The last day in camp is one of the most emotional days in the life of corps members. Three weeks ago, Ada was posted to the NYSC camp in Edo State, Nigeria, for her national service. It's always a joyful moment for all graduates. Ada was full of anticipation when she went to the cyber café to print her deployment letter. Her prayer was that she should not be sent to northern Nigeria and notwithstanding, her prayers were answered. When she saw Edo state, she screamed in happiness which attracted the attention of other people in the café.
“Thanks my goodness!” she exclaimed. She embraced her sister and finally printed the letter; off she went.
Ada stood still behind a white Hilux vehicle close to where her platoon members were gathered. She could not imagine that a journey that began some weeks ago was coming to an end. She thought of lots of things. She remembered the good times with friends, the inter-platoon competitions, the parade, the Mami Market, the drills, and many others. She thought of her friends especially Jeremy from Lagos state. Jeremy and Ada became best of friends, and how they became so close in a few days of meeting in camp is what none of them could tell. However, as it is often said that birds of the feathers flocks together. Both of them had the same Christian values and good moral upbringing, which made them detest some of the behaviours of their fellow corps members.
As they still lean on the vehicle, watching carefully, other corps members pull their belongings together in preparation to receive their posting letters. Tears began to roll from her eyes, she took out her kerchief wiped it out and looked around to ensure that no one was watching her.
The thought of leaving Jeremy couldn’t let her be, she imagined how her remaining service year would be without her friend. Boring, unfulfilled, to say the least.
Not long after, her platoon officer came fort with loads of brown A4 envelopes. Other corps members drew near but Ada still stood where she was. At this point, people's hearts began to race. Many kept praying that they were fortunate to serve in the city. Ada didn’t want either village or city but to be where Jeremy would be. It was a hard moment. Suddenly, everywhere became quiet as the platoon officers began to call their names.
“Agatha Timothy, Mary Matthew, Thompson Weather……” the names keep coming. Corp members from other platoons who had collected their deployment letters started coming around to meet their friends. It was a moment mixed with happiness and sadness at the same time. As people stepped forward to get their letter, many began to cry, while others were also happy.
Lost in thought, Ada suddenly heard her name after it had been called for the third time. She walked forward and collected the envelope. She went back to her position, as she opened the paper, her hands were shaking, the book fell from her hand, she took it back and continued from where she stopped. Her heart beat faster, everything became blurry, she summoned courage, opened the letter and saw her place of primary Assignment. Boldly written, “Okpuje Secondary School” She couldn’t put it back. She held the paper and the envelope and began to look for her best friend.
She located her platoon, but she could not find her. Many corps members were already heading to where their vehicles were to transport them to their PPAs. She tried calling but her number wasn’t connected.
“Oh God, if you can just allow me to see Jeremy and say goodbye to her”, she prayed and still looked around.
After much searching, she couldn’t find her friend, so she headed back to a coaster bus that was parked close to the mami market. She was told that the bus would take her and others to their PPA.
As she got into the bus, many corps members were already there, she walked to the back seat and sat with a frail face. Still looking around through the window, in case peradventure she’d see Jeremy.
As she turned around to see a group of corps members who entered the vehicle, behold, Jeremy was amongst them. Immediately, both of them screamed at each other, and they hugged themselves. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed for both of them; they laughed and embraced each other for the third time.
“So we’re posted to the same local Government Area”?
“As you can see,” Ada responded. They laughed. They opened their letters and behold, it was also the same place of primary Assignment. Their joy knew no bounds. As they began to share their last moment experiences, the vehicle zoomed off.
Image source: ChatGPT
