A deserted road within the grounds of the campus. Enter Professor Fayemi.

PROF.: Whoever says that life is good is mad. Whoever says that life is a pleasure must be a lunatic. Whoever says that life is worth all these pains and sorrows is crazy. O life, you are cruel and cruel and pitiless. You are as cruel as the female dog that gave birth to its puppy only to swallow it in its infancy. O life, what have you done to me? Why have you shadowed my life with disasters and sorrows? Why have you cursed my home with a barren woman, an empty barrel, useless and of no value once the liquor has dried up in its belly. One who seldom sees reason but must give vent to her emotions in shouts of lamentations and sobs of despair. (Pauses) Must I go down to the grave without leaving a child behind? Must I go down to the pit without leaving someone to continue the name of my ancestors? When fire dies it leaves ashes behind. When the banana tree dies it leaves behind fruits to continue its line. The cub succeeds the lion, and the puppy succeeds the dog. Must I when I die leave no one behind to succeed me?

(Pause.)

And to cap it all, that girl, Liz, that child of yesterday, dared to call me foolish. I Professor Fayemi, the genius of chemistry department, she dared insult and mock me just because I asked her to my girl. Ha! I will show her that old the lion may be but the father of that antelope has not yet been born that will spit in his face and go scot free.

(He falls silent. Unknown to him, Latunji has been watching him quietly for a while. Now he steps forward.)

LATUNJI: My dear Professor Fayemi.

PROF.: (Startled, he whirls round.) Who is that? Oh, it's you, Lat.

LATUNJI: Evening, Prof.

PROF.: Evening, Lat. Where are you going so late in the night?

LATUNJI: I was on my way to the students' union bar when I heard some noise here and stopped to inspect. My dear Prof., why do you give vent to your feelings in such violent and sorrowful syllables?

PROF.: Lat, my soul is heavy with sadness.

LATUNJI: Follow me then to the Students' Union Bar and have a few bottles of beer with me. There is nothing like cold beer to drown away the sorrows of the soul.

PROF.: Thank you, Lat. Let’s go.

(Exit both)