Chapter 15

Despite standing him up on their wedding day and Susan's act of also verbally making it clear to him that he was not the kind of man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, Stephen still found it difficult to believe that it was really over between them. He couldn't sit for a minute without thinking of Susan. 

He couldn't even close his eyes without seeing her face. There were just too many memories of her in his apartment that he felt so void now that she was gone. Deciding not to give up on her, he started trying to reach her again. He had tried to call her on the phone several times but she always busied his calls. Then he moved on to texting her via SMS and DMs and she never replied any of them. 

He persistently continued to try to reach Susan until she got furious and blocked his numbers and also blocked him on social media too. As days passed and he realized that if he didn't see her soon, he would run mad. 

So, one day, he decided to damn all consequences and do what he should have done a long time ago. In fact, he was ready to have a one-on-one talk with the Superior and plead with him to let him have his woman back and he was really to pay whatever price doing so would cost him.

One day, he dressed up in his uniform and decided to go to the Major's house but he made sure that his friends were unaware because he knew that they would do everything within their power to stop him from doing what he might regret in the long run.

As he got to the gate of the Major's residence, he stopped his car and got down, then he hesitantly approached the gate and knocked. When the gatekeeper opened after a minute or so, Stephen noticed the change in the gatekeeper's eyes when he saw him on uniform; there was instant respect in his eyes. 

"Oga, good morning." He greeted with a smile, saluting awkwardly to imitate the other soldiers he might have seen in the house.

Stephen was about to ask if his boss was home when he heard a familiar voice ask from inside the compound. "Mutiu, who's that?" It was Susan's voice.

"Madam, na one army man. He dey find Oga." The gatekeeper loudly replied her, already assuming that Stephen had come to see the Major.

"Army man?... Let him in." The voice said and the gatekeeper quickly stepped aside so that Stephen could come in. When Susan saw Stephen, her countenance instantly changed as she stared at him in surprise. She was on a call but she quickly told whomever she was speaking to that she would call back later then she ended the call and turned to scowl at him. Her demeanor oozed intense displeasure at seeing him. 

Taking a good look at him now, she noticed that he looked so unkempt. His hair which normally kept low and well-cut had grown so bushy and looked as if a comb had not been in them for days. His face was covered with facial hair; a rough-looking stubble, and the Stephen he knew never kept facial hair; in fact, soldiers weren't allowed to at all. 

He had dark circles around his eyes which showed that he hadn't been sleeping well and he appeared to have lost some weight too. In summary, he looked pathetic and she was even more disgusted by the sight of him.

"What are you doing here?!" She suddenly asked in a low voice, casting wary glances towards the house which betrayed the fact that the Major was at home. "What do you want?! How did you even know to find me here?!"