Her room had its own bathroom and toilet facilities just like that of the two soldiers though hers was bigger. Deciding she needed a bath, she went to the bathroom, switched on its water heater and returned to the bedroom to undress. Her thoughts went to her son. Though she was missing him, she was confident that with her niece, he was safe.
She returned to the bathroom. There was liquid soap, a new sponge and new towel provided for use. A note on the mirror indicated all three were new (had never been used by anybody). She climbed into the bathtub, opened the shower and sat in to relax. The hot water was welcome company after being in the rain.
Meanwhile, in their respective rooms, Lt. Clottey and Lt. Baidoo were also having their bath. Lt. Clottey was doing so with difficulty because of the injury to his right shoulder. It took him almost twenty minutes to finish his bath by which time his colleague, Lt. Baidoo, over in his room, had long finished bathing and was fast asleep.
The Vice-President, having also finished having her bath, was in bed but not asleep. She was thinking about Lt. Clottey and how she had fallen in love with him. She was sure the soldier had not noticed that she had fallen in love with him. And she was sure that he had not fallen in love with her either. She wondered what was best for her to do under the circumstances.
Was she waiting for him to also fall in love with her? What if he never does? Then after the assassination saga had come to an end, he would simply walk out of her life?
“I can’t let him go. I can’t. Victor, I love you. I love you so much” she said loudly to herself. She recognized the convention is for a woman to wait for a man to declare his love for her and not her to declare her love for him. She knew the school of thought that holds that a woman who goes to declare her love for a man is cheap is what the public goes with. Men, it is said, treasure a woman whose love they fight for – and they love the chase.
“But why should it always be that way?” Gertrude Mensah soliloquized. “Why should a woman be seen as cheap simply because she falls in love with a man and declares that love to the man?” And what if a woman is in love with a man, fails to declare it only for another woman to declare her love for the same man and win him?”
She decided it must not always be the man who must declare love for a woman. If a faint heart (of a man) never won a fair lady, then the faint heart (of a woman) cannot win a gorgeous man, she decided.
She was not going to wait for Lt. Clottey to first declare his love for her. What if that never happens? And, she was very sure that she has so much fallen in love with him that if asked to choose between him and the Presidency, she’ll choose him without much ado.
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. It was still raining hard. The occasional accompanying thunder as the clouds roared was frightening. Gertrude Mensah rolled out of bed and slipped into the nightie provided for her use. Then, opening the door of her room, stepped out.
All was quiet. The only sound that one could hear was that of the rain and the occasional sound of thunder. She walked quietly to Lt. Clottey’s door and knocked on it. There was silence. She knocked again and waited. A few seconds later, the soldier opened the door.