The camp welcome party had finally come and gone, but its impact still resonated deeply. As morning broke, the camp was abuzz with excitement, and a single topic dominated every conversation.
The topic on everyone's lips, was the astonishing moment when a music artist beckoned a lucky girl from the crowd onto the stage and, in a grand gesture, bestowed upon her his gleaming gold necklace.
The story was shared and re-shared, analyzed and dissected, leaving no corner of the camp untouched by the thrill of it all.
Although the girl's story was the hottest topic of conversation, I discovered that hardly anyone knew her personally. When I approached several people, asking them to show me who she was, they shook their heads, seemingly as clueless as I was.
That morning, our parade ground transformed into a rigorous training zone. Gone was our relaxed routine; instead, we were subjected to a grueling regimen of drills, with our instructors barking orders and pushing us to our limits, much like military recruits undergoing boot camp.
Our commander will always tell us that should war break out between Nigeria and another country, we were going to be the next to be recruited because we are now para-military.
Our commander stood tall, surveying the sea of youthful faces before him. His voice boomed across the parade ground, commanding attention, as he addressed us.
“Listen up, corps members!........I know some of you may think this training is rigorous, but trust me, it's necessary. You are no longer just ordinary citizens; you are paramilitary personnel, and you must conduct yourselves as such”........He said fiercely, then he paused, his eyes scanning the crowd.
“You never know when your services will be required. Should war break out between Nigeria and another country, you will be among the first to be called up for recruitment”........he concluded.
All of us being corps members exchanged nervous glances, the reality of our situation sinking in. One of us, a tall, lanky young man, spoke up.
“Sir, is that really possible? I mean, we're just youth corpers, not soldiers”........he mentioned, and the commander's expression turned stern.
“Well, like I said earlier, You are paramilitary personnel, and you will be treated as such.......You have undergone training, and you are expected to conduct yourselves in a manner befitting your status”........He paused, his voice taking on a slightly softer tone.
“But I must commend you all; you have shown great dedication and discipline during this training. Keep it up, and you will make your country proud”........he concluded, with a faint smile on his face.
As we continued with our training, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held for us after youth service.
Would we be called upon to serve in a war zone? Only time would tell, but for now, I was focused on honing my skills and preparing myself for whatever lay ahead.
Forming bonds with my fellow platoon members came effortlessly. Unbeknownst to me, I had assumed a leadership role, earning the unofficial title of second-in-command.
As a result, whenever our commander was delayed, my comrades would instinctively turn to me, shouting out for direction, and I would seamlessly take charge.
It was exhilarating to be the one guiding my platoon, especially when the other platoons were being led by their respective commanders, making me feel like a true leader and an integral part of the team.
Ironically, my platoon members readily followed my instructions, which inadvertently solidified my authority and cemented my unofficial leadership status.
As our morning parade drew to a close, our commander announced that elections would be held after the evening parade to choose our platoon's leadership team, responsible for representing our interests and coordinating our activities.
My fellow platoon members were adamant, loudly proclaiming that I was destined for the platoon leader position, with Pascaline as my deputy. Despite my protests, insisting that I didn't want the role, they teasingly refused to accept my denial, jokingly saying that I had no say in the matter.
Following our orientation, the next phase began, where each platoon was tasked with electing its officials, including the platoon leader, vice leader, sports representative, and other key positions.
Concurrently, we embarked on skill acquisition training programs and attended lectures, marking the start of our immersive camp experience.
I observed a sudden change in Pascaline's behavior, as she began to maintain a noticeable distance from me, creating a palpable sense of detachment between us.
I was struck by Pascaline's unusual behavior that morning. Normally, she would stick close to me before and after the parade, standing by my side on the parade ground.
However, on this particular morning, she merely exchanged a brief greeting with me before drifting over to Mariam, another member of our platoon, leaving me wondering at the sudden change.
After the parade, Pascalin discreetly departed without a word, her expression eerily neutral, even as our fellow recruits buzzed with excitement, predicting that we would be elected as the platoon leaders.
Her unusual aloofness only added to my growing puzzlement.
Following the parade, our usual routine was to head to Mami market for breakfast together, but Pascaline surprisingly broke away from the group, hurrying off to her hostel before the other girls could even gather, leaving me feeling perplexed by her sudden departure.
When Sandra and Daisy arrived, I invited Yamani to join us, but he declined, saying he wasn't feeling hungry and told us to go ahead without him.
I tried reaching Pascaline over the phone, but she ignored my call, and even her sister's attempts to reach her were met with silence. Undeterred, after we finished eating, I purchased two take-out meals, one for Pascaline and the other for Yamani.
I passed Pascaline's take-out meal to Daisy, and then headed out with Yamani's meal in hand. Upon arriving at the hostel, I found Yamani lounging on his bed, intently typing away on his phone.
I handed him the food and asked him point-blank why he had opted out of joining us, and he revealed that he had been deliberately avoiding Daisy.
It dawned on me immediately, with a clarity that left no room for doubt, why Yamani was deliberately steering clear of Daisy.
“But guy nawa for you oh, shey you know say you fûck up yesterday?
Why you go do that kind thing na?”.........I teased.
“Guy na highness oh, in fact conji na bastard I swear. Finally I know say I don cast”.........he lamented.
“Why did you try to dip your fingers in her shorts without her knowledge?
Don't you know that act can anger a woman?”..........I asked apprehensively.
“Bro it wasn't my fault Na I'm human and not stick, and besides, when I caught you and Sandra being intimate, the kind conji wey come hold me Ehhhnnn.......coupled with the fact that I was a bit drunk, the next thing on my mind at that moment, was to have sêx”.........he explained.
“See yourself now, you've spoiled every chance that you have with Daisy”.........I teased.
“Pasky please you will have to help me........Just make her understand that I was drunk........I did not mean to embarrass her, it wasn't intentional abeg”.........he said remorsefully.
“No problems my gee, you can always count on me.......I don't even understand Pascaline, She has been avoiding me today during the parade. She didn't even follow us to Mami this morning”.........I complained.
“If you can still recall, I have once told you before, that Pascaline is in love with you.......I caught her staring at you and Sandra in a displeasing manner, at the welcome party last night”........he mentioned.
“I don't want to believe she is in love with me, isn't she aware that I am in a serious relationship with Sandra?”.........I retorted.
“No wahala Na, E go soon clear for your eyes say that babe dey trip for you”........he teased, and let out a loud laughter.
“Craze person, why you come dey laugh na”........I said playfully, and joined him in laughing.
Just as our conversation was in full flow, the unmistakable sound of the clarion bell pierced the air, signaling that it was time for us to head to our scheduled SAED lecture on skill acquisition.
As Yamani and I arrived at the Pavilion, I caught sight of Pascaline, completely absorbed and oblivious to her surroundings, her eyes fixed intently on her phone.
I instructed Yamani to reserve seats for the other girls, and then I excused myself to investigate what was troubling Pascaline, whose unusual behavior had piqued my concern.
I sat down beside her and discreetly pulled out one of her earphones, interrupting her solitude. I then cut straight to the chase, forgoing any polite preliminaries.
“What is wrong with you?”.......I asked.
She turned to me, our eyes met briefly, and then she averted her gaze, her silence speaking volumes. The pause that followed felt interminable, prompting me to ask again, my concern growing more pronounced, “What's wrong, Pascaline?”.......I queried again.
This time, she rose from her seat, gathered her belongings, and walked off without a word, leaving me feeling mortified. I glanced around, expecting to catch the curious stares of onlookers, but to my surprise, no one seemed to have noticed our awkward exchange.
I rejoined Yamani and the girls, finding Sandra and Daisy engrossed in conversation, while Yamani sat distracted, his attention absorbed in the game unfolding on his phone screen.
I remained with the group for the remainder of the lecture, taking the opportunity to discreetly converse with Daisy about Yamani, urging her to put the previous night's events behind her.
Following our conversation, Yamani extended an apology to Daisy, and they were able to put the issue to rest. Daisy couldn't resist playfully jabbing at him, suggesting that his earlier breakfast absence was a result of his guilt, while Yamani struggled to come up with a convincing defense, ultimately failing to talk his way out of it.
To be continued..........
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