Lt. Clottey told his colleague not to stop the car. Lt. Badoo complied, speeding on, heading towards Airport Hills where the residence of President Stephen Marfo is.
“Are you defying me?” Gertrude Mensah asked Lt. Clottey, turning to him.
“Yes, madam, I have to, under the current circumstance, to protect you” the soldier replied. The Acting President was about to hit back at him when she had second thoughts so decided not to.
Gertrude Mensah decided on the spur of the moment she was not being fair to Lt. Clottey by not trusting him completely. Here was a soldier who from nowhere had put his own life on the line to save her from several assassination attempts within 24 hours and had ended up being shot in the shoulder as a result. But for him, she knew she would not have been alive at that material moment. What is more, she has found herself the past two hours falling in love with him.
She slumped back into the seat, wondering whether it was morally right for her to fall in love with him, especially looking at the circumstances under which they met and what has been happening so far. She sighed. Had some not fallen in love with their loved one at first sight? Had some not found their lifetime partners during occasions such as funerals, during wars or in the midst of tragedies? Some even started with their loves ones as the ones they loathed most. Some even fell in love and have stayed in that love happily with people from ethnic groups they look upon with scorn. Was she finding her own in the midst of the plot to assassinate her?
She had not fallen in love with him because of his courage or because he took a bullet for her; she had fallen in love with him because he was caring. He had exhibited all the characteristics of a gentleman. And there was something else that had drawn her to him – love, the mysterious emotional feeling that can never be adequately explained by anyone. None of the great men of the past, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato or Archimedes had been able to explain what love is and what brings about love.
She could not believe she had so much fallen in love with Lt. Clottey. She had so much loved her late husband, Dr. Joseph Mensah that she was completely shattered when he died in a car crash. She decided then not to marry or fall in love again. She resigned herself to living as a widow the rest of her life. Little Nick had since then been the centre of her life, the only person who really mattered to her. But here she was, falling in love all over again with a man she has known for not more than 72 hours. And sitting by him, she wished he would wrap his arms around her. She knew however that under the circumstances, there was no such chance.
“I am sorry, madam, if I sounded rude” she heard him say, interrupting her thoughts.
“That’s okay. I trust you. My reservation about going to President Marfo’s place has got to do with health for which he has resigned. I told you about the condition of his heart. Doctors say he does not need to be stressed at all to therefore go to him with such an issue, I fear, may worsen his condition. What is more, I fear he may think am incompetent for running back to him at the first sign of a problem” she said.
Lt. Clottey told her he understands her sentiment but he was sure under the circumstance, they had no choice; only President Marfo could pull the chestnut out of the blazing fire.
Lt. Baidoo was speeding but making sure he did not crash the car or attract attention to themselves. Soon, they were at the Accra Mall, speeding past it and heading for Airport Hills. Then it began to drizzle.