Fate & Destiny
Some of my platoon members who saw me came up to me and asked why I wasn't with them last night. I simply informed them that I was feeling ill and needed to leave.
The ugly one remained with me. I was curious how many of my friends I would see during the service year. The ugly one was returning to imo state. I didn't fill out the form for the nysc football team, so I couldn't serve at the Ministry of Sports in Lokoja.
Federal Poly in Idaho is the final destination. It was obvious that I would meet new people; it was a new challenge, a new environment, and new opportunities. Something was bothering me deep down: chifawu.
I called her again, but she didn't answer, so I texted her. She called back a few minutes later. I informed her that I only needed five minutes of her time to explain things. She told me where we should meet.
When I stood to leave, the ugly one came with me. I asked him to wait for me, but he insisted on accompanying me. I sat with Chifawu at the chess center and told her about the events of the previous night, from the urgent call to attempting to revive my friend and then considering leaving my friend to meet up with her.
She listened intently as I recounted the events. She looked at the ugly one, then at me, and back again. "How do you feel right now?" She inquired of him. “Better.” He responded. "And I apologize for ruining your night." He continued.
I was surprised he was being so courteous. The ugly one I knew was arrogant and proud. He sounded refined and calm, as if he was attempting to soften Chifawu's heart.
He walked away and told me he'd be back at the location where we'd left our bags. "I'm sorry for leaving in such a hasty manner, but I had no choice." I tried to apologize again, but she said she didn't feel bad anymore.
She inquired as to where I had been and I explained that I had been with the assistant platoon leader. We had gone to return the items that had been borrowed for cooking. I felt bad for deceiving her.
I couldn't explain why, but I despised the idea of lying to her. If I were going to tell her the truth, it shouldn't be now. "I felt terrible that you had vanished, just like the social night. But I'm fine now." She was able to laugh as she spoke.
"I'm still waiting to hear what you had planned to tell me last night." I told her about it. She shook her head and smiled. "Do you believe in fate and destiny?" She asked me, and while I nodded, I couldn't help but wonder what relevance that had to anything.
"I, too, believe in fate and destiny." "However, I don't believe in coincidence." I patiently waited for her to continue. "It's no coincidence that you were nowhere to be found the two nights I wanted to share something special with you." So I'll let it go and let faith decide what comes next."
I wanted to tease her, to argue that she was wrong, to argue that we are the ones who shape our fate and that our destiny is in our hands. However, I did not. Or else I couldn't. I told myself to just let it go.
You can't have it all. You've got to give up some! Just let this one go. We only have a few hours to stay at camp. Leave her to her so-called "fate" to make the decision.
The siren signaled the arrival of whoever was going to declare the camp closed. It was, once again, the deputy governor.
Chifawu and I went to the parade ground to watch the action. Almost identical to the opening of camp, the deputy governor proceeded to inspect the parade led by the color party after receiving the national salute.
The national and NYSC anthems were played before he delivered his speech. The state director of nysc took the stage and delivered a brief speech before making some announcements.
He then moved on to platoon awards. Best committed platoon: He explained that this was the platoon with the most OBS, Red Cross, and other involuntary organization nominees at camp.
Platoon 9 was victorious, and we all applauded. Most disciplined platoon: This is the platoon that has been reported to have engaged effectively in camp activities such as man'o'war special activity, marching, kitchen duties, and sanitation duties, as compiled by the heads of man'o'war, kitchen, and sanRitation.
Platoon 1 was announced and clapped once more. Overall best platoon: Being the platoon with the most trophies won. The trophies were rated accordingly, with group performance activities (volleyball, football, dance, drama, and cooking) receiving the highest ratings and individual performance activities (macho, big and bold, ms nysc, etc.) receiving the lowest ratings.
"With second place in volleyball, third place in football, and first place in cooking..." As she continued to mention them, the audience began to applaud... "First place in ms nysc, first place in dance, and third place in big and bold!"
"Put your hands together for platooon thooo........!!" Inside the canopy where the officials were seated behind the deputy governor, I saw Ms Enoh dancing and jumping up and down. The audience clapped, screamed, and yelled our famous “ nickname...
“Fainters! Fainters!! Fainters!!!”
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"Do you believe in destiny?" That was the question chifawu had posed to me earlier. I had nodded my head without giving it much thought.
I wasn't particularly interested in fate, destiny, and hope, which was where she was steering the conversation. But later that afternoon, when I asked where she was posted and she said Government Girls Secondary School, Idah, I began to believe in fate! Idah!
After the deputy governor returned to the stage that afternoon and delivered a final speech in which he announced N100,000 cash donations to each of the three platoons mentioned, he exited with his siren and we proceeded to our platoon stands to collect our letters of primary assignment, as directed by the nysc official in charge.
As we approached the stand, Ms Enoh summoned wangu and me to assist her in distributing the letters. We divided it into three groups: those with a KG number less than 700, those with a KG number between 702 and 1502, and those with a KG number greater than 1502.
I noticed her approaching me from behind; she must have gotten hers from Wangu. When I asked where they had posted her, she looked at it again to make sure she had the correct school name and then told me.
I didn't know what to tell her because people were waiting for me to share the letter, so I told her we'd see. I watched as she walked away, wondering if she understood what I meant.
There were buses from all of Kogi's local governments waiting for those stationed there to join them. I went to where Ms Enoh was sharing hers after I finished mine.
She was in charge of those with numbers less than 700, which is where my number fell. I waited until she had shared all of her letters before she handed me the few that had yet to be claimed. "I was not appointed as the local government inspector of Idaho as I had hoped."
Ms Enoh informed me while I was looking for my letter. "What actually happened?" I inquired. "The L.I is due for his next promotion before the end of the year; if he is promoted, I may still be made the L.I." She informed me of this.
As I searched for my letter, I became more engrossed in the stack in my hands. I finally found it. I opened the stapled paper and looked it over; Federal Polytechnic Idah.
Do you believe in destiny?
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My platoon mates and I said our final farewells. It was almost an emotional moment, knowing that we might not see each other again until our last day of service.
Some corpers who had done hook up at camp were having emotional breakdowns. Some people found it difficult to leave their friends and mates. Sani was assigned to the Ministry of Sports in Lokoja, as planned. Sonia received her etisalat assignment.
She hugged me when she told me she was going to the Etisalat customer service center in Lokoja. Wangu was assigned to the Yagba West Local Government Area. I tracked my luggage back to where it had been stored.
It was still there, along with the ugly one's. I called him, and he later joined me. He'd gotten his re-deployment letter and was getting ready to return to Imo.
When I told him where I was posted, he gave me another mischievous smile. Then, as if he'd just remembered something, he reached into his bag's side zip and handed me four condoms.
"That was the last of all the 42 condoms!" We are legends, the real legends of fvckerss!" He spoke to me. Then, as if he needed to tell me something important, he leaned over and whispered to me, "Fvck those poly chicks for me!" With his trademark mischievous smile, he said calmly. I was really going to miss him terribly.