LOVING MY POLAC CADET

The Graduation Salute

July 10th.

My countdown was 1 day left. 1,440 minutes left.

Pink notebook: *345,600 - 344,160 = 1,440 MINUTES LEFT. TOMORROW MY CADET IS COMING.*

I did not sleep. I was in my hostel room, Block C Room 14, but my bag was already packed. Not traveling bag, graduation bag. White abaya that I bought with his 20k, ironed 3 times. White hijab, new. Silver ring on finger, silver watch on wrist, POLAC cap inside my bag because I wanted to show him I kept it safe.

My father called, "Aisha, your police, has he entered bus?"

"Yes, father, he entered bus by 5am this morning from Maiduguri. Borno luxury bus. He said bus will have puncture again, like last time, but this time he will manage."

"Borno to Kano bus with puncture? That road has no good mechanic. Pray for him."

I prayed. Two rakats for safe journey. 600km again, but this time coming home, not going away.

July 10th, 5am, he entered bus. He sent me picture inside bus. Same bus type, old bus, seats torn, but he was smiling, wearing mufti, not uniform, black polo shirt and jeans, with small Ghana-Must-Go bag. No rifle. Because police cannot carry rifle inside commercial bus on leave. Rifle stays in armory in Maiduguri.

By 10am, he called, "My sunshine, we reached Damaturu. Bus stopped for 30 minutes, driver is eating tuwo."

By 2pm, "We reached Potiskum. Tire puncture small, but driver fixed quickly. No big puncture like last time. My heart is strong because I am coming to you."

By 6pm, "We reached Azare. 150km to Kano. Network is better here. I can hear your voice clearly."

By 9pm, "We entered Kano! Kano city gate! I see BUK gate far! But bus will stop at Yankaba park first. I will take keke to your hostel tomorrow morning, not tonight, because it is night and BUK gate is locked."

Night? He reached Kano by 9pm but will not come tonight?

"Umar, why not tonight? Take keke now!"

"My sunshine, I am tired, dust on my face, 16 hours inside bus, my uniform is inside bag and is squeezed. If I come tonight, I will look like bush man, not ASP. I want to come tomorrow morning fresh, bath, iron uniform, shine boot, so when I salute you on graduation, I will be fine officer, not tired bus man."

He wanted to be fine officer for my graduation. Not tired bus man.

"Okay. Sleep well in Yankaba. Tomorrow morning come by 8am. Graduation is by 10am."

"8am I will be at BUK New Site gate, with uniform, with gold ring, with bride price envelope."

Gold ring and bride price envelope? He remembered?

That night I did not sleep again. I counted not minutes, but hours. 11 hours to 8am. 660 minutes.

My roommates were all awake too. Fatima said, "Aisha, your cadet is in Kano! Inside Yankaba park sleeping! Tomorrow he will come with uniform!"

My other roommate Zainab said, "We will all see rifle? Will he bring rifle to graduation?"

"No rifle, rifle is in Maiduguri armory. But uniform and boots and beret, yes."

We gisted till 2am, then we tried to sleep but no sleep.

July 11th. Graduation Day Eve? No, Graduation Day is July 12th, but today July 11th is arrival day. But BUK shifted graduation because of rain. They shifted to July 11th! Yesterday night, HOD posted in w******p group: "Graduation is now July 11th by 10am, not July 12th, because of forecasted heavy rain on 12th."

July 11th! Today! Not tomorrow! Graduation is today by 10am!

I saw message by 5am. I screamed.

"Fatima! Graduation is today! Today by 10am! Not tomorrow!"

"Today? But your cadet said he will come by 8am today! That's still okay, he will meet graduation by 10am!"

Yes, 8am to 10am, 2 hours, okay.

I called Umar by 5:30am. No network. Switched off. He was sleeping in Yankaba hotel.

I called again 6am. No.

6:30am. No.

7am. He called me!

"My sunshine, I woke up, I am bathing now, I will iron uniform now, I will be at BUK gate by 8am!"

"Umar, graduation is today! Today by 10am! Not tomorrow! HOD changed date because of rain!"

"Today by 10am? Today?"

"Yes! Today! Come quickly! Come now! No need to iron too much! Come as you are!"

"I will come! I will not iron again! I will wear uniform now and take keke! I will be there by 8:30am! Wait for me at New Site gate!"

8:30am at New Site gate.

I wore white abaya, white hijab, silver ring, silver watch, and I carried POLAC cap inside small bag. I went to New Site gate by 7:30am, with Fatima and Zainab following me like bridesmaids.

BUK New Site gate was crowded. Many parents, many students graduating, many cars, many Okada.

We waited. 7:30am, 7:45am, 8am, 8:15am.

Where is Umar?

8:30am. No Umar.

8:40am. No Umar. My phone ringing, HOD calling, "Aisha, where are you? Procession is starting by 9am! You must be inside hall by 9am!"

"Ma, I'm at gate, waiting for... waiting for my father."

"Father? Come quickly, procession waits for nobody, even police father."

I was sweating inside white abaya. Fatima said, "Maybe keke broke down? Kano keke always breaks."

8:50am. Then I saw him.

Far, from Zaria Road, one keke, and inside keke, one man in black and blue uniform, with beret, with boot shining even from far, with small Ghana-Must-Go bag, and with one small box.

Umar! My ASP! My cadet! 600km later!

He came down from keke, paid keke man 500 naira, and ran. He ran towards BUK gate. Boot shining, uniform neat, even though he said no iron, it was neat. He ironed by 5am.

When he saw me at gate in white abaya, he stopped. He looked at me. I looked at him.

6 months. 345,600 minutes. And now, 2 meters away.

He smiled. Officer smile turned to JSS 2 zobo thief smile.

"My sunshine..."

"My cadet..."

Fatima and Zainab shouted, "Ah! Officer has come!"

People at gate turned. "Police? Police came for graduation?"

He walked to me, stood straight, and gave me salute. Real police salute. Hand on beret, chest out, boot together.

"Miss Aisha Abdullahi, BUK Graduate, I, ASP Umar Sani, Borno State Command, reporting for duty at your graduation as promised 345,600 minutes ago."

I was crying. Inside BUK gate, with white abaya, crying because my cadet saluted me.

I saluted back, with my hand shaking, like POLAC cadet.

"Officer, you are welcome."

Then he broke salute and hugged me. In front of BUK gate, in front of parents, in front of HOD that was calling, he hugged me.

HOD saw us from far and shouted, "Aisha! Is that your police father? Come inside, procession!"

"He is not my father, ma! He is my... my cadet!"

We all ran inside hall. Graduation hall was full. 300 students in white and black gown. I wore white abaya under gown, so I was shining.

Umar sat in parents section, with Ghana-Must-Go bag on lap, with small box inside bag. He was the only police uniform inside parents section. All parents looked at him. Some mothers whispered, "Whose son is that police? Fine officer."

Vice Chancellor called names. "Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, Aisha Abdullahi..."

I walked to stage. I collected certificate. I shook VC hand. Then I turned to parents section and looked for Umar. He stood up, in uniform, and saluted me again, inside hall, in front of VC, in front of all parents, in front of all students.

All hall clapped. Not for me, for salute. VC laughed, "Who is that officer saluting graduate? Is that your husband?"

I said on microphone, "No sir, he is my cadet. My JSS 2 zobo thief that became ASP."

Hall laughed and clapped more.

After graduation, outside hall, many students came to take picture with Umar. Because police uniform is rare in BUK graduation.

"Aisha, your boyfriend is police! Can we take picture?"

"Can your police boyfriend arrest my boyfriend that broke my heart?"

We took many pictures. Umar's boot was now dusty, but shining still.

Then we went to quiet corner behind library, me, Umar, Fatima and Zainab.

He opened Ghana-Must-Go bag. Inside, he brought two things.

First, small red box. He opened. Inside, gold ring. Real gold, shining, small, with tiny stone.

"My sunshine, this is gold ring. Not silver again. ASP ring. For ASP wife. I bought with 3 months savings, 45k. Gold is 45k, not 50k as I said, because Maiduguri gold is cheaper."

Gold ring! 45k! From 3 months savings while eating rice and beans and no meat!

He took my hand, removed silver ring, and put gold ring on same finger.

"Silver ring was for cadet girlfriend. Gold ring is for ASP girlfriend that is now graduate."

Second thing, white envelope. He gave me.

"Small bride price for your father. 50k inside. Not big bride price, because big bride price will be 200k when I do full marriage, but small for now so your father knows I am serious. I saved from salary, 180k salary, I saved 50k for 4 months."

50k bride price envelope! Plus 45k gold ring! Total 95k from salary of officer that was eating rice and beans and washing uniform with cold water!

I hugged him. I did not care about BUK library people looking.

"Umar, you saved 95k while your hands were cracking?"

"My hands cracking is nothing. My sunshine graduating is everything. I told you, 345,600 minutes I thought of you, so I must save for you."

Fatima and Zainab were crying again. "Aisha, this is marriage already! Bride price and gold ring inside BUK! This is not boyfriend, this is husband!"

I wrote in my pink notebook that night, last page: *345,600 MINUTES FINISHED. COUNTDOWN COMPLETE. MY CADET CAME. WITH GOLD RING AND BRIDE PRICE. HE SALUTED ME INSIDE HALL. VC SAW SALUTE. ALL BUK SAW SALUTE. 600KM IS NOTHING. WE ARE NOW GRADUATE AND ASP. NEXT COUNTDOWN IS MARRIAGE COUNTDOWN.*

And I wore gold ring, and kept silver ring inside red box, and kept POLAC cap on my head, and slept with graduation certificate under pillow.

Outside, Kano was sunny. Inside my heart, Maiduguri was no longer 600km. It was inside BUK graduation hall.