THE STRANGE ATTRACTION

I was posted to the core North. I travelled by air because my dad felt traveling by road to a strange place could be very dangerous. To be on the safe side, he booked my flight to Kano. That was my first time traveling by air. I boarded the plane having checked my load, I sat down, fastened my seat belt. I wanted the window side neglecting what was on my air ticket, God was so kind, the guy never minded. I watched as the plane was gliding before it moved up and balanced in the air. I saw the city become smaller and smaller. We entered the cloud and I quickly closed my eyes and tried to relax my mind. I was not too comfortable though. I kept on imagining negative things inside the plane, but I saw the hostesses moving up and down, I was relieved. We were given refreshments. I took mine to calm my nerves. Later, we landed, I was happy. The landing could be frightening. It took about fifteen minutes before the plane could land very well. We were able to come down. I took an airport taxi straight to the NYSC camp and I was welcomed by the soldiers.

I could remember what the soldiers said, “welcome to the third hottest state in Nigeria”. I managed a smile. Camp life was another training ground. I loved everything in the camp, it was quite interesting; the discipline, the marchings, the drills. We were treated like mara-military.

We wake up at 5 am every day, we put on shorts and singlets as soon as we hear the whistle blow. If anyone delay more than expected, that fellow would jump like a frog. That was the punishment. If you are asked to double up, you'll jump faster. So I always try to come out early. They do not tolerate complaints; “obey before complain” was the soldiers' slogan. We would then begin to do some marchings, like soldiers. We were separated into different platoons. I was in platoons one. After the morning match, we go back to freshen up. We go to take our meal. We rest a little before we go for more marchings and activities like “Man O war”. 

You climbed trees with a rope, moved under barbed wire, and jump fences. We do that before the next meal. This was our routine every day till we finished the camp before or various postings to the place where we will serve the Nation. If you are accepted by any organization, you will be given a letter of acceptance. If you are rejected, you will also receive a letter of rejection which you would use to go to another place until you are accepted in an organization. On one of the days when we were on camp, I saw a guy in platoon five shouting my name, “Comfort, hey! Comfort”. I turned to see this guy and I discovered he was one of my classmates at the university. He was posted to Kano too as a corper. We exchanged pleasantries. It was then I discovered he was in platoon five.

Demola was a 'kegite' on the campus. You see the kegites every evening dancing, drumming, using local drums. They usually turn to Christian songs to sing theirs. They pervert Christian songs. They dance, sing and scream all over the place. They usually put a keg of palm wine - a local keg in the middle. They dance and drink palm wine cheering themselves. Demola was Lucifer, one of the topmost officers, in fact, the overall leader of the kegites. Meeting Demola, popularly known as Demoo by students but the Lucifer of their fellowship. I mean kegites fellowship, I saw them on campus as a nuisance. They make so much noise in singing perverted Christian songs and dancing gleefully to local drums.

Seeing Demola made me happy since he was my classmate on campus. From that day, you see us together often, especially after our marching parades. He used to gist me his adventurous life on campus. He shared with me how he was lured into the kegites club during his 100 level. He remembered one evening on a Sunday, he was coming from the hospital, he had fever and typhoid, then his friend replied, "it is because you are not taking palm wine. Palm wine destroys fever come and flush out fever and your typhoid". He decided to stay with them that evening, thinking he would just whirl away his time that day. Alas! He kept on going there like a joke till he became their overall leader. He used to go from campus to campus initiating new converts unto the club.

I did ask him about his love life on campus. He told me he lived a rough life back then." As soon as I joined the kegites club, my life seem to change. I was moving from one girl to another. I had chains of girlfriend. They loved to follow me like that. Some of them that are jealous for nothing will quarrel sometimes I would always settle them. I wondered why some of them could tolerate my behavior then. It was not because I was caring or cared for them. One thing I know was that I had a sweet sugar-coated tongue. I sway them with a sweet tongue. I tell them what they wanted to hear, with this my deep baritone voice. Ladies love my voice so much, they fall like a pack of cards. No girl has ever refused my proposal of friendship. He kept on hailing in himself, excited about his love escapades.

He told me about an incident how he was with a girl in the room having the fun of his life. They had put on light music, she was dancing while he sat down watching her. She was a good dancer, he was enjoying her good moves, while she danced on, he was sipping his drink enjoying himself when a girl suddenly called asking if he was in the room, he answered her in the affirmative. Without telling him, she was coming, he heard a soft knock and told the fellow to come in, he was not expecting a girl that time, he thought it was one of his kegite friends. The lady got in and before he could stand to open it, she had rushed in as if someone was pursuing her. She came to report one of the lecturers that had been disturbing her on campus.

As soon as she came in, she shouted, " And what do you think you are doing with this lady, this scum, this prostitute? As soon as the other one dancing heard the word, "prostitute", she screamed out, "what!! are you talking to me Who is your prostitute?".

Before the other one could reply, the dancing lady had given her a dirty slap, I mean two dirty slaps. The first one made her stagger, before she could regain her balance, she had another one on her cheek. She fell. I had to be separating them. The one that was slapped picked an instrument and hit the dancer, blood was coming from her forehead. She got the chance because I held her. After all, she seemed stronger. The other took her opportunity and hit her with an instrument what! it became rough. I was angry with the girl for hitting her with an instrument. She became sober and was about to run away when the dancer grabbed her from the back and landed her on the floor leaving her heavily bruised. Both became wounded. I became confused. I had to go and look for a car to take them to the hospital. Both were treated and I took them again to drop them in their different hostels warning them sternly never to come near me again.

That was very terrible", I said. Hmmm, very terrible. Do you know people had gathered, I became the talk of the school. Later when I came back the boys were hailing me for managing the crisis. It was quite messy but I handled it well. "How come people couldn't enter your room to assist you? I asked he replied that he had locked his room so that people would not know. Unfortunately, the ladies made so much noise. Their noises attracted the boys to my room but they were only able to gather outside the door of my room. They also became a great help. One of the boys offered to use his car to drive us to the school clinic. One of the kegite gave me money for their treatment.

I sighed deeply and said, "How come I never heard this news on campus?" You were too holy on campus to hear now!. I knew you very well. You were focused, beautiful and intelligent. You were also very disciplined. You never messed up at all. You were very good. A wife material you were then. I hope you are still the same good girl I knew then?" I just smile and replied with " I hope so."

There was something I noticed in the camp, my closeness to Demola was increasing day by day. I was somehow getting ruffled. I tried stopping it but I always found out it never did work. There was a day I determined never to see him at all. I was dogging him. That day he had been looking for me. I saw him somehow, he stood different from others. I moved away to hide.vi saw one of my platoon boys and as we were exchanging greetings he called out from the crowd shouting my name. "Oh! No! not again: I murmured. He ran to meet me where I was and I had no choice but to follow him.

Later, he discovered I was trying to avoid him. He boldly confronted me and asked why I was doing that to him. He asked if he had said something that hurt me or did something wrong, he was ready to apologize. I quickly told him,' none at all' maybe I'm just the problem. I'm sorry; I apologized. He said jokingly, "Are you falling for me?" "maybe, you naughty boy, must you open your mouth so wide?". He laughed and laughed so hard. He took my hand and we went to sit down in a cool place. He bought me a drink, soft drink and we were gisting as usual. It was always fun listening to his weird stories. He was my gistometre. He loves telling stories.

I was becoming fond of him but so as not to offend him, I decided not to avoid him again. We kept on but I was becoming weaker and weaker. I felt this guy is not my type of guy.

Befriending this guy will be like the story of the beast and the beauty. I knew the relationship was wrong but I couldn't help myself I was falling in love. One day, Demola asked me about Paul. I told him I did not know where he is. We lost contact with him because I lost my phone. I felt he should have called me but he wouldn't get me because I did not do 'welcome back.

"Everyone knew you on campus. Paul and you were very good together. Your relationship was okay", Demola said. I quite agreed with him. It was a clean relationship. We continued moving together, with no commitment, just plain friends until the camp was over and we were able to get our postings. We were posted far away from each other. I felt a huge relief then until one day Demola visited my location, the place where I was traveling. I was surprised because he never informed me. He had a friend in the town too, he stayed with his friend though. He took me out on a date and told me he loved me and would love to spend the rest of his life with me. I laughed and laughed. I told him I do not think our relationship would work: we could be friends which we were already. We just needed to continue to be friends forever. Huuu, grew angry. I mean very angry, his face changed, his eyes very red. He shouted at me for leading him on. I thought you loved me. No lady has ever refused me before. I mean no lady. I will never take no for an answer. He stood up and held me so tightly almost suffocating me, I told him, that he was hurting me, he should let me go. He did abruptly and I almost fell. I managed to catch my breath and ran back home. He tried to run after me but I was somehow faster. I saw a taxi and entered quickly. He tried to call me to apologize, but I refused to pick his number. He sent several text messages, I deleted his number and text messages. I thank God for my narrow escape. I remembered Paul and wished he were around. My brother, friend, saviour. I missed him greatly. Demola, the Lucifer, the beast went back to his location. I told myself "what was I thinking in my heart?". Then I knew it is dangerous to have strong closeness to the opposite sex. It is like playing with an open fire. It will burn.

Too much closeness with the opposite sex brings out undue affection; it is just natural to have feelings. It may not necessarily be genuine. You do not smell a lump of meat you don't want to taste.

Imagine me getting attracted to a beast can a leopard change its skin? What do I expect from a kegite, a Lucifer? Honestly, I did not blame him, I blamed myself for everything that had happened between us.

That night my mother called me, I quickly picked her call, excited it was a call I needed to lighten me up. She was happy to connect again she never thought I would pick her call again. I apologized for my rude behavior then. I was supposed to have called back the following day but couldn't recollect what happened. I told him that I had just finished camp and had been posted to one of the schools in Kano. Of course, she felt Kano was too far, that my dad could have changed my posting for me. I told her, I never wanted to disturb him. Anyway, I asked if she was able to call my dad since then, she told me she was feeling bad. I encouraged her to do so that my dad would be happy to hear from her. She promised to do so. She was encouraged by our conversation. I was happy about her call. I chose to think about my parent's reconciliation rather than thinking about one irresponsible boy, I decided to push his thoughts far away from my head. Though it wasn't easy to do so; but I made up my mind to think of better things that will move the family forward.