Chapter 45

"I have actually never done this before and you should know just how hard this is for me, Violet. I'm stooping so low coming over here to meet you in person; not only am I a superior to your so-called boyfriend, I'm also the commanding officer of this barrack. Do you know that by doing this openly, I'm putting my reputation in the line?"

"Not like you have anyway. Besides, no one asked you to come here." She indifferently said.

"But I want to. I need to. Ever since I set my eyes upon you at the club, I've had sleepless nights and restless days. I can't seem to think straight because all I ever see is your face."

Violet scoffed. "What a cliche, Colonel. You seem not to get it still, do you? What exactly do I have to do to convince you that I'm not interested since you have chosen to be deaf to my words?"

"You can start by going out with me. Just go on one date with me and give me a chance to win you over. How about that for a start?"

"And if you fail on this one date?" She asked with a subtle sly smile.

"We'll simply go on another." He answered.

"You're persistent, aren't you?"

"When it comes to a woman I want, I don't give up easily." He answered.

"Well, this woman is already taken! So why not quit all these already?!"

"No, this woman is not taken... There's a certain glow which a woman who's in love with a man and is getting the same from the man has, and yours is still dim. I have however taken it upon me to give you that glow."

"I see."

Just then, they heard a car approaching and both of them turned their heads to find Stephen driving towards them. Since his parking spot was already occupied by the Colonel's car, he stopped in the driveway, got down the car and walked towards them. When he drew closer, he saluted the Colonel whom he was not pleased to see. 

Colonel Anthony intentionally ignored him for a minute as a form of display of power and authority while he smugly stared into Violet's eyes who kept glancing from him to Stephen, wondering why he was hesitating to release him from the salutation pose.

"Really? You are really going to do this?" Violet asked in a displeased tone while Stephen remained still with his chin slightly tilted up and his gaze fixed at the trees down the block and his hand held up against his temple.

"He's not complaining, is he?" Col. Anthony asked with a smirk.

"Release him, Anthony! This is not fair!" Violet said in contempt.

Colonel Anthony simply glanced down at his wristwatch and said to Violet, "Three more minutes to total five minutes and I'll do so... But for now, where were we?" He tried to resume their conversation.

Violet glared at him now. "Just how cruel are you?"

"Do you want me to ask him to drop and give me fifty on two fingers? Trust me, it will be to my pleasure." The Colonel maintained his calm but authoritative tone.

Stephen ground his jaws in anger but didn't move nor say a word. Colonel Anthony was his superior and he knew that he dared not flout orders or risk being thrown into the guard room or queried and he wanted to keep his records with the military clean. Violet got down the short steps and walked towards the Colonel now. "What will it take you to stop being such an asshole?! You don't have to humiliate him to prove a point!"

"One date." The Colonel lifted a finger. "One date, Violet, that's all it takes."

Violet hesitated as she glared at him for a moment as if contemplating his offer; finally she said: "Fine... you win! One date it is!" She reluctantly obliged.

A smug smile of triumph slowly spread on the Colonel's face now. "Now, that's a good girl..." He commented, took two steps closer to her and reached out to caress the side of her face with the back of his index and middle fingers but she angrily turned her face away from his touch in repulse. He stared at her lovingly for a moment then said in a low tone so that only Violet could hear: "Always remember, your defiance or adamance will only be at the detriment of your supposed boyfriend, and trust me when I say that I'll enjoy humiliating him before you every chance I get..." When she glared at him but said nothing, he smiled again and added: I'll pick you up at seven p.m. tomorrow night. Wear what's in the box." He ordered, glanced at Stephen, turned and walked to his car, got into it, reversed, turned and drove down the opposite side of the road.

When he had driven away, Stephen finally stood at ease, relaxing and dropping his arm. He shot Violet a displeased look and started to speak when she suddenly stopped him by lifting her index finger towards his face since she already knew what he was going to say. "Don't! I don't want to hear it!" She said and walked back to the apartment, took the basket of dried fish and entered.

Fuming and glaring down at the direction which the colonel had taken, Stephen stalked back to his car, got in and drove his car into his parking spot which the colonel had just vacated, got down and stalked into the house to confront Violet.

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Anne and Susan who had been jogging down the estate finally paused to catch their breaths. Both ladies were sweating a bit and Susan began to stretch her legs, bending it backward and pulling at her feet behind her while Anne did jumping-jacks on a spot. Unlike Susan, she still had enough energy.

"Babe, I'm thinking of going for surgery o." Susan said, staring down at her boobs and trying to adjust them in her sports bra by pushing them in from the sides under her arm.

Anne shot her a confused and surprised look as she began to twist her arm up her back, pulling at it over her shoulder with her other hand. "Surgery? What for?"

"My boobs nau. It's like they are not growing any bigger. I want my boobs to match my big hips. I'm seriously thinking of going for breasts implants. That way, I'll be able to flaunt them more without bothering to use push-up bras." Susan replied.

Anne chuckled in disbelief. "It's like you have gone mad, Susan. Who's putting all these nonsense ideas in your head?"

Susan rolled her eyes. "I knew that you'd oppose as usual. Tell me, is it a crime to do so? C'mon, girl, this is the age of science and almost anything is possible. Most celebrities, influencers and big girls in Lagos are now indulging in plastic surgery to enhance their features."

"But Susan, it's expensive and if you ask me, your breasts are just fine, so leave them alone. Going under the knife because most women are doing it is not rational at all." Anne advised. "Have you even thought of the consequences?"

"You don't know better thing jare." Susan hissed. "I wonder why I tell you anything when you barely ever support me."

"Because I'm your true friend and I'll not encourage you to do stupid things. Our lifestyle and life choices might defer but I won't stop telling you the truth." Anne chuckled.

"Don't you know that it's all this sexiness that's making men notice and approach me? Anne, you and I know too well that men like good things. They like a lady that's very much endowed and I can't have another woman turning my man's head when I can go under the knife and compete with any bitch!"

"And to what end? What are you competing for? To show who's has the goddess body and also better at sex abi? So, after the sex, what happens next? What next, Susan?"

"Money, more money and more connections to high places." Susan grinned greedily.

"I wonder when you'll quit this your business of gold-digging and settle down for once. You're not getting any younger o."

"Abegi, my blood is still hot and age is still very much on my side..." Susan said as she began to kick her legs out in front of her. "...so let me gold-dig all I want before I retire in marriage. Let me chop my life to the fullest before I decide to let one man tie me down forever."

"Yeah, speaking about marriage..." Anne said, panting a bit as she stood akimbo now with a serious look on her face. "Where did you even say that the Major went to again?"

"I told you that he went to Zamfara on an official assignment." Susan answered.

"I see...and when is he supposed to return to Kaduna?" Anne questioned.

"Tomorrow, hopefully." Susan replied, wondering why her friend was querying her about her man's whereabouts and the time of his return.

"Okay o..." Anne simply said, pouting her lower lip.

Susan gave her friend a suspicious look and turned sideways to look at him. "I know that look, Anne. What are you not telling me?" She asked.

"Nothing o... I just don't want it to seem like I'm trying to come between you two or be tagged a bad friend at last." Anne answered, stretching her arm to the other shoulder.

"Not at all. Why would I think such a thing?! Babe, just tell me what's up please." Susan anxiously said.

Anne sighed now and began, "There's this group I'm on Facebook and there are a lot of Northerners in it. Well, there were some pictures that were posted yesterday that got my attention. It was the wedding pictures of a very young Northern lady, probably in her early twenties who had just gotten married a week ago."

"And so? Is it the first time a Northern lady is getting married?" Susan asked in an indifferent tone, already losing interest in the gist.

"These pictures were posted by one of the amarya's (bride’s) friend who had attended the wedding."

Susan uncorked her fancy bottled water and took a drink then said, already disinterested. "I still don't get what this has got to do with me, Anne. Why are you telling me this?"

Anne hesitated then said, "Guess who the groom was."

Susan gave her a disgruntled look now. "Really? Guess? Are you for real right now? How in the whole wide world am I supposed to even guess that?"

"Fine, I'll save you the stress and tell you all the same... The groom was no other person but the Major."

Susan chuckled now. "What kind of joke is this, Anne? What kind of nonsense talk is this?! Are you trying to ruin my mood this Saturday morning? Who put you up to this? Stephen?"

"Nobody put me up to this, Susan and neither am I making this up!" Anne defended herself. "I knew that you wouldn't believe me but I know what I saw and I'll recognize the Major anywhere! He was the one I saw in almost all the pictures that girl posted on the group asking us to help wish her friend a happy-married-life. He was the one! I can bet you on it!" Anne vehemently said.

"Wait first..." Susan said, hands on her hips as she tried to process what her friend had just told her. "...are you insinuating that my own Major must have lied to me in order to go somewhere else to marry some northern girl after promising to make me his second wife?!" Her eyes narrowed in anger.

"This is not an insinuation, Susan, this is reality. I saw it with my own two eyes! I know who I saw and it was no other person but Major Ali!"

"My own Major Ali? Somebody who called me last night telling me how much he has missed me." Susan asked, still very skeptical.

"Yes! I can show you proof if you want to, they are on my phone in your place."

Susan laughed wickedly as she stared at the distance, angrily tapping her foot against the tarred road. "Evidence, ko?"

"Yes, let's just go to the house and I'll show everything to you." Anne assured her.

"So, I'm the one that Major wants to jilt? Me? Me, Susan? So, he has the guts to lie to me and go behind me to marry some other girl in Zamfara! We shall see!" She vindictively clicked her thumb and middle finger in front of her then angrily started to walk to the house, not bothering to exercise anymore.

Surprised at how angry her friend was, Anne asked now. "Babe, are we not jogging anymore? Where are you going?"

"Na who jogging help?!" Susan hissed. "Here I'm, jogging to stay fit for that old fool and he's probably over there in Zamfara screwing one premature bitch that doesn't even measure up to me!" She bitterly said without stopping.

Anne quickly followed her now. "Take it easy o, before you go and do something stupid, and please, I beg you with the name of God, do not tell him that I was the one who told you o. Susan, please, I beg you with the name of God." When Susan ignored her and continued to stalk down the side of the road towards the house, Anne desperately added as she sometimes had to run a bit just to catch up with her angry friend, "Susan! Susan! Are you even listening to me?!"

"So that old fool thought that I won't know, ko? He thought that he would just come back and keep fooling me like I'm dumb?! Walahi, I'll teach him a lesson! How could he do this to me?! How could he?! He lied to me! Here I'm waiting and keeping myself for him while he's in Zamfara getting a new wife for himself! Ha! He'll pay!" Susan continued to angrily say to no one in particular as she walked home, and sometimes, she would carefully bite down on her index finger just to portray how really pained she was.

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As Violet who was already dressed did her finishing touches before the dresser mirror in the bedroom, she kept glancing at Stephen who was seated on the bed with his back leaning against the wall. He was only clad in white shorts and had one leg stretched out along the edge of the bed while the other was on the floor. He was busy skimming through a magazine but she knew that he wasn't really paying attention to it because she had caught him severally sneaking glances at her too.

"So, you are just going to sit there and say nothing to me?" She finally asked, breaking the awkward silence to ease the tension in the room.

Stephen refused to look at her and he kept a hard and unsmiling face. "What do you want me to say?" He asked as he flipped to the next page. He was angry and she knew it. He had barely spoken to her ever since he returned from work and would have continued giving her the silent treatment until she went out on her date.