Though tired and feeling the pains of his shoulder injury, thoughts of seeing and being with the Vice-President energized Lt. Clottey. He was thus in good spirits. Occasionally, he would tease his colleague of one thing or the other. Lt. Badoo jokingly threatened to crash the car if he continued to tease him. Finally, they drove into Airport Hills, going through all the barriers with ease. The private security men at the main gate and the soldiers at the barrier close to the President’s house just waved them through on seeing their car. Then Lt. Badoo drove into President Stephen Marfo’s residence and parked.
They took the stairs up to the floor where their rooms were. On the corridor, they parted ways, each going to his room. Lt. Clottey knocked gently on his door and then opened it, entering. He was surprised to find the Vice-President awake. She got up, walked up to him and hugged him tightly, making sure she did not bruise his injury.
“You are not asleep, Madam,” he said.
“Victor, how can I sleep knowing you are out there in such weather?” she asked. She helped him to undress and waited for him to go have the hot shower he said he wanted to have. Then she helped him get back into his pyjamas before she switched off the light and slipped into bed by his side. Curling up herself into his left arm, she listened to him as he narrated to her all that had taken place at the offices of MI. When he finished, she reached for his lips and kissed him.
“Thank you for everything. But for you, I would not be alive today. But for you, my son would have been an orphan by now. Talking about Nick, I know you and him would become the best of friends. You are the two most important people in my life now”, she whispered in the darkness.
He liked the feel of her soft body against his rugged one. Back in the days in secondary school, he had been teased as a ‘Mama’s boy’ because he did not look boyish. But the military had erased all that; he was now a tough and rugged character. And he had been taught to be an officer and a gentleman as well.
After a while, the Vice-President let go off him, rolled out of bed and went to the CD player. She had prepared to make the rest of the night a memorable one. She pressed the play button. Pop Star, Leann Rimes’ ‘How do I live” began to play, softly. Gertrude Mensah went back to lie in her man’s arm, singing along with Leann Rimes. Lt. Clottey had heard the song several times but had never paid attention to the lyrics. But now, as the woman in his arms sung along, the lyrics captured his attention.

“How do I,
Get through one night without you?
If I had to live without you,
What kind of life would that be?
Oh, I…
I need you in my arms, need you to hold,
You’re my world, my heart, my soul,
If you ever leave,
Baby you would take away everything good in my life,
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know,
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
Without you…”
Hearing the Vice- President sing along created a sombre mood in the room. He caressed her hair, then her brow and then leaned over to kiss the bridge of her nose as she continued to sing. He could feel her melting into his body. His right shoulder injury ached but he welcomed the pain. He tightened his arm around her and then kissed her tenderly again, this time on her lips. Her perfume, Beyoncé’s ‘Midnight Heat’, added a touch of romance to the night, revving him up. As Leann Rimes’s cool voice took over the room, the Lieutenant and the Vice-President consummate their love, holding on to each other with fearless devotion as the rain began to fall again, intensifying by the second. She moaned softly as the rain reached its climax and then exploded like a waterfall. Then there was quiet. She smiled. Outside, the rain continued with zeal … She could hear his breath…. And tell he had fallen asleep…he had reasons to….it had been a very long night for him. She curled herself up in his arms and fell asleep too with a smile on her face, satisfied.