International Secondary School uniform. At that

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Fifteen

    The late October wind was blowing debris all over the 2acres of land of the Bern Memorial Cemetery (BMC) at the outskirt of town as The Drifter walked in through the front gate that Ara had deliberately left ajar. The LED lights illuminating the internal environment of the cemetery had also been switched off by Ara after he had knocked out the two security guards on duty before gagging and tying them up. The two security guards were currently lying unconscious in the bush behind the cemetery. The only lights present in the cemetery was coming from the moon. Ara had deliberately switched on the Global Positioning System (GPS) on the mobile device he had retrieved from one of The Drifter’s dead accomplices because he wanted The Drifter to find him at a location where they could settle matters without interruptions or distractions. The cemetery was the best place because tombstones and dead bodies don’t talk, move and neither do they have the ability to inform the authorities.

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Fourteen

    When he got back to 2016, he was exhausted. The headache inside his head was not helping matters but he picked himself up and checked on Claudine. She was still asleep but she was perspiring profusely and her body temperature was high. Ara used a wet towel to wipe the sweat off her body. When he was through, he checked on the oxygen flow meter and he was relieved there was still more than 60% of air left inside the tank. He ate a bar of chocolate and drank a can of energy drink before he swallowed some painkillers he had stolen from his parent’s drug cabinet. After resting for a minute, he fixed his sim card back into his mobile phone and switched it on. His plan was to call his parents and let them know he was in an undisclosed location within the hospital. It was best he got his parents to the hospital as soon as possible before The Drifter got to them because at the hospital they would benefit from being around the police. He was not planning on telling his parents that

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Thirteen

    Ara was dejected when he put down his binoculars and turned away from the window of the old equipment room. He knew he couldn’t get to his parents either within or outside the hospital. The whole place was swimming with police you might as well call the hospital ‘Police Academy.’ Even if he somehow did escape the sights of the police officers, he wasn’t looking forward to a confrontation with their German shepherds roaming the hospital. The sight of Claudine lying on the gurney while a machine became the lifeline between her worldly existence and eternal extinction made him feel guilty. The headache he was feeling since he returned from 2038 was getting worse by the seconds and he felt famished. After helping himself to some snacks and aspirin, he lay down and focused his attention on the clock. Slowly he lost his mind to the impossible destination he had chosen to visit. This time the whole process felt more draining and slower as he kept focusing his mind on the hands of

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Twelve

    2038 Torn between two worlds and living in the reality of the confusion of his current situation, something told him the timing was bad. Staring at the screen of his mobile device, the news Google search engine was relating to him was a bad one. His parents had been reported missing at 1:48pm on the 28th day of October 2016 by their attorney who had arrived at their residence to find their home empty without a single soul inside of it except for a broken lock at the front door signifying forced entry. Their mobile devices had been found in the living room but they were still missing till date along with a police patrol car and four police officers. Ara did the maths of going back to 2016 but the result he got wasn’t encouraging. Going back at the moment will leave him exposed to The Drifter who was obviously out on the hunt for his soul. He knew he needed to get back now more than ever but the fact is he couldn’t yet identify The Drifter and if the killer got to him while h

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Eleven

    2016 Back at the hospital, the police and security operatives were busy going over LIGH searching for Ara and Claudine Douglas. Sterling International Secondary School was also under the scope of law enforcement agencies. Trained security dogs have also been introduced into the search and the governor was turning on the heat on the state CP who was also making his subordinates feel the steam. LIGH was now a scene carved out of a Hollywood thriller because officers were all over the hospital. One of the security cameras had picked up Ara walking into the hospital disguised as a staff. The fact that he had not been seen leaving the hospital with Claudine had left them with the impression that the girl and him might be hidden somewhere inside the hospital. The time was now 12:48pm and Ara’s parents were now back at home after calling their attorney. They were aware that if the girl was not recovered soon, the SSS might also end up being involved in the case considering the

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Ten

    2038 When the third nail went into his right knee, he screamed but his voice could not be heard because the gag was still in his mouth. He tried to move in pain but he was still naked and strapped to the chair with his hands and legs bounded. His dead colleague’s corpse was still lying inside the bathtub in the bathroom. Ara picked up another nail and pointed it directly at the left ankle of his naked victim bringing up his hammer ready to pound the nail into it. The fear in the eyes of the man told him the canary was ready to sing the song he has been dying to hear. “Sometimes to catch a monster you had to become one yourself,” Ara thought. On Ara’s way home from the office, he had noticed the two strange men in the black Mercedes SUV still following him. On his arrival at his apartment he had switched off every single lights in the house and make things appear like he was asleep. As expected, the two men had expertly picked the lock on his door and gotten access into

  • The Impossible Destination   Chapter Nine

    2016 Back at the hospital, Ara’s parents were seated in the office of the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of LIGH. Before them was the CSO and a Police Inspector. Claudine’s parents were influential figures so law enforcement officers were taking the case of the missing girl serious. It was 3hrs since Ara’s dad found out his ID card was missing while getting ready for work and 30mins since he was invited to the Security Division of the hospital. On his arrival at the security division he had been alarmed to find his wife Maryam seating nervously inside the office of the CSO. About 2hrs ago he had personally dropped her off at work at the private clinic where she worked that’s why he had been shocked to find her seated inside the Security Division. At first, he thought that he was being invited to the security division due to the complaint about his missing ID card that he had forwarded earlier on his arrival at the hospital. The news of the missing Douglas girl was a mystery t

You may also like

DMCA.com Protection Status