Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Lieutenant General Nasir Akeebilahi sat up from the bed, fagged out. He took a cigarette and lighter which were beside the bed. A stir from the bed made him turned. “Nasir, you are awake? The figure on the bed asked sleepily, stretching, luxuriously at the same time. He lit the cigarette and puffed it expertly, watching the trail of smoke as it disappeared into the air. “You know I don’t like perceiving cigarette fumes; I told you I want to quit smoking.” She complained lovingly,

“I can’t help it, sweetheart, especially with the way you fag me out; I have to regain my strength back.” He said huskily, the cigarette clamped between his teeth. She withdrew the white blanket from her body and got out of the big bed, stark naked. She displayed herself confidently, enjoying the effect she was having on the fifty-four years old General who feasted on her form lustfully and instantly made to grabbed her, but she tactically slipped out of his grasp and walked provocatively towards the toilet. “I have to visit the loo.” She intoned with a mischievous smile on her face.

“This girl is beautiful!” Lt Gen Nasir pondered thoughtfully; his mouth hung open. “She has the most supple and smooth body I have ever set my eyes on, and I have set my eyes on many, name them; different ages from different background and of different sizes.” He pondered thoughtfully, “I can’t seem to have enough of her.” He stubbed out the cigarette on the ashtray and lay on the bed, waiting for her arrival. She came out of the toilet looking refreshed and radiant. She walked towards the window and drew the curtain apart, making the morning sunlight streamed in. “Come on, Aliena, join me on the bed!” Lt Gen Nasir invited eagerly. “Drawback that curtain. Will you?” He added.

She stood for some seconds, staring out of the window into the backyard of the Lt. Gen’s private guest house. She could see the orchard with its wide variety of well-tended fruit trees. At one side was a cemented enclosure which was partitioned into four compartments, equipped with modern and effective equipment for livestock. She could see some of the staff already busied attending to the domestic animals. The sound of the Lt Gen’s mobile phone made her draw back the curtain and turned towards the bed. “Good morning, your excellency,” She heard the General said into the mouthpiece and she immediately guessed who was on the line. The discussion was very brief, and it ended with the General promising to be at the Presidential Mansion in the next one and half hours. She went and sat on the bed. “We have a meeting in two hours.” He announced as he made to leave the bed; his longings forgotten. “We have to arrange to meet another day.” He noticed she was apprehensive about something. “Don’t worry, my sweetheart, I know it's long we have been together, but you know how it is with state matters, trust me, I will create time for us.” He said soothingly.

She nodded her head. “It is not about that, Nasir.”

“What is it about then? He wrapped his hands around her naked shoulders.

“Do you love me, Nasir?” She asked, evading his question. She dropped her forehead on his chest which made her feel his rapid breathing.

“Do I love you?” He echoed the question in his mind. “What kind of dumb question is that?” he stroked her long curly hair lovingly. “How could I love you, Aliena? You are just twenty-one years old, barely out of the University. I am fifty-four years old General with family, and a friend of your father for that matter, not just your father but the most powerful man in the Federation of Mpoto.” He pondered thoughtfully. He looked down and saw the glint of tears in her eyes and decided this is a delicate situation that needed to be handled tactically. “I love you, Aliena, but you know the situation of things, if your father should find out about us, it will be disastrous. I’m a member of his cabinet and above all, I’m married.”

She lifted her face to glare at him. “Nasir, how could you tell me to my face that you are married?”

“Don’t get worked up now, Aliena.” He admonished, “I’m sorry for what I said…”

“For your information, I’m pregnant for you,” She hastily interrupted him and stared squarely at him, waiting for his reaction.

“What did you say?” His mouth hung open in astonishment. She didn’t answer but instead took a cigarette and the lighter which was on the bedside cabinet and began to smoke.

“You can’t be serious about this. Can you?” he suddenly began to sweat profusely as the air-conditioned room began to feel uncomfortable for him.

“I have never been more serious about anything in my life.”

“Do you want to destroy my life?” The General retorted as he tried very hard to curtail his rising temper. He couldn’t believe a girl of twenty-one could make that kind of silly mistake especially a so-called sophisticated girl for that matter unless it was deliberate which cannot be ruled out but for what motive? Certainly not for poverty, if it was out of desperation, desperation for what? He wasn’t a young man; in fact, his first child was older than her. “We must find a solution to this fast!” He glared at her. “Your father is the President of this country; he will kill me if he gets to hear about it.”

“Have I informed you I want to keep the baby? Let us put heads together and plan what to do. As you might be aware, I can’t leave the country now because my father has seized all my travelling documents.”

ΩΩ

He stood up and began to pace the length and breadth of the spacious luxury bedroom, worried and deep in thought. His mind began to stray from how it all started. As a young graduate, he had always wanted to join the military, but his father would hear nothing of it. “Nasir, your obsession with the military does not have my support; you will work in the civil service and settle down like a normal human being.” His father, Alhaji Akeebilahi told him when he pleaded with him to talk to his bosom friend, Colonel Abdul to help with his enlistment. “Dad, this profession is normal, by Allah, please; do not deny me this opportunity to follow my passion. One thing I believe is that every profession has its element of risk.”

His mother Hajia Akeebilahi who was in support of his ambition also appealed to her husband who promised to think about it but on one condition. “What is the condition, my husband?”

“Nasir is our only male child, isn’t it?” He asked,

“Yes, my husband.”

“He must get married after his training in the military school.”

“Is that all, my husband?” Hajia asked with a sigh of relief.

“That is all…”

“I’m in full support, my husband and I will inform him immediately.”

Colonel Abdul was able to help him get enlisted into the Mpoto Army and he went to the Military Training School and performed brilliantly to the admiration of his parents. He was given several awards because he distinguished himself at the MTS and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. A few months after his commission, his parents called him and informed him that arrangements have been made for him to marry Colonel Abdul’s daughter, Asiya.

“Dad, we didn’t discuss it like this…” he said with an astonishment which made one of his eyebrows tilted upward. “I don’t know Uncle Abdul’s daughter and I don’t want to know her, let me make my own choice.”

“You better shut that your ungrateful mouth up!” His father retorted. His anger was obvious. “It was the Colonel who requested it and your mother, and I deliberated over it. We agreed it was a good suggestion because the Colonel and I have been friends for many years so we agreed the union of our children will cement our friendship. My son, you don’t have a choice in this matter.” His father said with a note of finality and hastily added, “Look at it this way, as an in-law to the Colonel; it will be very easy for you to rise to the top quickly in the military.”

“Do not say that!” he cautioned his father. “The military is a disciplined force, so godfather syndrome does not apply there.”

His father eyed him with scorn, “Who gave you that impression? You are a child of yesterday, Nasir, at least I have been around for some time to know what goes on around here. If it was so easy, why didn’t you secure the enlistment based on your merit?”

Nasir sat on the nearest sofa and stared at his hands for a long time watching the tremor in them. He swallowed hard as realization dawned on him. He was hooked, if he didn’t marry the girl, he would be frustrated in the military, and he might even be showed the way out fast. Colonel Abdul was the Public Relations Officer of the Directorate of Military Intelligence; he was indeed a big shot. “How will I break the news to Ramat?” He wondered as his mind reflected on how he finally made her accept his proposal. Ramat was a nurse at the General Hospital in Gidin. Nasir had been trying to woo her for a long time, but she refused him on the ground that she wasn’t interested. “I don’t see any sign of seriousness in you.” She told him one evening when he went to visit her at her place of work. “How will you see any sign of seriousness in me when you refused to give me a chance to prove myself? I love you, Ramat, and I want nothing but a serious relationship from you.” She was silent as she packed her things to close for the day. The nurse who was to take over from her had already resumed, so they left the hospital premises together. “Let just be friends for now.” She voiced out when they reached the parking lot. “We have been neighbours right from our childhood days. I have never seen you as a suitor even though you do call me your wife, but I forgot all about that when we packed from the neighbourhood; now we are full-grown adults, we need to think before we leap, please oblige me this and don’t pursue this matter any further.”

He inhaled deeply and braced up with a wan smile. “Can I drive you home?” He asked and not waiting for her response opened the side door for her before he got in and expertly drove the Nissan Tiida one point eight series out of the hospital premises. The car had been a gift from his father when he graduated from the Military Training School with outstanding honours.

It was a busy evening on the road because most workers have closed from work and were rushing home, so Nasir’s concentration was on the road which made conversation a bit impossible. After about fifteen minutes of driving on the main road, he trafficked and turned into a narrow dirt road. After passing four houses, he pulled up in front of the fifth house. “I will like you to wait for dinner.” She requested with a smile, “Please, don’t say no; remember, we are friends?”

He was tongue-tied, “It is an honour,” He muttered,

“Thank you,” she said and alighted while he reversed the car for the run back before he went inside to join her. He quickly took in her well portable living room, well rugged, comfortably furnished with good upholstery, a television set, and a stereo radio. “It has the feminine touch.” He concluded as he sat down while she went inside to change before entering the kitchen. He switched on the television and relaxed while she served him a bottle of malt drink. She sat opposite him. “What about your elder brother? I have not heard from him in a long time?” He asked, admiring her in the short knickers and a polo shirt.

“Oh! Do you mean Musiliu? He works with a Non-Governmental Organization in Gadan; he was here last month.”

“That is nice to hear,” He answered and sipped his drink.

“Are you aware that I don’t know what you do for a living?” She asked him.

“You told me you saw my sister the other time, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I saw her, but we didn’t discuss you, I only asked her how everybody was.” She argued.

He spluttered with laughter and was about to respond when four huge men burst into the room. “Freeze!” The one who appeared to be the leader shouted. “This place is surrounded; if you try anything funny; consider yourself a ‘past tense!”

Ramat went flat on her tummy while Nasir sat still, his hands up in the air. He observed that only two of the men held a sub-machine gun and from the way they brandished it, they weren’t experienced marksmen.

The leader came towards him and slapped him on the cheek before going over to Ramat, “We knew you collected forty thousand dollars from the bank this morning,” he held her by the arm. “If you don’t want me to debase your womanhood before this imposter before you, kindly tell me where you kept it?”

“I…I… di…didn’t…col…colle…. collect any money!” she stammered agitatedly.

He punched her in the mouth, and she fell onto the rug and by the time she stood up again her mouth was filled with blood. “Don’t waste my time, lady!” He barked and turned to two of his members. “Ransack everywhere! It is a small house!” They swung into action. One of the men handed over his gun to the leader who carelessly hung it on his shoulder and bent over Ramat. “If you don’t cooperate, I will make sure you regret ever coming to this world!” The remaining man who covered Nasir with his gun wasn’t concentrating as his attention was fixed on Ramat and the leader. Nasir saw the opportunity and quickly seize it as he grabbed hold of the man’s wrist with his left hand and drove his right fist into his face. He smartly retrieved the gun from his hand, cocked it, and shot the leader in the thigh before turning to the man who was yet to recover from the blow and fire a shot at him in the arm. Ramat quickly went over to the leader who was groaning in pain and took his gun from him while Nasir rushed into the bedroom to tackle the remaining two, who were already confused by the sound of the gunshots.

The first man he met got a bang on the side of his head that sent bright lights swimming before his eyes while the other ran into the toilet and locked himself up. The man keeping surveillance outside ran away.

Nasir quickly put a call through to the Divisional Police Headquarters who responded immediately. They handcuffed the hoodlums and took them away while he took Ramat to the hospital. That marked the beginning of their relationship; after she was discharged from the hospital, he got her another accommodation in a secured area of the town. The problem then was how to break the news of his predicament to her but somehow, she got wind of his engagement to Asiya and disappeared without leaving a trace.

Asiya was a contrast to Ramat; hot-tempered, ill-mannered, and above all not romantic. The marriage was a failure right from inception. “Listen, Nasir, I know you don’t love me, if not for your parents, you won’t have married me,” Asiya said one night, after quarrelling over the poor meal she prepared. “Thanks to Allah you know that.” He snapped.

“I don’t love you either and I won’t have married you if not for my father. Please, you are free to catch your fun elsewhere, I’m not stopping you, just don’t pour all your frustrations on me.” She blurted out and stormed into the bedroom. That was the genesis of his extramarital affairs over the years. Asiya got worse, when she got pregnant with their first issue, he was sent on a peace-keeping mission to another country. He was away for two years and upon his return, the situation remained the same. After their fourth child, he stopped sleeping with her. She was contented with taking care of the children but for most of the domestic work in the house, he had to hire domestic servants.

“Aliena, there would be a solution.” He announced, bracing up from his inner deliberations. “There better be!” She said as she took a last puff at the cigarette and dumped the butt in the tray. “I will call you on a secured line tonight.” He informed her. “Right now, we have to get dressed and go on our separate ways.” He went into the bathroom while she picked up the telephone and ordered tea. While she waited for it to be delivered; she sat down with a relaxed indulgence as if she did not hear what he said.