Cynthia and I went to a cinema one evening for a movie premiere of one of Hollywood’s best directors who was
Cynthia’s acquaintance. Cynthia looked like a diva in the dress she had on. Nearly everyone who
had known Cynthia to be a model was there.
They all wanted to take a picture with her.
Whenever anyone wanted to snap with her,
she demanded that I stand by her. Cynthia
made every preferential treatment given to
her to pass through me. She made it seem
as though she wouldn’t do anything without
my approval. If anyone wanted to speak
with her privately, they would have to ask
me. I would then permit her and give her
the number of minutes she was to spend
with each person. I didn’t do any of those
on my own accord. I just played along with
her the moment I realized she wanted it
that way. The big moment came when
Cynthia and the other models got together.
Cynthia wouldn’t let me go for even one
second. Six other astonishingly beautiful
models from the different continents of the
world came and joined me and Cynthia on
our table. I was very particular about the
one among them who had an Italian accent.
The way she talked made me want to kiss
her. The way she smiled impressed me a
whole lot. And the way she moved her body
engaged my imagination and I swore in my
heart that I was going meet her privately no
matter the cost.
Cynthia was just showing me off like say I
be Obama pikin. I was cool with it. I loved
the feeling. I cracked a lot of jokes that
made the models laugh their hearts out. We
began discussing about the movie that was
premiered. All the models starred in the
movie except Cynthia. I asked why she
wasn’t a part of it and she said she wanted
to limit her nude appearances on TV
because she didn’t want to be seen as an
indecent girl. That sounded like trash to the
other models because as far as there are
concerned, nudity wasn’t anything to be shy
of anymore. Cynthia explained that she was
an African girl who was hoping to marry an
African man. A Nigerian man to be specific.
‘Nigerians don’t see it the same way the
Americans do’ she said to the models. ‘An
American man may let his wife go nude on
TV for the sake of career, but a Nigerian
man will definitely not’. The models
disagreed with her and there was a little
argument on that subject. The stand of
American men on public nudity was known,
but that of and African man wasn’t. And
since I was the only African man present
there, I had to stand in for all African men
and give my opinion on that matter. I didn’t
contribute on my own oo. One of the models
asked me if what Cynthia said about African
men was true.
I tried to dodge the question but as soon as
the model with the Italian accent urged me
to say something, I didn’t delay for even
one second before I started talking like
machine. I wasn’t giving my sincere opinion
at all. Whatever the Italian girl said was
what I concurred to. Cynthia was surprised
at me. She couldn’t believe her ears and I
didn’t mind. Whatever would jeopardize my
chances with the Italian girl was discarded
without a second thought. What made me
see the Italian girl in a different light was
what I couldn’t figure out. She simply found
her way to my heart and I went along with
the drive.
We discussed about many things. These
models didn’t see me as who I really was
but as one of the big shots they hadn’t
gotten to know yet. Midway into our
discussion the Australian model among
them enquired to know me. Cynthia gave
me a profile I had not given to myself even
in my imagination. She told them all I was
and added all I was yet to be. She was right
to tell them I’m a singer, actor, writer and
poet. Instead of ending there she told them
I was working hand in hand with all those
people she introduced me to. What she said
of me made those girls believe that I could
play a role or two to get them to greater
heights in their career. And that made it
easy for me to access the Italian girl
without stress. There was no end to the
preferential treatments I got from those
girls.
Time came for the director of the movie
that was premiered to be honored for
directing such a nice movie. One of the
models who starred in the movie was called
on to say a thing or two about the movie
before the director was called on to be
honored. Incidentally, it was the Italian
model that was called on. She went out
there and started talking about the movie
and praising the director of the movie. To
my greatest surprise, she said director was
too great a man to be called to stage by a
lone lady. So she said she was going to call
on someone she deemed worthy to come
join her usher in the director. ‘Ladies and
gentlemen’, she said, help me welcome
Jesusboy’. The audience clapped as though
they knew who was called. I was shaken by
that development. I never imagined
standing before such dignitaries anytime
soon. I thought I had overcome stage fright
when I started acting drama in church but
then it occurred to me that I still had fright
left in me. Honestly I didn’t want to go. If I
had the opportunity, I would have ran out so
that it would be that I wasn’t around when I
was called on. Even Cynthia was
flabbergasted. But then she urged me to go
join her. Cynthia would never discourage me
to do anything that would add to my
prestige. By the time she said a word or
two to me, I gathered courage and joined
the Italian girl on stage. She handed the
microphone to me and I said a few things I
normally said whenever I spoke before an
audience. But I noticed that those people
appreciated almost everything you had to
offer.
The few times I made presentations in
Nigeria, I had to prepare and prepare as if I
was going to win an award for it. Even at
that, I hardly touched the heart of my
listeners. So I had to put extra effort to
make sure that my presentation was not a
dry one. But in this case, it was different.
The moment I stepped on stage and got the
microphone I was so nervous. So I released
a deep breath with the microphone close to
my mouth and the sound echoed in the
auditorium. Just when I was about starting
to feel I had embarrassed myself, the
audience applauded. I was shocked. Was it
me or someone else? I looked at their faces
and saw them smiling at me as though I
had made their day. In order to clear my
doubt I released a deep breath again and
they applauded again. It was really me. At
that very moment, my self-esteem tripled
up. The fright diminished and I began to
speak like who they all believed me to be. I
called the director to stage. He gave his
speech which he began by thanking me and
the Italian girl whom he referred to as my woman. He thought we were dating, and so he made others think.
His speech was over and we left to our
table to join Cynthia and the others. What
just happened became the topic of our
discussion. The Italian girl was seen as my
woman so we had to stick together to put
up a good show. People who saw me on
stage drew close to me afterwards to get to
know me better. The Italian girl assumed
Cynthia’s responsibilities immediately. She
wouldn’t let me speak for myself. She just
kept quoting Cynthia to all who came to me.
All those people saw me as a star in the
movie and music industry, and were looking
forward to my movies and songs which I
promised to make public soon.
I eventually got to spend time alone with
the Italian girl. We got talking. Her accent
never stopped impressing me. Cynthia was
watching us from a distance with an
unusual countenance on her face. She was
all alone, sipping her strawberry juice little
by little. We discussed for a very long
while. Then a white man approached us and
called on her. She asked him to give her a
minute but the man insisted on seeing her
right away. He didn’t look happy, but I
could tell I wasn’t the one he was angry
with. The girl went to meet him and they
walked a little distance away from me and
started speaking Italian. Suddenly the
started raising their voices at each other. I
got angry with the man for raising her voice
on the girl and wanted to intervene before I
heard the man say out loud in English; I’m
not giving you the divorce! Ewoo! Person
wife? I couldn’t to spend a single minute
waiting for her on realizing she was
married. All my feelings for her went dead
immediately and I started feeling guilty for
having left Cynthia who placed so much
value on me to be with someone else’s wife
who was asking for a divorce.
I left there unnoticed by the Italian girl and
went to join Cynthia. I knew she wasn’t
happy, I just didn’t know to what extent she
had gotten angry. Secondly, I didn’t know
how to access her heart. If it were Ogechi,
I would just kneel down and her anger will
vanish immediately. Since I didn’t know
what to do to calm Cynthia, I just started
making jokes she didn’t laugh to. All the
while, most people who passed my way
often stopped by to introduce themselves to
me and make me an acquaintance since
they all thought I was one of the stars. An
elderly man then came to me and shook
hands with me, telling me how honored he
was to get to know me. Your woman is a
beauty; he said referring to the Italian girl.
I quickly objected and said; she isn’t my
woman. I pointed to Cynthia and said; this
right here is my woman. Cynthia turned her
face slowly towards me in amazement. The
man said; but she ain’t the girl who called
you out before us. The girl who called me
out was representing her because she was
feeling a little bit heavy and couldn’t afford
to stand for that long’ I said. The man
shook his head in agreement and said; she
also is a beauty indeed. Cynthia smiled.
Yes! I have broken the yoke. But wait a
minute, did I break a yoke or did I just put
a yoke on me?
To be continued.
