HOW TO MARRY A VIRGIN

Monday morning. Zenith Bank Aka Road, Uyo was bustling and beaming with activities. Vehicles driving in and out.

Several Customers were going in for banking transactions and other customers were going out satisfied, perhaps.

The Banking hall had, as usually, shapy, well dressed damsels busying themselves.Tall,Good looking men with jet black well tailored suits with the traditional Zenith bank red tie also graced the hall.

AdaObi Osuji was one of those damsels.

Her desk was at the customers' service area, and she shared that huge desk with her colleague Bisi Olatunde.

While Bisi was attending to a customer, Adaobi, free at the moment, was putting finish touches to her report on the flat screen desktop before her.

But she was not concerntrating.

She was thinking about the sermon Pastor Okri preached in Church the previous day. He had talked about Maintaining Your Sexual Purity. Church had beem calm, members absorbed.

Ada and her fiance were in that Sunday service, and had to really talk after the meeting.

They had known for 1 year plus and they had initially not gone beyond kissing. But in recent times they had graduated into petting. Heavy petting.

She liked him.

A lot.

He liked her too.

But the heavy petting was disturbing her conscience.

“I want us to keep this thing chaste.I want God to be in this relationship. Is that okay?” Ada had said to Richard, her fiance on Sunday after that service.

“Ok”

She had gone close to him and said, “Richie, I want to marry you as a virgin”

He loved her for that.

She was really good looking with the figure that could keep any man gazing, but she had kept her body.

She was a virgin at 25!

And he liked her for that.

He respected her.

The kissing spree was his fault.

Body no be wood, he had thought. But deep in his heart, he knew she had allowed him thus far because she really loved him.

AdaObi was worried because even after they had discussed the issue,passion had still taken over before he left her on Sunday, though without sex.

“Good afternoon”

AdaObi looked up with a start, breaking free from mental drift. Her very private thoughts.

“Good afternoon sir. How may I help you?” She said in an almost British ascent.

He wore a stripped blue suit and nice tie.

But he also wore a black rimmed glass on his face.

He looked 30 something. 35, not more.His Voice sounded extremely confident and polished.

“I want to speak to your manager”, he said with a smile that made Adaobi return it.

“You will have to speak to me first sir before I refer you to our manager”

He smiled again.

Then there became something sinister about the new smile.

He turned to look around, Flicked his eyes, brought out a plastic bag, and then withdrew a gun from it.

“O my God!” AdaObi almost screamed, he hand over her mouth. "O My God!"

Bisi stopped work and the customer who was sitting by suddenly fell flat on the ground. He was a Yoruba with a kaftan. But he just went flat on the ground before he was instructed to do so.

“Ok, ladies and gentle men!” the sinister man said out loud. “Stay calm and you will be alright..do anything funny and you are a goner!”

Suddenly, a number of men in the banking hall , also well dressed ,drew out plastic bags and withdrew guns. Then they put on masks.

About 5 of them did this.

Two gun shots were heard outside and every customer in the banking let out a chorused yelp.

"Lie flat!" the sinister leader shouted. "Every one lie flat!"

Customers obeyed the command.

Then the leader said, "Osama! Move" He made some hand movements. And Osama climbed upstairs with his gun.

Soon shouts could be heard upstairs.

"Barack!" he shouted again and pointed to the bulk counting room. And Barack moved that direction.

"Shina Rambo!" and Shina Rambo quickly rounded up the security guys who were assigned to the banking hall. They were already lying flat, cowered by these guys.

Two gun shots were heard again outside.

"You!" The leader said and pointed towards Adaobi's direction. "Sit up"

AdaObi did as commanded, visibly shaken. She was muttering, "Jesus, Jesus Jesus". Though quite silently.

"Now, I asked you before and I want an answer. Where is your manager?"

She couldn't see his face this time. He had worn the mask. She dared not even look.

She pointed towards the counter region.

His gun was still directed to her but his neck moved towards that direction.

"Manager, where are you? Give me the vault key and this would be a fast one. We will be out in no time and no one would be hurt"

No manager surfaced.

The incessant ratatas of AK-47 riffles were heard outside.

Someone dashed into the hall, there was panic in his pace. He was masked. He ran towards the leader calling him, "Obama"

He edged closer and said a few things in the ear of Obama, the leader

"Where is the manager?!" His voice was louder.There was also haste in it. "Do you want someone to die?"

Then he shot.

Ada ducked.

The daylight halogen bulb on the ceiling shattered

"I am the m-manager!" a round looking lady on female suit emerged. "Please don't shoot"

"Move!" He said to her, then he said somethings to the new entrant and that fellow moved the manager with his gun to the direction of the vault.

More shots were heard outside.

Osama came back with a huge bag from the bulk room.

Obama , the leader, nodded.

It was when Osama was trying to speak to his leader on his return from the bulk room that he saw Adaobi.

He paused.

They had been both Course mates at FUTO. Since he was masked, she didn't recognize him.

5 minutes after, the smooth operation was about to end. Shina Rambo said, "Obama, we have to leave! Operation time is up." His phone was in his hand.

The villain who went with the manager was back and he said, "Police smoke screen, Obama. Project expire". He had two heavy bags filled with bundled N1000 notes.

Obama nodded.

"We need a human shield", Obama continued.

He looked around then pointed his gun at Adaobi. "You! Stand up! Follow me!"

"Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" Ada's voice was louder this time.

"Shot up!" Obama said "Move".

Then the villains left the banking hall with AdaObi