The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp was usually looked up to by prospective corps members; however, mine was an exception. NYSC seemed like a hurdle I had to jump before I could progress in my career. My best friend, Tinuola, had told me I would find many wife materials at the NYSC camp, more than a thousand. I got posted to Kebbi State with a colleague friend, Dr. Atanda, as stream two, and hence, we had to observe our orientation camp in Wamako, Sokoto State.
Those of us in the medical field had some privileges, as we were exempted from parades and those vocational lectures, which were most times boring and sedative.
"These people want to fry us today!" The young and beautiful lady beside me lamented rhetorically.
"For a fair-skinned lady like you, you should be less worried compared to those of us rich in melanin". I replied to her even though I knew her question was not directed at me. A faint chuckle popped up on her face, which revealed her beautiful set of teeth.
"I can hardly wait to have this lecture over with." She continued as we all sat in the open sun, barely grabbing what the lecturer discussed.
"My name's James, and I'm from Kwara State." I said, with a stretch of my hand to give her a shake of the hand.
"Nice to meet you, James. My name is Caroline, and I'm from Ondo State." She replied with more intentional attention, shaking my hand.
"So, what course did you study in school?" I made another attempt at engaging the beautiful, light-skinned lady in a conversation she seemed willing to tag along with.
"Physiotherapy, from Obafemi Awolowo University." She replied, causing me to smile a little.
"I'm sure you are a hotcake in camp; I don't think there are many physiotherapists here." I complemented. "I'm a medical doctor, and I graduated from the University of Ilorin." I continued, which seemed to spark further attention from her and perhaps an attraction.
"Guess we'll be seeing you more often in the camp clinic?" Caroline asked rhetorically.
"I guess so, and meet my friend, Dr. Atanda. We came all the way from Kwara State." I said as I introduced both my friend, who perhaps pretended to be uninterested in our conversation, and the new friend I had just met. Both of them exchanged pleasantries, and eventually the trio (Dr. Atanda, Caroline, and myself) walked towards the camp to identify ourselves as medics so we could be exempted from camp activities.
We exchanged phone contacts and began to actively chat over the phone, with occasional calls. The clinic became our meeting spot, and we would spend most of the time together in the clinic until we became known by others in the clinic as a couple. We went almost everywhere together in our white shirts and shorts, which was the acceptable uniform during the three days of camp, and occasionally with Dr. Atanda. We got to know so many things about each other and started making plans for the future. This was just about two years after my previous relationship, which had torn me apart after I discovered my partner had another person in her life and would rather stick with him than with me. Meeting Caroline seemed like a good opportunity to pick up the pieces of my heart and make a fresh start on love's journey. She was a single mother of one and had had several broken relationships, which I cared little about to know the reasons for (perhaps I should have probed further).
"I think we should get married this December." Caroline blurted out something spontaneously during one of our conversations, which took me by surprise.
"Okay? But don't you think we should take things easy and slow? There is a lot to know about each other. We've just met in October, and I'm thirty; you're twenty-seven." "We should focus on getting to know each other better, I think." I replied to her with all seriousness and genuineness.
"If you insist, at least you can tell your pastor about us." She requested it, not giving up.
I looked at her intently and began to wonder why she wanted us to marry so fast. I had been out of a relationship for two years, and when I just got into one, I was faced with a quick marriage. "Alright Caroline." I replied reluctantly.
The three weeks of camp quickly came to an end, and I canceled my redeployment to Delta State because I wanted to be close to Caroline, who had objected to redeploying. Having a long-distance relationship was not going to be easy for me, and for someone I would love to marry, I felt it was going to be good to stick out for each other in a faraway land where we knew nobody. We reported at our separate primary places of assignment and traveled down to Ilorin, Kwara State, where I am based. There was no direct vehicle from Sokoto to Ondo State, and thus, I offered her my family house to stay for the night before proceeding to Ondo State.
She ended up staying at my family's house for an extra two days, and my family was more than happy to welcome her into my company. That very weekend after we arrived in Ilorin (she had left for Ondo State by then), I approached my pastor with some excitement and awkwardness, as this was a first for me.
"So, I met this lady in camp; she seemed like my type, and I think I'll love to settle down with her pastor." I shyly spoke in audible whispers as he looked at me interestingly.
"And how long have you both known each other?" He asked me abruptly, yet with a smiling face.
"Three weeks, Pastor." I replied, realizing within me that I had been too forward to present my intention before the pastor.
"I think you should spend more time praying and studying each other. It's a little too quick to look forward to an everlasting union with someone you just met." He replied to me with a firm but friendly tone.
"Thank you, pastor," I replied.
The pastor asked about my camp experiences and we further discussed other topics before he discharged me with a prayer. I began to ponder what came over me as it was unlike of me to rush things. I never got back to the pastor to tell him what happened, as, of course, I have been unmarried to date.
Our two weeks of holidays after camp soon came to an end, and I left for Kebbi State with Caroline in my Volkswagen 4 car (Dr. Atanda redeployed). The experience of Kebbi State itself is a story for another day. Caroline and I stayed together for a while as though we were married and would not stop fixing wedding dates, which I tried most times to run away from. Barely a month into our relationship together, I came close to tears due to the frustrating times I experienced with her. By June of the following year, I had my first elevated blood pressure reading of 150/110mmHg, which was a result of several heated arguments and heartaches I had with Caroline.
"Can I tell my dad about us now?" Caroline had asked a few weeks before the passing out parade of the one-year NYSC program.
"Certainly, but it depends on what you want to tell him and the implications." I replied indifferently.
"That we are ready for marriage, of course!" She replied with seriousness.
"What? With all the troubles you and I are facing? The lack of peace? The financial constraints? And you think we are good this way? I object!" I responded curtly.
When my younger sister realized my health was challenged because of the lady I was in a relationship with, she told me to my face, "She would never be welcomed in this family'. It was both a tough and easy call for me. I loved her, but I knew we needed to part ways because we were not just compatible.