ON THE RUN (EPISODE 25)

Her weight suddenly became evident on him, sending both of them to the ground, escaping by chance another shot fired by the rebels climbing the wall. They had rather be dead than escape, ordered the rebel-leader who was yet to climb the wall. The rebels who had crossed over the wall, to their opponent’s half, fell into the rapid fire of the Nigeria soldiers, who rushed to the scene just as they heard the gunshots.

The sudden barrages and the very short groans of the men at the other side of the wall got the rebel-leader uneasy, wondering if they had just been ambushed. In order to satisfy his curiosity, he placed the life of two out of eight of his remaining men on the line, instructing them to climb the wall and confirm the daring truth.

The two obeyed, but plunged to the ground, the same second, with bullet holes on their heads. Molten-red blood squirted out of their gaping skulls, and the pity eyes of the rebel-leader welled with tears.

The firing ceased.

“Get them!” The General roared, seeing that victory, at last, had smiled at him. The valiant Nigerian soldiers rushed over the wall, chasing after the men on turban who took off, running with the speed of light, towards their parked vehicles.

The General hurried to Sanmi, who held Dinah in his arms, trying all he could to stop the blood-gush. The bullet had pierced through her back.

Dinah coughed, gasping for air.

“No Dinah. No!” Sanmi pivoted his hand by her neck, staring into her weak eyes. “Stay with me, stay with me please. Please stay with me, Dinah.”

“Let’s get her out of here on time.” The General bent before Sanmi, serving his back to him. “Hurry up!”

He scrambled with her to his feet, and placed her carefully behind the General. Not one person could ever explain how the sudden love of the person they barely knew could wax so strong. The General backed Dinah like an infant, scuttling through the woods, heading north, towards their camp. Sanmi limped along with a slight shiver of fear, the fear of losing a loved one. Oh! Death had really played a fast one on him.

At age six, he had seen his mother battle with cancer. Even when he was told that it was a mere sickness, the fear of losing her still tingled in his little heart. She was rushed back to the hospital this night and the fear amplified to a whole new level. He nudged his father, now and then, to go into the emergency room to confirm his mother’s state of health. And because his father had a relaxed countenance, he couldn't see the terror that hooked him by the throat. The doctor came out to them, with a long face and a pity demeanor.

“Doctor, what is it?” Sanmi’s father hoped the doctor’s words would contradict his scary look. “I’m a man, you can tell me anything. Doctor?”

The doctor, having his arms akimbo, let out a deep breath. “Mr Fashakin, I’m sorry we tried our best...”

“...ehn we know you people always try your best. What happened to my wife is what I’m asking?”

“That’s what I’m trying to explain sir.” The doctor said, more calmly. “We tried all we could, but we lost her.”

Little Sanmi couldn't help his depressed father from swooning, it was an abrupt fall that even the doctor was caught unaware. His father also passed away in the process, leaving him to the mercy of his uncle who raised him. Ever since, he grew nervous whenever any of his loved ones needed an urgent medical attention.

Now they arrived at their camp and from afar the medical personnel had rushed to the sympathy of the extremely tired officers. They looked scruffy and needed quick medical attention, likewise already dying Dinah who had barely few seconds to escape death. They drove the General to a special ward, far away from the camp, away from any form of attack. They couldn't afford to lose him again, as more soldiers were assigned to stand on guard at the entrance of the place he received his treatment. On the other hand, Sanmi laid tired on the wooden bed, in the camp’s clinic, just after the bullet had been pulled out of his thigh. The thought of Dinah occupied his mind and he only wished she would live to bask in the joy of their narrow escape.

Later that evening, Sanmi felt quite better and well refreshed, deciding to satisfy his nagging curiosity. He strolled towards the medical inspection room which was just about a minute walk from his sick bed. The medical soldiers that stood on duty saluted him as he walked through the passage to the supposed ward Dinah could be. He peeked again at the silver bracelet that dribble around his wrist, then smiled at the message he thought it passed, and then muttered some words of prayer. If only he knew Dinah was no more.

His heart beat abnormally fast as he found the ward empty. He closed the door without a sound, lost in thought about where Dinah might have been taken to. His worried eyes scanned around for any passer-by who by any means could answer the bugging questions his troubled mind popped at the time. Lucky, but sadly for him, a familiar doctor passed and broke the news to him. “Captain, we lost that lady that arrived with you and the General. We got the bullet out of her, but she had already lost a lot of blood. We really tried all we could.”

“Oh no!” His scream smeared into uncontrollable sobbing. He turned around and placed his aching head on the wall. The doctor patted him at the back and made an immediate exit, then he propped his back against the blue wall and slid to a sit on the very dusty floor, burying his head in between his legs.

His tears flowed freely to the floor. Dinah never said her goodbye before departing, the more painful reason Sanmi cried even more. Words couldn't express how  he felt and otiose thoughts wouldn't stop gushing into his head. He struggled to get to his feet, after several failed attempt against the jarring force from the bad news. Now, he staggered along the quiet passage toward the entrance of the camp’s clinic. Behind the door, with his hand on the doorknob, he paused to compose himself, he wiped his messy face with his black t-shirt, cleared his clogged throat and straightened, with both hands, his rumpled shirt. Every soldier in the camp saw him as an icon of bravery and he wasn't ready to sell that, not even for a very high price. The soldier by the door saluted him again as he walked out of the clinic to a solitude, under a giant mango tree, situated right behind the clinic. He needed time alone, to reflect on the happenings in his life, of late.

The sun had long gone to bed and the chirping sound of the crickets jumble with the whistling of the gentle breeze. Sanmi slid out of his pocket a stick of cigarette and stuck it in between his lips. And that very second, the thought of Salewa flashed through his mind. He knew he shouldn't smoke. He made the promise to her that night, the great night he proposed, the third of February.

“...if that’s what you want, that you already have of me.” Sanmi said with a straight face, kneeling on his right. “That stick I smoked would be my last, I promise.”

Salewa sneered at the obvious facade, having her mean eyes on his swollen pocket. He smiled and then dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarette. “This goes too.” He tossed it inside a bin resting beneath their table.

“I just can’t watch you suffer. My dad died of lung cancer. You know it.” Salewa reached for her handkerchief and mopped her teary eyes. “I love you so much and I don’t want to lose you, not to anything without a face I can punch.”

“You won’t lose me.” He shifted closer and lent her a hug. “I love you.”

The promise had long been broken. But this very thought played before him whenever he felt the urge to smoke. And the only way he could overcome the ever pressing temptation was to fall for it.

He sat at the root and braced his back against the back of the tree. His face brightened as he lit the cigarette. A puff of smoke coiled out of his nose and he took in another puff. A sharp thought crept into his head and abruptly, he stood to his feet and snuffed out the dwarf cigarette under his feet. Was it a cause and effect from the smoking? That nobody could tell as he stood still, like a statue, for some seconds with bright eyes scanning around the premises, then he walked away from there.