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Infinite Love 135

It had been so long since she had been fighting against her father’s influence in her life. Even after almost abandoning her,

Mama and her sisters all because they were of the same gender, she couldn’t believe he

still had the gumptioon to march into their lives and make demands.

So many times she tried to challenge this institutional acceptance
of any kind of misbehaviour by the patriachy but her society had little attention
for women challenging the ways of men. Her place was still to be obedient and
conform to acceptable social norm well to blazes with that. She didn’t come all
this far on her own only to be kept under another man’s control. She got her
independence when her father threw them out and she was going to keep it no
matter what.

She had been avoiding marriage so many times by way of education. She was
always in one college or the other studying and now that it seems that no
longer works. She was going to have to take the only available option. But
first she needed the support of the only real father figure in her life to pull
it off.

“Zarah? This is iinsane! I can’t get you into flight school,
easily and in secret for that matter. Whenever it comes to the issue of
education I have resources yes and your impeccable grades also help speed things
along but...this is just crazy. I can...i can’t do it, wallahi!” Her maternal
uncle who had always been her pillar of support said.

“Mallam Idris. Can’t or won’t?”

“Anyone you chose o, my dear. I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? Don’t you realise what is at stake here? It
is my life we are talking about?”

“Yes but Haba! Zarah, running away from home to flight
school because of marriage? You are smarter than this now. Doesn’t it sound
crazy to you yourself? What will I tell your mother my sister when she comes
around, ehn? Do you have any idea if she will ever forgive me for doing such a
thing to her? Her daughter wants to run away and I allowed it. What kind of
irresponsibility will that be? And do you even know what goes on in flight
school? I hear their training is quite rigorous, physically and not just all
that comfortable reading that you do at home in your bed. You will be there all
through doing flight drills and sometimes i hear they do extensive physical
trainings in your moutains in the old days. Thank God they no longer do that anymore. But Zarah still it
is not a good idea.”

“Then what is, abu sumayya? What other do i have? Do you
also want me to sit down and be quiet while abu Zainab marries me off to some man
that I barely even know or want to marry?”

“Zarah...have you even met the guy? What if you meet him and
you like him?”

“I don’t like men!” she said matter-of-factly and he laughed
before she remembered Isah and retractd "Well, maybe not...all”

“Hmmm? What dd you say?”

“Nothinig.” She dismissed the thought. There was no point in
that anymore. She liked him and maybe someday in the distant future she could
consider a life with him in it. But she didn’t know if he even liked her too.
And now that her father already had someone else in minid for hier, that
thought was no longer possible.

“If my father chose this man by himself then I promise you,
I will not like him. So, you have to help me.”

“But what did your mother say to all this?”

“Nothing different. She says having children makes it all
worth it. But I don’t want to be married to some stranger who will put my
future on hold and expect to only be quiet, cook and clean.”

“Zarah...”

“You have to help me, uncle.”

“Zarah, I...”

You just have to.”

“Zarah...I can’t help you. Not this time. I’m sorry.”

She burst into tears. Her worst nightmare was coming true
and she was fast becoming unable to stop it. All her life, she feared ending up
like her mother. Completely dependent on her husband until he dismissed her for
a stupid archaic reasoon. She wanted her life to be under her conrol. To use
her own wits and skills to better herself continuously. To have a future with
more possibilities than only a wife and a mother. But now it was gone. She had
worked so hard for so lonog but now it was all gone.

“You have abandoned me too!” she cried aa she got up to
leave.”Just like mama.”

“Zarah, don’t say that please. I could never do that.”

“You were the onoe person who had always been there. No
matter what.”

“Zarah, please...sit down and hear me out.” But she was
beyond pacifyiing and went to the door.

“If you were always going to abandon me like this. Then you
should have jjust let me die in the hospital when I was a baby.”

“ZARAH!”

“Trust me. It will have been a lot less painful than this.”
And she used the door but he ran after her.

“ZARAH. WAIT!” he grabbed her and they both embraced tightly.

“Alright! Alright, my very stubbon, Zarah. I could never
refuse you even one time. Dont cry. Don’t cry.”

“Thank you.” She sobbed.

“Shh. It’s okay. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

...

She spent the next few weeks brooding over her plan. And with
every move that brought her closer to it, the more she worried. She had never been
away from her mom. Never. So, this was going to be a big change. But despite her
reservations she kept to it and to herself. When school resumed she shut herself
out from everyone and merely focused on her studies. Much to Isah's dismay.

Try as he might to engage with her, she would only shut him down.
Until he confronted her about it. He caught
up to her one day after class.

“Zarah. Salam alekum.” He said skipping to her side as she was
walking quite fast.

“Oh, waleikum salam Isah.”

“So...” He ran after her again because she didn't stop “...erm
are ...are excited about the project defense?”

“No. Not really. “

“But you worked so hard on it, aren't you even a little excited?”

“No, I'm not. It's just another thing to do that's all.”

“Oh I see. Maybe you're a little nervous then?”

“No...look, Isah. I really have to get home. I'm sorry.”

She said stopping him in his tracks. But he skipped ahead to
join her one last time.

“Erm...Zarah. Did I do something wrong? If I did something to
offend you...please just say so and I will apologise. In fact I will apologise right now. Zarah, I'm
sorry if I was in anyway disrespectful towards you.”

“Look!” she stopped finally “You have not done anything
wrong. In fact you have been a very admirable and helpful as a project partner which
I thought I would never say it's just ...” she paused.

“What it is, Zaran?”

“Look things are complicated in my life right now.”

“Well...maybe I can help you if you tell me what it is.”

She saw the honesty
in his eyes, the compassion and really did want to tell him. But she didn't want to seem weak
and lose face in front of him most especially and simply said...

“Look, don't worry about it okay? Forget I ever said anything.”
And she walked off again leaving him standing there.

“But..hey Zarah!”

It may be hard sometimes to love new characters when the old ones are still there. But me? I love Zarah. She may not be Angela but just give her a chance. You may come to like her too!

Anyways, like I said I already ended the story so you can read the rest on my blog. But still I will update it here too!

Infinite Love 134

They had been arguing for hours without end.

"Subhanallah! For Allah's sake please let's discuss this amicably without shoutin..."

"Then tell her to obey me! I am still her father! And she must listen to me!" Abu
Zainab said with much exasperation and perspiration on his head. Even his
native babariga attire the body lenght full robe was nearly soaken wet from the
effort of talking to Zarah. The sleepless night, worry and anxiety this girl
alone gave him alone was more than the stress from raising all of his eight
other children combined.




"Yes, Mama.
Baba is absolutely right! Zarah needs to get married and she must get
married." Ummu Hamza added.




"You stay
out of this, Zainab. Stay out of my life, do you hear me?"




"I will not.
I am your eldest sister and that means I am like a mother to you.!"

"I don't
need a mother like you who resembles a mortal enemy."

"What!
Auzubillahi minna shaytaani rojeem! Me!? Zarah?!"




"Hey, Ummu
Hamza. That is enough. Zarah, why are you being stubborn about this? Is it not
the natural next step of a woman to get married once she becomes of age? Don't
you want the happiness and security of a marriage? Who will take care of you
when your mother and I are gone? Be reasonable, please." Abu Zainab
reiterated.




"I can't get
married now, sir. I have my education to complete." she said with her jaw
clenched in defiance.




"What
education? I said what education is that again, Zarah?"




"My Masters
in Mechanical Engineering."




"Oh yes. I
know all about that. You are currently about to begin your final semester,
isn't that right? And after your project defense goes well, which it will
according to your record you will have completed your master's degree." he
said and she looked surprised.




"Don't be shocked my dear. I know everything about you and your education. Do you think I never noticed how hard you have tried to remain in school constantly? Taking all those short courses. And isn't this your second masters? I know you better than you think, which is why I know that your education will not be a problem. So now you can go ahead with the marriage plans that we have in place for you. Listen to me, Zarah. This boyis a very good boy. I know him very well..." he began but she stood up
again in defiance.

is a very good boy. I know him very well..." he began but she stood up
again in defiance.




"I don't
want to marry anyone right now. I have my PhD to begin soon after my masters
degree is completed."




"OH HO! What
did I tell you, Baba? That this girl will not listen. There is no point trying
to reason with her. I know her. She wants to keep reading books and studying
them until she is old, childless and alone till her death."




"Being alone
is not the end of the world, Zainab."

"ZARAH!"
her father lost his temper and rose up to her "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT
AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME? How can a woman live alone with no man, no children and
no one else around her but books? Is that a life? No listen to me. You will get
married to this young man that I have chosen for you. I am your father and my
order must be carried out!"




"But what
kind of a father, leaves his own daughter at infancy only to come and order her
around in her later years?" she spat venomously.




"Zarah!!"
her mother shrieked.




"ZARAH!"
her sister too.




"WHAT!?"
and in split second Abu Zainab struck her a lightning hot slap so furious that
she lost her balance and fell to the floor in tears.




"LAA ILAHA
ILLALLAHU!" her mother shrieked coming between her and her father
"DON'T YOU EVER LAY HANDS ON MY DAUGHTER AGAIN?"




"Oh but
Mama, she is his daughter too?"




"If I sand
you with the sole of my leather sandal, Zainab. Will you keep quiet!" she
said raising her slippers and Ummu Hamza became humbled in silence.




"Mariama,
how dare you come between me and my daughter?"




"Eh hen.
Don't you lay your hands on her again! I alone know all I had to go through
when I had her. So, please not another finger. Do you hear me?" and she
raised Zarah up from the floor wiped her tears and hugged her.




"Mama,
I..."




"Shh. It's
alright, my daughter. I know but just be quiet for once please." and she
hugged her tightly.




"Mariama,
will you stop me from getting her a life partner when you have had yours and
your own children? ANSWER ME!!!"




"I never
said that we will not get her married. I only said that you shouldn't..."




Zarah sprang
upright "Mama, even...you too!"




"Ay, my
daughter. Please take it easy. Marriage is not as bad as you are taking it.
Listen to me, when you start having your own children and holding them to your
breast, all the problems in the world will just disappear. Trust me. I am your
mother. I know."




But Zarah, was no
longer listening to her. Her tears started again and she began going to her
room with the rest calling after her.




"Zarah?
Zarah, come back here! This conversation is not over. Get back here!"




"Subhanallah!
Will you just leave her be?!"




"Is this how
you've raised her? To be disrespectful to me? Wallahi none of children ever
dared to speak to me so poorly."




"JUST LEAVE
HER BE! PLEASE!"




She could hear
her mother trying to get them out of the house but the damage was already done.
If her own mother who knew her better than anyone could be against her then she
was alone. And the tears ran freely as she sat in her bedroom floor crying.

Infinite Love 133

And so they went back the next day and the day after that and the day after that, carrying along waterboots, planks and other suppiies in case they needed to make makeshift bridges again, making observations and recording findings and talking about their eventual project defense and all the developmental possibilities that it would bring.



And they both enjoyed every single moment of it.
Spending time together had become so wonderful that they had almost forgotten that they were merely doing school work because the more time they spent together the more it felt like a hangout. They had even developed a routine.

Gradually, but surely and until eventually. Going out to the river wasn’t so much about carrying out their project anymore. It was about spending the day with her for him and spending the day with him for her. Their ritual was to go out to the river set up their equipment to take measurements and while the collected their readings and data, a hot water bottle would emerge from her for a cup of tea for them to share and a food flask with sandwiches would manifest itself from his car booth along with a mat for them to have a small snack. But it wasn’t a picnic. No, not at all. They were merely snacking on the job.
And they would talk about any and everything that came up in their minds, from arguing about who would possibly make the best masa ‘corn pancakes’ to their hobbies in general. She found him incredibly easy to talk to as he was open about everything concerning himself with intense honesty that she found his honesty disarming and told him everything about herself. Everything, except of course her father, which was always a sour topic for her and he didn’t press her on it.
And by the time it was nearly evening they would drive back to school, spending some more time talking by his car parked under the lemon and he would offer to walk her home but her fear of being embarrassed by any of her sisters catching her with a man, never allowed her to accept any of that offer. So, she would refuse, noticing a hint of disappointment in his beautiful eye stand firmly upon her decision. Considering, Umm Hamza would no doubt humiliate her upon sighting any man within five meters of her.
By the time their river readings were complete and there was no other reason to go to the river, they were both miserable. They were both not allowed to date so what would be their excuse then for going there to other people?

Or to theirselves? And so they stayed away in misery for the next semester to start.

She couldn't wait until she would get to see him in class again. And hoping, maybe they would get to talk under the lemon tree again as became the norm for them.

It was on one of those days in before the end of the holidays that Abu Zanaid came over to their house with her sister, Zainab in tow. When she saw them two together, she knew something was wrong or it was going to be wrong very soon. And she wasn't wrong.

"Asalam waleikum wabarakatuhu wabarakatuhu mama." Her sister said on reaching the living room where Zarah and her mom were seated.

"Waleikum salam warahmotullah wabarakatuhu, umm Hamza and Abu" her mother replied.

"Hope there is no problem at all?"

"No, no froblem at all, Khadija. I have only decided to discus a very important matter concerning Zarah with you."

When she saw her father and her sister exchange looks. She knew she was in trouble.

"I have decided that it is time for Zarah to get married and I have chosen a suitable husband for her."

"Oh, I see." Her mom said.

Her feet became butter underneath her as she sat on the chair and felt dizzy with a headache.

"Subhanallah! No, this can not be happening." She thought miserably.



I understand why you feel that way. But, it really is still about Michael and Angela.

I have finished the story by the way. I will keep updating this thread though.

Hoping to start a whole new story this week.

Infinite Love 132

Even at such a young age Zarah always prided herself as an expert in the selfish ways of men.



She had a father like Abu Zainab, the most egotistical of them all so, with the except of her maternal uncle, men were all the same, selfish. And there was nothing any of them could ever do shock her. Until this guy came along. And as she watched him expertly meander the puddles until he got to the aforementioned
edge. One higher than the other but definitely the closest points in the tributary though still too wide for anyone to cross without getting wet up until their ankles more likely, she was absolutely shocked.
When he got to the edge, he went in to fully, in order to gauge the depth of the crossing.
“What are you doing?” she asked in awe as he ended up sinking up till his waist, from one
point to the other.
“Oh, please don’t be alarmed. I’m quite safe, I’m only trying to judge the depth of this
area.” And he came over to her side with his entire clothing wet sticking to
his body from the waist down and dropped his phone and car keys with her.
“Now, please
hold these. And when I tell you, please climb on me and walk across as
carefully as you can with one instrument at a time. There’s no need to rush.
You can go back and forth as many times as necessary.”
“What…do you
mean? What are you trying to say?” she asked angrily. Another typical, male
having the audacity to think that she would jump into his arms at the sight of
water.
“Ridiculous!”
she muttered “Mtchew!” she hissed.
But then he went
back to the lower edge and with his feet planted there, he simply dropped down.
With his back straight and his two stretched all the way across to the other
edge and his face just inches away from the flowing water.
“Miss Zarah.
Now, would you please take one of our instruments and bring it across? You can
walk across my back but don’t worry I won’t fall into the water.”
She was dead
shocked and it took her a whole minute to register what he said.
“Hey! What…what
are you doing?” she said recovering.
“Making a bridge
for you. I’m the only one expendable on this team. We need the instruments on
the other side and even you alone can operate the instruments so please walk
carefully because you must not get wet.”
She clapped her
hands in total disbelief. Not sure about the correctness of walking across a
man’s back.
“But if you’re
afraid then we can always go back.”
And with that
she stiffened her back, squared her shoulders and took off her slippers. She
took one of the instruments and took one of her first ginger steps across the
only man she had ever walked across. Carely not to put pressure on sensitive
areas like his bottom or his head. When she got to the other side she was
exhilarated. Relieved that she had done it. How dare he insinuate that she was
scared, she was scared of anything or anyone but Allah.
“Okay, can you
now please go back for the rest?” he said again with his face blowing on the
water with every word.
“Oh, yes sorry,
mallam.”
And so, she went
back, walking across his back to get the rest of the equipment to and fro,
across his back until they had everything safely on the right side of the river
and he got up. Washing his muddy hands in the river and asking.
“I hope you
managed to get everything we needed?”
“Yes, I did.”
She said in total disbelief at what just happened. “I hope I didn’t injure you
in anyway?” she asked genuinely concerned. She had never seen such dedication
to any academic task before now.
“Oh, no. I’m
fine. As a young boy I was in the boy scout so this is nothing at all. Don’t
worry about me please.” She smiled not sure what being that meant but she
appreciated the humor.
“Shall we set up
the instruments?” he asked.
“Yes, please.”
“I’m that you
may be the one to operate them for now as my hands are too wet.”
“That’s alright.”
She giggled “You have done enough for one day already.” He smiled after she
smiled and after she set up the equipment to monitor and recording their
observations. They discussed their project work and their proposed benefit. She
was fascinated with him. There projects were similar but their goals were
different. While she had chosen to focus on the most challenging project, she
could find mostly for the sake of proving to a panel how smart and dedicated
she was. He chose his project purely for the humanitarian aspect. Not for what
the project could do but exactly what it was going to do, which was make life
better for the people in that environment.
He told her the
motivated behind his project.
“Rua Kaduna was
a tributary of the Niger River the largest river in the country. It started off
in Jos, goes through Kaduna and ends up in the Niger state. But long ago before
the demarcations in states, the river, especially the beginning part of it was
surrounded by the Gwari people’s land. When the first British came to the area,
he met a Gwari man playing the Dunguru, a local version of a flute who saved
them from starvation and disease. Only to have his land taken to make military
barracks in return. The Gwari people were later promised that their land would
see huge developments but after Lord Luggard moved the headquarters of the
north to Kaduna, the Gwari people’s land was abandoned in history. If we can
help determine that Rua Kaduna has the requisite characteristics for hydro
electric power then focus would shift back to the river and all the people who
live near it, including the Gwari people. We can help give them the development
that they were promised long ago.”
They had known
each other for over a year but all she ever did was tune out his voice on class
because she considered him an annoyance. But now she listened to him for the
first time that day. She realized the true reason why her lecturers and in fact
everyone else in her class were fond of him. He was a good person. Simple as
that. With true kindness and unbelievable humility and none of the haughtiness
and over exaggerated self-importance that she was so often confronted with on a
daily basis. She actually thought he usually got people to listen to him on
account of his good looks and his effortless charm.
But as they sat
there together by the river, with only the slow sounds of the river flowing,
the silent timely beeping of their instruments and him telling her stories
after stories of his experiences with people. She felt, transcended into an
ethereal concert where his voice was orchestrating the soft breeze, the flowing
river and even the distant cars passing by into a delightful symphony so
soothing and beautiful that she never even realized how late it got until he
himself said so.
As per the first
time, he had to make himself a bridge for her. For some reason, though this
time, she was more reluctant to walk over him than she was in the first place.
She did it however, because they had no choice. They took their instruments
back to the school and met the laboratory assistant who got if for them in the
first place.
“Wallahi, I’m so
sorry for bringing this late but we didn’t start early and the measurements too
time.” He apologized to the man who asked them not to worry about it and even
offered to keep it for them the next day. Promising not to release it for
anyone else.
She watched him
chat with assistant and notice the ease and respectful manner he talked to the
man. In an institution where most including her was dismissive of assistants
and contract workers, he was respectful. She was in awe in of him. She went
over and apologized for her rude behaviour and hoped the man would forgive her
and he was only too happy to accept her apology. Just less than eight hours
with him and he was already unconsciously molding her with better manners.
Her! Who did or
said whatever it was that she wanted to say?
After dropping
off the equipment and saying bye to the lab assistant he met her by the car.
“Well, Hamza
promised to truly reserve the instruments for us till tomorrow. So, in sha
Allah, we will be able to start over measurements earlier than today.” He said
cheerfully.
“Yes.” She said
simply averting her eyes because she was melting under his smiling gaze. Her
heart was beating like crazy, so rapidly in her chest that she felt afraid he
might hear it.
“But even
though, I think we made some very interesting findings, don’t you agree?” he
asked still smiling with though incredible eyes twinkling and his long lashes
and eyebrows glistening giving her a lump in her throat so that she couldn’t
speak clearly.
“Er…” *cough
cough* “Yes.” Was all she could say. She was feeling so bashful all of a sudden
before her. She was suddenly very aware of herself.
‘Was she
standing awkwardly? Is her hijab matching her dress properly? Hope she didn’t
get too much mud on her clothes from the river?’
Then she
realized that he wasn’t saying anything anymore. They were both standing there
awkwardly in silence for a minute until he offered...
“I think it is
getting late, can I drive you home?”
She at first
could not hear because her pulse was running high, but when she did, she
refused.
“No, no…erm my
house is not far. I will get there in five minutes.”
“Are you sure?”
he asked somewhat sounding disappointed. “It is no trouble on me to drop you
off, even if it is close by.” He pressed.
“No. No. I’m
okay.” She refused but didn’t move immediately and so they both remained
standing there for a minute. Neither of them wanting to leave. To be away from
the other. They had had a soul binding moment out there by the river and now
distance seemed such a great inconvenience.
“Well, I
will…see you tomorrow then.” He said finally.
“Yes, see you
tomorrow.” She said and walked away from his car finally and kept on walking
never daring to look back for fear of being rooted in place like a statue which
now seems to be happening whenever she met his gave.
She slowed down
her pace on thinking about his face again. The eyes surrounded by the curliest
lashes and brows she had ever seen. It made her heart race again and she put
her hand to her chest.
“What is
going on with you today, Zarah? Are you losing your senses?” she asked
herself as she exit the campus gate.



Infinite Love 131

“Rua Kaduna is a good way away from the university, I would suggest we plan our way there now before we go…maybe tomorrow or next? Whenever you want…no pressure.” Isah said as she had been standing there all along, just staring straight ahead, not for once looking athim, for what felt like hours, even though it had only been a few minutes.



It was obvious that she wasn’t used to not having her way. She looked both furious and confounded, like a hawk, a bird of prey that was steadily flying swiftly
only to be abruptly nabbed and find itself in a cage suddenly. She gazed at him finally, looking slightly puzzled as if she’d forgotten that he was there next to her.
“We’ll go tomorrow in the morning around
10am. Just after traffic on the bridge has eased up and the river will be less
crowded. But we have to book for the instruments we will need right now at the
faculty so that we’ll be able to make our readings and whatever else we will
need to do there.” She said taking charge as usual.
“Good, very good.” He said agreeing
earnestly in order to avoid her pecking him as she looked so much like an angry
bird in that moment. “But how do we get there?”
“We’ll take a taxi.” She said with brows
more furrowed than usual. It was obvious that she was annoyed with the question.
“Or how what exactly do you mean?”
“Well, I wanted to suggest that since we
might have delicate instruments. It might be better…again I’m only suggesting…”
he added quickly “…if we drove. Particularly, me. I could drive us to Rua
Kaduna just to make things a lot easier on ourselves.’
She stared at him again for a heartbeat.
“Do you have a car?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay, then we meet up here tomorrow to
pick up the instruments and then you’ll drive us there. Understood?”
“Okay.” He said obediently.
“Good. I know that you’re a good student
but I know this school better than you. So, if you want the results as quickly
as possible then simply follow my lead and everything will go smoothly.”
“Okay.”
But what happened the next day was not
smooth in anyway.
…
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE INSTRUMENTS AREN’T
AVAILABLE? WE BOOKED THEM YESTERDAY!” she screamed at the lab assistant.
“I’m saying that they are not available
despite your booking them. Because we had to release them to some of the
undergraduate students that have their project defense today.”
“But why would you release it for them when
you know very well that we would be using them?”
“What do you mean by that? It is based on priority
and project defense takes priority over projects just starting.” He said
adamantly.
“What? That is unacceptable…”
“Wait. Wait. Wait, Zarah. Calm down this is
obviously getting us nowhere.” Isah said “So, let me try.”
She threw up her hands “Please do. Please
talk to him because obviously this school is now allowing just anybody to work
in their labs.”
“You have a right to your opinions o,
madam!” the lab assistant spat right back not ready to take nonsense for the
meagre salary the school is giving him.
“What did you say?”
“It’s okay, Zarah. Please allow me.”
“Fine!” she said and left to wait for him
outside. When he finally came out to join her, he said.
“Well, the instruments are being used in
defense right now so there’s nothing we can do. But he did promise to keep
checking with the particular student using them and he hopes that we might be
able to get them by 12 noon.”
“TWELVE NOON!? HALF THE DAY IS GONE
ALREADY!”
“I know but listen. We can always
reschedule till tomorrow…”
“NO! No, that’s even worse and waste and
entire day? No, we will just have to wait.”
“Okay, let me go ask him to please keep an
eye on the student for us.”
And so, they waited…
And waited…
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No.”
“What about a snack?”
“No.” he’d offered for the umpteenth time
and she’d refused for the umpteenth time.
By the time they got their meters and
calibrators. It was already past two in the afternoon. She was in a terrible
mood.
“Thank God, Alhamdulillah Isiaka was able
to get them for us this quickly. Did you know someone else wanted to grab them
but he refused vehemently on our behalf?” while he was feeling grateful that
the lab assistant was able to be of help to them. He was expecting her to share
in his enthusiasm but she hardly ever did whatever was expected of her. She
only did whatever she wanted.
“If you say so. Shall we go?”
“Of course. My car is just under the lemon
tree.” And as she proceeded to grab some of the equipment he got there first
and scooped them up.
“I can carry too, you know.”
“Oh, I know. It’s just that we’re in public
and I’m sure people would frown at me if I let you do the carrying while I
stand watch.”
“People’s opinion matter’s little to me. In
the eyes of Allah men and women are equal.” She said proceeding to take some
from him but he wouldn’t saying…
“Yes, but Allah, the most high gave men
more physical strength than women. So, therefore it behooves a man to be the
burden bearer when the opportunity calls for it.”
She tried to argue but was too tired for it
and instead said “Fine.” And upon reaching his car she got in the driver seat
but after dropping their instruments in the booth he hesitated before getting
in the car.
“Erm…would you be so kind as to sit in the
back seat? I don’t want people to get the wrong impression about us?”
So, she did as he directed not because he
told her but simply because he was in the right. On the highway traffic was
terrible and they got to the river even later than before and the afternoon
tide had come in. So, the water levels were higher than normal and so all the
access ways to a good observation point were mostly flooded.
“Well, it would be very difficult to get
good readings from this dry side. It’s best we come back tomorrow when the
water is not so high.”
“NO! After all we’ve been through to get
here. Then we will just leave? NO!” she refused and insisted going farther in “So,
what if our feet get wet? It’s just water after all.”
And on they went putting up wooden planks where
they could and dipping their feet into the water where they couldn’t with Isah
doing most of the feet dipping. He insisted on going in first whenever they
came to a suspicious looking puddle, to test the depth in order not to let fall
in any deep pit. Soon enough, his native attire was soaking wet up until his
waist. While his leather palm sandals were too muddy to be of any real use. She
almost felt bad for him, but chalked it all up to his sacrifices for academic
success. Despite her clothes being mostly dry except for the wet soles of her
slippers.
It did however come to a point where they
came before a large pool of water with no bridges or planks to improvise a
make-shift bridge in site. They had come so far and now that they were so close
to their chosen point there was no possible way forward. She became dejected.
Defeated.
“Well…this is where we turn back, I guess.
Let’s go.” She said matter-of-factly and began making her way back but soon
noticed that he wasn’t following her.
“Didn’t you hear me? Let’s go.” But he just
stood there pondering for a bit until he finally said.
“No, we can still take a few readings.”
“But there’s no bridge. How would we be
able to get readings if the university’s equipment get wet? Do you even know
how much those things cost? Better do as I say and let it till tomorrow.”
But he still held his ground.
“No wait, hold on. There’s still a tributary
over there.” He pointed out and she did see that there was a narrow meeting at
the middle of the river but still it was still about four feet wide and God
only knows how deep.
“If you hold on tight on to the instruments
as you cross, we can get you and them safely to vista point for measurements.
Just make sure you hold on to them firmly as I suspect the university would do
more than scold us if any one of them fall inside the river. And I was hoping
to round up my masters this year without fail.” He said smiling.
She still didn’t understand how they were
going to do that obviously he had a plan and she just stood back and watched as
he got near the narrow tributary and he did something that totally blew her
mind.

Well, finally!

I have ended it.

HELL

No joy in the days
No warmth in the nights
Cowering in daydreams
From nightmares no respite.

THE HORNS

Burning lava building in the dungeon of the gods.

A million crevices await but only one leads to heaven's gate.

Lying south of the twin mountain sack of vita.

A fitting abode the probe of life tunnels through.

Oscillating Aphhrodite's cove mimics murder but mocks it

The final nexus calls the eruption of the white whale.

Bearing a wailing mien sown on fertile grounds for the term.

The Horns

Burning lava building in the dungeon of the gods.

A million crevices awaits but only one leads to heaven's gate.

Lying south of the twin mountain sack of vita.

A fitting abode the probe of life tunnels through.

Oscillating aphrodite's cove mimics murder but mocks it

The final nexus calls the eruption of the white whale.

Bearing a wailing mien sown on fertile grounds for the term.

Sanity hunted by nuances of love impossible.
Embers of unburnt out desires fuels vain hope

Haunting eyes surges waves of longing through and through.
Time tortured flesh petitioning for healing embrace.

Rational mind corrupted by flashes of sweet fantasy.
The heart's tempo ravaged by vicious beats of yearning.

Seductive fantasy clears away chafing reality.
Sailing on the tides of need marionetted by pure aura.

Ghosts of bygone errors banished in the flash of a touch.

The Kindling

Sanity hunted by nuances of love impossible.
Embers of unburnt out desires fuels vain hope

Haunting eyes surges waves of longing through and through.
Time tortured flesh petitioning for healing embrace.

Rational mind corrupted by flashes of sweet fantasy.
The heart's tempo ravaged by vicious beats of yearning.

Seductive fantasy clears away chafing reality.
Sailing on the tides of need marionetted by pure aura.

Ghosts of bygone errors banished in the flash of a touch.

Dancing on the edge of darkness was sweet temptation.
Till a rouge footing crossed the forbidden line.

Minions of insecurities donned from their abyss.
With icy grips of coldness that extinguished the sun.

Towering clouds unending across the horizon.
A wailing river meandering on sorrow songs.

Veils of darkness, cascades the land of lost light.
Righteous judgment of distress, condemns the condemned.

Chains of despair leads down to demon's tomb.
Clawing to salvation yields naught but tears and tears.

Chameleon winds hard biting till silvery lines.
Redemption's head is lurking rear the needle's eye.

#poem #poet #poetry #melancholy #adeabdul

Infinite Love 130

It started out as such a beautiful day. She was just finishing a wonderful breakfast with her and was headed out when trouble by no other than Zainab walked in.


“Asalam aleikum
warahmotullahi wabarakatuhu, Mama naa.”

“Waleikum aleikum
salam warahmotullhi wabarakatuhu, Zainab. How are you today?”

“I’m fine, thank
you Mama. And how are you today, Zarah?”

“I’m good too,
alhamdulillah. You didn’t bring our prince today?”

“No, he has just
started schooling so I will go and pick him in the afternoon from there.”

“Oh, wow. That
is wonderful to hear. Please give him all our love and support, Zainab.”

“Thank you,
Mama. I will do that.”

“Alright, then.
I am off to my school. Goodbye.”

“And where are
you going to?”

“I just said
that I am going to school, Zainab.”

“On a Friday?”

“Oh, let her go,
Zainab. She doesn’t even have classes she is only going in to get her project
title and she will be back in a short while.”

“I know that
Mama but on this beautiful yaomul jummah, every responsible woman should be at
home with her family and not going to school.”

Her emphasis on
the word responsible greatly irked Zarah. She knew her sister was definitely
hinting at marriage again and so she lost her cool.

“Thank you very
much for your unwanted opinion, Zainab. But maybe the responsible women should
also learn to stay in their husband’s house and not going to other people’s
home to lecture them and eat up all of their food.” She spat right back.

“Ah ah, Mama.
What have I said again that she’s attacking me like this?”

“Auzu billahi
minnash shaytaani rojeen!” their mother sighed deeply “The two of you will be
the end of me one day I’m sure of it, wallahi!”

“Zainab, please.
I don’t have time for your trouble this morning please!”

“And what have I
said to cause trouble for you?” she asked innocently “Go! Go to your class. If
you don’t care for marriage and building a responsible family like all
respected women in society should.”

“And you that
you’re married now? What is benefit to us for Allah’s sake? You are always here
instead of caring for your family. We are the ones who have been raising your
children for you while you only come here to eat and sleep. I wonder what
excuse you will be giving us now that you can’t use Hamza anymore.”

“Mama, I will
not stand for her talking to me like!” she stomped.

“…and yet you
come here almost everyday to start the same wahala, wallahi.” Mama said
shrugging.

“Just don’t
finish all the soup in the kitchen this time because I don’t have the energy to
go to the market today anymore.”

“Mtchew! “No
time for market but there is always time for school. You sound like a broken
record.” Zainab hissed and sat to watch television.

But that final
quip infuriated Zarah beyond measure but she managed to control herself.

“Mama, one day
one day you will finally tell us the truth. Either she is the one adopted or me
because there is no way that the both of us are related!” The two other women’s
jaw dropped in shock but with that she stomped out.

Oh, that Zainab
was indeed the worst sister she had. They differed widely on everything. Even
to their last desires and wants everything is totally different. The only place
they seemed to have common ground is stubbornness.

But today as the
alighted from the taxi and headed up to the staff quarters to Engr. Yamah’s
office. Her anger dissipated and her attitude improved. She was finally getting
her project topic to get started today. This was going to be her final chance
to be the new know-it-all Isa in her class. They had tied marks in class and
this was going to be the opportunity to show him who was boss around here. She
was also going to be spending more time with her favourite teacher which is
always a plus.

She found him in
his office looking respectable and wise as always.

“Asalam aleikum,
sir!”

“Waleikum salam,
ya Zarah!” he looked up from his reading and took off his reading glasses. “How
are you?”

“I’m fine, thank
you sir.”

“Good good and
how is your mother?”

“Oh, she’s fine
too. Thank you very much sir.”

“Oh, wonderful!
That’s good to hear. So, you are hear about your project work, abi?”

“Yes, sir.
That’s it.”

“Good. Well then
let’s get started, shall we?” and he brought out her file “Ah, here it is. Effluent
tide formation, a case study of river Kaduna.”

“Yes, that’s the
one. I’m very excited about getting started on this one. I just know that there
will be exciting discoveries during the course of the project work.”

Yes, discoveries
that she would love to shove down that itk Isah’s throat. He thinks he can out
perform her in class. Well, has got something else coming his way this project
semester, she planned.

“Me too!” he
said “Erm…Zarah?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I know how passionate
you get about your projects. You work very hard indeed and you almost always
have issues when slackers, that is…other project partners don’t pull their own
weight, which is why you have requested to for a solo project. In fact, you
have sent in several formal letters of appeal to the department asking for a
solo project as well as…asking for me as your project officer personally. But I
think that…erm in this particular scenario. A partner in project might very
well work in your favor.”

Oh, she didn’t
like where this was going. She hated project partners. Having classes with
slacking students and their benignantly banal questions was bad enough but now,
he was suggesting that she work with one outside of class. It was out of the
question.

“And I can
assure you, this particular student is a top performer. He has excellent grades
and I know that he can match you in dedication and enthusiasm for the project
work.

Okay, now she
was definitely annoyed again. She hated being called a match for anyone but her
curiosity got the better of her.

“Which student
are you talking about, sir?”

“Knock knock”

There was a
knock at the door.

“Oh, I’m sure
that is him now. COME IN!”

And almost
instantaneously before the student even got near enough to smell his familiar
Arabian oil perfume or hear is his trademark.

“Salama aleikum,
ya sheikh.” She knew it was him but nonetheless turned around in shock.

“ISAH?” she
asked looking into the ever-smiling face of her number one school nemesis.

“Hello, Zarah.”
He said perfectly zen as always. It was so annoying.

‘Doesn’t he
ever get tired of smiling like that all the time?’

“HIM!?” she
asked turning back in disbelief to face her lecturer.

“Hmm, of
course.” He nodded in affirmation.

“NO NO NO! I
REFUSE!” she said defiantly.

“Well, that’s
too bad, but that is how we are going to do this anyway. Your project topic is
focusing on natural effluent characteristics while his effluent potential in
power generation.”

“But those are
two totally different topics!” she argued.

“With each using
River Kaduna as a case study.”

“Oh!”

“Yes…so you see?
I’m not going to have two project students work on the same location and not
combine their project topics. My civil servant salary doesn’t afford me such
luxuries of infinite time.”

“Sir…but…please
not him. Anyone but him…I beg of you.”

“I’m sorry,
Zarah but yes him.”

“NO WAY! I’ll
write a…”

“A PETITION?
Already ahead of you. I have informed your departmental head and student
affairs head and fortunately they are both in agreement with me. So, good luck
with that.”

“Oh no!” she
whined.

“Don’t worry, my
dear intelligent Zarah. It’ll be fine!”

“Flattery will
get you nowhere, sir.”

He laughed “Come
on. Where’s your sense of adventure? Your combative spirit? Just because you’re
having the same combined topic, doesn’t mean you’re getting the same grades.”

“Oh, I’m
listening.”

“I will score
you individually based on effort, understanding and overall performance during
presentation.”

Zarah felt
manipulated but she couldn’t help but be steered along. Her teacher, Engr.
Yamah knew her nature too well, how she hated backing out of a challenge and he
already had the rest of the faculty on his side so, appealing to others was
going to be pointless.

“I have to say I
never expected this kind of treatment from you sir.” She said finally.

“Oh, Zarah. Have
I ever steered you wrong?” he said sweetly putting his glasses back on
innocently.

“There’s always
a first time, sir.”

“Ouch!” he held
his chest dramatically in mock injury and smiled.

She threw her
hands in the air. “I can’t believe this, me and him? Unbelievable.”

“Don’t worry,
Zarah. I won’t get in your way in anyway. In fact, I will carry all the
equipment for you to make things easier.” Isah said helpfully.

“See? Just use
him as your personal chaperone and work horse and I believe this will
definitely be an interesting project defense to watch.”

“Why not? It’s
already entrapment mixed with cruel and unusual punishment?”

The lecturer laughed.

Infinite Love 129

Infinite Love 129

Nevertheless, she ignored him and focused on the lecture. But for some reason, she couldn’t focus. There was some kind of attention from him that was constant. She felt as if he was watching her even when he wasn’t.

She was constantly aware of him, of his presence being there. Zarah had never been intimidated by anyone, particularly by any man but there was something about him that made her uneasy, was it…a yearning or a familiarity? She couldn’t say. Still, she willed herself to focus on her lecture.

Engr. Yamah was one of her best lecturers, smart, assertive, and to the point. He was one of the few lecturers that she respected and even admired. He knew his stuff. Not like the rest of those incompetent clowns who got the prestigious position of a lecturer teaching a master’s with barely the IQ of a secondary school teacher. She hated those. The pretentious fools who would refuse to answer her questions and rebuke her for even daring to ask in the first place, feigning offense as a way to cover up their incompetence in teaching. She’d gotten many of them suspended and a few were either fired or transferred when they tried to bully her or harass her.

Quite often while female Nigerian students are on the receiving end of harassment and sexual exploitation from lecturers, Zarah destroyed them. She was confident of herself and her scholastic ability to pass any exam and in her familial connections to gain admission into any school she wanted so why would she be terrified of any foolish lecturer. A case once came upon between her and one who gave her a score short of her expectations, he gave her a B instead of a B+ and what did she do? She got him suspended! After a lengthy petition, she was able to convince the board on grounds of incompetence.

“If he couldn’t even give proper marks on his own subjects then why should such a lecture be entrusted with teaching the same subject in the first place?”

Who could ever argue with that kind of scathing and brazen logic? Her reason was false, however, true the lecturer was incompetent but most of them are, Nigerian universities are full of them but she had him suspended particularly because her friend Asiah had informed her of the lecturer’s incessant badgering to date her. So, she dealt with him in her own private manner.

But Engr. Yamah, was just different. He knew his right from his left. She never had to rely on her own studies and research to truly learn the course as she often did with the rest of the sheepish lectures and he was never confused by any of her questions no matter how hard she tried to trick him. That’s why she was always punctual, the first in class and always ready to engage in an educational tete-a-tete with him nothing flirty of course but just enough to make him realize that she was present. Right there. In class. Just saying. Not crushing. But she always did fantasize about marrying someone close to his IQ level.

But in the last few days. This Isah guy had slowly but deliberately become a thorn in her side. He was always there, making her feel under surveillance, uncomfortable, and always the first in class. Also, he was slowly and gradually becoming more engaging in class than even…she was! She never challenged him on that. No, of course not. It wasn’t her class, it was just that…ever since she could remember, she was always the one most active in class. It was her thing. She was the first to raise up her hands to answer a question. The one who topped the class and definitely the one most popular with the teachers. Well, with the ones that mattered anyway. Not that the class belonged to her. But that there was an unspoken agreement within their class that she was the class queen bee but Isah wasn’t seeming to be getting the notice.

He was active and engaging to a fault. Always eager to answer any question and to make matters worse, the teachers also seemed to like him. They would smile and giggle and even high-five him whenever he answered a question. They did none of that whenever she answered a question. Sure, he was charming in the way he engaged with them but where was their loyalty? Those lousy traitors! Including Engr. Yamah who was her crush, sorry... her favourite teacher.

She slowly became full of spite that she became withdrawn and slowly became irritable with him; rolling her eyes whenever he raised up his hand and making little snide remarks underneath her breath when he got them right.

Things began to change however when it came to their projects.

Of course. Fine fulani boy like that. What do you expect?

You're welcome bruv.

hotswagg12:
Zara is falling for isah already. Thanks for the update.

Infinite Love 128

However, anyone who thought that Zarah’s androphobia would disappear with age was sorely mistaken because her dislike for the men folk only got worse as she got older.

Under the caring gaze of her mother shegrew up focused exclusively on her studies and caring for her mother much to the chagrin of the rest of her family.

“Mama, salam aleikum.” Zaniab greeted her
mother coming in.

“Ah, waleikum salam warahmotullahi
wabarakatuhu, my dauther. How are you today? Oh and what of Hamza?”

“He’s right here, mama. Come in quickly
Hamza, don’t delay.”

“Oh, my young prince. How big you’ve
gotten! Come here.” And she picked up her grandson to sit on her lap, playing
with him. “How are you? How is school? I hope you are not being naughty with
your teachers o?” she asked as the shy little boy shook his head.

“Oh, mama. Hamza is fine, please is there
anything to eat. I’m very hungr…I mean Hamza is very hungry.” Zunaid said as
she lazily fell in the cushion.

“Oh, bintu. I’m sorry but there’s nothing
to eat in the house for now. Even me, I am waiting Zarah to come back from
school to come and make something to eat. So, there’s nothing o.”

“Ah! And very hungry, gaskiya!” Zainab
wailed dramatically with her hands raised and failing back onto the cushion.

“I thought you said it was Hamza who is very
hungry?” Mama said with her right eyebrow raised.

“Erm…yes…but so am I. The boy will eat and
so do I. Or can’t I eat again?”

“If you say so.”

“Afterall, I may be married but I am still
somebody’s daughter.”

“If you say so.”

“Where is that Margerat Thatcher, anyway?

“Zarah
will be back soon. Her classes ended a few minutes ago. And I don’t want you
arguing with her this time o please. She having exams and I don’t want anything
to throw off her concentration.”

“Argue with her? Mallama, why would you
tell me such a thing. As if I come here to look for trouble.”

“Hmm hmm.” Mama said suspiciously.

“But If she starts anything with me, I will
not keep quiet, gaskiya.”

“Subhanallahi! Zainabu! Please, I have told
you I don’t want…” Mama Zainab was cut off by the sudden entrance of Zarah with
provisions to cook food.

“Oh, mama. I’m so sorry. Traffic was
something else, wallahi! I don’t know why the men with the biggest cars always
have the smallest brains, wallahi! Nonsense!”

“What have men done to you again, ehn Zarah?
Mrs Margaret Thatcher!”

“Zainab, dan wahala! At least let her sit
down first before fighting with her!” Mama scolded.

“Ah, mama, what have I done again?” Zainab
opened her palms innocently.

“Oh, good. Zainab is here” Zarah said dryly
with zero enthusiasm.

“AUNTY ZARAH!” little Hamza screamed
jumping down from Mama’s laps and into Zarah’s arms.

“Hey, my little prince!” she carried the
boy and hugged him dearly. “How are you? Oh, look at you. You got very big!”

“I said the say thing. Wallahi, he is growing
faster than a sugarcane tree!”

“Yes, and very soon, you will be big and
strong and taller than all of us, in sha Allah.” She said kissing the boy’s
cheeks and pinching his nose slightly.

“Yes, yes, now please take those foodstuffs
inside the kitchen and prepare something for him because he is very hungry and
while you are at it, you can make something for me as well.”

Zarah straightened up with tension running
down her spine. Her eldest sister, Zainab was always had always been her
biggest headache. Self-centered and bossy, ordering her around to make food
without the slightest hint of offering assistance.

“Zainab what are you still doing here?
Didn’t we escape your wahala when we married you off to Mallam bako?”

“Mama, did you hear her? As the eldest
daughter of the house, should she be talking to me like that?”

“Ay, Zainab, Zarah please let me rest today
now.”

“For your information I am still a daughter
of this house and I can come and go as I please, don’t you know that? And they
all say that you’re the smart one but you’re just the stubborn one.”

Zainab was seriously pushing her buttons
today. She wanted to ignore for Mama’s sake but she just couldn’t resist.

“I know. But why is it that you only come
to eat all of our food? As a married woman shouldn’t you be cooking all of your
own food? Or are you the lazy one as they say?”

“Aw…listen to you. You are not even happy
that I come to visit. If I don’t come to visit you two, who will? I am only
looking out for the welfare of you two.”

“Hmm, it shows. Thank you for your
concern.”

“Yes,
I am the eldest after all. The welfare of our family is my utmost priority.”

“As well as that of your big stomach.”
Zarah let slide.

“Mama, did you hear that?” Zainab snapped.

“Peace, you two. Please, let there be peace
for Allah’s sake.”

“Let me inform you. The completion of our
family is always on my mind. Reuniting Abu Zainab and Mama at the very front.”

“Nothing’s wrong with our family. Mama is
fine here with us; she doesn’t need anyone. I will take care of her even if you
or no one else helps me.”

“No! That is not the best thing for our
family. Mama and Abu need to reunite…”

“…please please Zainab if you have come
here to eat let me go and prepare something but don’t bother us with your
aimless words.” She cut in.

“Zarah!” that’s enough.

“Did you hear her again, Mama? And…by the
way? When are you going to start thinking of settling down?”

“You better not start that with me again!”
she warned.

“Unfortunately, I have to since mama is not
bothering you about it. First you said you had school, now it is masters you
are doing, in engineering for that matter. Tell me, what is your problem?
Nobody even knows how you are thinking but will you at least think of our
family if you are not thinking of yourself? Fighting any man that so much as
come close to you. How will any man even think to propose to you? Don’t you
know what people are saying? Do you want to bring shame to us? Don’t you know
that you are getting old? At your age I was already married and with my first born.”

“Well, don’t blame anybody for that. You
brought it on yourself. Was it not you who wanted to marry Mallam Bako before
barely finished secondary school?”

“MAMA! DID YOU HEAR HER? Will you just sit
there and let her insult me all day?” and with that Zainab dramatically
collapsed into the couch sobbing dry tears into the edge of her dress.

“Auzubillahi Minna Shaytaani Rajeem! Peace
peace PEACE! That is enough you two! Zarah, don’t say such to your sister, ever
again! She is your elder, do you understand me?” Zarah dropped her head, she
didn’t like upsetting her mother despite her sister’s foolishness. “Now,
apologize!”

“I’m sorry.” Zarah murmured.

“Oh, all I want is for her own good,
gaskiya ne!”

“That is enough, Zainab. Now, Zarah take
your school belongings inside and I will bring the foodstuffs into the kitchen
and get started on the food.

As she was going in, she heard “Mark my
words, I will get you married soon enough, wallahi!” Zainab swore and Zarah
completely ignored her and went inside.

The next day. As Zarah went to school, her
sister’s words echoed ominously in her ears.

“Could Zainab be planning something against
me? Would she dare? I am still her sister after all but could she be so upset
with me to try to force a marriage down my throat?”

She managed to go about her class unfazed
however. When you have a day filled with classes like fluid mechanics, metallurgy
and material science, it has a way of using up all of your concentration. And
she remained focused on her classes until Engr. Yamah announced the new student
who would be joining the class. Some kind of transfer from another department
which was unusual but as she did with things which was none of her business,
she discarded it and after the student entered the class, the forgot all about
it.

Except the student looked, vaguely
familiar. But still she ignored the attractive looking slim man who later
walked in that the lecturer called Isa. He had one of those dark skins of a
stallion, not that she cared, she was just observing, as in purely from an
engineering perspective. He did have one of those adorable little curly
moustaches that were irresistibly cute but what did she care, she didn’t, she
merely noticed it. He also those devilish eyebrows and curly eyelashes that
were so attractive and made him look like he was flirting with whomever he
looked at but she wasn’t interested in things like that in a man, or in any man
for that matter. She was just noticing that he didn’t have an ugly face that’s
all, good for him. Who cares?

But then something weird happened. He came
over and sat to the next available seat which was next to her, as usual. As her
mostly male classmates avoided her, and with good reason too.

‘Well, he’ll soon find somewhere else to
seat soon enough.’ She thought but then something even weirder happened he
looked at her and spoke to her.

“Asalam aleikum warahmotullahi
wabarakatuhu.” He said and she looked at him in shock for a minute or two.

“Name is Isa.” He said again and she
couldn’t figure out why she was so speechless. She couldn’t tell if it was
because of the shock of his beautiful face in such close proximity to hers or
whether it was because she thought she knew him somehow or just from hearing
someone address her in class other than the lecturer. Either way…

“Waleikum salam warahmotullahi
wabarakatuhu.” She responded but only because it was considered impolite to not
respond to an Islamic greeting in full and not because she was thinking about
how small and soft his lips were at all.

Any ways she thought her stiff and cold
responses would finally give him the signal to stop disturbing her over the
course of a few days. She would come to class to find him seated right there on
the right side of her desk, bright and early as the first one in class. Which
was deathly annoying because she was usually the first one in class.

I know right? You're welcome.

hotswagg12:
Wow Zara is really a special child. Thanks for the update.

Infinite Love 127

A few more days more on the mountain and they were running around the field in a fierce frenzy hyped by their commanders, doing drills, climbing up, falling down until they were barked upon to get back up and begin to do it all over again. They were starting to get used to recognize the pattern of their training.

Every day they were made to march on the field after which they will go on hikes while on alternate days they stayed on the mountain and ran the various obstacle courses spread out all over the mountain, after which they would still end the days training in battle mode; the eagle squad would go against the stallion squad in a variety of combat scenarios. The stallions were on a losing streak against the eagles.

Today they were doing drills. They couldn’t tell which was worse. The hike or the drills. This was not the idea Zara had when she ran away from home.

She had merely envisioned being far away enough from her to free herself from his influence in her life.

Most children hear good stories about the time that they were born. They hear their mothers cry for joy on seeing them for the first time. They are told that their fathers love them unconditionally on holding them for the first time. They are told it was a time of love and blessing, they are told their birth brings their mother and father together thereby making their family stronger.

But most people didn't have a father like Abu Zainab.

Zara's birth did not bring happiness and joy to her parents' lives, it did not bring her parents closer together and it certainly did not bring any tears of joy because she was unfortunate enough to be born to Abu Zainab. Not according to the stories told by her Mallam Idris, her mother's younger brother. The closest thing she had to a father figure even though her own father was alive and she knew him well.
Abu Zainab had threatened his wife. He did not love his daughter unconditionally, he didn't even hold her for many years.
Abu Zainab had all but threatened his wife Ameenah not to give him another daughter.

"Two is enough, in fact, more than enough, gaskiya." he'd told her repeatedly but when Ameenah had the third pregnancy, she cried once the scan had revealed the baby's sex to her.

For months she refused to tell him, not after the doctor had told her, not when she had asked double-checked in case the doctor had made a mistake, and not even when her stomach bulged and she had pretended to not notice that she might be pregnant. But by her early trimester, he was relentless, he pestered her incessantly about the baby's sex and demanded she tell him.

She cried incessantly under the stress until she had to have a premature delivery.

"Your stress levels are too much, mallama." the kind doctor Mrs. Lawal had told her "Alhamdulillah that your brother brought you here on time because I
I fear to think what would have happened to your baby. But we must praise God, Alhamdulillah for everything. All is will be well now.

Ameenah with the little strength in her body walked assisted by her brother to where her young daughter had been put under a glass dome with all manner of tubes hooked into her and she cried.
She had failed her daughter.

Haba! Ummu Zainab did you not hear what the doctor said? You have to take it easy, wallahi, for your daughter's sake.

But Idris what kind of a mother am I, if I cant even keep my own doctor inside me until her full nine months?

No, don't think like that. It wasn't your fault. Hed said as her brother hugged her to comfort her.

But as Ameenah opened her eyes to glance at her little premature daughter once more, the little girl's eyes were wide open and fixed upon her mother with the kindest sweetest expression of love.

Subhanallah! Idris, look!

Allahu akbar! She's awake and she's looking straight at you! hed said in bewilderment.

You noticed it as well, right?

Yes! Wow! She's so…radiant like a flower!

You are absolutely right, Idris. Even with all the wires coming and going in and out of her she's not feeling anything. She's just radiant.

Ameenah named the young girl Zara, meaning blooming flower and she promised her she would never let fail her again. No matter what her father said or did.
But when Abu Zainab did get to the hospital five days later he raised hell and brimstone. He made so much noise that the doctors had to intervene.

Hello, hello mallam. Please you cannot be shouting here this is a hospital and what is the problem?

Doctor Lawal. This wicked woman has done it again! The first time, I didn't say anything. The second time, I didn't say anything too. But this time, I will protest!

Protest what? I don't understand, what is the matter? Haven't you seen your child?

It is a girl! She gave me another daughter after I had warned her several times that I need a son. As the first son of my family, I also need a son and this woman. This wicked woman is only giving me three daughters.

Haba! Mallam, don't say that. Daughters are a blessing from Allah, subhana wa taala. The noble Prophet peace be upon him said that; whoever raises two daughters will be together with him in paradise.

Doctor, please don't quote, prophetic sayings to me.

Allahu akbar, mallam, let me tell you something; when the parents get old it is the daughters that usually care for them the most, not the sons. Allah has blessed you with another daughter and in fact, this one is a real treasure. Just go and see her for yourself. You will be very happy.

Ok, no problem. No wahala. Listen to me, Ameenah. I have asked your brother to pack your things to another house because I am tired of you. I will find myself another wife and you can raise your treasures all by yourself. he said and with that, he took off.

Haba, mallam. Please don't do that. and the doctor followed him begging and pleading for him to reconsider but Ameenah without a word to him simply got up from the bed quietly and went over to see her daughter. And at the sight of the little who was formerly looking pale but was now having a healthy coloration on her skin set her worried heart at ease. Everything was fine as long as she had zara. She was all that mattered now.

And Zara loved to surprise people. The doctors initially thought she might not survive when they first held her small tiny body that was small even for a premature six months old baby but she only got stronger and stronger.

And Zara loved to surprise. She surprised her doctors by surviving after her mother was discouraged about her chance of survival.

She surprised her father himself, Abu Zainab by ignoring him. Most daughters loved their fathers unconditionally, she never acted as if he existed.

But she especially surprised her family regarding her treatment of boys. She was too harsh with them.
She was fearless despite her small size. She never backed down from fighting boys. Whenever her family had their regular gatherings and she meet with her fellow siblings and cousins and they played together, she was bound to end up fighting with any silly smelly little boy who thought he could bully her because she was a girl.
Her aunts would pull her off many a boy so many times and drag her off to her mom.

"Ameenah, didn't I warn you to keet Zara away from my son? What is the meaning of this, gaskiya? Every time, every time! No sooner than Isa is around will your stubborn daughter pounce on top and beat him. Just look at the state of him. Just look at him! He has sand all over him, wallahi! Isa open your mouth." Aunt Salma said and no sooner than the boy opened his mouth that sand fell out.

"SUBHANALLAH! SEE?? DO YOU SEE? She poured sand into even his mouth! WAYO ALLAH. PLEASE TALK TO YOUR DAUGHTER O!"

"Ay, Zara come here." her mother called as she was hiding behind the banana tree as she had only just promised her mother that she would not fight with any more boys at their family gathering. But it wasn't her fault, every time her extended family congregates and aunt Salma brings her nephew, she tries her possible best to avoid the boy so as to keep her promise to not fight with any boy. But Isa was the most annoying boy in the world. He always found excuses to get under her nerves. She had been playing with her sisters when he came around to join them.

"Get away from here! You are a boy, not a girl. Go and play with boys like you." she had said in all honesty but the stubborn boy stayed and joined them anyway and when he tried to take over their game and ruin it for them she had warned him again and even reported him to his aunt who had merely chased her away without paying much attention to her and so she had lost her temper and had to box his ears. She hadn't meant to roughen him up but things got out of hand and she ended up feeding him sand and pushed his head deep into the grass with her hands which was how Aunt Salma found them both and she knew she was finally in trouble with her mom.

"Zara, I said come here!" her mother snapped at here and she never liked it whenever her mom was upset with her and so even before her mother really began scolding her she had started crying at which her mom of course had no other option but to draw her close and hug her tight.

"Oh, Zara. What am I going to do with you ehn?"

"It's wasn't my fault. I didn't start it." she said sobbing into her mother's bosom.

"Shush shush, it's okay. Stop crying dear."

"Aww, is that all that you will do?" Aunt Salma said sardonically.
"That is how you have been spoiling this daughter of yours, Ameenah." another aunt added.

"Fighting with boys all the time is all that she is good for." another mean old aunt said.

"Girls marry boys, not fight them. How is she going to get married, if all she does is fight boys."

"NO, I'M NOT GOING TO MARRY ANY SMELLY BOY!" Zara said emerging from her mother's bosom but all the rest women merely laughed at her.

The synopsis of Zara's childhood was all about all her aunt's complaining about her strange aggressive behaviour towards boys to her mom who eventually learned to listen to take their complaints in stride without hurting her daughter's feelings.

But the biggest surprise that Zara had was towards Abu Zainab her father.

Ever since on one of their family gatherings, he heard the aunts complaining about Zara fighting, he saw his daughter and the sight of her shocked him. She was covered in sand from head to toe, her little hijab was ripped in the middle, her right arm had scratches and her shoes were nowhere to be found.

Usually, he paid little attention to the matters of his daughters, they were merely precursors to the golden sons that Allah, the Almighty was going to give him, and then he would consider himself a real father. But the sight of the girl was infuriating and so he left the men's gathering and marched immediately towards the women and bellowed;

"WHO DID THIS TO ZARA? ANSWER ME! I SAID WHO DID THIS TO MY DAUGHTER?"

The women couldn't tell what was more shocking, his temper or his rare concern in the affairs of one of his daughters, particularly the last one for which he separated from and got a second wife.

"She…she was fighting with Yakubu." one aunty said eventually.

"AND WHERE IS HE? CALL HIM FOR ME!" he continued.

"
But on seeing the much taller much fatter Yakubu in a bigger mess than his much smaller daughter his anger dissipated and his curiousity got the better of him.

"Subhanallah! What is this? Why are you looking more banged up than Zara?"

"That's because your little Zara who is crying over there pretending to be all innocent is truly the one who caused my son such pains." the mother said bitterly.

"WHAT?" he gasped "Are you playing on my intelligence?" he said with disbelief "How can my own Zara who is half the size of this fat boy be the one who beat him so?"

"It is true, gaskiya, mallam." another aunt chipped in. "While Zara may be small for her size, she has in fact gotten very tough from fighting with even bigger boys than Yakubu. His size is nothing compared to her fearlessness."

"Yes, that's the truth, wallahi." they chorused and Abu Zainab's heart filled with rare pride in his daughter and he couldn't contain it.

"You, fathead! Are you not ashamed of yourself?" he said smacking the boy on his head.

"Ah ah, mallam please stop that!" his mother protested.

"You are calling on your mother to defend you from a little girl like Zara, abi? Come on, getaway and hide your face in shame!" and he smacked the boy on his bum one last time to send the boy flying away squealing in tears.
"hmph, I can now see clearly where she gets it." the mother mumbled.

Abu Zainab went proudly to his daughter to hug her but to his great dismay. She ran away from him and since then she never looked back. She never wanted anything to do with him. Even as a child she could tell how cold he was towards her and that it was because of him that after every family gathering Mama would be crying and she would use her little fingers to wipe away her tears until Mama would smile from her effort.

Thanks boss. But wetin be DPI?

Go drink water join abeg. Lol

No be update i drop so? Na wa for you o! Lol

Eddysilver:
E far well well o
Wen update go drop?

I'm na foodie now. Funny na foodie. That's why I'm dey expect beta food.

Lol

Eddysilver:
adeabdul2 you are doing great. But fubby ehn, wen him hear wetin Cee dat tell dem he nor suppose xpect beta food nah.

Thanks boss. But about how air force cadets Training really goes. I don't know. I'm just making stuff up.
Lols

hotswagg12:
This their training is very difficult especially coming from the fact that the new intake are ajebos. Thanks for the update and also giving us insight of the training of an air force cadet.

Infinite Love 126

Obstacles

Nobody could get out of bed the very next day after their first sandbag hike. The bingo had been sounding off to the cadets to gather at the field for more than two minutes but no one stirred in their beds. Just as anticipated their commanders came in and splashed them out of beds with water and screams.

SPLASH!!
“GET UP. GET…UP!”
Even with that it still took them an additional five more minutes to clear everyone out of their beds, because they knew, a wet bed is far less a disturbance than the excruciating pain awaiting them out of their halls. As soon as they were out, they got no mercy from commander Dee.
“Just when I thought you people could fumble any less, you find new and more disappointing ways to mess up. So, you didn’t to get out of bed today? Did you think we would let you hide in your beds? You are cadets of the Nigerian Airforce; I suggest you start acting like it.”
Still, he got little to no responses from them, obviously the hike was a little too much for them and so he said.
“Okay. Alright. If you guys are tired today, we can do something else. No hike today.”
“Oh, thank God.” Zara said and the rest seemed to grumble in acceptance.
“After the morning march, we can stay here, on the mountain and have a light training. How’s that?” he asked.
“GOOD SIR!” they shouted.
“Okay. Okay, then that is what we will do.” He said grinning “Now, ATTENTION!”
As they began their march training Michael couldn’t help but wonder about the sly grin Ceedat had on his face at the mention of the ‘light training’.
“Was he really going to take things easy on them this today?” he wondered.
The breakfast after march was yellow custard with masara ‘corn puffs’. It was nothing spectacular, it was hardly tasty but it did fill their tummies and they slowly for two reasons. Their bodies ached all over and some of them could barely lift the spoon to their mouths without feeling a lot of pains. And secondly, any time they were not spending with their chief commander was a time to be cherished.
Sergeant Kamilu came for them, he herded them out to the field past the assembly ground to where Ceedat was standing with Sergeant Seyi at the west end of the mountain with all the curious looking training equipment. They sight of them filled the cadets with dread.
“As promised” Ceedat began as they arrived “…we won’t be going on a hike today. We will train on the ANTHILL and then the LAVA PIT, if time permits.” He said gesturing to the two longest structures of military obstacle courses.
“Oh, no.” Michael said dejectedly as the morale of the rest of the cadets sank to their stomachs.
“Sir, is this the …light training?” Jameelu asked bewildered.
“Why, yes of course.” He said lightheartedly but then added “Oh, I know it looks tough considering the length of it but allow us to demonstrate. You will not be carrying any sandbags or anything else here for that matter, you merely have to go through the various structures to get to the end of the courses. That’s all. Easy!”
“Ay, mad o!” Fubby muttered under his breath.
“Sergeant, will you please demonstrate how to navigate the anthill for us, please?” Ceedat motioned towards Sergeant Kamilu who immediately sprang into action and took to the obstacle course on the left.
The anthill was not exactly easy. It was a five-hundred-meter course that sloped upwards to the steeper part of the mountain and as sergeant sprang to the starting point, Ceedat directed them to follow on the side of the course to watch how he did it. But when they saw his look all sweaty and dirty after a few seconds, Michael knew they were in trouble.
The anthill starts off with crawling, a lot of crawling of crawling. Under a net not taller than a chicken’s height but twenty meters, kamilu crawled expertly under it for a few seconds and emerged instantly looking dirty in the from section of his uniform. Next, he crossed a few waist height parallel logs without using his hands, only to fall back onto his back and he began crawling on his back under knee high barbed wires for another ten meters. He then emerged dirty, totally from head to toe on his both sides. After that, he had to walk balancing on logs raised to about a foot off the ground.
“Here if he falls off, he would have to go back to the beginning of the course and start all over again after performing twenty reps of pushups.”
“Ehn?” they gasped as they watched Kamilu balance himself on the twenty-meter logs. He then had come across a four feet wooden fence which he scaled using his hands to pull himself up before using his feet to climb over it. Then came the eight feet wooden fence which had ropes attached to it. Since, the fence was too high he had to use the thick ropes knotted at measured intervals to climb the wall. He grabbed the rope and used that to push himself up while he used his legs to walk up the fence like he was doing a movie stunt.
“Are we supposed to do that?” Michael asked baffled.
“No, you can call an Uber chopper to fly you across.” Ceedat retorted sarcastically.
By the time Kamilu reached the top of the fence he climbed across and used another rope on the other side to swing down. Then he ran panting into a tunnel made up of a water storage tank sank into the ground and lined up end to end, he next came out to crawl into a made up of car tires lined up end to end, a few feet apart and sank into the ground a few inches making it a tight fit for anyone to crawl into. It was a tight fit.
“Mad, o.” Fubby swallowed nervously at the prospect of having to crawl through that.
After Kamilu came out of the tire tunnel, he came across four rows of tires stuck into the ground sideways forming round holes into ground which he stepped into as he got across them. Then he came to a sea stomps of wood stuck into the ground with their cut angle raised up to about two out of the ground and he stepped on them, slowly balancing his foot as Ceedat mentioned that falling off the stomps, again meant that he would have to start the entire thing all over again.
Finally, he got to a swinging tied to an overhead beam mounted on two wooden posts on either side but in the middle of it was a puddle of mud. It looked like children's swing set but instead of swing seats it had ropes to swing over the puddle. If executed properly one could have a fun swing over the mud and to the end of the obstacle course but if not, one would get splattered into a messy smelly puddle of mud and start the course all over again.
"See, that was so easy, right?" Ceedat said but obviously they all disagreed but refrained from speaking their minds.

"And now to the lava obstacle." and he motioned for Sergeant Seyi who promptly got into the starting position of the course directly opposite the anthill course.
"GO!" he said and she took off and started climbing a rope. "The object of this course is to pretend the floor is lava and never touch the ground with your feet or any other part of your body.

What happened next was spectacular. She ran to the starting rope and climbed it up swift as a snake to to about ten feet in the air at the very top and swing down back down to the other side to drop onto parallel log bridges stacked three feet apart and she nimbly stepped across them making it look so simple.

"Wow." Fubby said.

"She's great." said Zara getting excited watching Sergeant Seyi crossing the log roof with deftness of circus performers entertaining them all.

Next she came across a low net bridge split in two ways that climbs up to a point on one side and goes back down on the other side and she did it with so much finese that the cadets started cheering her on.

"Yes, commander go go go!" they cheered and commander datijo allowed it because he knew that watching her would motivate them.
Next she came across another lower balance beam which was much thinner and she had to slowly walk across it using the sides of her feet.

But the scariest part of that course was the monkey roof. It was an open roof with ropes running across it from side to side and so she used one had to grab onto a rope with one hand and swung her body to catch the next rope and so on and so forth until she was across it.

From then she slid down a single rope bridge in a foetal position and used the last rope to swing across the last puddle of mud to the end of the course.

And the cadets went wild.

"WOW!"

"WOO HOO!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"IMPOSSIBLE!"
They all ran up to her and began jumping up around her as if she had won a competition even though it was merely a demonstration.

"Yes, well done, Sergeant. Nice one. Well, I'm glad you all enjoyed that little spectacle because now. It is all your turns." he said and all their faces fell simultaneously.

I like funny too

hotswagg12:
Thanks for the update. I like this fubby character. He is a lively chap and always bringing humour to everyone.

Thanks boss

efeteb:
Thanks for this story. From the beginning, I knew this is going to be very interesting and I'm not disappointed.

Remind me a little of NYSC camp.

You are doing very well. More ideas to your brains.

I dey oga. How far now?

Eddysilver:
I don miss many updates O chai. adeabdul2 how far nah. The story dey go wella make I start to dey read the numerous updates.

Infinite Love 125

Grit & Guts

Soon after the worst they got a bland taste of their new lives at the worst breakfast that most of them had ever had. They weren’t allowed a minute to dwell on their pathetic situation, they were herded back onto the field for the rest of the day’s training.

“The motto of the Nigerian Air Force is WAR; WILLING, ABLE AND READY!” ceedat bellowed “DID YOU HEAR ME?”

“SIR, YES SIR!”

“Good. You have to be strong, brave and you must never give up, no matter what. In order words, you need grit and guts. But you people standing out here before me are the some of the worst turnouts of our great nation. Your generation is known for nothing but crying, complaining and excuses. You want everything to be given to you. In fact, you want your mothers to keep breastfeeding you until she dies. You don’t want to do anything by yourself. You cannot even be called losers because you give up way before you have even started. You are just wimps. Lowly maggots, who want what the things that they never work for. But you’re all here now and we are going to teach you the meaning of grit and guts. What did I say?”

“GRIT AND GUTS, SIR!!!” they responded.

“You have to be strong, courageous and you have to persevere. YOU MUST NEVER GIVE UP! We will transform you into something more; men…”

“men?” Zara hissed “that’s not an improvement.” She thought.

“and if you survive this experience…”

“If?” on that ominous tone a few of the cadets; including Jameelu and Michael exchanged looks “what does he mean by if?”

“your own your parents wouldn’t recognize you.” But he continued.

“Mad o!” fubby thought and Michael wondered if they were ever going to hear any kind of positive encouragement from their chief commander instead of the constant threat of gloom and doom, he was giving them.

“NOW GRAB THOSE BAGS AND FOLLOW ME YOU GO MAGGOTS!”

And with that last order the cadets grabbed each one of the bags that had been placed in front of them. They were not like the usual bags people carry to school or work. No, these were more like sacks, like the ten-kilogram sacks of rice and garri sold to wholesalers in Lagos but these were not white coloured like the bags of rice, they were brown like the colour of sand and they were literally filled with sand and twice as heavy.

“An airman’s training is the development of grit and guts. You will not survive it, if you do not push yourself past your limits.” Their chief commander was saying as he led them down the mountain on a ten-kilometer hike escorted by the squad commanders.

Michael had never experienced anything like it. They were made to trot down a rocky mountain, and went around the entire sides of the mountain, which was beautiful but they were in no mood to appreciate it. The mountain was beautiful but they weren’t tourists out to appreciate nature, they were new cadets getting into their training proper.

Fubby was so hungry he thought he could see something like goats and chickens on top of the mountain. He tried to ask Michael if he saw them too but he couldn’t speak. All he could do was gasp for breath as he and the rest of them marched, trying to keep up with their commanders who were now getting well ahead of them including Sergeant Seyi who along with the other commanders was carrying also carrying sand bags.

Then they took them onto the main road into town and saw a few of the locals who lived close to the mountain. The locals were laughing at them and some even pointed as they mocked. Watching a marchpast of the any of the armed forces is always an impressive sight but not in their case. All the locals saw were a bunch of young people gasping, panting and hardly able to keep up. They were not an impressive sight.

Nevertheless, they marched as hard as they could but their commanders didn’t seem to appreciate their effort. They mocked and jeered and forced them to march to the rhythm of their silly mocking songs.

“Mama come and see!”

“Papa come and see!”

“Wetin all dis commander dey come dey do for me!”

“Dem no give me fufu!”

“Dem call me mumu!”

“Everyday na suffer suffer I dey come dey do!”

Ceedat would run up and down, in and out, their four columns which was in disarray, tapping and knocking them on the head and elsewhere to correct and bolster them, all the while singing and laughing with his song.

“Uncle come and see!”

“Anty come and see!”

“Wetin all dis commander dey come dey do for me!”

“Dem no give me ponmo!”

“Dem call me dodo!”

“Everyday na suffer suffer I dey come dey know!”

It was a very annoying song and the cadets desperately needed him to stop singing it but nobody dared say anything. For his age and short size, it was a wonder that he had the energy to march up and down, round and round their ranks and still manage to sing. With his wild and bushy brows and moustache, he reminded Fubby of the wild grasscutters that his mother used to buy from the locals that they killed and ate them. He was so hungry that almost all his thoughts were about food.

By the time they got back to the mountain it was past noon and they all looked like a sorry sight. Hiking ten kilometers was always a tough task for anyone but doing so while carrying a heavy sand bag strapped to your back was sometime else. So, they all but collapsed as they dropped their sand bags back into a pile.

“What is the matter? Wetin happen?” Ceedat mocked. “Is it because of the hike that you all collapsed like this? Get up jor!” he ordered but they all merely stirred lifelessly. “You are all maggots! Only a ten hike did this to you? And you are all supposed to be airmen? Do you think flying is all that you’re expected to do as pilots? You are maggots are a waste of space. Get out of my sight. Dismissed!” he barked.

“Hooray!”

“Thank God o!”

“Alhamdulillah!”

“Finally, we rest.” They all cheered as they got up but he called them all back.

“What they hell is wrong with you? What are you saying? WHAT REST? After your lunch, each and everyone of you will come back here to this field even if I have to drag you for the rest of the days training. UNDERSTOOD?”

“Chai!”

“Mad o!”

“Again?”

“ARE YOU MAD?” he barked. Have you forgotten who you are talking to? I said; UNDERSTOOD?”

“SIR, YES SIR!!!” they responded.

“Good. Now GET OUT!” he dismissed them and they herded out to their mess for lunch.

Lunch was another sorry affair for them, most especially for Fubby. He had held out hope that there would be something particularly tasty for lunch. Afterall, they had just finished a ten-kilometer hike with sandbags strapped on them. But when the lunch lady came and serve them. It was another plate of sloppy corn pap with akara ‘bean cakes’ on the side. At least it was a larger portion of it this time. The food was lacking in quality but at least they made it up in quantity. Michael, Zara and Fubby huddled together to lunch quietly. The three of them were making it a habit of sticking together during meals and they ate quietly as a conversation was too tasking to make.

A few minutes later they were huddled back onto the field and made to run drills around the various obstacles on the pitch. They would run, crawl, swing and jump round the various devices put on the pitch. Fubby fell a lot of the time. By evening they were dismissed the third time for dinner where they were given their supper of flat wheat bread and beans. At the sight of the beans he had hope of something warm and tasty but alas whoever cooked those forgot to add salt and so the beans were quite tasteless.

He couldn't take much more of it. He fell immediately into bed and passed out without following the protocol of taking a bath, washing their clothes and cleaning his shoes. He was slowly giving up on his training on the mountain. Michael was getting worried about him. As he was slowly becoming quiet and withdrawn but there was little he could think to help. Their first week on the mountain had sapped all of their strengths and if they were to indeed survive, it would take a lot of grit and guts.