HIM

Fight it as I tried I soon realized that she was something special and that I was hopelessly and helplessly in love. From watching her sleep only the way babies and the innocent can, to the way she wrinkled her nose in feigned alarm when either the cold fingers of the shower stroked her ebony back or I bit down on a protruding nipple - she had me in the palm of her hand.

The tail was now wagging the dog.

Way before my long awaited contact had texted in the coordinates to the scheduled drop I knew that this was going to be my last assignment and that I was going to ask her to marry me. I would come clean and tell her what I had been doing and how she had changed me. I would get a regular job, return to broadcasting, and teach - whatever. She would love Dubai and for all I cared didn’t need to lift a finger in work again. We would grow fat and old together and have more children than the week has days.

I knew she loved me. After all I had caught repeatedly and without her knowing looking at me with that long lost stare (we men know so well) through those brown doe like eyes……often sighing and then shaking her head as if in despair.

Yes Madam was in love too.

Her sister in Port Harcourt was finally getting better and she had begged to go and visit her just to make sure that everything was set in place for a speedy recuperation. When she requested that I accompany her I feigned a summer cold and promise that by the time she was back, not only would I have gotten rid off it …but that I would have surprise for her. Well make that 2. In addition to the sparkling diamond ring on Page 47 in the Tiffany catalogue she would also be getting the matching Rolex on page 95. She would be gone for 3 whole days and that would give me enough time to accomplish my mission and tie up all loose ends.

HER

Slowly the equation started to make sense as I put 2 and 2 together. Meaning? That way before my Uncle’s sad voice pierced through the veil of pain that now suffocated my very being I knew that my affair with him was over.

“You never sleep with the enemy Ngozi and if you do you lock your heart”

My eyes grew heavy trying to hold back hot tears ready to burst free and the pain around my heart was becoming almost too much to bear. It was as if it was ensnared in a lasso of thorns which was now being pulled close with wickedness and vice like force.

For a moment I was transformed back to being the little girl in his arms again as the sobs racked my body in convulsion after convulsion. Finally it was the baritone of his voice that brought me back to reality. “Ngozi we need to stop the sale of those weapons or the South will explode into a full scale blood bath, both for our troops and for the civilians. West Africa just can afford another Rwanda or Darfur right now…We need to do the right thing”.

And with that he kissed me on the head and left the room carrying as much of my pain as he could..

Less then 3 hours later I was looking down on the organized confusion that was sprawling South Eastern Nigeria as the Super Puma Chopper sped towards the border of Western Cameroun where the GPRS needle in one of the 10$ notes she had given him weeks ago had helped locate the Rebel camp hours before. The shock troops with me were from the recently created elite “Agbisi” or SOLDJA ANT and consisting of the crème de la crème from both Air, Land and Sea Forces. They looked almost identical with their shaved heads buff bodies and Kevlar vests as they checked and rechecked their Heckler and .Koch’s.

HIM

The dogs were the first to hear the unique “whup whup” egg beater sound of the blades slicing through the sticky evening air and barked in alarm. I jumped from underneath the mosquito net and untangled myself from the gapped toothed beauty from “Yaoundé” who had just started a blow job softer than being stroked with a thousand weaver bird feathers. I tucked myself erect self in and started for the mangrove ponds behind the camps just as they came into sight like huge dragonflies spitting fire.

Their bursts were well short precise and efficient just like something out of “Apocalypse Now” and the rebels were mowed down like ripe fruit if they didn’t react quickly enough by scattering into the bush and relative safety of the jungle.

Then right in front of me one of the Choppers’s descended blocking the trail almost standing on its tail - again implying excellent flying - while exposing its belly and what had to be the Mother of all gun muzzles. The wind suppressed wind cloud agitated a stagnant pool of water close by and a cloud of angry mosquitoes rushed up filling my eyes mouth and ears by the million - instantly blinding me.

I staggered forward….blinking furiously and then my feet were peddling in the air as I commenced a free fall eyes still searing from the mass of agitated insects. I fell into a pit of slimy water with a soft thud and the gaseous bubbles released smelled just like week old urine. I gulped for air and the water tasted just as foul and then I saw them descend from the aircraft like silent Ninjas.

They were 4 and initially spread out in the classic phalanx made famous thousand of years ago by Roman Legionnaires as they conquered the world. 2 suddenly veered off forming a protective wall behind the others, their shaved heads gleaming now in the pale moon that shone its spotlight on the unfolding below. I noticed that the one in front wore a head tie and was walking on the balls of his feet. Something about him was suddenly very familiar. And then I picked up on the slight sway of the chest. Even if I had one eye poked out and the other blind folded I would have recognized those “Papaya” like breasts. I raised my hand and croaked a feeble cry…. “Ngo…..”

She shot me with a raking like arc burst straight out of Sandhurst manual….and all of a sudden my chest felt like an Elephant had sat on it and it had imploded. The pain came in a kaleidoscope of red and orange waves and I could taste the metallic iron taste of blood in my mouth, as well as the amplified smell of cordite and sulfur in the air. I looked down and saw the tell tale sign of a “lung shot” as air bubbles seeped out of my chest wounds attracting a new cloud of insects now homing in on the fresh puddle of Premium Group AB Blood.

And then it was bright and very quiet.

HER

We came in from behind the camp hoping the echo off the water would confuse their guards and any dogs that they may have. It was a brilliant idea because we virtually raked the camp twice with gun fire before they really woke up and understood what was happening. The GPRS homer grew louder and louder as we approached what looked like the largest of the tents and I saw him spill out of the back door like Edwin Moses…..clearing the bamboo fence with an amazing hurdle.

Musa our veteran Hausa Pilot munching on his usual wad of Bazooka Joe inverted the helicopter my manipulating both rudder and blades above and brought it within spitting distance of the running figure below…. just moments before he seemed to be gobbled up by the ground itself..

Within minutes “Alpha” team was on the ground securing the perimeter and allowing me and Nnamdi to advance towards the struggling figure in the marsh. We followed the trail of Golden coins which had obviously spilled from the purse that he normally wore around his stomach like a market woman. From the Springbuck Antelope on one of them I knew they were Krugers. Our eyes locked and for a moment I believed he must have recognized me, because he seemed to reach for me and say something. A huge cloud of insects rose as he struggled to get to his feet and that’s when I ended it. My HP responded to the ever so slight depression of my finger on trigger and coughed angrily.

He rose once and the slipped back under the murky waters a crimson stain spreading around him becoming more pronounced by the minute. As I reached for the necklace he had last bought me and tore it off my neck, I felt empty and void of all emotion. Even when Nnamdi showed me the retrieved sack of coins I felt nothing. On the flight home the tears finally came…in sniffles at first and then in a full torrent that would have shamed any monsoon.

It was now morning and raining in Abuja as we hovered for a landing. Through the blue sky a rainbow had appeared adding to the drama of the moment. Below I saw the regal figure of my Uncle and even from here his smile was infectious and reassuring. I had a funny feeling that all would be well again and suddenly look forward to my next assignment....amd maybe love.

Robot  Villager

# 1 var sbtitle9115=encodeURIComponent(419 Love - ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 03.01.2008 18:48

mulan  Villager

# 2 Hmmm...nice plot, good use of suspense, fresh story line and a nice departure from those who prefer to eat the food before it is served. But a bit jumbled and would have been better in 2 parts IMHO. Now as a diehard romantic, I would have asked, "couldn't it have worked out better?" But the stupid man spoilt it himself, I would have done the same as NG but for a different reason. But she didn't know, did she? BTW, seems you fell into the mould of most male writers (like in Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Are women so heartless? Hmmm... Posted by mulan| 12.01.2008 12:57

Oyinbo  JJC

# 3 Suya, this piece is awesome! Very good story line. I only wish say our SSS fit dey this sleek !!! Posted by Oyinbo| 10.05.2008 11:20