The Republic of ARMY

8. Friendly Face

I was walking around after the report, feeling a little worn out, when I ran into the handsome faced Curtis. He was limping, which indicated he had been stung too. I felt bad for him.

"Hey cutie!" He called and I smiled, stopping to say hello. He leaned against the wall and looked down at me. He was tall, but not as much as my brother.

"Hey Curtis. How you doing? Sorry about the stings."

"Well, this is the desert. These things happen."

"Though it really came out of the blue, didn't it?"

Curtis smiled. "How did the presentation go? You look beat."

"It is unusually hot here. Since everyone is still unwell, I have to work from the base today. So i'm looking for the biggest and most airy room."

"That has got to be the clinic."

"You work there?"

He smiled. "I am a military doctor. Of course I work there."

I grinned at him and followed him, walking up to my brother's workstation and grinning on finding him deep in a conversation with one of our staff. The pretty girl blushed and I couldn't help giggling at how cool he tried to look while talking to her.

"Your brother is a flirt."

"Well, at least I know where he gets that from," I laughed before waving at him. He waved back, making the other girl turn to look at me with a smile on her face. "They seem to have hit it off."

"So, should we?"

"What?" I asked, a little lost.

"Should we hit it off too?"

"We already did, at the plane. We are friends, aren't we?"

Curtis didn't look amused at the last sentence I mentioned. He nodded his head and pretended he was okay. I knew what was happening but simply decided not to over think it.

Later that evening, I was flown out to Cairo where I caught a flight to Geneva. It was tiring, but it was also very funny and exciting. The movies I watched made me smile loads.

Getting off the plane, my phone started buzzing as soon as airplane mode was deactivated. I was right behind a group of much taller men and didn't pay much attention to them. They seemed to have been in first class and had been the last to leave the plane for some reason.

I had my reason. I had to change my underwear because I had a monthly visitor. I had been prepared for it though. These men ahead seemed to be in a good mood and were jostling each other for fun. I shoved my ear phones into my ears, turning up the music as I played my favourite Taylor Swift playlist.

"... You are the one I have been waiting for, King of my heart, body and soul, oooh..." I hummed along as I bobbed my head. The line was taking too long to move until-

"Miss. Raina Mtenyo Atek?" Someone tapped on my shoulder gently. I pulled out one of my earphones and turned to see a young lady smiling at me. "This way please."

"Um-"

"I am sorry we kept you waiting for so long. There's a special envoy waiting to meet you, and we were directed to make your entry into our country very smooth. So, we will take you through the customs desk quickly."

"Umm... Me...?"

I knew I was supposed to meet Dr. Ban Ki Moon, I just didn't think it would end up being such a big deal. The young lady directed me to another desk that had no one behind it and no line ahead of it. She checked my documents, asked the necessary questions then wished me a happy stay.

I felt like there were people looking at me curiously. Of course there were people looking. I couldn't help feeling a little bit guilty. The line could be tiring especially for people who had a long flight.

Sighing, i adjusted my bag and glanced behind, my eyes widening at spotting a group of Asians, both male and female, looking my way. Oops.

People were muttering questions to each other as I quickly left the area. The discomfort greatly decreased as I made my way to my meeting. I knew Dr. Moon would probably understand the holdup.

"Thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice," he said as he bowed. I bowed back, finding it a little strange though.

"I got the feeling that it would be urgent."

"It is. Please, have a seat." I ambled towards a comfy couch and sat down, facing him. He smiled quietly, looking like a benevolent uncle. He kind of was, at least to me. He took me through a number of lectures when I started working for UNEP.

He seemed to be fond of me. We just clicked.

"Dr. Li told me about your project. It is ambitious."

"And impossible?" I asked.

"No. You have done things like these before, even without my advice. Why should you be worried now?"

I looked away, feeling a little sad about my dad's attitude and the words he had said. "This time, I feel like maybe it is a little too ambitious."

"You were never one to back down from a challenge. What changed?"

I took a deep breath. "Everything."