*⛱️THE CAMP⛱️*
Episode 3.
She ran after me but I didn’t wait.
“Ade stop! What’s going on? Have we done anything to offend you?
I stopped and turned.
“What did you all exclaim? What’s so funny in not attending a university, if i am not cleared do you think I’ll be here?” I poured out.
She pa-nted ha-rd as she moved closer.
“”You know we don’t mean it that way and aside that we didn’t know there is any other school here aside university, I’m sorry, you know what? Let me just go and discharge them and I’ll come back to you, I don’t wanna leave you like this, you’ve been so helpful today” she said and ran back to meet them.
I watched them from afar as they bid themselves good bye. She came back to me and suggested we sit at the pavilion which was few steps away from the hostel.
We sat and I was quiet, she tapped me and told me to stop giving her silent treatment. I gave a faint smile.
“A polytechnic is diploma issuing school, I don’t know the rational behind it but it’s just like a college in Europe ”
“Oh….now I get it, its not that bad, why did you now react as If its that bad, my best friend attended a college too before he came to my school, come on Ade, its not that bad” she exclaimed.
“So where is Greenwich university?” I asked.
“London”
“Oh so you schooled in London and decided to come and serve in Nigeria, why?”
“Because I love it here and I wanna meet wonderful people too, I wanna feel at home,I wanna feel what it look like being a Nigerian after spending all my life amidst white people and huge cardigans, I love this weather” she said excitingly.
In my mind I was thinking this one did not know anything, maybe we should just exchange, stay here and let me go over there.
She continued.
“I wanna travel around Nigeria before I go back to London, will you take me around?” She asked
“Me ke? Where do I know, you should go around with someone you know and not a stranger like me, and aside that, I’ve not really travelled around Nigeria” I said.
Her friends showed from afar, they approached us. When they got to us, they didn’t speak to me, they spoke to her and left. I ignored them. There were almost 4k people in camp, I won’t allow just few to spoil my stay.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” She suddenly asked out of the blue moon.
I looked at her quizzically. ” Why did you ask?”
“I just wanna know, can i see her picture? Is she beautiful? Ade answer” she tapped me as I stared at her in surprise.
Like we-tin bring about girlfriend matter enter this one now.
“It’s getting dark Britney, let’s go have some rest, the beagle is going to wake us by 5am tomorrow ” I said.
“5am? That’s too early” she exclaimed.
I stood up and pulled her up.
“This is a military camp and not our house so we have to obey any rules and regulations in here” I explained as we walked hand in hand towards the hostel.
I walked her to her hostel, she hug-ged me before going inside, I left too. On my way to the hostel, I was wondering what she has in mind, I didn’t know her motive, is this how they do over there or I am missing the green light.
Whichever way, it’s too early to get attached to only one person amidst thousands of people.
I won’t allow that.
Getting to my hostel, I climbed my bunk and was pressing my phone when I saw one of her friends approaching, his bed was few beds away from mine. Our eyes met and he gave me a scoffy look, I ignored him.
The night was early to crawl in.
It was 10 pm, the beagle for light out sounded. Meaning all of us should go to sleep, the camp generator was switched off already.
The soldiers were moving around hostels to check who is still awake as there was a punishmentWaitimg them for disobedience. A soldier entered our hostel and saw light un-der someone’s duvet.
“Kai, you wan be frofesor ba? Na you sabi read well well, you no hear light out ba?”
“I didn’t put the light on, it’s just the light of my phone, I was reading from my phone ” the guy explained.
“Stand up! Phone light no be light? Now go out” he ordered.
People raised their heads to see what was happening. The soldier yelled that if he sees anyone’s head up, the person would hate himself. He matched the guy out and made him join other victims outside for frog jump.
When I sighted the guy that was caught, he was one of Britney’s friend.
The soldiers made them do frog jump around the camp, when the Nepa light came, I peeped out the window that was just behind my bed to see those that were caught.
Alas, Britney was among them, she was crying.
My heart started beating fas-ter.
*⛱️THE CAMP⛱️*
Episode 4/5.
She wallowed on the bed, the pain was obvious.
I moved closer to her and held her hand, her leg was heavy to carry, she shed tears like cold bottle.
“Sorry dear, did they give you any pain killer or something ”
“Ade…I don’t know, I am in serious pain, please call my dad, I am in pain, these people want to kill me” she reached for her phone in her pocket and handed it over to me, it was the moment I got scared.
Maybe something else has done her or maybe she has un-derlying sickness that no one is aware of except her parents. My hand fidget with the phone as I struggled to unlock with her pa-ssword .
On the other hand, I thought of informing the doctors and the corp member doctor I met said she had given her pain killer and she should be fine, I was fine with that until she said that next time she will obey when orders are given.
That was where my head sparked.
” so because you put something that looked like earpeice around your ne-ck now you think you can spit trash to anyone, is that what your profession taught you? Hey girl…you aint shit here okay, and i dont know why you guys are so rude….”
I was still in my para mode when Britney’s friends came in and they were denied access in. The main doctor came out and asked me what happened and i explained to him. He applogised on her behalf and i told him about Britney’s condition, he followed me immediately.
He asked her some questioms while i was out of the room, he rushed out few minutes later and requested for an ambulance for parole outside the camp, they were meant to transport her to another hospital.
I was scared.
“Doctor what happened? Why are you guys moving her out?” I asked.
“Who are you to her?”
“I am her friend”
“Im sorry i can’t tell you anything, if needed be, we would contact her parents” he said and walked away. I became more worried and distabilized.
Few minutes later, the ambulance came and she was carried into the ambulance with a stretcher, she wallowed in pain and cried bitterly. The bus drove off and i was left in awe.
Her friends rushed to me.
“Ade what happemed to her?”
“I dont know, do you guys know if she has an un-derlying illness in school?”
“None that we are aware of”
I went back into the hospital and met with the corp member that attended to her….
“If anything happen to that lady, i will make sure you dont make a living out of this profession” i said angrily and walked out.
The mistake i made was not collecting her number before she left, her friends did not know her Nigeria number too.
We were distabilized together.
We were all together throu-ghout that day and this brou-ght a kind of bond in between us except for Ben whose attitude was a bit different. He was the one in same hostel with me and he also served the punishment.
I was scared for Britney, I couldn’t do anything, even when we were at the parade ground for lectures, I wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying.
The night fell on my sad mind and I went to bed early.
As usual the beagle was blown again and I walked slowly like a zombie to the parade ground and joined my platoon. I was wallowing in my worries, I stared at every vehicle that drove in and also looked around if I would see her but nothing was forthcoming.
She was not returned.
Three days counted down and no news of her, I took a bold step and went to meet the doctor in his office.
“Sir, I’m sorry I had to come down, anxiety is killing me, I can’t focus on anything please tell me what happened to my friend, is she fine? Is she responding to treatment? Please tell me”
The doctor gave a faint smile.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Ade”
“Ade, I need to thank you specially for raising alarm when your friend was in pain, the doctor that treated her thought it was just an ache and she administered pain killer to her, we didn’t know something else was eating her de-eper and the drug administered to her aggravated some serious illness because of how strong it is, if you had not come, we might not be here discussing, she is recu-perating, she should be back in camp in few days” he explained.
He saw the doubt on my face.
He continued…
“Ade, go, she is recu-perating, see love in your eyes, lover boy” he said and laughed.