THAT OTHER DEMON

“Ah-ah, Godwin,” Bukola said as she observed her colleague hurriedly putting away his things and clearing his work station. “This one you are hurrying like this, hot date waiting somewhere?”

“Something like that,” Godwin said, flashing her a smile as he lifted his headset from around his neck moments before navigating to the log-off button on the computer screen.

“You mean am?” Bukola’s smile was just as wide as his. “Who be the babe?” She swiveled around on her seat to face him, her attention teasingly rapt.

“Nuh-uh, I’m not telling you anything.”

“Oh come on…”

“No o, biko…”

“Diaris God o,” Bukola moaned.

“You think I don’t know that?” Godwin said with a smirk as he rose from his seat and reached for his bag. “It’s God that sent this hot date my way nau.” As Bukola chuckled, he said, “But I’ll tell you this for sure, this date is a total babe.”

Indeed he was. But Bukola didn’t need to know his date was male. The guy, Seun, who he’d been getting acquainted with in the past three weeks was – in one word – dreamy. A mulatto complexion that hinted at a mixed race heritage, full sensuous lips, rich dark, curly hair he kept in a small afro which Godwin dreamed of running his fingers through some day, and a deep husky voice which, in the past week, had been firing up his orgasms during the phone sex sessions they’d been having.

Now, finally, after weeks of chatting and exchanging nude pictures on BBM and burning up the phone lines with midnight calls of phone sex, they were going to meet. This evening, at Seun’s place in Bariga. Godwin was very excited, and when he made a quick dash to the men’s room to ease himself before setting out of his workplace, the penis he pulled out from his boxers was already growing tumescent with desire at the thought of the things he and Seun would get to once they were in each other’s arms.

“Easy! Ah, na so to go house hungry you reach!” Dike exclaimed as he weaved out of Godwin’s path. The young man had almost run headlong into him as he turned a corner on the carpeted corridor that led to the exit. On both sides of the corridor were the glass walls that afforded anyone passing by a clear glimpse into the different work spaces of the online business directory company where Godwin worked as a call centre correspondent.

“Don’t mind him, Dike!” Bukola singsonged from one of the glass-walled rooms where Godwin had sped out from minutes ago. “He’s not going home o. He’s going to get shagged!”

Right you are, girl! Godwin thought, refusing to be mortified by the amused glances some of his colleagues who heard Bukola’s exclamation threw his way. There was no need to be embarrassed by the truth, he thought, shoving the exit door open and sauntering off into the lobby.

The trip from Surulere to Bariga took a lot less than an hour to get over with. Godwin had been on the morning shift at work, and so had closed by 3pm, a couple of hours before the rush hour traffic that characterized the close of work in Lagos city. Seun worked as a ticket staffer in one of the airlines at the International Airport, and had worked all through yesterday night; which meant he had the day off, hence their agreement to rendezvous when Godwin got off work. Both young men were proletariats with wild working hours, and with Godwin staying in Festac, a great deal of distance from Seun, scheduling a hook-up hadn’t been easy. This was the reason he was so eager about this date. He didn’t know when next the opportunity to hook up with Seun would presume itself.

After a couple of calls and BBM pings to verify his status as he was conveyed from bus to bus toward Bariga, Godwin finally arrived at Seun’s place. The other man was at the gateway of his compound which straddled the narrow roadside, waiting to receive Godwin.

He was as handsome as he ever was, Godwin thought as he alighted from the bike that brought him from the bus stop to the address. His knees instantly began to shake and his heart pounded as he closed the distance between them with long strides.

“Hey, you,” Seun greeted, his lips twisted into a smile.

Godwin’s heart fluttered. Ay, papi! “Hey back,” he murmured. He came to stand before Seun, his gaze was arrested by the smiling lips, and he entertained, for a fleeting second, the crazy thought of planting a kiss on them.

“What are you thinking, you bad boy,” Seun teased as he turned to lead the way into the compound. A three storey block of flats towered in the cramped space.

“How do you know I’m thinking anything bad, this one you are calling me a bad boy,” Godwin protested with a laugh.

“Because you have that look in your eyes…”

“What look?”

“The one that says ‘Take me, right now, right here.’”

Godwin’s gale of laughter rang out. “Well, would you, if I dared you…” His glance was coy, but Seun didn’t catch it because they had started up a flight of stairs.

He however shot him a grin before turning his head forward. “We might as well go to a DPO’s office and tell him, ‘Sir, we want to fuck in your presence. Just reserve a space for us in one of your cells.’”

Godwin laughed again. This guy’s sense of humour, it was one other thing he found attractive about him.

Soon, they got to the door of his parents’ home at the top storey. He’d asked as they walked up the stairs if anyone was home; Seun had said no. He was the only one around. And so, as Godwin followed him inside the homey apartment, he could feel his whole body shaking with anticipation.

Gawd, get it together before you’ll find yourself coming at his first touch, he admonished himself mentally.

Seun motioned for him to have a seat, and he plopped down on a big overstuffed dark blue couch. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back out moments later with a can of Five Alive and two tumblers in his hand. He opened the can and filled the glasses, before handing one to Godwin and sitting himself down in the black recliner a few feet away. Godwin took a few gulps of the drink and set the tumbler down on the glass coffee table in front of him. Not knowing where to look, he glanced over at the big screen TV in the corner. He saw Seun’s reflection and saw that he was looking at him. He turned to look back at him. A moment passed, one tightened with undercurrents of desire tugging this way and that.

Seun’s nostrils flared noticeably as his breathing turned harsh.

Godwin’s crotch tightened as his cock began to stretch and harden.

Seun got lazily to his feet and lumbered over to Godwin’s seat; he sat beside him, and placed his hand on Godwin’s thigh. Godwin’s chest began to rise and fall rapidly as his feverish gaze dropped to those lips again.

“Look at me,” Seun commanded in a murmur.

He obeyed. Their eyes stayed connected for a steady moment as Seun brought his face slowly close to Godwin’s. His lips lightly brushed against his, and then he planted them, his tongue invading Godwin’s mouth. Tiny bursts of heaven exploded inside Godwin’s mouth at the kiss, tremors that raced from there down his spine, sparking up his nerve endings as they went. He moaned against Seun’s mouth, and his hands moved up to his shoulders as he returned his kiss with equal passion.

The kiss went on for several minutes, with both men writhing against each other, groping at their bodies. Then, Seun broke the embrace and got to his feet, pulling Godwin up after him.

“Let’s go inside,” he said, desire making his voice even huskier than it usually was.

Godwin nodded and followed after him. Their drinks stood forgotten in the parlour.

Seun’s bedroom was nice and well-appointed, and the bed was luxurious and bouncy. As Godwin sat on it, Seun, who had already discarded his shirt on their way to the room, dropped his trousers and stood in front of his clad in just a pair of black boxers. Knowing what he wanted, Godwin undressed and got to his knees. His hands moved to the elastic of Seun’s shorts and slowly pulled them down to his ankles. Seun stepped out of them and kicked them aside. Now here in front of Godwin, completely naked, was the man he had lusted after for the past weeks. It felt surreal.

He stared at his beautiful cock, which was inches from his face. It was only semi hard and was about 5”. Godwin gingerly reached up to touch it, and then he put his hand around it. It grew a little more. He licked the tip to get a little taste. It was a little different from Frank’s, the last guy he’d had sex with, but it was still good. He wrapped his mouth around the head and swallowed it all down his throat like a starving man. Seun groaned, and the cock grew another inch in Godwin’s mouth. Now it was fat and a little over 6”. He looked up at Seun’s face. His eyes were closed and he had on an expression of ecstasy. Godwin took his cock from his mouth and ran his tongue along the underside back and forth. He heard Seun moan again and his breathing became heavier. Encouraged by his moans, he licked every inch of his pole. Then he took it back into his throat and sucked it with vigour.

It wasn’t much longer until he sensed Seun was close. He kept on sucking harder, relishing the pleasure he was giving the other man, and then, Seun stopped him. He got down on his knees and brought his lips to Godwin’s again, his tongue searching for a taste of himself. Then Godwin felt his hands on his shoulders pushing him back. He fell back on the bed and Seun pushed his legs back. He watched Seun fiddle with protection, which he unsheathed over his dick. Then he felt the tip of Seun’s fuck pole pushing against his ass hole. He relaxed himself to let him in. Seun slowly pushed in until the whole thing was buried up Godwin’s tight rectum. Godwin was worried that he wouldn’t be tight enough for him, but if he wasn’t tight anymore, Seun didn’t seem to mind. He thrust in and out, slowly at first, but picking up speed. Godwin did his best to grip him when he pulled out. Seun’s hands roamed his body while his tongue continued exploring Godwin’s mouth. Godwin wrapped his arms tightly around him to hold him close so he could push deeper. After a few minutes, Seun started pounding him faster. Then he pushed in hard and held it there. Godwin felt his dick pump and jerk rapidly against his insides, as Seun spasmed and groaned on top of him. Seun pumped for a few more seconds until he was done ejaculating. Then he fell down on top of Godwin, still buried deep in his ass, sweat drenching both of them. Neither of them moved until their breathing and heart rates returned to normal.

Then Seun adjusted his body to Godwin’s side and fingered his dick which was still turgid. Soon, he was running his hand rapidly up and down Godwin’s dick, working him up to his orgasm, which came in a rush. Godwin stiffened and stretched his legs out, grunting loudly as wads of his cum shot out from his dick onto his tummy and Seun’s hand. Then, Seun got to his feet and told Godwin if he wanted to, he could take a quick shower.

Both men washed up and dressed, and exchanged a lingering kiss before saying some things about getting together again. And then Godwin was on his way.

***

“Did you hear that that Ebola virus that has been spreading all over Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia has entered Nigeria?” exclaimed Morris to Godwin as the two friends lounged in Morris’s place.

It was Thursday and the two of them had the day off. Morris was actually on his leave of absence from his work as a staff of a new generation bank, and presently he was staring at his phone with a mildly incredulous look.

“When? Who brought it here?” Godwin looked up from last Sunday’s edition of the This Day Style magazine he was reading to ask.

“Apparently it’s one Liberian man, a health worker who flew into Lagos and collapsed at the International Airport…” Morris’s voice trailed off as he squinted at his phone and continued reading.

Unbidden, Godwin’s heart skipped a beat, and his mind pulled up an image of Seun before his eyes. Seun in his airport uniform, doing whatever it was ticket staffers did at the airport. “Wait, so you said the Ebola man collapsed at the International Airport?” he queried, clearing his throat when the words came out in a rasp. “What day?” Please, let it be yesterday, please, let it be yesterday. He had seen Seun for that memorable hook-up on Tuesday.

“On Sunday,” Morris said, unknowingly shattering a little something inside Godwin. “I can’t believe this government,” he went on. “How could they let this happen? All the time this disease has been raging in these other West African countries, how did they not think to install measures to detect anyone who might be flying into this country with Ebola at our airports, ehn? Now those working at the airport and a whole slew of passengers on the same flight as the Liberian might now be at risk because of our government’s procrastination…!”

As Morris continued ranting, Godwin sat there, staring and thinking. Now those working at the airport…might now be at risk… Those working at the airport…might now be at risk… Oh Seun, have you by any chance put me at risk? He glanced down at his hands, staring at his coffee-coloured skin, lifted the hands close to his face and peered at the fine sprinkling of hair that was spread out on his arms, peering hard as though he could spot freckles of the deadly virus sifting their way through the hirsute spread.

“What are you doing?” Morris voice startled him from his almost trancelike examination.

He turned to the other man and said in a hoarse voice, “I hooked up with Seun the day before yesterday…”

Morris’s eyes widened slightly with mounting interest. “Seun – you mean, Seun, that ice cream hottie you met on Badoo? That Seun?” At Godwin’s nod, he burst out, “You bad gurl, why didn’t you tell me since? Haba, how was it? Was he good? Oh, I bet he was good. Gorgeous pikin like that cannot be a waste of talent.”

“That is not the point, Mo,” Godwin cut in. “He works at the International Airport, and you know…” He waved a hand at Morris’s phone, the words he was unable to say made very clear with his gesture.

Morris’s eyes widened even more, this time with comprehension. “Oh, you mean… you don’t mean… Oh come on, Godwin, it can’t be…”

“Why can’t it be? Were you not the one who told me awhile back how quickly the virus spreads, and kills? Just imagine nau, the Liberian got into the airport and collapsed. Who knows who and who may have rushed to his side to help him up? Those people will now pick up the virus from him, and pass it on when they touch other people…” He shuddered as he spoke. “And this was since Sunday… two days before I hooked up with Seun. And we had sex! Which means, we were in all sorts of contact imaginable – hands, tongues, mouths, his dick inside me…” He felt goosebumps break out on his skin as the thought sped through his mind that he might have swallowed the virus in a kiss, or had it shoved up his ass by Seun’s thrusts. He hugged his arms around his body. “Oh, Morris, what am I going to do…” His lips trembled as misery threatened to crash down all over him.

“Don’t panic, that’s what we’ll start with,” Morris said, splaying his hands at him in a placating gesture.

Godwin however noticed that his friend, who was a hugger, stoically sat on his seat several meters away from him as he spoke. Ordinarily, Morris would have hastened to his side to put his arms around him consolingly.

“Just be calm about this. We don’t know if Seun even came anywhere near this Liberian man –”

“Yes, but someone else who did could have passed it on to him…”

“True, still let’s be positive. I haven’t bothered to read up all I can on this Ebola issue since I thought I didn’t need to concern myself with it, seeing as it wasn’t in Nigeria. Now, it is…” He picked up his phone again and began to tap on the keypad, no doubt calling up internet pages on his browser. When he got what he wanted, he began to read, “There are a few things you can do to protect yourself and your family. Remember, Ebola has no cure –”

“That’s comforting,” Godwin interjected sardonically.

Morris held up a finger. “Okay, let me skip to the symptoms.” He skimmed the page with his eyes until he got to where he wanted. “Report any suspicious symptoms in yourself or anyone else IMMEDIATELY you notice them. These symptoms may include Fever, Headache, Diarrhoea, Vomiting, Weakness, Joint and Muscle Ache, Stomach Pain and Lack of Appetite.” He stopped and turned to Godwin. “Have you experienced any of these since Tuesday?”

Godwin shook his head.

“Well then, there you have it. You’re fine.”

“Maybe the virus is like HIV, you know, with a window period before it will unleash its attack, because Seun certainly didn’t seem weak or diarrheic when we had sex that day.”

“Then maybe Seun doesn’t have it –”

“Oh maybe he does but it hasn’t manifested yet,” Godwin said waspishly.

A moment passed during which Morris studied him calmly. Then he said, “Why are you bent on thinking the worst, ehn? Have some optimism, it doesn’t have to be what you think it is. There’s obviously still so much questions we now have which the internet” – he waved his phone – “will provide, I’m sure. I’ll read up and let you know. And you can read up and educate yourself. Who knows, we just might be exaggerating the situation here.”

Godwin nodded weakly. He suddenly felt very tired. He felt pinpricks on his skin, then a numbness that made his limbs heavy as he made to get up from his seat.

“Where are you going to?”

“Home. I just want to be by myself now.” Plus I want to give you time to disinfect your house, he thought wryly. Moments later, he was out of the house and walking home.

***

It was midday on Friday, and Godwin groaned as he walked out of the toilet stall in the men’s room at work. The roar of the toilet flushing followed him as he moved to the bank of sinks. Someone else was standing there, washing his hands. The person turned as Godwin turned on a tap; it was Ebenezer from Accounts.

“Ah, Godwin, na you dey shit that kain shit for inside there all this time? I thought your nyash and the toilet bowl were having a disagreement.” He chuckled at his own joke.

But Godwin grimaced as he dropped a hand to fleetingly touch his abdomen. Things were calm in there, but it felt like the calm before a storm, because he’d been through this already, five times just this morning. Having to dash out from the call center station so regularly was a real inconvenience. Bukola had even jokingly asked if he was pregnant. “It seems after the hot date and no doubt the sex that followed,” she’d said with a lascivious smile, “the babe apparently impregnated you instead of the other way round.” There had been a robust burst of laughter from the other people in the room at her teasing.

“It’s just a mild touch of diarrhea,” he said presently to Ebenezer. “Nothing more.”

“Ah, make e be o, this one every little thing now is Ebola this, Ebola that,” Ebenezer said as he wiped his hands with his handkerchief and walked out of the restroom.

Ebola this, Ebola that… Godwin felt something clench inside him, his stomach grumbled in protest, and a weight descended on his bowels. He whirled around and fled back into the toilet stall he’d just exited, recalling with deepening misery that diarrhea was one of the Ebola symptoms Morris had mentioned yesterday.

***

“You don’t look too good,” his mother said on Saturday morning as he walked about the living room, preparing to leave the house for work. “Are you sure you shouldn’t just stay back at home and rest?”

“Mummy, it’s my job. I just have a mild headache, nothing serious enough to make me stay at home and get myself in trouble with my superiors.”

“A mild headache? You’ve been making frequent trips to my medicine cabinet since yesterday, swallowing paracetamol like it’s candy, and you call that a mild headache?” The woman shook her head, tsk-tsked and walked away toward the adjoining dining room.

Her skepticism was dead-on. It wasn’t a mild headache he’d developed since yesterday evening. It had in fact been excruciating, the type he usually had at the onset of his bouts of malaria. But he’d taken some drugs yesterday and this morning, and the headache had dulled to a faint discomfort.

He was making for the door when his mother’s voice sailed from the dining room. “It’s just a relief that you work far away from the airport. With this news about that place being the first place the Liberian man with Ebola was identified, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about you. Just be careful, my darling, alright?”

Godwin stood there by the door, transfixed by the thoughts his mother’s words had reawakened, thoughts he’d refused to dwell on since yesterday’s diarrheic episode at work, which gave way to the headache, another symptom. He stood there, still. It felt as though someone had frozen the moment. Someone had suspended him above a dark hole, giving him plenty of time to stare down at the nothingness, until suddenly, the same someone had let go. He felt himself plunging down into the black, his hands wheeling, his body turning, waiting, almost hoping to smash against the bottom –

“Godwin?!”

His mother’s voice brought him up short.

“Alright, mum, I’ll take care of myself,” he muttered hoarsely and let himself out of the house.

***

It was Wednesday night, and the sky looked pretty from where he lay on his bed, looking out the window. A thick black blanket, with a brilliant splash of stars lighting it up.

“I miss you, Godwin, I really do,” Seun’s voice came to him from the other end. It was midnight, and it seemed they would be having a round of phone sex, if Seun’s passionate murmur was anything to go by.

“I miss you too, babe,” he replied.

“You haven’t been in touch with me since last week… I was starting to wonder…”

Yes, I’ve been a little busy panicking and wondering if you had given me Ebola, Godwin thought. Aloud he said, “I’m sorry, I was just a little indisposed, that’s all.”

“Oh good, so just your health then? Not anything I did… or you know, didn’t do very well…” Seun’s voice was suggestive as he chuckled.

Godwin laughed. “No, you did everything just right.”

Seun mimicked a sound implying relief. “And how do you feel now, good, yea?”

“Yes, I feel very good,” Godwin said. Indeed he did. No diarrhea, no headaches, not any more alarming symptoms. He felt fine. And after all the reading he’d done on Ebola, he felt confident enough to say he didn’t have the disease. So his mind had given him a clean bill of health, and had given him the allowance to think of how horny he was for Seun’s loving. “So, um,” he said into the phone, “when next will you be free for me to come over?”

Written by Pink Panther