Colonel Anthony slowly pulled out his manhood from the female recruit and she rose up from the desk where she had lain as he had had sex with her with her legs hanging on his shoulders. In fact, he had particularly chosen that position in order to enjoy the sight of her big boobs jiggling and bouncing back and forth towards her chin as he hit her hard. As she grabbed her shorts off the floor and began to slip it on, he gently rolled the used condom off his wet manhood and tied it in orfer to prevent his semen from spilling out. Dumping the latex into the waste bin, he pulled up his boxers and camo pants and began to fix his belt.
“So, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get into the military.” He assured her.
“Thank you sir.” She politely said.
“Do you have any slim friend that’s as beautiful as you are?”
“Not here sir, but I have in Kwara State sir…” She answered.
“Kwara…” He said thoughtfully as if trying to measure how far the state was from Kaduna. “Kwara…ha, that’s far… Is she not interested in the military like you?”
“No sir… She’s a makeup artist, sir…” I see.
Just then, there was a knock on the door and when Colonel permitted whoever it was to come in, Nosa stepped in and his eyes immediately shifted to the recruit. “Sir!” Nosa saluted and dropped his hand.
After dismissing the recruit and promising to see her next time, Colonel Anthony smiled lecherously now. “That girl is sweet…but not quite my exact taste of lekpa.”
“I see, sir.” Nosa smiled knowingly.
“But you should have told her to take a shower before coming in here. She was stinking of sweat.”
“Apologies sir!”
“So…any news about Somto yet?” He asked now as he pulled out a Rothmans cigatette from its pack and stuck it between his lips. “Has the husband been transferred to Sokoto like we planned?”
“Yes sir! The dispatch truck just left the barracks now!” Nosa answered.
“Very good… Now let me see how that stubborn woman will keep turning down my advances now that I’ve gotten rid of her husband. It was like she was seeing him too much that was why she had the effrontery to say no to me!” He said through one side of his lips as he lit his cigarette. “Call Ahmed and tell him to go and secretly disconnect her light…she will have no choice than to talk to the adjutant and the adjutant of course already understands the game, so he’ll come to me.”
“Yes sir…” Nosa said.
“And make sure that you inform the head at Sokoto not to grant her husband any leave until after six months… that’ll give me enough time to shoot my shots well… I mean how can such a woman be that beautiful with a body to kill for and is married to a common sergeant?! A mere sergeant?! ” Colonel Anthony said more to himself in disappointment. “She doesn’t even know how lucky she is that she caught my eye. Now, Nosa, go and disconnect her light, we might go for her water supply soon if she still remains stubborn!”
“Yes sir!” Nosa saluted again, turned and exited the office while Colonel Anthony sat on his chair, relaxed, placed a leg on his desk and continued to smoke.
★★★
Despite standing him on their wedding day and Susan’s act of also verbally making it clear to him that he was not the kind of man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, Stephen still found it difficult to believe that it was really over between them. He couldn’t sit for a minute without thinking of Susan. He couldn’t even close his eyes without seeing her face. There were just too many memories of her in his apartment that he felt so void now that she was gone. Deciding not to give up on her, he started trying to reach her again. He had tried to call her on the phone several times but she always busied his calls. Then he moved on to texting her via SMS and DMs and she never replied any of them.
He persistently continued to try to reach Susan until she got furious and blocked his numbers and also blocked him on social media too. As days passed and he realised that if he didn’t see her soon, he would run mad. So, one day, he decided to damn all consequences and do what he should have done a long time ago. In fact, he was ready to have a one on one talk with the Superior and plead with him to let him have his woman back and he was really to pay whatever price doing so would cost him.
One day, he dressed up in his uniform and decided to go to the Major’s house but he made sure that his friends were unaware because he knew that they would do everything within their power to stop him from doing what he might regret in the long run.
As he got to the gate of the Major’s residence, he stopped his car and got down, then he hesitantly approached the gate and knocked. When the gate keeper opened after a minute or so, Stephen noticed the change on the gate keeper’s eyes when he saw him on uniform; there was instant respect in his eyes.
“Oga, good morning.” He greeted with a smile, saluting awkwardly to imitate the other soldiers he might have seen in the house.
Stephen was about to ask if his boss was home when he heard a familiar voice ask from inside the compound. “Mutiu, who’s that?” It was Susan’s voice.
“Madam, na one army man. E dey find Oga.” The gate keeper loudly replied her, already assuming that Stephen had come to see the Major.
“Army man?… Let him in.” The voice said and the gate keeper quickly stepped aside so that Stephen could come in. When Susan saw Stephen, her countenance instantly changed as she stared at him in surprise. She was on a call but she quickly told whomever she was speaking to that she would call back later then she ended the call and turned to scowl at him. Her demeanour oozed intense displeasure at seeing him. Taking a good look at him now, she noticed that he looked so unkempt. His hair which normally kept low and well-cut had grown so bushy and looked as if a comb had not been in them for days. His face was covered with facial hair; a rough-looking stubble, and the Stephen he knew never kept facial hair; in fact, soldiers weren’t allowed to at all. He had dark circles around his eyes which showed that he hadn’t been sleeping well and he appeared to have lost some weight too. In summary, he looked pathetic and she was even more disgusted by the sight of him.
“What are you doing here?!” She suddenly asked in a low voice, casting wary glances towards the house which betrayed the fact that the Major was at home. “What do you want?! How did you even know to find me here?!”
“Susan, please, at least hear me out first before you kick me out.” Stephen pleaded while the gate keeper walked past him and continued to water the flowers with a water hose which he had obviously been doing before Stephen’s arrival.
Susan approached Stephen now and whispered harshly. “Do you want to get me in trouble?! Why are you so full of shit, Stephen?! Why are you so hard-headed for God’s sake?!”
“I’m sorry but I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to come see you for myself.” Stephen quickly explained, looking helpless. His life was fast spiraling downwards without her in it and he baffled at how easy it wss for her to suddenly become so cold towards him like he never meant anything to her.
“See me for what?!” She impatiently snapped, still trying to keep her voice down. “What was so important that you had to drive all the way down here to see me?! What?! Did somebody die?!”
“Susan, I’ve been trying to reach you for the past two weeks now but you have blocked me everywhere. On Facebook, WhatsApp, my contact and all. You didn’t even reply any of my messages.”
“What are you reaching me for, ehn, Stephen? What? Why are you so bent on being such a pest?! Why is it too hard for you to accept the fact that I’ve moved on?! Stephen Michaels, I’ve moved on, shikena! When I told you that we were done, I wasn’t joking, Stephen. I really wasn’t joking, so please, just leave now before Major Ali sees you here! Dan Allah ka tafi! (Please, leave).”
Instead of leaving, her eyes grew round in surprise now when Stephen slowly dropped on a knee then the other before her. Even the gatekeeper, turned to stare at him over his shoulder in surprise as he continued to water the flowers. “Susan, I’m casting aside everything I’m right now. My title, my rank, my dignity as a man, everything. Susan, please just come back to me. I can’t work! I can’t eat, I can’t sleep! I can’t even think straight nor get you out of my thoughts no matter how hard I try. I still love you very much despite everything that has happened and I really want you back. I don’t care what my mother or anybody else thinks anymore, I love you and that’s what matters. I’m now even ready and willing to do everything that you have always wanted. Babe, I’ll do anything you want, anything, just name it! I’ll be mean if you want me to! I’ll um..try my best..m to…um…h…hit you if that will make you happy, just come back to me please.”
Susan scoffed now and shook her head in wonder, briefly casting her eyes to the sky. Then she asked: “Oh, so now you want to do everything I want?”
“Yes.” He nodded, anticipating a positive response.
“Well, it’s too late for that Stephen. We are done! Done and dusted! Go do all these things for someone else or better still, I could recommend one of my friends who has always had the hots for you, as for me Susan, I’ve moved on and there’s no changing my mind.”
“Susan, I want nobody else but you. You don’t seem to get what you have done to me. I’m pretty fucked up and only you can fix me right now or I’ll lose my mind. I’m ready to be the better man for you and I meant it when I said that I’ll do anything for you and I meant anything, just name it…please…”
“Okay, anything right?” She asked.
“Yes… anything.” He affirmed.
“Can you attain the position of a major in six months?”
Stephen gave her a surprised and puzzled look now. “You know that’s not possible, Susan. It will take me years.”
“My point exactly.” She said with a smirk. “More reason why you should just stop wasting your time, Stephen, get up and leave! There’s no use doing this because no matter what, I still don’t see a future with you.”
“But-“
She rudely cut him off. “Stephen, leave! Leave!” She hissed. “Don’t you get it?! I don’t love you anymore, and until you can become a Major in six months, please stay as far away from me as possible!”
“Susan, at least just give me another chance to make it up to you. Let’s just work this out together and I promise that-“
“Stephen, I’m tired of your promises, get up and leave jawe! Leave or kai kurma ne? (are you deaf?!)” She angrily said. She was highly irritated now and just wanted him gone. When Stephen still remained on his knees begging her, she suddenly shoved him and he fell back on the ground. “Leave!” She ordered, pointing at the gate as he tried to get up, but she shoved him again and he staggered backward but quickly regained his stamina. In order to humiliate him further and send him on his way faster, she suddenly rushed to the gate keeper, snatched the water hose from him and immediately unleashed streams of water on Stephen, wetting him from his head to his boots.
Stephen was shocked as he tried to block the harsh burst of water with a raised arm from hitting his face, but he was not as shocked as the gateman who gaped at him without a word as Susan continued to splash water on him, completely drenching his uniform. Soon, the Major emerged from the house and Susan suddenly dropped the hose on the ground and turned to smile sweetly at her superior lover.
“Baby!” She threw her arms around his neck, the tone of her voice suddenly turning pleasant. The man was shorter than she was and had several greying hair here and there but he still looked very healthy and strong.
“I decided to come see what’s taking you so long since you left me watching the TV alone.” He said as she leaned down and kissed him on the lips.
“I was just handling a pest problem.” She said, throwing a scornful look Stephen’s way.
“And who’s is this?” The Major turned his attention to Stephen now who had to quickly stand at attention in his wet uniform and salute the Major, while water ran down his face and dripped off his chin to add more wetness to his uniform.
“At ease Lieutenant!” The Major said and took several steps towards Stephen now with his hands behind him. After giving Stephen a thorough look from head to boot, he turned his head to look at Susan and asked again. “Who’s he and why is he wet?”
“Oh…” Susan gave a nervous smile now as she approached to place an arm around the Major’s shoulder. “He’s my cousin, baby. He was just delivering a message from my uncle.”
“And why is he wet?”
“It’s Mutiu, he kinda lost his hold on the hose I guess.” She said and the gate keeper who was standing behind them instantly placed his hands on his head in apprehension.
“I see…” The Major was skeptical but he turned partially to scold the gate keeper. “Mutiu, you don’t make such careless mistakes next time. This man represents the Nigeria army and should be shown his due respect. Careless acts like this could cost you your life!”
“I’m sorry sir! Sorry sir!” The gate keeper quickly began to apologize in apprehension for what he did not do. “it’s a mistake sir! Very sorry, sir!”
“We will discuss this later.” The Major said to the gatekeeper then turned to Stephen. “At ease, soldier.”
Stephen dropped his hand and relaxed a little now, glancing down at his soaked self. “Permission to take my leave, sir.”
“Yes dear, he was just taking his leave!” Susan quickly chipped in.
“Permission granted.” Major Ali hesitantly granted and Stephen saluted once again.
As he turned and started to walk out of the compound, Susan quickly said aloud: “Say me well to uncle, tell him I’ll visit when I can.”
To play along, Stephen simply nodded as he glanced at the major before walking through the gate. He felt humiliated but there was nothing he could do, after all, he had brought this upon himself. Thankful that he had come in his car, he got into it and began to drive away from the Major’s house, winding the window down so that the breeze and mild sun could partially dry him up before he got home.
★★★
As the days passed, Stephen became depressed. He had moved back to his apartment in the barracks in order to isolate himself from friends and family. He hardly stepped out of his apartment and all he did was drink and mope over his heartbreak and last humiliation. He still refused to take any calls from his family who were very worried and concerned about his well being. Only Jerry and Rufus occasionally came to check up on him but he made them leave immediately since he wanted to be alone.
As the days continued to slowly tick by, he realised how still very into Susan he was and how empty he was without her. Much to his chagrin, he even realised that despite how she had treated him at the Major’s house, he still wanted her so bad. He was just not ready to accept the reality that she was indeed done with him. Each time his phone rang, he would scramble to pick it, with the hope that she was the one calling, but he always ended up disappointed. But as more days passed and became weeks, it became very obvious that Susan didn’t care about him anymore and was not even hurting like he was, and even though he was still willing to forgive and take her back so that they could start afresh again, he decided to gather everything that reminded him of her and lock inside of the two rooms in his apartment.
After confining himself to his apartment for three more weeks without stepping out, one night, Stephen decided that he had had enough and was ready to go out there and have some fun if that would help him forget about Susan faster! So, he shaved the stubble that had grown over the weeks and also cleaned up real good. Putting on a clean shirt on a pair of jeans, he left his apartment without bothering to take his car.
His intention was to fully experience life as a civilian; so he decided to drop everything connecting him to the military for just that night for he didn’t want to be a second Lieutenant but just Stephen Michaels. As he walked from his apartment towards the gate of the barracks, the three soldiers on duty at the gate immediately got up and saluted him out of respect but he nonchalantly acknowledged them by lifting his hand and telling them to be at ease and they simply sat down and continued chatting with one another after he walked past them.
Stephen walked down the road, making sure he walked far away from the barrack before he finally hailed a cab. When he slid into the backseat of the cab, the driver who seemed to be in his early fifties stared at him through the rearview mirror with a straight face and asked:
“Where to?”
“I don’t know…” Stephen exhaled as he glanced outside the car through the window on his left. “I don’t particularly have anywhere in mind, but just take me to wherever the groove is in town. I want the place that’s in vogue to be precise.”
“Okay… I go take you go the latest strip club for town, but your money na one thousand naira o.” The driver replied, deliberately charging him higher since he was of the notion that men who go to clubs in order to go lavish their money on hoes definitely had enough to go round and according to him, he also concluded that Stephen was probably new in town since he didn’t even know the happening places in Kaduna.
Even though Stephen knew that the man was exorbitantly charging him because he had taken him for a novice who was new in town, he was willing to pay. He however knew that if the driver knew that he was a soldier, he would have charged him less than three hundred naira because it was no use that most civilians feared and respected the army.
“Fine, I’ll pay.” Stephen simply said, eager to be in a crowdy place were all the fun was. “Drive.” He subtly ordered and the driver obeyed and started the drive into town while Stephen began to contemplate whether to bring a woman home with him for the night or not.
To be continued…
© Angela Okoduwa
