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It was late in the evening when Musa stepped out to purchase airtime from a nearby kiosk. His arrival at the kiosk coincided with the kiosk salesperson handling two sticks of cigarettes to Bright.
Bright's muscles became weakened as Musa appeared beside him unexpectedly. His cigarettes fell from his hands.
"Don't feel bad. It's a battle, and I believe that someday, you are going to win." Musa tapped Bright on his back before demanding the airtime that brought him out.
Musa quickly paid for his purchase and returned home.
Two days earlier, Bright had promised Musa that he would never smoke again. He felt embarrassed for not keeping to his promise. He stood for a few minutes motionless before the urge for the nicotine made him light a stick.
The following morning, the first call received by Bright was from Musa. He allowed the phone to ring out without picking it up. He had concluded that Musa was calling him to discuss how disappointed he was seeing him buying cigarettes the previous night. When the phone rang for the third time, Bright picked it up.
"Have you forgotten our scheduled registration today?" Musa asked Bright, after exchanging pleasantries on the phone. "Please, get prepared so that we can do it on time in order to be considered for our preferred state of primary assignment."
"Thank you for reminding me. I will get prepared now and meet you in your house in less than an hour," Bright responded to him.
Musa and Bright lived close to each other, and were secondary schoolmates. They went ahead and graduated from the same university the same year.
The next phase of their lives was to participate in a compulsory one-year national service for every graduate that is under 30 years of age. The registration was starting that day, and the earlier it is done, the better the chance of being posted to one's preferred state.
Bright quickly dressed up and went to Musa's house before both of them went to a computer institute to get the registration done. The registration was seamless. They both picked Bauchi State as their first choice of state of service.
It was on their way back home that Musa raised the issue of the previous night.
"I hope you are able to defeat these smoking habits before we go to camp. You need to be firm with your decision. Cut away your smoking colleagues if they are the ones making it difficult for you to quit. In addition to the fact that it is harmful to your health, it won't be nice if you raise a family while still smoking. Your kid will learn it unintentionally."
Bright felt sober. He explained his difficult experience in quitting.
"My system has adjusted itself to smoking. If I eat, the digestion isn't complete without a stick of cigarette. When I want to sleep, I find it difficult to do that without a stick." He bowed his head without saying a word further.
"The more your system depends on the nicotine coming from cigarettes for it to function, the more damage is done to it. Like I told you, it's a battle, and I will support you to win it. Sit down and reflect on the ugly side of smoking. I urge you to give quitting a try again."
Bright promised to give it a try again. They alighted at the junction that leads to their individual houses.
Bright held on to his latest decision to quit smoking. He was always moving around with his bottle of water. He watched a therapist that had advised smokers that are trying to quit to always drink water to suppress the urge of smoking.
"If you can hold on for a month, you can hold on forever. Once the addiction is defeated, you are free from smoking," the therapist had concluded in the video.
He believed in the model, and he was looking forward to spending two months away from smoking. His expectation was that the addiction would have been defeated totally.
About two months later, the posting letters for prospective corps members were released. Bright and Musa were posted to Bauchi State, their preferred state. It was a celebration galore for them.
"I can't wait to report to camp and wear khaki. I can't wait to come back home in uniform so that one of my mother's longtime prayers of having a graduate serving the nation comes to fruition," Bright said enthusiastically.
"Our parents have tried their best for us. We need to make them proud. This is why we must be careful with the kind of lifestyle that we live. We need to live healthy and give back to them in multiple folds," Musa responded to him.
"I am glad that I am now free from smoking. Indeed, a healthy lifestyle is important for one in the quest to achieve one's dreams." Bright was beaming with smiles.
Two weeks later, they traveled to Bauchi State for a three-week orientation exercise in a camp before being posted to serve in any part of the state. Bauchi state was at the peak of the harmattan season. The cold was severe and strange to the duo. Their home state, where they lived and schooled all their lives, is a hot region. While Musa turned to hot tea and hoods to cope with the cold, Bright slid back into smoking to cope.
Activities for the day had just been concluded, and Bright visited the mini market in the camp to get cigarettes and send away the cold. Musa walked into him once again. Musa has gone to patronize a tea vendor. He was shocked to see Bright falling again after almost three months of abstinence.
Upon sighting Musa, Bright threw away the burning cigarette quickly.
"You have still not won this battle, but I am optimistic that you will win. Old habits die hard. However, we will not give up. Why did you fall for the urge again?" Musa asked Bright.
"I have never experienced this cold in my life. I need to suppress the cold from within and not only with what I wear."
"Bright," Musa called him while tapping him gently on his back. "Whatever reason that is making you smoke, there is an alternative solution instead of smoking. This cold is strange to me, just like it is to you, but with tea and coffee, I can cope with it. Why not try alternative hot things like tea and coffee that constitute no harm to your system? The battle is yet to be won. Please, give it a try again."
Bright decided to do away with smoking for the remaining days that they spent in camp. He was always with Musa in the tea and coffee shop. After three weeks in camp, they were posted to their place of primary assignment. The duo were posted to different local government areas within the state. Bright was able to win the battle this time around. He quit smoking successfully.
"I owe my victory to your support. Thank you for being so supportive," Bright said to Musa on the day of their passing out of service after a year.
They both hugged each other and celebrated the victory.