"How are you doing?" She asked once we reached outside the church building.
I knew it wasn't the best time but I felt the need to say something to her about what happened. Even though it was years ago, I owed her an explanation and if not now, I don't think I ever would.
"I'm surviving Crys," I answered meaning my words. I was struggling actually with everything lately and this was like the final blow.
"I don't like seeing you get hurt," she said, placing her hands on the arm cast. The touch of her hands were always like a calm to the tides but too bad I could never get back to that point where I had been allowed to be comfortable with it.
"Me neither," I said while taking the hand that was on me in mine.
We stayed like that for some time before I spoke up,
"Look Crystal about all that happened between us I-."
"It's been so long ago Lade and I'm honestly okay," she cut me off but I knew her better than anyone.
"When you say you're okay, it means you're not," I said with a half smile and she didn't meet my stare.
"You chose your job over me, it was very hard to take in but I've learned to move on."
Her words reminded me of how foolish I had been. Yes, I was in love with her then, I would even call it the cheesy love at first sight because I knew I was smitten the first day I stepped into the Young's home, but then I started moving higher in ranks and everything changed.
"It was something I had no control over and I'll never stop apologising for what I put you through," I explained and she let go of my hand before offering a slight nod. I missed the warmth of her hands immediately but it was crazy because I wasn't in love with her, that ship had sailed but still, I was allowed to miss what it felt like to be in love with someone, right?.
"Friends," she said smiling after a moment of awkward silence.
"Soulmates," I added in return, smiling back too as I recalled our usual sayings in those days.
...
I blew out a heavy breath as I walked through the doors of the church. The day's events were a little too much to handle; the burial, meeting crystal and every other thing that had happened in the past week. The church service was over and we were all headed to the cemetery for the final process.
The mass was also for the rest of the soldiers and our brothers that had lost their lives that day. They were going to be buried at a special ground, giving them the honour in which they were due.
I and my team with the entire armed forces needed to get back to reality. We were done wallowing in sorrow, now it was time to get to the bottom of things and get our revenge against whomever.
My driver had brought the car around the corner, so I wouldn't have to start walking a long distance to the parking lot. I couldn't wait to leave this place but before I could step in someone stopped me.
"You are not the easiest person to catch these days, Lade Adenuga," a familiar voice called out and I let out a smile when I turned to see a fellow colleague I hadn't seen in a while.
"Says the person who didn't want to be found," I said while we shared a bro handshake and a laugh.
"How were the reserves in Ogun?" I asked further, remembering the hunt he had been sent on a month ago by our late Commander.
"It was strangely interesting, you know, the usual rush of finding some exciting and juicy detail," he replied and we shared another hearty laugh.
"Jeff honestly, you sure were lucky to have missed out on all that had happened here," I said dismally and his laugh fell. I see he knew the detailed events of the incident, someone must have filled him in.
"Yeah I did man, it was really tragic," he accorded, folding his arms while I nodded, drooping my head a bit.
"If it's possible, could we meet up after the burial at Rhapsody?" he suggested after a moment of reliving the pain.
"I don't think it would be but we can still arrange something tomorrow."
"Lade its important."
"I really just want to go home and take a shower and pass out because you know, the day's events have been really enervating," I replied and he looked a bit disappointed but hid it effectively.
"I may have discovered some-" he began but unfortunately was cut off by an incoming voice,
"That sounds like so much fun, Lade," someone said but it wasn't Jeff and I knew it was obviously Emeka. He made the statement as he joined us, throwing his arms over our both shoulders. Again, I knew he was referring to my plans afterwards but it was typical of him to always suggest or accept any hangout offer In any situation, even when he didn't know the full details behind it.
"Emeka like who is talking about fun now, we are headed to the cemetery."
"Any social function is associated with fun, no matter its kind," he said and I just sighed, ``I wasn't going down the road of a banter with anyone.
"Jeff don't worry we will be there," he uttered again, beating me to it and before I could counter Someone had already whisked Jeff away from us.
"Why do you always have to interfere in my business?"
"Huh! that's funny, I remember asking you the same thing and besides I'm your buddy, what would you do without me," he replied and I recalled the morning of that tragic day when I saved his butt.
I didn't want to keep reliving that day and I wanted it erased completely from my mind. I stayed silent, still reflecting on Jeff's words and it was like Emeka had read my thoughts.
"Look, he said it was something important, it might be of interest to us," he assured me, putting on a more serious face and I heaved out a sigh, wordlessly declaring my consent.
There was nothing left to say as we both headed off to the cemetery and later the restaurant for the meeting with Jeff.
We stood in a circle, round the large gaping hole as they lowered his body 6 feet into the ground. I was standing with Crystal and Faith and I had to support her, so she wouldn't crumble.His first cousin, Lee, was giving his own tribute and It was heartfelt and so sincere. Some families of the other victims were looking absolutely distraught while some managed to compose themselves but above all, funerals were the worst occasions to attend. I silently hoped I won't be visiting here anymore or worse end up as the one inside the box.It was Crystal's time to speak and I watched her as she gracefully walked towards the podium. The once fearless girl I knew looked shrunken and frail and my heart broke a little more seeing her like that."Dad, my rock, I don't have the strength in me to ponder on why they had to take you away from me. If I did, it might break the remaining threads holding this shattered heart of mine together.I would never find the answer, I know and as a wise person once
This time around a secret message was mailed to our inboxes requesting our presence and that was where I was now.Coker was a small town in Surulere, Lagos and I had to drive all the way from Ikeja to see why I had been called. I was more cautious and conscious of my surroundings as I would never allow what happened that day to repeat itself.When I arrived at the house in Enitan street which the mail had addressed, I was met with a group of some Generals and other Soldier's. This meet was more secretive than the other and I wondered why they hadn't summoned the rest of us but only a few. We were inaccurately, a number of 20 men present at this location, there might have been more but that was what I was able to achieve after my head count.We had sat down in a large spaced living room that had an oval centre mat with the face of a lion boldly indented on it, before a man began to speak. He had a protruding stomach that looked as though it had swallowed a whale but then I realized he w
"What?!" I asked in bewildered confusion. I had to go on this mission, I owed it to Richard."I had requested your presence mainly for contributions and to give you the respect accorded to being amongst the best in your field, not to lead you into action when you're undeniably unfit." "I am stable Sir," I insisted, trying my hardest to level my tone."You can't embark on an ops as high risked as this with a liability as such," he said referring to my bound hand and shoulder."The fracture caused by the stab is healed and I'm taking off the stupid cast in 6days but I'm certain we can make an exception of five days earlier," I argued, already fed up with the injury but I sincerely meant it, I didn't feel the pain anymore and I could even remove it today if I wanted."Still, I can't be too sure if you would be fully disposed to use it effectively and also you had experienced a mild axonotmesis.""Sir I need to go on this mission," I responded in desperation."What if something goes wrong
Even as the car had driven out of the hospital grounds, I still felt uneasy and agitated at the now forgotten hospital event.I left there as soon as I could as there was no time to deliver my righted annoyance at the staff or threats of suing. I needed to be away from there, so after hurriedly seeing the expected doctors and cajoling them into reporting my hand healed and my body ready for use, without a last glance, I took my leave with no intentions of returning.It was as though I had witnessed something unreal or was it just my mind playing tricks. I replayed the events again, countless times as I sat in the back seat of the car, clutching the doctor's reports firmly. The dark parts of my past came knocking on my doors for a visit today and to say I was not aware of who was standing on the other side would not be clearly accurate.I didn't know who the lunatic man was, I had never known him both then and now but somehow he had been more involved in my story than I would have permi
The interiors of the building felt cold unlike the fading warmth it had once brought to my insides. Nothing had changed but everything was different. The furniture was in a dilapidated condition and it was crying loudly for a change. It made me wonder, had the extreme poverty of then continued? I had hoped somewhere in my mind as a little consolation, that they would have at least escaped from the shackles of its hold but now as I viewed, it looked as though things had gotten worse. I instantly felt ashamed, that as I was living a luxury life my family was suffering.
"What?! How?" I shouted in absolute shock."That can't be true Tayo, you are lying to me," I muttered next, still shaken, confounded and refusing to believe his words which struck like double edged swords to my gut.
It was already getting to 10pm on the clock when I lodged into the motel at the next street for the night. Since I had no other place to go to, there was no other option but to elapse the remaining days of solace to families alone in this hotel room with an unsettled mind. My mother was dying in some hospital ward room I didn’t know about and it was eating me up voraciously to the extent that even after the cold shower I had, my mind was still not at ease. I paced around with turbulent thoughts aside a heart pounding in fear of the worst. I had to see my mom no matter what before I left. The guilt of not being there weighed at me deeply and I knew if I didn’t get the chance to apologize, it would be another regret I’ll never forgive myself for. The conversation I had with Tayo still bugged me, I had never intended to lose a brother the second time as I walked through the doors of my home but his hate had run too deep and the length of time seemed to have strengthened its roots. 'I nee
It was the final destination as we had scanned through all the possible hospital locations in Surulere that she could have been admitted into and this was unexpected.I couldn't move my feet to proceed through the doors of the bed of flats that inhabited the clinic my mother was held at. Two things impeded my movements, I felt conscience stricken and guilt ridden that they couldn't even afford to take