Long Distance

Image: Godisable Jacob.
She sat on the edge of her bed, tired of pacing the length of her room while waiting for her phone to ring. Adon was waiting for her boyfriend to arrive from Abuja; a trip to Gombe that was usually about 9 hours by road but was in its 12th. Coupled with the fact that he had left late (at almost 9:30 AM) it wasn’t hard to understand why she was worried. She had not seen him in three months and in fact, had only seen him once in their seven months relationship. They had been friends for a little more than five years before it had become a full blown relationship. Since they had started dating, all they did was fight. In fact, they had been fighting on the regular for days now and she was a bit tired of the whole drama. When he said he was coming to see her, she was both ecstatic and afraid; afraid that spending time together would push them to end the relationship and also afraid he wouldn’t like her so much when he spent time with her. 

When he finally got a vehicle, he told her his phone battery was down. She told him to save it and even that statement had become another excuse to fight. Since she hung up on him, she hadn’t been able to talk to him all day. She had called and called, and he hadn’t picked. Why was he not picking her calls?
•••
Why couldn’t he get through to her? He had been calling her numbers all day and the annoying computer voice kept saying her number was switched off! Jason was was tired of the journey and he didn’t need this network issues at the moment. He just wanted to get to his girl, to see if he could salvage the relationship that seemed to be riddled with constant fights. Every little thing he did was blown out of proportion by Adon. She always seemed too eager to jump him when he showed the slightest disagreement. If he didn’t love her so, he would have ended things long long ago. This was a last ditch attempt to see if their relationship was worth all the trouble. Since he couldn’t get her, he started typing a text message. After all, he was somewhere at the outskirts of Gombe.
•••
Brrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhh…’
The vibration of the phone made Adon jump. She had been so lost in thought that she forgot where she was for a minute. She picked her phone and saw an SMS. Jason! She quickly unlocked her phone and read it. He was close…almost there. Adon jumped, ran her hand through her hair, picked her car keys and ran out of the house.
•••
Jason hoped Adon wouldn’t run him out of town. His heart was thumping while he waited for her. He decided to use the ATM since she insisted he stayed in a hotel. She had a house and could have made it easy for him but no, she didn’t want any drama with her neighbors who were all stiff-necks. He didn’t express his disapproval, he just accepted it and got into a bus. It was hard most times dealing with Adon. He just hoped he wouldn’t look like a total fool when he had to return to Abuja. He finally spotted the first bank on the street and walked into the ATM cubicle.
•••
Where in God’s name are you?’ Adon cursed beneath her breath as she circled the street on more time. All she had asked him to do was wait for her at the bus stop. Where had he gone? She tried to stifle the salty taste of fear she was tasting in her mouth. She couldn’t bear to imagine…
Jason!‘ She screamed as she saw him come out of a bank, creating skid marks on the road as she screeched to a halt. He had not heard her, which was not surprising since he was wearing his headphones. She would have to go turn again. She picked up her phone and tried calling him again.
The number you have dialed
Arrgghhh!‘ She ended the call with as much frustration and anger as she could muster. She dropped the phone, started the car and drove quickly.
The red light at the junction was almost her undoing. Each second felt like eternity and when finally the light changed to yellow, she didn’t even wait. She made the turn and sped off. The green light could go hug a transformer! When she finally got to the bus stop, she saw Jason looking from left to right, standing out in the crowd, and in a way, managing to still look sexy despite having to travel all that distance. She found a shoulder on the road and smoothed her car into it. She came down and crossed the road. Jason still hadn’t noticed her. 
Your phone is supposed to be close to you so when I call you, you pick.‘ she said in a harsh voice. 
Jason had turned to look the other way when he saw that Adon was almost on top him. He took out the ear phones and caught the last part of what she said.
He smiled. 
She stopped in her tracks.
He took one step forward…then another and like something out of a movie, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her in for a bear hug; all 5 feet 7 inches of her. One look at her wild hair, her lithe figure, those pouty lips and he knew he was home!
•••
Adon didn’t remember him this buff! The last time she had seen him, he was gangly, and quite frankly, wobbled when he walked. His skeleton seemed to be uncomfortable carrying his 6 feet 2 inch frame. His head seemed to be out of place with his remaining body. Today…he looked…perfect! He was buff, all muscular and stuff, and when he took that first step to her, he wasn’t awkward! He could have have passed for a male model…or a basketball star! Adon suddenly felt tongue-tied. The ‘ugly’, bumbling duckling had become the most handsome masterpiece anyone could ever ask for. Adon looked up at him again….and blushed to her weave roots!
•••
The drive to the hotel was quite short in reality, but very long for the occupants of the car. Jason wondered at Adon’s silence. She was a talker and here she was, pretending to focus on the road. When he tried to engage her in conversation, she gave him one liners that were beginning to get on his nerves. He didn’t come all this way to be stone-walled by her ‘rich’ conversation. It was hard remaining mad at her, what with her fruity fragrance assailing his nostrils and his other senses. Jason wanted to grab the steering wheel out of her hands, pull over to the side of the road and just hold her in his arms.
Adon...’ He whispered
We are at the hotel baby.‘ she replied without looking at him.
She call me ”baby”!’ Jason thought to himself. He wanted to do the ‘whoosah’ but somehow, managed to keep his cool. In all the years they had known each other, this was the nicest she had been to him.
Adon saw the closest parking lot and glided into it. She opened the door and felt Jason’s arm on her hand.
I’m glad I’m here. Thank for having me.‘ With that, he opened his door and stepped out of the car. 
Adon took a long, much-needed breath, and followed him out. This was going to be a long night!
•••
Adon heard the shower getting turned off and she knew that the moment she dreaded had come. She was going to be all alone with her man. She was as nervous as a cat, but wringing her hands didn’t in anyway calm her nerves. Here was a man she thought she could control and she was acting like a green-eyed teenager. They had both agreed that they wouldn’t have sex until their wedding night (IF they got married), but Adon felt that no man would travel all the way from Abuja to Gombe to see his girlfriend and not expect sex. In truth, she wanted him to make the move, but she knew that move will not be in his favor. Tonight, she was torn between the crazy attraction she felt for him and her new, no-sex principle. As much as she wanted to hold out, she wasn’t sure she could resist him if he made a move…any move!
The door knob turned. Adon’s breath caught. He stepped out of the bathroom with
•••
Jason had pulled on his shorts and singlet before stepping out. He kept telling his little man to remember their no-sex pact. And though the little man wanted to rebel, he had shown him who was in charge. He knew why Adon wanted to wait. It had been easy for her to have sex because, underneath all her calm, confident exterior, she had a huge complex that always told her she wasn’t good enough. She had been abused as a child by her neighbor’s brother and that had made her view sex as a cheap act that meant nothing. She had gone from guy to guy, having sex with them, but never committing to anyone of them. It was a shock that she had even agreed to marry him. And he knew that the slightest provocation would mean that she had her opportunity to run. She had been trying to run for the past few months and the long distance wasn’t really doing much to help him. One thing he was sure of was that he wasn’t going to ever let her go!
So he pulled his singlet a bit lower and stepped out of the shower. This was going to be one awkward night!
•••
Adon exhaled visibly when she saw Jason was clothed; at least in shorts and a singlet. She imagined him walking out of that bathroom with nothing on and seeing that he did the opposite, Adon was a bit relieved yet quite disappointed. 
Shower is all yours…that is, if you are going to stay.‘ he said, his voice like pressed silk on her body.
She tried to find her voice. ‘Do...(she coughed)…do you want me to stay?’ Her voice went from normal to husky.
Jason paused for a second. Most men would understand that that was a fix if there ever was one. Anything said out of tune would mean a huge fight.
You know your night sight is not good and the way you were concentrating on our way here, you got me holding my seat and fearing for my life.
Adon smiled.
I may be the one with the poor night sight but I ain’t the one wearing the all-time nerd insignia on his face. Mr four-eyed tall person!’
Oh! Now you done did it! Who you calling a nerd?’
Adon got up from the bed. Walked to him and stood at akimbo.
Is there any other person in this room but you and I?’ She said while looking up at him, trying by all means not to smile. 
In one fell swoop, Jason bent and picked Adon up. Before she could draw her next breath, Jason tossed her on the bed and started tickling her. She laughed and laughed and tried to get away from him but he just wouldn’t let up. Adon began to beg and cajole. Jason pulled her to him, holding her like a mother her baby, and the air in the room got thick. Jason had stopped tickling Adon and was staring into her eyes. Adon couldn’t break away from that stare. She was baring her soul to him but nothing at that moment could have pulled her eyes away. 
I…I think you should better have that shower now.’ Jason croaked.
Maybe I don’t want to. At least, not without you.’
Jason inhaled quickly. He was mad attracted to his girl but he didn’t just want to be any average Joe to her. As hard as it was, he eased her away from him and stood up.
Yeah…I might need to take another shower. A pretty cold one would too.
Come back here.‘ she said in a voice so sexy, it seemed like she purred.
Jason gulped air and turned to her.
AD, you are beautiful beyond measure. And attractive as hell too! I’m literally fighting all of my senses to stay away from you right now. I want you so bad I might burst a vein soon. As much as I want to bury myself in you, I don’t want to be another statistic…
Baby…
He walked to her, sat on the bed and put a finger to her mouth.
Shhhhh…let me finish. You think all guys want sex and the truth is, you are right. We all want sex!! But I want more than that. I want to share in your intelligence, in your experiences. I want to see your expressions when you are happy and when you are mad, when you are confused and when you are focused. I want to sneak up behind you when you are cooking…though not when you are holding a knife.’
She laughed.
Yeah! You don’t want to do that! You might lose the family jewels.
His hands went instinctively to the area between his thighs. He playfully eased away from her.
Errrmmm…I guess I should move away right now!’
Adon’s laughter rang through the room and Jason lit up. When she stopped laughing, she saw that he was staring at her with such intensity.
Sweets…as cliched as it might sound, I want to share in ALL the moments in your life and quite frankly, sex is just the icing on a pretty delicious cake. I’m no virgin…nor a monk for that matter, but I don’t want to miss out on all of you just because of raging hormones right now.’
And, as if on cue, he began to feel the throb between his thighs. He looked down at it.
Errmmm….down boy‘ he said a bit sheepishly. 
Baby…’
AD, your voice has to stop being so sexy. We are losing this battle here!‘ he said after he forced a laugh. She laughed too. She deepened her voice and sounded like a man.
How about now?’
Jason laughed. 
It is working. Seriously! Keep it up.
Adon got up from the bed and walked towards the bathroom. She paused at the door frame and looked back at him. She cast a very fetching picture in that pose and Jason gulped air. 
Thank you…for saying no to me.’
With that, she entered the bathroom and closed the door.
As soon as she turned on the shower, Jason fell on the bed and gave it a couple of vigorous punches. Staying away from her wasn’t going to be easy at all! Why couldn’t he just be like every other guy?!
•••
Adon held his bag as he paid for his transport fare. She felt like a piece of her heart was about to enter the bus to Abuja. She couldn’t help but reflect on what turned out to be the best weekend of her life. 
When she had come out of the bathroom on that first day, she had worn Jason’s shirt and her panties and they had got into bed. They talked and talked about everything and nothing in particular until finally, they had slept. Jason loved to spoon. So, she came to find out, did she. They were both too strung up to sleep, what with Jason poking her with his family jewels sometimes, but he never attempted to try anything and eventually, they both slept. The next day was a beehive of activity. They had watched movies, hung out with some of her friends, eaten chips and eggs at the hotel restaurant that got both of them angry and generally had fun. The fun continued the next day when they watched some episodes of ‘Big Bang Theory’. Adon had taken him to her house so that they could try a recipe they had seen online. She couldn’t help but laugh at the utter mess that they had made. Adon promised she wasn’t going to try any recipes any more and Jason had argued that that was only going to happen if he didn’t have anything to do with it. He kept insisting she buys a skillet and a spatula.
The dish required a non-stick skillet and baby, you have a frying pan.‘ he said in playfully mocking tones. 
She remembered jumping on him and how they had a mock wrestling. He won! The nerve, he couldn’t even let her win!
They had gone to a new eatery afterwards and bought some shawarma, ice cream and chocolate. When they got back to the hotel, they ate them all with much gusto, talking and laughing while at it, and somehow skirting the issue of Jason’s return trip on the morrow. When finally they had been ready to sleep, neither of them could sleep. Adon kept tossing and turning. Jason kept staring at her all through the night. Whenever he pulled her for some spooning, she would push him away in her semi-conscious state. She knew he was worried, but somehow, she figured he knew she was sub-consciously trying to deal with his departure in the morning. Adon was sad and it had shown in her sleep.
•••
Jason wanted to add another day and leave on Monday. He felt like he was leaving his heart in Gombe. He had accepted his ticket and started walking to the bus. Though Adon smiled, she could not hide the pain in her eyes. 
He remembered how she had cried in her sleep; that moment before dawn when she had said, ‘Please don’t leave me‘. He remembered when she had turned  to him and held him so tight. In her subconscious moment, she had shown more softness than all the times he had known her. He had held her as close to his heart as possible. 
When she had awoken, she flew out of bed because it was a bit late. And though he knew when she regained conscious thought, he feigned sleep so she could wake him. 
She did…with a kiss. 
And that was the end of her mushy self. She had rushed him out of bed, packed his bags while he cleaned up, and waited with trepidation when he came out of the bathroom.
As soon as he was ready, she held him close and he leaned in, trying to melt her body in his. She told him they needed to make a video and the thought of the video made him smile. At least, he was taking something tangible with him home.
He stopped in his tracks. She lifted her brow in inquiry, her lips parting a bit, like she wanted to say something.
A shiga mota! A shiga mota!’ The bus conductor shouted so the passengers could begin to board the bus.
The moment of decision had come. Should he wait? Should he go? Jason had never been so torn like this in his life!
•••
Adon walked to him and hugged him in front of everybody. She hid the tears that were threatening to fall. She felt his chin on her head and his hand at the small of her back. 
She had fallen in love with him all over again. In the past few days, she had become more respectful, less of a smart mouth and more his woman. She loved this man!
•••
Jason knew their relationship had changed that weekend. They didn’t have to have sex to form the bond they had formed. It had been hard to keep his man in his boxers, but it had been worth it!
A shiga mota!’
The last call to board the vehicle was made. Jason unwillingly let go of Adon. She looked up at him and smiled.
I will be in Abuja next month.‘ she whispered. 
Jason did the ‘whoosah’ then!
•••
They had just gone past Bauchi, with the driver doing a steady 140km/hr when an oncoming trailer lost control and swerved right in front of the bus. The last thing Jason remembered was the sound of metal crunching against metal and a loud ‘Thud!’ 
He blanked out!
………..continues here

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