TALES OF A YOUTH CORP MEMBER 4 (NYSC LOVE STORIES)

Despite the rigorous activities that were ‘dished’ to Corp Members on Camp, some hearts still fell in love while also keeping their libidos alive. Packs of used condoms littered the field daily, obviously ‘runs’ were going on overnight as Corp Members frolicked among themselves. The Military Men as well as the Muscular Abokis (name used to describe lanky boys from Northern Nigeria that at times helped out with chores) were not left out of the sexual spree with female Corp members too. 

Via boasts by guys whose mouths were loose, the identity of the girls that were laid wasn’t shrouded in mystery at all. Supposedly engaged females, others were married, their wedding bands since flung off the ring finger as they frolicked, no doubt single girls were in droves too. News even filtered into Camp of how two ladies caught making love with the Aboki boys were decamped, ably confirmed by a military man who was literally advising girls to yield to his advances.

“On your blue tooth make we grab am” He had jocularly informed luring girls to bed by assuring them of a cozy place to get laid.

        Camp being one of those places where a lot of people actually met the love of their lives, some other love stories were flaky and subsequently went awry.

Let me narrate a story in furtherance to this;

           I was on a queue on a sunny afternoon for one of those Camp activities completely fagged out and dripping sweat like others around me. Few steps away was this young man who would not just stop talking, and truth is, I had this unfriendly look for him so intense yet he boldly charged at me, totally unperturbed at my hostility;

               “Hello lady, what is your name?”   He had inquired.

              “Titi” was the brisk response, and if it weren’t for the fact that I didn’t want to embarrass him, especially with the gazes of others shifted our way, I simply would have gone mute.

“Where are you from?”  He asked again.

“Osun State”  I answered though reluctantly, but the glee on him at the mention of that would not let me be. This forced a smile out of me though.

“We are from the same state” he announced with a grin. “My name is Kunle (not real names), but just call me Brown”

“So all the while I’d hated on a brother” I uttered to myself silently.  “My pleasure meeting you Bro” I added again as I warmed up instantly and like seriously, I could be that way to people from my side of town, and please don’t mistake me for one who is sentimental.  Afterwards we became friends referring to him as ‘brother’ and him ‘sister’ so much we succeeded in fooling a few people who thought we were actually blood relatives.

As part of getting to know my ‘dear brother’, he brought a woman to my hostel three days after I’d met him and called her his ‘wife’. That label carried so much weight that I found that amusing, like?

Why would legally married couple be camped together in the same Orientation Camp?

Weird!   I had reasoned. It’s amusing how I’d managed to believe that in the first place by the way.

We exchanged pleasantries and I in turn gave her a thorough scan with my gaze till I noticed dark thin lines on her ring finger, a visible evidence of a newly removed wedding band which had been worn overtime.

“Did you just say your wife?” I inquired and he snapped back in the affirmative. If Brown hadn’t left in a hurry with his ‘wife’ giggling like teenagers in love as they walked away, I would have questioned the reason for the ring removal. But wait, I just hope my being too inquisitive would not land me in trouble someday.

Subsequently I realized that my supposed ‘sister-in-law’ was one of the most laid females on camp, but guess that wasn’t in my place to inform her ‘husband’.

Then came the inter Platoon Football Competition, Brown being a very good defender as well as a Football Coach represented his Platoon. Not an enthusiastic Football Spectator myself, I left the field to attend to chores in my hostel, only to hear loud screams in direction of the Football Field which rented the air. In droves, I alongside others ran towards the field to see one of the players being hurried to the hospital on a stretcher. That was Brown, and I didn’t even get to move closer as he got ferried away.

 Exaggerated gist was like;

“An attacker in platoon A had kicked him in the ankle, and his bone was broken, ever seen a biscuit bone before?”

Another version went;

“His feet was completely disengaged from the leg, I saw it with my two naked eyes” one eye witness accounted, and another interjected;

 “Trust me, few strands of veins held it together and prevented the feet from completely falling off”

Whatever it is, Brown needs a bone mend. Obviously writhing in pains as the stretcher conveyed him into the ambulance, the orthopedic hospital in Kano State received him for proper Medical attention. The Camp Commandant on the other hand had to assemble us later that evening to address us that our favorite would be alright in no time. This calmed some nerves. But still dejected at my ‘brothers’ state, I headed to the hostel of my supposed ‘sister in law’ wearing a gloom.  If I could be feeling this dejected, I reasoned, the wife must be sadder.

Well, there she was sprang on her mattress, and it was a jaw dropping scene to discover that she was chatting away  happily with her room mates. Puzzled, I started out;

“I’m sorry about what happened to your husband” and she snapped back rather spontaneously,

“Mind you, he is not my husband”

“Chineke!!”  I deliberately exclaimed in Igbo, “and what are you talking about?”  I queried, trying to hide my discontent. She must have sensed this hence had to lecture an ignorant me, or so it seemed;

            “Don’t mind Brown”   she started out “he is such a love sick fellow that he kept telling everyone that I am his wife”

“wow” was all I could say at that moment yet she continued.

“I am a happily married woman in my state with kids, and as you can see from the lines on my ring finger” she said, motioning to the wrinkled palm she stretched, “My wedding ring is carefully kept in my make up kit since my first day on camp, all I came to Camp to do was catch some fun” She added with a grin and before I could comment on that, she continued  “ I married my husband as a teenager, it was him who deflowered me, got me a Tertiary Education as promised but will you blame me?  She asked somehow looking for validation for her misdeeds, but when it wasn’t forthcoming she continued;

 “I have never been this exposed my whole life, and even when I was in the university, I do go to school from my matrimonial home, my husband drops me off on a daily basis on his way from work so much that all my Course Mates are aware of my marital status so no fun”

She said laughing hysterically “ I only had a nice time with Brown a few times and he became stuck, the man that duly paid my dowry is at home and not brown o”

She concluded and for real, I stood there totally dazed at the utterances of my fellow female, her effrontery into revealing all of these to me is quite absurd too. To crown it all however, she said to stop me in my thinking tracks,

“You must be a distant relation of his not to know that I met him here on camp”

I heaved a sigh and before I could respond she added again,

            “Anyways, sorry about his fracture, I wish him a quick recovery hen? So have you made a call across to his closer family members to inform them?

            And before I finally found my voice, I faulted within me how badly her mouth runs more than her brain thinks information through. Well;

“No” I eventually replied. “we do not have the same parents, we also met here on Camp and he started calling me his sister o” no best time to confess but now “ As a matter fact I do not even know him past his first names”  I added instantly, an indication that I was also done with being a pseudo sister.

            “Oh!!” she managed to mutter and I hurriedly left.

Few days later Brown was brought by the same Van that had conveyed him, accompanied by some Medical gadgets he needed for his POP Bandage, wrapped straight down his ankle from the thigh.

            “Lord have mercy” I exclaimed as soon as I set my eyes on him. Never before have I seen such a bandage that long my whole life, smiling still like nothing happened he greeted,

            “Aburo mi bawo ni? (My younger one, how are you?)”

            “I’m fine” I managed to mutter despite the fact that I clearly do not want such familiarity with him no more. “But why were you rushed back to Tsafe in just few days? Are you telling me that a Doctor certified you fit and then discharged you? I fumed after taking another glance at him.

            “I was the one that insisted that I should be allowed to come back, though I’m better now” He assured “I could have at least stayed behind to rest, but I required them to bring me here to do that instead.

            “For real?”

            “Yes” he assured “by the way, I was already missing my angel” came the sharp addition that I considered stupid.

            “Who?” I asked rhetorically feigning ignorance.

            “My wife of course”

And at this I would have said something stupid if Tommy hadn’t prevented me so as I made to leave and he went like;

            “Now Titi, will you please do me a favor?”  He requested,

            “What?” I asked

            “Help me get my wife from her hostel, I’m sure she isn’t aware of my arrival” he said smiling.

 Infatuation is real though.

Subsequently, Brown was given a blank cheque to redeploy to any state of his choice owing to his condition, an offer he turned down just because he didn’t want to be away from his babe, he maintained. Totally oblivious of the fact that she on the other hand, had presented her marriage certificate for prompt redeployment to the state where her husband resided.           

The last day on camp wasn’t one funny day for Brown, though he tried to stay calm despite the fact she was being driven home to her husband, he had to limp towards the bus that solely conveyed him to his place of primary assignment as solo as he had came to Camp.

I just wonder who does that?