‘Don’t even try to play dumb with me’ I
retorted.
‘Play dumb?’ What do you mean? Who’s
playing dumb here? Weren’t you supposed
to be out with Chang?’
‘Of course I was’ I retorted again. ‘And this
is where he brought me out to. And you? I
heard that this place is an organization for
a group of people called PRADA. From what
I gathered, they don’t take in female
members. The females’ only come here to
satisfy the sexual appetites of the PRADAS.
Amazingly here you are’
‘What are you insinuating?’ she asked
angrily.
‘I’m insinuating the obvious’ I retorted the
third time.
Before I could say another word, Cynthia
landed a slap on my face. The impact
wasn’t that much anyway because her palm
was as soft as that of someone I know. But
I got furious and we started a quarrel. As
we exchanged words, I got to know that Lin,
Chang’s daughter was the one who brought
her there without of her knowledge of what
happened there, just like Chang had done to
me. I also narrated to her how I got there,
but I could sense doubt in her eyes. I didn’t
have a problem with that because I didn’t
believe her either when she told me Lin
brought her there. I asked her to bring in
Lin for questioning and she did. Lin
explained to us that her father watches over
her strictly to make sure she doesn’t
indulge herself in sexual activities until she
was married.
According to her, her father had sent word
to his friends and loyalists to keep a close
watch on her to keep her from trying to do
it secretly. So the only opportunity she had
to do so was in the PRADA meetings where
everyone was masked and she couldn’t be
seen. She was 25 years of age and she
confessed she started going for the PRADA
meetings secretly from the age of 22. I
asked how she managed to bypass the
password and she said she had a
godmother who her father didn’t know of.
Her godmother was there for the same
purpose as the other females. She
confessed a whole lot to us. Then Cynthia
busted out in anger. ‘Why didn’t you tell me
all these before bringing me here? Is this
how you treat you friends?’ She was asking
so many questions at a time and almost
called to the attention of some people who
could be hearing her voice from a distance.
I stepped in and separated them from each
other as Cynthia almost started a fight with
Lin.
I took Lin away to another chamber and
questioned her all the more. I was more
concerned about my initiation to the
PRADAS than anything else. I asked Lin if
she was aware of her father’s plan to get us
married. She said she was but was afraid of
what might become of Cynthia if it pulled
through. Lin told me that Cynthia had
always been referring to me as her fiancé
and had said a lot of good things about me.
Since all the men around her either came
for the money or fame, her father decided
to secretly arrange for us to marry each
other without Cynthia’s knowledge, and this
was supposed to take place after my
birthday. She explained everything to my
understanding except the part where
Cynthia said I was her fiancé. I inquired
more about that and she kept talking. At a
point, she noticed the look on my face and
suspected that what Cynthia said about me
being her fiancé may have been a lie. She
asked; why is your face like that? Isn’t she
your fiancée? If I said she wasn’t, Lin won’t
see any wrong in getting married to me.
And if I got married to her, I would certainly
end up as a PRADA, which I didn’t want to
be a part of.
Throughout school days, I never belonged to
a common campus cult, not to talk of full
blown OCCULTISM. So I answered
immediately; she is! ‘We are set to marry
next summer’ I said. That’s why we need to
leave immediately so that we can begin
preparations. As you know, summer is here
already. ‘Next summer? That’s just around
the corner. How come she never mentioned
it to me?’ Lin asked. ‘I wouldn’t know’ I
replied innocently. The next thing she said
was; ‘I need to talk to that so called
Cynthia’. I held her back as she stood up
from the couch we sat on. ‘You know you
just had a little fight with Cynthia. I bet
she’s still upset with you for bringing her
here. Just give her some time to cool off,
and then you can go talk to her’. She saw
reasons with me and left to have the fun
she came there for.
I went to Cynthia and briefed her on the
situation of things. Even Cynthia was afraid
and couldn’t believe that Lin and Chang
could do that to her. From then, she lost
trust for all except me, and that was a
problem. We planned to keep our calm and
act as though we knew nothing while
arranging to leave the next day without
anyone’s knowledge. She and Lin
reconciled. Lin never knew I had told
Cynthia everything and because of that she
doubled her regard for me.
The whole pleasure thing came to an end.
Lin excitedly came in to meet us.
Apparently, she had taken a dose or two of
what she went there for.
‘Cynthia hurry! We have to leave before my
father gets to know we were here’ said Lin
‘Alright’ Cynthia replied and the left. I went
to find Chang so we could leave as well. I
found Chang discussing with a group of
people on a round table. He quickly saw me
and signaled me with his hands to come
join them. That caught the attention of
everyone on the table and they turned to
see who he was signaling. All eyes were on
me. I put away all my fears and joined
them on the table.
‘This is my daughter’s husband to be’ Chang
said.
‘Is he good enough for her?’ one of the men
on the table asked.
‘He couldn’t be any better?’
‘In that case he’s already one of us’ another
man said. You’re welcome son.
‘Thank you’ I replied.
It was all over and we left. On our way
home I couldn’t think of anything else than
a means of escape from Chang. After a long
while of trying to figure out what to do and
couldn’t come up with something, I quit
trying and slept off in the car. Next thing I
heard were echoes of children’s voices.
They seemed so happy that I envied and
wished to be a child again. That way, I
would be free from these troubles that
follow me everywhere, especially that of
Chang and the PRADAS. Since it was
impossible for me to be a child again, I
decided to join them play for the last time
before I journeyed to the land of no return
which Chang was taking me to in three
days. If Cynthia had not brought me to
China, I wouldn’t have met Chang. If I had
stayed back with Ogechi at the airport the
day I traveled to America, I wouldn’t have
met Cynthia. If Ogechi hadn’t let the whole
superstar come between us, I wouldn’t have
considered traveling. I was pursuing
happiness but there I was, ready to be
initiated into an organization I knew nothing
about and marry a girl I haven’t dated
before. But fact remains that I would be
very wealthy. But what shall it profit a man
if he gains the whole world and loses his
soul.
I was so happy playing with the kids, but a
little distance away I saw some rich kids
mocking a poor kid because he couldn’t
afford candy but needed it. They would
offer him candy, but when he stretches out
his hand to get it they would draw back
their hands and laugh at him. Then the poor
kid would weep and weep while the rich
kids would just keep laughing and having a
good time. They loved to see the poor kid
cry.
The poor kid secluded himself to an area
short of people but could be seen by
everyone. I watched carefully to observe
the poor kid because I had taken pity on
him. I wanted to go and console him and
then buy him candy. Before I reached him I
saw an old man in rags approach him and
whisper into his ears. Whatever that old
man said to that poor kid made him
brighten up like he hadn’t been sad in two
years. I really wished to know what that
man told him so that I could tell it to the
children I and Lin would have whenever they
got depressed.
Immediately the poor boy jumped up and
went in again to the rich kids. As soon as
they saw him they offered him candy so
that they could withhold it from him when
he tries to get it like they had been doing.
But amazingly, the poor kid wasn’t
interested in the candy anymore. They
offered and offered but the poor kid showed
no interest in it. They thought maybe he
needed more than candy so they went and
brought chocolate, ice cream and all the
things kids love, but the poor kid was not
interested in any of them. Instead, he was
interested in something as insignificant as
doll.
The rich kids noticed that he was interested
in their doll and they withheld it from him
and gave him the former instead. When
they had mocked him enough, they threw all
their chocolate, candy, biscuit, and the rest
they had on him, and then left the scene
with their doll, just to let him have what he
didn’t want while they starved him of what
he really wanted. They were wrong! The kid
only did what the old man told him to do in
order to get what he wanted. When they
were all gone, the poor kid found a large
bag and packed all they threw on him into
that bag and left. He ended up having more
than he asked for. As he made away with
the bag rejoicing, he saw the old man and
thanked him for helping him acquire all
those candy with his council. The old man
waved him goodbye and turned to leave to
where he came from.
I wanted to meet the old man to see if he
could proffer a solution to my own problem,
so I called out to him in a loud voice as I
ran towards him. He saw me running
towards him and also started running,
thinking I wanted to harm him for helping
the poor kid out. Wait! Wait! I kept
screaming but he wouldn’t even look back.
He kept running and I got so angry and
screamed again to the top of my voice;
WAIT!! Then I opened my eyes to see the
driver struggling to keep the car on the
right lane to avoid accident as other cars
were horning ceaselessly while Chang was
trying hard to hold onto something to avoid
hitting himself against the window glass of
the car.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ Chang
asked furiously as he looked at me as
though he was going to unleash hell upon
me. ‘Why are you screaming?’ he continued.
‘You almost got us killed’
Then it dawned on me that I had been
dreaming all along. We were still on our
way from the PRADA meeting. All that stuff
about the candy and the kids was just a
dream. Oh shit! I couldn’t say anything than
sorry to Chang. He yelled at me for about a
minute of two before letting it go.
When calmness returned, I leaned back and
started thinking about the dream I just had.
I couldn’t seem to find a suitable meaning
to it. But then, I meditated a little more on
the dream until I got an understanding of it,
and then I smiled. Chang noticed my smile
and asked; ‘What are you smiling about?’ I
looked at him mischievously and said; I
WANNA MARRY LIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Can you make that happen?
Chang looked at me and tried to smile to
what I said but couldn’t. He asked why the
suddenness on that matter. Of all he said
and asked, all replied him with was; I
WANNA MARRY LIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Can you make that happen? I had hoped
that just like the rich kids in my dream,
Chang would keep what I wanted from me
and present me with what I didn’t want. He
enquired again to know what brought about
this sudden eagerness to marry Lin. Seeing
that Chang was slowly falling for my antics,
Intensified it by saying; I want to marry
Lin, I want to base in China, and I want to
join the PRADA. That was supposed to
speed up the rate at which Chang was
falling until he fell and crashed but
immediately Chang heard the word PRADA,
he leaped for so much joy. He gave a
horrible smile and said; Lin shall you
marry, China shall you base, and PRADA
shall you join. Surely, PRADA shall you join!
Omor See me oo! Na who send me dream?
To be continued.
