“…After the evening parade that day, we were thoroughly exhausted. First, we were on a 2 day journey to Gombe, and without rest, we entered Camp and then had to march for over an hour.
Mma and I went to mammy market to eat after the parade. We just couldn’t cope with eating the camp food just yet.
The food was costly, like thrice the Normal market price in the East. We didn’t mind that much.
All the while, I couldn’t take my eyes off Mma’s body. She would catch me staring at her occasionally and just smile.
The food seller, a very jovial middle-aged women, her hijab showed she was Muslim and her high pitched tone removed all doubts that she was Yoruba.
She overheard us complaining bitterly about how exhausted we are and how we would like to avoid parades going forward. She suggested that we join either the kitchen, OBS or red cross. That they’re the only ones exempted from parades.
I asked her what OBS means and she said she doesn’t know but it’s people that carry news broadcast on radio for the camp.
That sounded like a good idea. We asked for directions to the OBS stand and went there.
The Lanky looking young man sitting in front of the 4 room building boldly written ORIENTATION BROADCASTING SERVICE, asked us where we were going.
We told him that we wanted to join OBS. He looked at me from hair to toe as if he intended to detect something, then shifted his gaze to Mma’s body.
He then hissed and told us that they’re through with admitting people and can’t take in more people. We chorused “Okay Sir” and turned to go, then the young man whom we would later find out was Gbenga, asked out loudly, “What is your name?”
I turned first and said “my name is Duke”. “Not you, her”, Gbenga retorted, pointing at Mma.
“Chidimma sir”, mma answer, slightly bending her knees in the process, to show respect there by exposing her cleavages clearly.
It took Gbenga almost 20 seconds of staring before he said, “you can go in and write your name, then come back tomorrow for interview”.
“What about me Sir?” I asked. After making it look like he was contemplating something, he said, “Not yet. Come back tomorrow, if there’s still space, maybe we can consider you”.
I stood there like a sheep without a shepherd, waiting for Mma to come out, and thinking of the next line of action since I already decoded Gbenga’s plans.
When Mma came out, she said thank you sir to Gbenga, and then I had to make sure I put my arms round her waist as we were Leaving, to send a signal.
When we got to the point where we were to go our separate ways, Mma looked at me and said, “Duke, why don’t you want to take what you obviously want, or you are waiting for another person to take it away from you?”
I asked her what she was talking about. “You want to pretend like you don’t want to date me?” She replied, looking at me directly eyeball to eyeball.
At that point, I started to stammer. “Oh come off it, you think I didn’t notice how you wanted to tear all my clothes off with your eyes the moment I entered that bus and how you were tapping current from all angles althrough the journey?” She said smiling in a very mischievous manner.
Before anymore words could come out from my mouth, our lips were locked. I nearly forgot myself, then he patted me gently on the back and reminded me that we were in the public.
We both smiled and headed back to our individual hostels. That night we chatted on WhatsApp until 2:00am.
I couldn’t believe I was feeling this way again since Amaka left me for Ejike. While the moment was great, I couldn’t help wondering at what point this one will also leave…
DUKE THE NIGERIAN
(SERVING MY FATHERLAND, Season 4; Episode 8) was brought to you by Ugwuagbo Emmanuel Chizoba Daniel (Zoba De Great)
"…After the evening parade that day, we were thoroughly exhausted. First, we were on a 2 day journey to Gombe, and without rest, we entered Camp and then had to march for over an hour.
Mma and I went to mammy market to eat after the parade. We just couldn't cope with eating… pic.twitter.com/QXW3gNbWri
— Zoba De Great (@ZOBADEGREAT) November 4, 2023