"Am sure You can handle that. Hopefully, they will be out of here within a week" Mike resolutely said.
"That's if there families completely" Ahmad answered.
Mikel continued to stare at Dorathy but only stopped when his men started yo lead them away in batches to wash them selves and drink some water too. He leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes, trying not to think of anything but all he could see were Dorathy's eyes.
Opening his eyes, he tried to shake the image off. when it failed, he got down the tree effortlessly and signalled to Ahmad that he was going for a walk, then he took the opposite direction, going for a walk to clear his head and he hoped things would be normal by the time he got back.
As the people helped themselves into the shallow part of the flowing stream, Dorathy glanced towards the little girl again who was close by her mother, and noticed that she was now staring at her with a sly smile on her face. Following the little girl's gaze, she noticed that the girl was staring at the necklace around her neck with a half heart pendant which was dangling as she bent down to drink water from the stream with her hand.
"You like it?" Dorathy asked taking the pendant between her fingers.
The girl only nodded shyly.
"Here....'?" Dorathy reached behind and unclasped it from her neck. "You can have it" She held it towards the girl and she stretched out and open palm, and dropped the necklace in her palm.
The mother noticed and smiled at Dorathy. "You didn't have to do that, you have done enough already, but thank you all the same".
"Its nothing.....you are welcome. Beside I'd rather give it to her than give it to them". Dorathy gestured with a swing of her head towards the armed me that were keenly watching them. "She should hide it well though".
"Thank you once again. Am Onome and this is my daughter, Jane". She said as she wore the necklace around her daughters neck then his the pendant inside her shirt. The young girl had just taking a bath in the stream and had a change of clothes.
Dorathy noticed that while the new captives did not take off their clothes to bath because of the presence of their male captives and their make captors, the old captives who had been in captivity longer than expected, they were completely different about displaying their nudity. Dorathy cringe. She hoped that she'd never get to this extent where she would had to openly take a bath before every watching pair of eyes.
She hoped that she'd never get to this extent where she had to openly take a naked bath before every watching pair of eyes.
"I'm Dorathy" Dorsthy replied. "I presume she's your daughter, right ?"
"Yes...." Onome answered.
" its fortunate that she had to go through this at such a young age" Dorathy said sympathetically.
"I just hope they let us go soon" One replied with a sad sigh.
"Hopefully after they gets the Ransome" Dorathy chipped in.
"Well. If I'll be honest with you, i doubt my family would raise ten million naira. I myself had not seen such amount of money since my life".
"What about your husband? He should be able to help out".
"I'n actually a single mum" Onome said sadly. "Her father is a deadbeat dad. He hasn't even cared to see her or paid a penny for her since she was born. I have not seen him since eight years; he totally abandoned me when i told him i was pregnant. When i gave birth to her, with the help of my family and few friends i had been able to Take care of her the way i can. I can tell you that it has not been the slightest bit ease on ne, but we keep pushing on, she's my bundle if joy" she smiled loudly then pinched her daughter's cheek and the little girl giggled.
As Onome and Dorathy continued to converse, Pascal, the man who had harassed her at the park was seated on a near by boulder and he watched Onome with lust-filled eyes as he greedily smoke his wrap of weed. He had had his eyes on her ever since he .et her in the park and he was determined to make use if this opportunity and he was going to make sure that he did it so discreetly that the boss would never find out.
***********
Mikel returned back after being away from the camp for a long time. When he entered his hut which was lit with lantern, he paused when he saw Sandra in his bed, wearing almost nothing.
"What are you doing here?" He asked with hard voice.
Sandra smiled at him, posing on the mattress in a seductive way. "I've been waiting for you"
"What do you want, Sandra?" He walked further into the hut and started to take off his sleeveless jacket and his vest.
"She turned on her side and face edge him now. "Are you still mad about yesterday?" She asked.
"That doesn't answer my question Sandra." He hung his clothes.
Realising that he was not the slightest bit receptive towards her, she got up the mattress, approached him and wrapped her arms around his midriff, pressing her bare breast against he warmth back. "It's a cold night, you know? I didn't want to be alone" She said with a moan.
He gently unwrapped her arms from his body and turned to face her. "Have i not made it clear that things such as this cannot happen between us anymore?"
"I thought you were only saying that..." She said in a sultry voice, caressing his chest. "Why are you acting so cold? You are a man,remember ? Stop acting like you don't need a woman in your life, Mikel".