Short Story: Pristine | By: Morountodun (Vol 9)

Read Parts 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the Pristine series here, here  Here Here here here, here  and here

Dara had just finished teaching her first class the following Monday morning when a student met her on the way with a handwritten note. She hurried off to the headmistress’ office where an unfamiliar female corper in uniform sat before the headmistress.

“You sent for me, ma?”

“Yes, corper Dara,” the woman replied, motioning for her to take a seat. “I’m pleased to inform you that we have a new corper joining us. She has just been redeployed to Gombe and was posted here, and as the ever resourceful person that you are, I thought you might like to meet and welcome her, especially as you are both in the same batch. She’s Uju by name.”

Dara and Uju exchanged brief smiles as the headmistress continued, “Corper Uju has just reported here this morning, so she’ll be given the rest of the week off to settle before resuming fully next week. She’ll be occupying the room next to yours at the lodge so please help her get comfortable. I know you must be happy to have a fellow corper in the school now. Congrats.”

Dara, shocked, asked Uju, “You relocated to Gombe? Why? My parents have barely forgiven me for not leaving here!”

“It’s personal,” Uju replied dismissively.

“Alright. I’m sure we’ll get to it later.” Dara smiled. “Will you take my number so I’ll be around when you move in?”

They exchanged numbers, and as Dara left for her next class, she thought of Chika. They hadn’t spoken since the very awkward day at his place and it was unusual for him not to have called or reached out somehow. Thinking she had probably embarrassed him although she felt embarrassed herself, she decided to break the ice.

                    Hi. There’s a new corper at my PPA. Wonder if she’ll join our CDS.

His reply came almost instantly.

                    She already did. Met her @ secretariat this morning.

                                                                    ****************

Dara had never really celebrated Valentine’s Day. It was afterall a day for lovers and she hadn’t had any. The yearly red-themed youth fellowship ‘secret’ gifts exchange at church usually made the day.

This year, all roads in Gombe led to the Mallam Sidi camp for the batch A passing out parade. She didn’t expect to have any fun there when a batch was done with their service already while she still had eight more months to go, but being at the event gave her hope that it would be her turn someday.

Chika was waiting by the camp gate when she got there, and his warm smile quickly dispelled all thoughts of hostility.

“The next POP would be yours. Does knowing that feel as good as I imagine?” Dara grinned at him.

He laughed. “I suppose. It’s cool.”

“The parade hasn’t started, has it?” she asked, squinting to see the parade ground at a distance.

“Nah. The governor’s probably just woke up now. They can’t start without him.”

He made no move to leave the gate, so she asked him, “Waiting for someone?”

“Yeah. How’ve you been?”

“Not bad. You?”

“I was starting to wonder if you weren’t lost,” he said loudly, chuckling.

“Lost?” Puzzled, she look up at his face and turned to follow his gaze to see who he had been talking to.

Uju smiled and explained when she was close enough, “I stopped to get something at a shop on my way. Have you been waiting for long? I tried to call but couldn’t get through.”

“Uju! Hi! I didn’t know you were back in town,” Dara said, surprised.

“Yeah, I’ve been at Biliri with my dad. He stays there,” Uju replied.

“Oh. I didn’t know that.”

“I moved in at the lodge late last night. I guessed you might have been asleep and I didn’t want to disturb.”

Dara frowned. “Are you serious? You couldn’t have disturbed in any way, we live right next to each other now.”

Uju shrugged wordlessly.

“Shall we proceed?” said Chika, both girls on either of his sides.