Episode 6: A Knock at the Door
The knock came again, this time a little louder.
Sophia looked at her roommates, while Chioma raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Well… are you going to open it, or should we all keep guessing?”
Sophia walked to the door with a heart that seemed determined to beat out of her chest.
She took a deep breath before turning the handle.
It wasn’t Daniel.
It was the caretaker.
“Good morning,” he said with a smile. “I heard you ladies are leaving today. I just came to collect the spare keys before you go.”
Sophia forced a smile.
“Oh… yes. They’re inside.”
For a brief second, she couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face.
Chioma noticed it immediately.
“So you were expecting someone else?” she whispered after the caretaker left.
Sophia shook her head quickly.
“I wasn’t.”
“Liar.”
The room erupted in laughter, though Sophia only smiled weakly.
An hour later, a small truck arrived to carry their luggage. The driver and his assistant began loading the boxes while the four friends made one final check to ensure nothing had been forgotten.
Sophia walked through each room slowly.
The bedrooms were empty.
The kitchen shelves had been cleared.
Even the little nail on the wall where she had hung her timetable was now bare.
“So this is goodbye,” Ada said quietly.
Nobody responded.
There was nothing left to say.
The last suitcase had just been loaded when the familiar sound of a car entering the compound broke the silence.
Sophia turned instinctively.
It was Daniel.
He parked in his usual spot and stepped out of the car, looking slightly surprised when he saw the truck outside the apartment.
His eyes met Sophia’s.
“So… today is the day.”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
He walked closer, stopping a comfortable distance away.
“I was hoping I’d get back before you left.”
Sophia felt her heart skip.
“You were?”
He smiled.
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The compound suddenly felt much quieter than it actually was.
“I’m really happy for you,” Daniel said. “Congratulations once again on graduating.”
“Thank you.”
“I know we’ve only been neighbors for a short time, but you’ve always been pleasant to talk to.”
Sophia smiled.
“You too.”
Daniel reached into the back seat of his car and brought out a small brown paper bag.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d meet you before you left.”
He handed it to her.
Sophia accepted it carefully.
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know.”
She looked inside.
There was a hardcover notebook with a simple black cover, a matching pen and a bundle of one-thousand-naira bills.
Tucked inside the first page was a handwritten note.
Congratulations on your graduation. I wish you success wherever life takes you. Keep believing in yourself. — Daniel.
Sophia stared at the note for a few seconds.
It was such a simple gift.
Yet it felt more personal than anything she had received all week.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“I’ll treasure it.”
“I’m glad.”
Another silence followed.
This one lasted a little longer.
Chioma, Ada and the others quietly pretended to be arranging luggage, though they were obviously giving the two of them some privacy.
Daniel cleared his throat.
“So… where are you headed now?”
“Home first.”
“And after that?”
“I’ll wait for NYSC.”
He nodded.
“I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Sophia looked at him for a moment.
This was it.
Probably the last time they would stand this close.
The last chance.
Her heart urged her to speak.
Tell him.
Just tell him.
She opened her mouth.
“Daniel…”
“Sir!” the truck driver called from behind.
“We’re ready to leave.”
The moment disappeared.
Sophia looked back at the driver before turning to Daniel again.
“I’m sorry…”
He smiled.
“It’s okay.”
She wasn’t sure whether he meant it’s okay because she had stopped talking or because he assumed she had forgotten what she wanted to say.
Either way, the words remained trapped inside her.
Daniel extended his hand.
“It was nice having you as a neighbor.”
Sophia looked at his hand for a second before shaking it.
“It was nice having you too.”
She wanted to say so much more.
That she had looked forward to seeing him every morning.
That the rainy day ride to school had become one of her happiest memories.
That somewhere between simple greetings and chance encounters, she had fallen in love with him.
Instead, she simply smiled.
“Goodbye, Daniel.”
“Goodbye, Sophia.”
She climbed into the waiting vehicle beside Chioma.
As the truck slowly pulled out of the compound, Sophia looked back through the window.
Daniel was still standing exactly where she had left him.
He raised his hand one last time.
She waved back until the compound disappeared from view.
Only then did she lower her hand.
She looked at the notebook resting on her lap and gently traced her fingers across the handwritten note.
For the first time in almost a year…
Sophia cried.
Not because Daniel had rejected her.
But because he never knew there had been something to reject.
Bonus Question
If you were Daniel, would you have wanted Sophia to tell you how she felt before leaving, even if you didn’t feel the same way? Or was it better that some feelings remained unspoken?
To BE continued Next Weekend
