The LONGEST WAIT

ies' THE L

PTE

n, and it was cotton season. That was the period when a lot of cotton farmers made money. So, they always looked for a place to relax at the end of the day. The

em were smoking and drinking alcohol. I just sat there and watched the naked girls do their erotic and romantic dancing. It reminded me

i." That

es

t a girl

N

o hard. You need a little plea

At least not a prost

I had someone like you working for me on a full-time basis. When you finally find votre fem

to live in Benin. You know I can't do that. I live in Nigeria. Also, I

are goo

ve a wife and chil

on. Mais, I am n

en you marry, you will unders

lose to me and tried to give me

with you, Buchi

't just want an

e is someone I have to meet. I don't know why he is taking too long but I am su

do it by o

anging from Boko Haram to Isis in West Africa. Those guy

, I unde

ething in Xavier's ears and the latter asked him to calm down. He was surely concerned about my presence. They talke

created a safe passage for us. So, we have to take advantage of it. Be on your g

ries are porous. Hence, we were going to take a bush path that would let us into Niger without being detected by the border guards. Djimon had arranged for someone to get

em, but they had always been able to fight them off. The Boko boys had no timetable for an attack. They attacked whenever they wished to and unfortunately and coin

awakened by the sounds of gunshots. The attackers had come. They weren't just shooting; they were also burning houses. We sprang

ran forward and hid behind a tree. It was a timely move too because as soon as I moved to the tree, there was a huge explosion at where I had just left. It was an

riously and sending many enemy combatants to the world of no return. Djimon's men weren't

turned around and looked

of gunfire and explosives explo

doing

ng behind Xavier. He was trying to sneak

" I shouted

shoot him, but his gun clicked and jammed. Xavier raised his

r, lie down so that I can

as asking him to lie down so that I could have a clean shot. But we were too late, the guy threw down his empty gun, removed a

er, and Xavier, trying to step back from the knife wielding guy, tripped on a stone that was lying on the ground and fell, exposing the knife man. That

u ok?"

, I

ch longer. They got into their jeeps and fled. As they fled, Djimon's men fired at them and got some. When they were out of sight, Djimon's men stopped shooting a

hours. They were all buried in one mass grave. As for the enemy combatants, they weren't given any proper burial. Th

sadly informed me that his journey had ended. He said he wasn't going into Libya with me. The best he could do was to smuggle me into Libya a

s taken to Libya via

the rest of your jou

you,

r beautiful wife, wh

iso

Chisom and take her bac

o too, my

nd your wife

me

you on your que

in his eyes I didn't like. Unlike the trust I had had for first Xavier and then, Djimon, I didn't know why but I found myself not bei

ry. It was rife with combatants and many different militia groups. In fact, there was a civil war going on that started after the d

Libyans were generally fair skinned. I was a Sub-Saharan. Therefore, unlike in Benin and Niger, it would be dif

A sudden surge of mixed emotions suddenly overwhelmed me. I was grateful to Djimon and Xavier for selflessly helping me and even losing their own men in the process. I was exc

e. They all looked sad. Their faces were grave and their eyes solemn. I prayed to God that I should meet my wife in Libya. I was afraid that she might have already cross

CONTIN