Tolu lay down his bed exhausted, he eyed the ceiling above in this lush apartment, it wasn't his anyways. The governor of Rivers state had given him a VIP reception, he was a national hero, given accolades round the country. He'd granted lots of interviews from local and international media. His request for privacy wasn't all granted but he sometimes enjoyed the attention. It'd been Five years. He groaned as he thought about it, The scenery of confusion, the stampede, the wave of bomb that shook the the state. He'd felt himself hoisted high up the sky and thrown back to the ground in split seconds, never had he felt so afraid, never had he thought he'd see death. The feeling still made his skin tingle and heart beat rapidly. He was alive, his friends where, but at what cost?,
Emily!. His girlfriend. She'd stayed over for months, tending to his wounds and taking care of him, but things went south when he got better. Yes, he remembered it all too vividly now:
    "You aren't coming with?" Emily had asked him. She'd wanted to get back to work  at the FBI as soon as possible and what's more, she wanted to drag him along with her.
    "No I'm not"  he'd replied her. They'd often dragged this topic for weeks prior to this, but something felt different this time around. Emily wasn't ready to take 'No' for an answer.
  "Why are you doing this to me?" She'd fired back.
   "I'm not doing anything to anyone" he'd said calmly, "you know I've always wanted come back to my own country"
   "And now that you're here?"
   "I wanna stay for awhile, I've got unfinished business here"
"Unbelievable!" Emily had screamed, " Dude, your 'business' dug a hole in quarter the whole state!"
   "It wasn't our fault"
"You almost died!!!"
   "WE almost died" he'd corrected.
Emily slammed her palm on her forehead and remained quiet. Tolu had approached her and gave her a tight hug, he'd tried planting a kiss on her forehead but she evaded it.
   "I didn't mean to drag you into all of this" he'd whispered into her ears calmly, "but I just had to do this, you necessarily don't have to stay". He'd hoped he never said that, it came out too quickly before he could cut it. And everything just escalated form there.
  " What?!" Emily attacked wrestling her way out of his arms. "What did you say?''
He'd remained quiet.
" oh, so that was your plan all along...."
  "It's not like that...." He'd interjected.
   ".....you just want me to go away...''
  " Emily, calm down.. it's not like that" he'd felt rage begin to build up in him, why wasn't she trying to understand him?.
"....trying to frustrate me into leaving without you?"
At this point, he'd reached breaking point, "What are you?, my mum?".
He felt Emily quiet down instantly at his outburst, he'd never screamed at her.
" I told you I've got things to do and you keep nagging at me at every given opportunity " he'd reeled off, "you don't like this country do you?"
  "Tolu..." She'd mutter
"Don't give me that crap'' he'd fired, " what's your problem"
"I just want us to return home" she said.
  "THIS IS MY HOME!"
"I travelled thousands of miles to get you" she sobbed.
  "I didn't ask for your help"
Emily took a step back as reality dawned on her. He was right, he didn't ask for her help. She'd gone off on her own and would have lost her job if  MR. White hadn't been in on it all along. She hoped her coming would spur him to want to return to the US with her. And that had failed.
   "You aren't needed here Emily"
She had him say. "Go home".
She watched him walk off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
    ***************

Tolu reeled on the bed as he remembered the look she had in her eyes. Pain. Shock. Hurt. Betrayal. He felt like a monster inside. He had gone to the bathroom to simmer down and get his thoughts off it.
As soon as he got out of the bathroom. Emily was gone!.
He remembered combing round the hotel for her. Her bags were still intact. Further search, he realised her passport was missing.
           " Go Home "
She didn't.... Did she?.
He'd hopped into his car and put a call across to Ife.
   "She's gone..!"  That was all he could say as soon as Ife had picked his call.
   "Who?"
  "She's gone man!!"
  " calm down guy , who's gone?''
  "Emily man... She's gone" Tolu screamed as he took a bend on the road.
  "What?.. How come, what happened?''
  "We had a misunderstanding this morning" he started, "and I think I said things I shouldn't have and now my whole life feels fucked all over"
  "Okay okay calm down, you're driving.... Where are you headed?"
  "Where else man?.. The Fucking airport"
   "Okay, I'll meet you there"
The line went dead immediately.
     No sooner did he arrive that ife show up. Using his new found fame, they managed to get past security and protocols.
He'd ran to the woman checking passports.
"Pls has she come by" he'd asked.
"Has who?" The woman asked confused.
"Emily clarkson" Ife replied.
''Okay okay, I'll check the records"
She'd typed the names and waited a few seconds for a response. Tolu felt his heart break when he saw the facial expression of the woman.
  "Ma'am?" Ife had said.
"I'm sorry gentlemen, her flight took off five minutes ago".
        *********
Tolu never forgave himself after that incident, that had actually prompted him to stay away from the spotlight. That had led him to wander round his fatherland. Going round with emptiness inside.
He'd almost decided to leave with her, he had everything all planned, their flight and all, he'd wanted to surprise her. If only he told her why he decided not to travel Was because of an information Ife had told him just less than 24 hours before....
   **********
He'd heard a knock on the door just as he was preparing the table and wines, he'd wanted to tell Emily he would go along with her back to the US but wanted to add a bit of scenery to it.
He'd startle when he heard the knock hoping it wasn't her as he wasn't done.
  " Who is it?"
" open the door guy" the voice had replied.
"Oh..." He'd grin, "it's you". He walked towards the door and opened it.
   " Expecting someone else " ife joked
  "Someone with boobs" he'd replied and ushered him in.
"Oh oh" ife chorused as he saw the beauty of the room, "throwing a party?"
  "Not really a party, besides it's just for two".
  " your problem" Ife smiled as he crashed.
Tolu wasn't paying attention to him as he was still preparing the room, "say what you must and get out man".
  Ife laughed out as he took a sip of wine before straightening, " I brought something"
"Drop it over there" he'd replied not facing him.
  "Its about your father"
That had stopped him in his tracks, he turned to ife almost like a robot to see him holding a big box, he was too engrossed in his activity he didn't notice what ife was carrying.
  "My father?"
" yea man " ife handed the huge box to him as Tolu opened it and scanned through files and pictures. "We found that while clearing out Ibrahim's office" he continued, " I saw the name and felt I bring it to you, thought you might need it"
Tolu didn't reply him as he ran his eyes over the files, it had details of his fathers life  in the military, even his diary.
"Well, I need to leave" ife sprang up from the couch. "I'm leaving with this however", he took an unopened wine and walked towards the door, he looked behind to see Tolu still engrossed with the contents of the box.
" knock yourself out" he muttered to himself before leaving.
Tolu kept checking each files,pictures, notes.....
It had everything... Everything!!!... 
If only he knew that with finding everything, he would also lose everything.
****************
His phone ringing snapped him from his sorrows, "hello?"
  "Oga Tolu"
"Oh, sanusi, what's up?"
"I dey sir " sanusi replied, "you get package outside, " I knock your door tire, e b like say you no dey house, so I drop am for floor"
   "Okay thank you" he dropped the call. He hadn't heard a knock.
He opened the door and saw the package, well decorated. Who would send me this?.
      ************
  Ife was in his office when his secretary ran in.
   "Sir sir"... She said out of breath..
  " what is it " he fired irritatedly..
"You haven't heard?" She asked.
  "Heard what?"...
" Sir??!!!!!" She interjected.
  "Spill it out"
    "Tolu Is Dead"