“What’s wrong with soldiers generally?”, she thought.


“Don’t they for heaven’s sake ever learned common sense and emotional intelligence to know the feelings of others and when to talk about sensitive issues and when not to! To them anything that erupts from their stomach they let it out, without tact, or considerations whether it’ll be hurting to anyone or group of people or not”, she thought.


“Excuse me Mr. President; can I have a word with Maimuna alone?”, the Captain requested of Shehu, who looked from Maimuna to the soldier, seeking for the slightest encouragement from Maimuna for him not to leave, before reluctantly easing off from them with a considerable amount of will power, after she assured him she’ll be fine with a nod of her head.
He knew that the soldier, whom he had already settled in his heart that he doesn’t like for no reason had said something grievous to Maimuna for her to react so angrily when he caught her, and he’s determined to protect her against whoever.


“He’s going to leave for the moment, he told himself because she indicated so with a nod of her head, but he’s not going to be far away”, he resolved, as he went to locate Ajara, who was already engrossed in a discussion with the visiting President, and her other entourage.
While they remained quiet for Shehu to leave, Maimuna was grateful that at least his senses would instruct him this time around to be civil, not displaying the typical arrogance and bullying nature synonymous to soldiers, as they’ll mostly would set aside civilizations and violet the rights of citizens, yet insisting everyone at all time should accord them maximum respect, even to the point of cursing and sometimes physically abusing people if things doesn’t go their way.
After Shehu’d gone, he decided to douse the tension a little.


“Sorry for the stupid questions I asked earlier, just that I was in a hurry to know everything about you like before. I’ve been longing to see you again since the last time you came to collect the letter from the old man”, he explained.
“Have you gone to see the soldier?”, he esquired.
“What’re you doing here?”, she asked, with a fake smile on her lips, not minding his explanation, apology and question.
“I got a signal this morning, and took the military chopper to Dodan barrack for a briefing summon, and the outcome of that briefing and further directives is what am doing here”, he explained with an opening of both hands.


“Did the briefing and onward directive entails turning up on me unexpectedly and making inquiries about my personal life?”, she demanded, cocking her head one sided with a mischievous smile that’s intended to soften the punch line.


“I’m sorry about the inquiries again, I thought for old time sake, we could talk without boundaries”, he pointed out.


She remembered vividly well how she had come so close to letting down her guard for the young, newly commissioned officer four years ago, when she used to visit her father’s office during the holidays. She had found him so young, cute and tender that she had begun to tell herself that he wasn’t more than her age. She was only fourteen years old then, and had just sat for the Junior West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination, as they call it and was waiting for the result in order to commence her Senior high school. The young officer also had found it pleasant and looking unto sharing part of his break time with the smart, and intelligent instructor’s daughter, who was pleasant, lovely to be with, with a crystal heart for kindness and hospitality. And they’d enjoyed each other’s company and talked about virtually everything, that any day she didn’t turn up he’ll feel as if something was missing, or wrong with those days, and fear that she might never come again. Despite the assurances that she usually go for her dancing class in those days she’d not turned up, he still felt the days not complete without her. He had wished he could reinvent himself and become a younger boy and her friend, or even become a girl and attend the same school with her so that he could really get to share a lot with the irresistible magnetic magical girl.


One day her father’d brought her to the office, only to later remember that she was supposed to be having her dancing class that day and ended up pleading with the young officer to help escort the driver to drop her in her dance class. He’d considered himself lucky that day, and that day’ll be a day he’ll never forget in a hurry. In fact he could still remember promising he would come for her when she’s grown up and ready, a promised he still wishes she’s still up to.
He still can remember well what went down that day. He’d ordered the L/CPL driver to drop them in a spot at Adeola Odeku, where they could have a drink, and there they’d spoken about love, sex and every other thing. He had asked her if she had ever had sex, and she’d replied no, and they had just restrained themselves to holding hands and a onetime kiss before finally dropping her off at her dancing school at Falamo. That was the last time he’d seen her until her arrival to study and hide in this town for whatever reason, as he has come to conclude about her appearance here in Maiduguri. He also can remember how he had felt very bad and thought she’d told her parents about what they’d discussed and did, thus the reason she was restrained from coming to their office anymore. Sometimes the feelings of irresponsibility, and failing to uphold the trust and confidence his instructor had reposed on him still weighs him down, despite the fact that the instructor had continued to relate with him normally, suggesting nothing of his fears. Her absence was just something he’d had to find an extra strength to cope with. He never believed he could love a minor that much, though, the guilt for that too sometimes come rearing its ugly head at him sometimes.


“Do you really want to know why am here?”, he asked.
“If you wish to tell”, she replied.
“Alright, there’s an intelligent report that some extremists have instigated the locals to protest the visit of the US Women and Gender equality President. And they are targeting some local organisers as we’re told and that means your fancy little friends over there are targets”, he explained, turning toward Shehu, whose eyes never quite left him and the woman he so love a second.


“They’re planning attack on your school”, he revealed.
“What?”, she asked in fear, turning to look at Shehu, who was still discussing with the visiting President, and equally at the same time turning toward her every now and then, as their eyes locked from the distance at that moment.


“Now listen, I really need to talk to you, but I’ve got this to do”, moving swiftly, he picked a tea spoon and hit it on the tea cup he was holding, to get every body’s attention.
Having certified that he has arrested the attention of everyone and everyone was seated, he moved forward to where the table was and picked the remote control and began.
“Madam President, when we leave this office, here”, he pointed it out on the slide.


“The press would be all over you like these”, he pointed again on another slide.
“We want you to smile, shake hands with the elderly lady in the purple dress here if you must shake hands. You’ll see a woman with her two daughters at the hall’s entrance, you can share banters for your media pose. We figure these things make a lot whole of difference for you Americans, I mean the press, the camera, the….”, he explained, hurting the American visitor a little, as he continued.
“There he goes again, the demonic instinct of a soldier who thinks they know everyone’s motives. Does he really need to bring that up now?”, Maimuna thought.
“With these illustrations, I believe we’ll have a safe event and everybody’ll be happy at the end?”, he concluded

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