Chapter 7 Call In

It's been two weeks I had that altercation with Ella in my house and Nene didn't speak to me for that long, just short conversations ending with a long hiss. My fall out with Ella was definitely the crux of her avoiding me. She wouldn't stop making me regret what I had I done until few days ago when she forced me to call Ella and apologize. Nene had promised that things would go back to the way they were if I apologized to Ella. I didn't even hesitate to pick up my phone to call Ella. I knew I was out of line with her and I needed to apologize so I did.

I however, wasn't ready to apologize to Yosef. I haven't spoken to him after that day and I wasn't sure if I will anytime soon. I was to drive Nene back to school today. She was preparing for her exams and she decided she would have to stay in school while she studied. She was working on her master's programme and she was more or less one of the hot shot of her department which was English Literature. She wanted to become a writer and also have a thing for journalism.

Her level of curiosity was not unlike that of an average human. She picks on real fast on different things happening around her and she does a good job at trying to make sense of it. Sometimes, I feel Nene knows the truth about me because of the way she overlooks some of my lies. Well, if she knew I had lied to her for four years, I was sure that relationship was going to end and that was not even on my bucket list. She was the most important thing in my life and I wasn't ready to lose her anytime. However, Yosef's rant of a confession got to me. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to hold on to this relationship. Maybe I believed in something that wasn't going to last. Soon, Nene would expect me to propose and then marriage which eventually leads to kids. I couldn't stop thinking about it until I decided to just let it go for now. That was trouble for another day but right now, what matters to me was sitting right next to me for the last three hours and the half. We were just a couple of miles away from her lodge.

"You know this is just for a few weeks, right? Stop looking like that," said Nene.

I don't know how it feels for a parent to drop their kids off at a boarding school but I bet it was not as much as what I was feeling right now. I just grinned to Nene's comment. It was written all over my face.

"Come on, Adam. This is just for a few weeks. Don't make me cry," Nene said as she stared at me with her brows pulled together as she placed her hand on mine.

"It's hard to stay all alone in the house. It would be like living in an entire planet all alone," I said looking unpleased at the idea of letting her go to school.

I continued, "Why can't you just study from home? I would drop you off at the school whenever you have an exam.....at least that way I still get to see you."

That sounded less selfish in my head but now that I said it out loud and judging by the expression on Nene's face, that was a real selfish thing to say.

"So, I should study from home because you want to see me? And how am I supposed to study with you all around me?" she said with a lopsided grimace.

"I could help you study."

Nene burst into laughter at what I had just said. "I wasn't aware my boyfriend had a degree in another course other than estate management."

"You will be shocked by what you boyfriend is capable of. I can catch up real quick, just like you," I replied forcing a smile on my face.

"Yeah, I am aware of that but I would be teaching you not studying for my exam," Nene agreed.

"But it would be helpful to you as well. I mean you get to teach me what you know and I get to ask questions which I am sure will be helpful," I continued trying to sound more convincing.

"Well, that would have been a great idea if we were still at home but now.....we are already at my lodge. Too bad you thought of that too late and I am glad you did. I would have agreed to it," Nene said as she smiled at me.

"Huh.....too bad," I scoffed at her. Her lodge was just ahead on the other side of the road.

Nene just laughed as she saw the expression on my face. I was already feeling terrified of being alone for the next couple of weeks.

"I will try to make an adjustment in my schedule. I might come to the house when I've got nothing to do," Nene said as she stroke my beard.

"Really?" My face lightened up immediately she said that. That would be nice, I thought to myself.

"No....I was just kidding."

My brightened up face turned into frown in the blink of an eye. Nene just laughed at me. She stopped as soon as she saw I was grim-faced. As much as I wanted to be pissed at her for making fun of me, I missed her the more because of it. Besides, I was used to her being that way.

"Adam....Look at me, Adam," Nene said gently as soon as I parked the car in front of her lodge.

I complied unwillingly and she cupped my face in her hand. She looked even more beautiful. Too bad I wasn't going this face for the next few weeks.

"I need to do this and I want you to support me as well. As soon as I am done with my exam, I will come to you immediately, okay?"

I just nodded like a little kid. There was no other option now other than to accept the one I got. Nene leaned over from her seat and kissed me. The warmth of her mouth was making it even more difficult to let her go. I responded with my tongue clashing against hers. After a few seconds, she pulled back, pecked me and rested her forehead on mine with our hands at the back of each other head. We held each other in the position for a couple of seconds with our eyes closed.

"I am going to miss you terribly," I said unaware that my thought just came out of my mouth.

"I know but you will have to hold on till I get back, okay?" Nene said as she pulled away from me. I was the man here but I was acting like a little teenager who was about to see his parents get on a flight to another country without him.

"I will....try. I will try," I replied as I stared into her eyes.

I loved this woman so much and I could do anything to keep her in my life. Maybe someday she would know the truth about me but I just need to enjoy the present as long as I could. With that thought in my mind, I just leaned in to capture her lips and this time, more passionate than earlier. This was definitely a goodbye kiss. I pulled back after a while and smiled at her and she smiled back. We stepped out of the car together. I opened the door to the passenger's seat and carried out her leather bag which had her books in it. She carried out the other bag with her clothes. As soon as I walked up to her, a friend of hers walked outside the gate of the lodge. The lodge was more than three acres wide judging from the view I had as soon as the gate opened. I have never been invited in because only students were allowed inside. Nene's friend was Linda and she was the only one I have had the chance to meet except from Nene's mother. Being the only child of her single mother made it more of a priority of me to meet her. I definitely knew when she got her amazing personality from. It was definitely from her mother. Her father, I never got to meet because he never existed. Nene never met him. Only stories were told to her and according to Nene, her father walked away from her mother when she was pregnant. We never talked about her parents though and we both lived like orphans.

Linda walked up to us smiling. "Adam?"

"Hey, Linda," I replied her as I hugged her smiling.

Linda walked up to Nene and hugged her.

"I have been waiting all morning," Linda said as soon as they let go off each other.

"Well, blame it on the little kid. He just won't let mummy go all morning," Nene said jokingly as she turned to face me.

"Uh uh....very funny," I said in a cynical tone.

Linda laughed at us. She collected Nene's bags and walked towards the gate.

"Good luck in your exams, Linda," I said as I saw her walking away.

"Thank you, Adam. I will be seeing you in a couple of weeks. Don't worry, I will return her in one piece," Linda said as she walked through the gate of the lodge. Nene turned to face me and she enveloped me in her arms.

"Stop making this harder for me....mummy," I said jokingly.

"It's okay. You will be fine. Just promise me you will be fine."

"I will be fine I promise," I replied.

"And one more thing....." Immediately she said that, she looked really serious. It made me fluster to what she was about to say.

"Huh...what is that?" I replied cautiously.

"The cookies."

"What?" I was more than shocked to hear her say that. That was the least of all my guesses. It didn't even make the list.

"Don't you touch my cookies," Nene said looking even more serious.

"Those cookies were mine. Your mom specifically said they were mine," I argued.

"Hey, don't you touch them until I get back. Then....then we can eat them together," said Nene.

"Nene....."

She cut me off even before I could finish calling her name, "Don't Nene me. Just don't touch them. I should have taken them along with me."

"Okay.....Okay I won't touch them....ma'am," I agreed unwillingly. There was no way I could eat those cookies anyway. I wouldn't dear eat it with her giving all those warnings. She looked amazing and frightening at the same time. I just giggled at her and planted a kiss on her forehead before I kissed her on the lips. We hugged each other warmly and then she turned to leave. As she walked away, she kept giving me the over the shoulder look until she eventually got to the gate. She turned back at me and blew a kiss at me. I stood by my car as I watched her walk through the gate. Afterwards, I took a deep breath and walked into my car. I started the engine of the car when I heard my phone ring. I picked it up and saw the caller ID. It was the director.

He was the last person I expected to talk to today. I wasn't sure why he was calling so I just ignored it till it stopped ringing. As I was about to drop the phone, I saw a couple of missed calls. It all came from the director. I had dropped my phone in the car earlier so it must have rang then. I started to move the car and then suddenly, my phone lit up again. The director was calling again. It really took me a few seconds before I finally decided to answer the call.

"Adam?" the director said as I placed the phone on my ear.

"Director?" I responded sounding less enthusiastic. I really didn't want to hear from him.

"You've been called up," said the director without any further delay.

"What do you mean I've been called up?" I asked as I clenched my fist tight.

I understood what he said but I wanted him to explain himself. According to the regulations of the institute, agents can only be called up a month after the completion of a previous mission. That only became effective five years ago after the institute had over seven hundred agents and only eighty-five of them were special operatives like me. The twenty-six of us trained as kids were on top of this special group. We led the way for advanced ops. Calling up agents before the end of the one month compulsory leave has only been done four times and it involved missions with imminent attacks. The agents called up were aware of partially every detail of the mission they were called up for mostly because they had been previously assigned to it.

"Agent Adam, I know you haven't finished your leave but this needed immediate attention. It's a code blue," said the director.

First of all, it was weird to have the director call me 'agent Adam'. He never to refer to me as such. Unfortunately, I couldn't argue with him. Code blue was rarely used because we rarely had any top official of the government under imminent attack. Governors and senators were top officials as well but the ones we majorly use code blues for was the president, the vice, ambassadors and foreign diplomats. I have never heard this code been used. Once it was called up for but it turned out to be a false alarm and that was the last time I heard anything about the code blue. I knew the severity of what I have just been called up for so I just answered gently.

"I will be at the institute tomorrow," I replied feeling defeated.

"You don't have to worry about that. We understand your companion had gone off to school. We already have a chopper prepared for you tomorrow at the stadium at 1400 hours. You will be briefed on your way to the airstrip."

I ignored the first part of the director's explanation because I have always suspected I was been watched. The last part however struck me a little harder than usual.

"Airstrip, sir?" I asked.

"Yes, Adam. You are leaving for France by 1700 hours," the director said.

Immediately he said France, a light bulb went off in my head. I didn't have anything against France but if I was to work with their agency that was going to be a problem. Twenty years ago, Nigeria tried to extradite one of Nigeria's top official who had gone to France. He was involved in a multi-million corruption scandal that rocked the core of the nation at the time. Nigeria officers landed in France to extradite the offender only to find out that he was under the protection of the French government. Months passed and it was getting more impossible to withdraw the criminal from the protection of the French. Nigeria officers left France empty-handed after months of negotiation at hundreds of meetings. Things got rocky afterwards. Couple of months later, investigation revealed that the criminal under the protection of the French government was the perpetrator of the whole scandal. Afterwards, the Nigerian government and the French government had cut off ties until seven years ago. The UN made sure they worked together again but it wasn't mutual. Going to France was definitely not something I wanted because I was sure I wouldn't be nice with their agents if I had to work with any of them. Unfortunately, the legendary afro-musician Fela was right. Soldiers were zombies and I was a large part of the zombie hierarchy. I also want to protect my country so I was obliged to do all I can.

"Adam?" the director said.

"Sir?" I replied sounding more focused.

"Good luck," the director solemnly.

He continued, "I didn't know who else to call. I am terribly sorry for cutting off your leave."

I didn't like the way he said it because I could feel the sincerity in his voice. I just didn't want to believe he could act companionate towards me.

"I will do my best, sir. Like you said, I am a soldier," I spat back gently.

"Sure......I guess we have a lot to talk about when you get back. See you soon, Adam," the director said and he disconnected the line.

I dropped the phone and placed it beside me. I slammed my hand repeatedly on the steering. I hated going back into that life. I sighed heavily thinking of the new excuse I had to come up with in order to explain myself to Nene. She wasn't around but she wasn't expecting me to travelling that soon. I wasn't going to stay long either but I still had to tell her something. Suddenly, my mind strolled back to what Yosef said at my house and he was right. This relationship was taking a toll on me. I was more concerned about my lover's reaction to my suddenly travel rather than preparing myself for my mission, just like I was trained. Yosef may be right but I wasn't ready to leave that life alone. I wasn't trained to have a relationship with a human other than my mates and my weapon. I was trained to act like I cared for someone by manipulating their feelings but this was real than anything I have ever felt in my life. I had once considered telling Nene about who I really was but the fear of rejection stopped me. I don't know how things would eventually turn out but I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

I mean how would you feel if you found out someone you loved so much had lied to you from the day you met? I know I was going hate that person for the rest of my life. Every time I tried to break things off with her before things got this serious, she always did something amazing that would make me stop whatever I had planned. It was like she knew what I was thinking. I knew what would happen if she eventually found out about me so I just let things play out like they were scripted. I knew I will definitely find something to say to her about this suddenly travel but for now, I needed to focus on what this imminent attack on a top official of the Nigeria government was all about. I started engine of my car again and I drove off.