Like I said, she drew nearer and nearer
stylishly until she got to the edge of the
bed I lay on, knelt on it and then like a
tree that had been cut down from the root, she
fell on the bed and became motionless. I
thought it was part of the process of
whatever she was doing, so I said or did
nothing until my heartbeat which had
increased as though I just finished a 100
meter race reduced. Then I called on her
and got no response. I tapped her, still no
response. It was when I turned her face
towards mine to find out what happened
that I perceived the smell of alcohol, and
then I knew she had been acting under the
influence of alcohol. Or was she? Time will
tell.
I woke up early enough the next morning to
discover that Cynthia wasn’t there. She had
woken up and left the room while I was still
sleeping.
Three days passed and Cynthia and I were
ready to leave for America but Chang urged
us to stay. I knew why, but Cynthia didn’t.
It appeared that Cynthia told Lin about me
not knowing that Lin went ahead to tell her
father, which made him admire and want
me as a husband to her daughter. So
Chang’s plan was to get rid of Cynthia while
I stay back with Lin. Cynthia was really
kept in the dark by Lin and her father, and
now, they wanted to make me a part of it.
Cynthia innocently agreed to spend a few
more days in China because she couldn’t
say no to a man like Chang. Chang and I
had another conversation and I asked what
Lin had to say about the arrangement.
Chang told me his daughter will always do
what he asks her to do because she’s
young, vulnerable and unable to make the
right choices. I made up a lot of excuses in
order to escape but Chang always found
ways to bastardize my excuses. When
Chang saw that I wasn’t giving in easily, he
admired me all the more.
One day he arranged for Lin and Cynthia to
be taken sightseeing so that he could have
enough time alone with me since Cynthia
was almost always sticking to me like glue.
Chang then told me he was going to take
me somewhere to meet with the men who
ran China and other countries of the world.
I went with him. He and I entered into his
snow white limousine and the driver took
off. It took three hours to get to our
destination, where we had to pass through
eight gates before reaching the main
building. The building was nothing like any
buildings I had ever seen, even in the
movies. At all the gates were men dressed
in black suits. And before we could gain
entrance into any gate a password had to
be given verbally by Chang. None of the
men in black said a word to us. They only
stood there to make sure that nothing went
wrong. Chang gave eight different
passwords in Chinese language before we
got to the building. Fear had already
consumed me when he gave the third
password, but by then I couldn’t go back, I
could only go forward. As we reached the
building, some other men, also dressed in
black suit opened the door to the car for us
and we came down. No one said a word of
greeting to anybody, everyone there
concentrated on their duties and minded
their own businesses. There were no ladies
there. We passed through three doors
before getting to the sitting room of the
house, which was as bigger than usual.
Everyone there was in uniform and
surrounded someone that couldn’t be seen.
As soon as Chang and I stepped in, a voice
from the midst of them, probable that of
the unseen man echoed angrily,
‘You’re late Chang’.
‘I will make sure to pay the required fine’
replied Chang.
The unseen man echoed again, ‘Don’t be
deluded by your wealth. It can be taken just
as it was given’.
‘Forgive me’ said Chang meekly.
Next thing the unseen man said was ‘FI-FA-
FO-FIM! I hear the smell of a little boy. Be
he dead or be he alive, I must eat his body
with my bread. FI-FA-FO-FIM!’ Chai!!! I don
die!!! Wetin bring me come this place
ooo??? I started panicking but Chang asked
me to keep my calm. I couldn’t. How was I
to keep calm after everything I had just
seen and heard? I started begging Chang to
forgive my errors. I said so many things to
Chang and even promised to marry Lin if he
let me live. I was convinced that Chang was
going to do something bad to me there and
then. So anything I could do to get myself
out of that situation was done without
hesitation. But then, all I could do was
plead and make promises. My whispers
were regarded as noise because the place
was as silent as a grave yard even with the
number of people in it. The meeting didn’t
continue further because of me, and Chang
was blamed for it. When the meeting ended,
everyone took off their uniforms and then I
discovered that some of those in uniform
were ladies. Apparently, there were also
ladies there.
Though they took off their uniforms, their
faces were masked. Two masks were also
brought for Chang and me. They all left the
sitting room to unknown destinations in
pairs just like in the case of Noah’s ark.
While I was still trying to study what was
really happening, two ladies walked up to
Chang and me, held us by the hand and led
us away from each other to different
destinations. I wanted to object because I
didn’t want Chang out of my sight, and I
couldn’t wait to leave that place. There was
so much horror there. But change said to
me, ‘Don’t worry. Go with her. I’ll see you
at the end of Pleasure Street’. After saying
that, he left with one of the ladies. I turned
to the one that held my hand, tried to
recognize her but it was needless. We both
had our masks on. So I followed her to
quiet and secluded area of the house where
everything in sight was made of pure gold.
We sat on a couch and started discussing.
‘What is this place’ was the first thing I
asked.
‘If I were you I wouldn’t bother’ she replied.
‘I need to know because that man out there
said he is going to eat my body with his
bread’ I insisted fearfully.
‘Oh that?’ she asked. ‘Have no fear of that.
It’s just a phrase used to announce the
arrival of a new PRADA’
‘PRADA?’ I asked. ‘What does PRADA
mean?’
‘Anyone who is a part of this organization is
referred to as a PRADA’
‘But I’m not a part of this organization. I
came here with a man named Chang, and he
never said anything about any organization
to me’
‘It doesn’t matter if he said anything or not.
Once you’re here, you’re here. If not that
you arrived late, your initiation would have
taken place today. But that will now be
postponed till next meeting’
‘When is the next meeting’ I asked with
fright.
‘In three days’ she replied’
‘What about you miss? You’re a PRADA
too?’
‘No. They don’t take women. We’re only
here to give them a good time, like I’m
supposed to give to you now. We better
stop this talk and proceed to business’ she
said with a grin.
‘What?’ I yelled. ‘My life is at stake and
here you are talking trash?’
I got really pissed off by her and tried to
take off her mask so I that I could see her
face very well while yelling but she fought
back with some of those tai chi stuff and
got me off her. Our little combat caused
some noise that called to the attention of
two other masked girls who were passing by
just at that time and they turned in to find
out what was happening. ‘What going on
here?’ they asked. I couldn’t say a word;
neither could the girl I that was with me.
Instead she left in anger. One of the two
girls who came in went after her while the
other one stayed back to inquire of me
what happened. As was talked, her voice
sounded familiar but I couldn’t tell if I knew
her or not. Of course I won’t know her
because I hadn’t made any acquaintances
yet in China and wasn’t going to make any
because I was going to leave China the very
moment I met Cynthia. So I just concluded
that she was a strange girl with a familiar
voice. Due to my encounter with the
previous girl I didn’t pay any attention to
this very girl at all, not until her phone rang
and she picked and started talking. ‘What?’
She was speaking Igbo with the caller. Igbo
girl in China and in a PRADA territory? She
noticed I was shocked at the dialect she
spoke. When she dropped the call she
asked why I was shocked at her dialect. She
went ahead to make fun of Chinese
language thinking I was a Chinese guy.
‘Who are you?’ I asked.
‘Listen man, if you don’t like ladies tell me
and I’ll just get the hell out of here at ones.
Stop making fun of me’ she retorted.
‘No miss, I don’t mean to insult you. I just
want to know you’.
‘Is that necessary?’ she asked. ‘We
probably won’t see each other again after
today, so what’s the point?’
‘Okay, I agree with you’ but can you at
least take off your mask?’
‘It’s a taboo here’
‘What do you know about PRADA?’ I asked.
‘Dude! What’s your problem?’ Why are you
so inquisitive? Even I, who’s just coming
here for the first time haven’t asked these
much questions?’
‘This is your first time here?’ I asked.
‘Of course’ she replied. I came here with a
friend of mine. I don’t even know what this
place is. She just told me it’s a party, so
I’m here to enjoy myself. I suggest you the
same and stop all acting weird’
‘Well this is my first time here too’ a man
named Chang brought me here to be
initiated into the organization of the
PRADAS without my consent’
‘Did you say Chang?’ she asked curiously.
‘Yes Chang’ I replied. ‘Do you know him?’
‘Wait a minute’ she said. Are you…,, are
you…, ‘Take off your mask’ she said
seriously
‘Why’ I asked. I demanded that first and you
waved it away, now you want me to take
mine off?’ ‘No way! If you want to see my
face, I’ll have to see yours first’
She took off her mask; low and behold she
was Cynthia. ‘What in the world are you
doing here Cynthia?’ I screamed. ‘Is this
what you do?’
‘Hey stop yelling’ she said. ‘How do you
know my name? Who are you? Tell me, who
are you!’ I grew weary at discovering that
Cynthia, who was supposed to go site
seeing ended up in the PRADA territory, not
as a member but as a pleasure tool. I didn’t
know whether or not to reveal myself to her
but then, she brought me to China, and I
needed her to leave. So I slowly took off
my mask. She was so shocked on realizing
it was me that she almost fainted. But she
got a hold of herself and screamed; WHAT
ARE YOU DOING HERE? Imagine question
oo? ‘What am I doing here?’ Wasn’t she
supposed to go sightseeing? Now she’s
here, asking what I’m doing here. See this
girl oo!
To be continued.
