Gamboru, Nigeria Wednesday 11:00pm

Cloud cover hid the moon. The darkness was therefore nearly complete. The few remaining lights in the city were obscured by the trees. A single jeep sat parked off of a seldom used back road. It’s engine was off and the occupant had already exited the vehicle. In such darkness it was easy for the mind to wonder into forbidden thoughts. The only noise came from the chirping insects and the lone man who could no longer lean quietly against the jeep.

Oluwaseun Ogunleye was fidgeting nervously. He couldn’t stand still. It was 11:00pm. They should be here. The attack should have occurred between 6:00pm and 7:00 and then they should have been back to him by 10:30 at the latest. Could something have gone wrong? The nervousness of waiting made minutes seem longer than they were. He had arrived just after ten and this hour had seemed more like a week. His mind had been racing but no matter what he tried to fill it with the time moved torturously slow. So he thought about the last question.

Of course something could have gone wrong. Insurgents attacking a girls academy always had a layer of risk. But Ogunleye knew that he had mapped out the attack perfectly and he had given that plan to the insurgents. He grit his teeth and continued his pacing. He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. Finally he had a beautiful thought he saw her. She was what all of this waiting was for. She was the reason time was moving so slowly. Until he had her life could not be complete. So he agonized waiting to see the convoy driving up the road. But at least now when he closed his eyes he saw her. Now he could endure waiting a few more minutes.

Thinking of her brought the last two weeks to the front of his memory. He had spent a considerable amount of time in Maiduguri on business. His lodgings required him to pass by the Girls Academy every day. The first morning as he drove past the school his wondering eye caught a glimpse of perfection. He had been tempted to pull over and take a longer look at the girl. He couldn’t be certain if it was a student in her final year or a young teacher. All he knew was that he wanted to get another look.

A series of morning meetings made that impossible. But as soon as lunchtime came he walked back to his lodgings. This meant if he was lucky he would get a longer look at his perfect beauty. Luck was not on his side on either of his walks. He spent the afternoon irritated and less than focused on his job. Why had she not been outside again?

That evening driving back to his lodgings his hopes were once again dashed. He followed the same pattern for days two and three with no luck. He was beginning to think his initial glimpse had just been an apparition. A tired mind imagining what it wanted to see. After all she had been too perfect to be real.

After working from his lodgings that evening he grew restless and decided to go for a walk. He had an hour before the sunset so he ventured past the Academy. There she was. Sitting on a bench with a small group of girls. His goddess incarnate. He watched her from a distance. Her every move catalogued and stored in his brain for instant recall.

He continued to walk, but only so he could circle the Academy in attempts to view his goddess from every angle. Once she was blocked from view he pulled out his cellphone and began recording. Strategically positioning the cellphone in his shirt pocket he would record her once she was back in view. Once that happened he moved very deliberately.

She stood up and began to walk back towards her dormitory. This accentuated her profile even more and he had captured it all on film. He rushed back to his lodgings to view his video.

Ogunleye watched his 23 second video at least fifty times that night. He also knew that he had to have her. For the rest of the trip he walked past the school before sunset and he saw her. Returning to Gamboru he had more than ten minutes of secret video that he watched religiously.

Each watching of the videos unleashed a primal urge to make her a part of his life. In a moment of clarity he realized what he needed to do. He wanted her so he would take her. Living on the border of Nigeria and Cameroon provided Ogunleye the opportunity to interact with a number of unsavory characters. He had developed close ties with a handful of insurgent leaders who made their base camp in the Sambisa Forest.

Those insurgents were looking to make a statement. He entered into negotiations with them and within an hour they had come to an agreement. He would provide them with the information they needed for a successful attack in exchange for the girl and possibly another depending on how many they were able to capture.

Spurred on by the reward of the girl Ogunleye outlined the perfect attack and spent two days training the insurgents how to pull it off cleanly. With eager anticipation the date of the attack was set.

Now Ogunleye waited. When would he claim his prize? How sweet would that first kiss taste? How comforting would that first embrace feel. The excitement made the waiting so much harder.

Finally he heard the convoy approaching. The girl had been captured and the raid was a success. They had over one hundred school girls as hostages. They would allow him a second girl if he so chose.

None could match his prize in beauty, but he found two who came close and after a brief negotiation he was allowed to take all three of them across the border into Fotokol. The extra girl had cost him an agreement to find another target for the insurgents. Ogunleye was more than happy to comply if it meant he could constantly replenish his supply of young girls. But those were thoughts for the future.

The girls had cowered together in the back of the jeep. The insurgents had instilled such a fear in them that they didn’t dare speak. They knew they had been removed from the main body of prisoners but they couldn’t understand why. They were gripped by the paralysis of fear.

Ogunleye’s current desires were immediate and carnal as he was oblivious to their fear. Blindfolded he led his prizes into his residence. He entered his bedroom and noticed a note sitting on his pillow. He took it and read Inimicitia Aeterna.

Now a dilemma presented itself. His last two weeks worth of effort had been thwarted by this note. He didn’t want to delay his gratification any longer, but this note made it clear that he must. Ogunleye wanted to explode. Was there time to do what he so desired? No, he had to leave now.

He unbound the girls and removed their blindfolds as he said “I have saved you from those men. Find your way to safety while I distract them. Go out the window.”

In a state of shock they look at their savior and whispered thank you. The bedroom scene made it clear what their intended purpose was and this man had just spared them. Quickly they scampered through the window and into the arid Cameroon night.

As Ogunleye packed his bag he made a phone call. “The three girls who just left my place. Find them and detain them until I return and then I can finish what I started.” He turned out the light and began his drive to the airport. When he returned he would finally get his prize and the delayed gratification should only make it sweeter.