Near Miss

SEVEN

Datare did not know what to make of Seyi’s silence. No call and his number is not reachable. She really did not know what she hoped to find by insisting on seeing Seyi when it is apparent that the relationship is on the rocks. Datare dressed to impress in a printed chiffon gown she hoped disguise her weight loss. This is one of the advantages or disadvantages of camp depending on your orientation. For Datare it is definitely a disadvantage because her curves are a strong part of her appeal.

The love she feels for Seyi seems like another life time away. All that is left is a strong commitment to him. She needs to be there for him, so she will keep up with this situation. It seems as if Ken slipped beneath her defenses and stole her heart. The hopes she had with Seyi has come to a screeching halt with the death of his parents. They planned to get married; but when? He planned to get a masters degree and become a top executive in his father’s company. Now that will never happen. On the flip side of the coin is Ken who has put Datare on a very important pedestal in his life. He has found his place and is already achieving a lot. She is almost at the point of wishing that Seyi rejects her. She does not want to be the one to walk away. Datare turned the issues over and over in her mind until the cab pulled up in front of Uncle D’s house.

“My dear, welcome.” Uncle D motioned for her to come in.

“Thank you sir.”

“Welcome back from camp. How are your parents”

“Fine sir”.

“You seem to have lost a little weight. The jos food must have been strange to you.”

“Yes”. She said with a little self conscious laugh. “ May I see Seyi sir.”

“Seyi is not back from camp yet.”

Datare stayed a while, had two glasses of cream soda before she took her leave.

So Seyi is not back from camp. Maybe he went straight to his place of primary assignment.

With her anxiety about seeing Seyi not allayed, Datare got home and found her mother entertaining Ken to her dismay.

“Your friend has been waiting a while”. Datare’s mother said, handing her a refreshing glass of water.

What is he doing here? Datare thought. The tension was thick and her mother must have sensed it. She took her leave using a meal cooking in the kitchen as an exit.

“Hello pretty” Ken said.

“What are you doing here ken”

“I did promise to come.”

“No you promised we’ll see today”

“Why are you mad? I though you would be glad to see me”.

“I am not mad at you”.

“So what’s eating you up?”

They took a walk and Datare unburdened her heart to ken.

“Come with me to New York” Ken said out of the blue.

“What!”

“Yes come with me. Let me bring your dreams to reality.”

“It is more complicated than that. I need time to think.”

“Am afraid we do not have the luxury of time.” Ken said “Have to deliver completed works. Plus I have barely a week left to stay.”

Datare said nothing. This is good and this is bad.

“Come on Datare let me show you my world.”

“I cannot just leave” Datare was unsure.

“Why not; I will take care of you.”

“Why will you do that for me?”

“Oh I see. You want some sort of commitment from me. Can you not see what you mean to me?” Ken seemed truly hurt. “You are my muse and in case you cannot see it yet I love you.”

 Datare looked down ashamed at her joy.

“I love you too” She said quietly.

 They heard gunshots go off sporadically. The logical thing to do was to stop running and lay down on the forest bed to avoid being shot; yet they kept running. If it was getting bright they did not know it because there were canopies upon canopies of tree branched blocking off the smallest ray of light. Seyi fought hard against exhaustion. He did not know how he was able to hold on to Morenike’s hand. She is strong; he discovered. She matched him stride for stride.

Morenike felt like she could run no longer about twenty minutes ago. What she feels now, there is simply no word for. Her limbs felt like numb rubber powered by raw fear. She saw nothing as well. Her eyes sight was blocked by hot tears. Tears that were immediately pushed to the sides of her face and eventually into her ears by the breeze rushing against her face as she ran. The tears are yet replaced by more tears. Despite this she did not miss a step as Seyi kept a firm hold on her hand urging her forward. As badly as she did not want to get caught, she knew it was hopeless. The kidnappers had dogs. Dogs can be cruel creatures when their loyalties do not lie with you. The dogs did not lose their trail and with every minute they seemed to be getting closer. The harder they ran the more persistently they heard dogs barking in a distance. It was pointless. She turned while still running to tell Seyi this when suddenly They fell and rolled into what seemed like a sloppy tunnel disguised effectively by decaying leaves. Seyi tried in vain to grip a root or anything to stop the painful fall into the unknown. At the end of the tunnel Seyi fell onto Morenike knocking the wind out of her. She felt faint saw black and then nothing.

There was brightness penetrating Morenike’s eyelids. As hard as she tried to stay in this peaceful place, the light was nagging. She yielded and opened her eyes. The Light was blinding at first; but after she adjusted to it she saw the scenery around her. She struggled to remember where she was and why she was laying in this hidden space between trees in a forest…Suddenly she remembered seyi, the kidnap; where is he?  She got up and took in the dense forest around her. Before she could worry out of her mind Seyi emerged with some dry sticks and a few dead fishes.

“You are finally awake.” Seyi said as he walked past her into the hidden space.

“How long have I been out?”

“All day.”

“What happened?”

“We fell into a hole that led into this valley,  passed out; so I carried you and kept moving till I could not take another step. When I was about to give up, i noticed a river and waded through and I latter found this place. I brought you here and went back to the river to wait. I waited for hours praying that the men will not emerge and they did not; Thank God. After a while I came back to check on you, but you were still out of it. I went back to the river to keep watch. I hoped that even if they found the miraculous hole the dogs will not be able to pick up our trail through the river. I began to relax after a long while without incident.”

“And these”

“Yes, I noticed them as I waited. They were not easy to catch.”

Uncle D began to worry when there was still no word from Seyi.  He made a series of calls and discovered that there was in fact news of a group of corpers who went missing on their way back from camp at iseyi Oyo state.  Uncle D spent the whole day going from police station to another for information on Seyi. He did not tell anyone about this development. He prayed desperately for Seyi safety as he feels personally responsible by encouraging him to go to the camp.

In a few days Datare will leave the country With Ken. All arrangements have been made. There was still no word from Seyi. At this point Datare had no explanation to offer so she threw away her phone. She however could not escape an explanation to her parents. She told them that Seyi could not pull out of his depression and that it was over between them. Her mother thought that it was a smart move to make use of the opportunity with Ken, but her father was skeptical. He did not understand the rush. It will be a flurry of activities for the next few days and Datare was excited.

It is all over,

A love hard won,

Lost to fate too soon,

***