relaxed we continued with the silence, waiting for the first person to make a speech. Whenever I
looked at her, she would pretend to be looking at something else to avoid making
eye contact with me. And when she finally turned to look at me, I would do the same.
So about 10 minutes more was spent in
silence. Then I started talking.
“So how’s the hooker thing going?”
“What? What hooker thing?”
“Come on girl, I’m not trying to nasty or
something. I’m just trying to make a good
conversation here.”
“And calling me a hooker is your idea of a
good conversation? I think I better get
going right now in case you think you can
just say anything to me because you paid
for this room.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to do that! Okay, I
won’t say anything again till we leave. It
could be dangerous out there. You could
have told me you didn’t want to talk, and I
would just keep shut.”
“You don’t get it do you? I’m not a hooker!”
“Seriously? Then what the hell were you
doing out there with the hookers by this
time of the night?”
“This time of the night? It’s just after
11pm, and this isn’t my first time of
returning home late. I return home after
10pm on Friday nights because my
fellowship holds a prayer meeting to pray
and commit the weekend into God’s hands.
We dismiss by 10pm. And what just
happened today doesn’t take place this
early. For some reason it did today and I
happened to be at the wrong place at the
wrong time. Thank God I didn’t fall prey into
the hands of the police.”
“(Smiling) Yeah, thank God I was there to
rescue you.”
“(Laughs gently) You’re not serious. And
you, what were you doing there? You went
to pick up a hooker right?”
“I didn’t want to tell her why I was there
because of shame. After all, we’ll go our
separate ways in the morning. So why
should I begin to let her in on such
information.”
“Not really. I felt so bored at home. I had
been sleeping all day and there wasn’t any
sleep left for the night. So instead of just
lying on my bed like that, I decided
to……..”(Ogechi interrupted)
“I know! You decided to go there and get
yourself a woman to keep you company till
morning. ooOOhH’ Guys!”
“That’s not what it was. I just went there to
have a drink and then, you know, feed my
eyes a little.”
“Oh yeah? You expect me to believe that?”
“Of cause! How on earth could a man who
went to take home a hooker be sleeping on
a rubber chair in a semi bar with a bottle of
water in front of him? Haven’t you thought
of that?”
“It’s possible you just fell asleep, or you
could be waiting for a girl you had already
concluded arrangements with.”
“No! None of that happened! Just like you, I
was at the wrong place at the wrong time
okay?”
“Okay, I believe you. (Turns away from me
and whispers) wrong place at the wrong
time my foot. (Speaks out loud) I need to
take a shower.”
“Yeah me too. You go first. When you’re
done, I’ll do same.”
She got into the bathroom while I lay on the
bed waiting for her to come out so I could
also get in and take a shower. After we
both took a shower, I asked if she wanted
anything to eat before going to bed. She
didn’t, neither did I. There was no pajamas
whatsoever so we went to bed with the
cloths we had on. Before we went to bed we
watched TV a little. She sat on the couch
while I lay on the bed. It crossed my mind
to switch and let her have the bed in case
we slept off, but the bed was so soft and
comfortable to lie on, plus, I paid for the
room and that was the first time I would be
spending the night in such a comfortable
place since I got to Enugu, so I should get
all the comfort there was to get. I was still
contemplating on whether or not to make
the switch when she stood up from the
couch and turned off the TV. Next thing I
heard was, LET’S PRAY. I said okay and
stood up without hesitation. We held hands,
sang some worship songs, and then prayed.
After the prayer, she at once made way for
the left hand side of the bed and lied down,
not minding if I was gonna sleep on the bed
or not. I wasn’t really sure of what to do,
but I decided to lie on the bed with her,
expecting to get an objection from her but
instead, she turned and faced the ceiling,
closed her eyes and said goodnight. Good
night, I replied. I was so happy she made
no objections because I really wanted to
sleep on that bed.
By 6am in the morning I heard a tap on my
shoulder. Wake up, wake up, she said. I
stretched myself a little and went back to
bed. Wake up, wake up, she kept saying.
Then I woke up still feeling sleepy. What is
it? I asked. It’s morning, she replied. This
is just 6am; allow me to sleep a little
more. Besides, today is Saturday and the
pay for this room expires by 12pm. So
relax. Saturdays was usually my day off
from my N5000 job. I didn’t know about her
but I assumed she would also be free on
Saturdays no matter what her occupation
was. If she had somewhere to go, she could
go ahead and leave. Why wake me up? She
got up from the bed and stood beside it,
looked at me and said; LET’S PRAY. I didn’t
say anything more. I got up and joined her
and we prayed. After freshening up she
wanted to make use of body cream but
there was none there. Oh! She exclaimed
softly. What is it? I asked.
“I can’t go out without applying cream to
my body.”
“You shouldn’t worry about that since you’re
going home from here. You’ll do that at
home. Or will you skin change its color if
you don’t do so now?”
“Stop kidding! I’m not going straight home.
First I’ll go cash some money from the
ATM, and then to the market to buy some
stuff for the weekend. I might not return
home soon enough depending on the queue
at the ATM and the total time I might spend
in the market. So I must apply cream on
my body to avoid some stuff like that. You
wouldn’t know. You’re a guy.”
“Yeah, right. You’ll have to go home then
and do so before proceeding with you plan.”
“Good idea, but my house is nowhere
close.”
I didn’t know what else to say to her so I
just proffered a solution that never existed
just to appear to be kind and concerned.
“My house is just close by. I would have
taken you there so you could make use of
my cream if I had one. As it is now, na only
Olive Oil I get.”
“(Cuts in) That will do! At least half bread
is better than none.?
“(My eyes wide open)What? Olive Oil? no
no no. That is definitely not good for the
skin”
“Don’t worry. It is my skin. I’ll wash it off
before the day is half spent. I just need oil
on my body. So let’s go. Let’s not waste
much time. There is a whole lot more to do
today besides going to the market. I also
have to cook, clean my house and wash
some cloths”
“Ehm…, ehm…, ”
“What is it? You don’t want to go now? If
you don’t want to go now, just let me know
so I can be on my way. ”
“(I stared at her, looking confused and then
said); it’s not that I don’t want to go now o
o, but eeh…..,,”
“But what? In fact, I don’t know what the
matter is with you oo. I think I better get
going. Thanks for everything.”
She made way for the door of the room and
I rushed towards her, held her back and
said; you see…, the truth is that I don’t
have a place to stay for now. I just got into
town barely a month ago and have not
gotten an apartment yet. If I had known you
were going to buy the idea of making use of
the Olive Oil, I wouldn’t have mentioned it
at all. I was just pretending to be kind and
concerned. You don’t have a place to stay?
She asked. How then do you survive here? I
mean like, where is your baggage? Where
do you sleep, where do you have your bath
and all that? Wait a minute, you live in a
hotel? No I don’t, replied me. That place
you saw me last night is where I spend my
nights. I then narrated everything to her
and she took pity on me.
“So how soon do you plan on getting
yourself an apartment?”
“As soon as I have saved up enough money
for that, let’s say two months.”
“(She went into deep thoughts for a moment
snapped out and said) I live alone. I can’t
bear the thought of letting you continue like
this when I can do something to help. That
would be against my believes. But that will
only happen if you promise to be of good
character during the period of your stay in
my house.”
“Haha, don’t worry girl, I can take care of
myself. I’d rather sleep on the streets than
in the house of a girl who will have me live
by her rules. What do I look like to you?
Your kid brother? Kill that! I’m a big boy,
and big boys don’t cry. I’ve been in this
position before and I survived. Thanks but
no thanks.”
“Hmmm, I see your ego is getting the
better part of you. I wish you would just
understand that I’m trying to help. Come on,
you’re a guy, and I’m even offering to let
you stay at my place. Isn’t that strange
enough? It could be a very big risk because
I don’t know you and what you’re capable
of. But none of those matters because I’m
doing this for Christ’s sake and I believe
God will save me from any danger should
you turn out to be undeserving of this
kindness. But I can’t path ways with you
just like that after what you just told me.
Allow me to help. Just be of good
behavior.”
“I don’t need your help g..i..r..l. I can take
care of myself. And I must tell you to be
careful of the kind of kindness you show to
people you don’t know. I could just be a
member of an occult group seeking whom to
kill and sacrifice to keep the money
flowing, and then you show up like this with
such offer? You would have succeeded in
making things quite easy for me you know?
Be careful! I warn you. You don’t know who
I could be.”
“Whoever you couldn’t be last night, you
won’t be within the next two months.
Besides, if you were anything that ugly, you
wouldn’t be exposing yourself would you?
So let’s go.”
(After much convincing words from her, I
succumbed. But I had already agreed to her
offer in my heart the moment she voiced it
out. Just that I didn’t want it to look like I
was waiting for her to say that. It also
amazed me that a girl would take a guy into
her house to live with her without even
knowing him. And that she said she was
doing for Christ’s sake. Or could it be that
she’s an agent of darkness looking for guys
with bright future to destroy? Well, I’ll find
that out soon)
“Seems you don’t want to let it slide.
Okay, I’ll do as you say. And know for sure
that I didn’t ask for this. This is sorely your
choice. I’m just playing along because you
said you’re doing it for Christ’s sake. I
wouldn’t want you go against your believe.”
“(Murmurs) Egotistical fellow!”
“Say what?”
“(Sharply) Nothing. Let’s go.”
We left the hotel room to the ATM. She
withdrew some money and we boarded a
bus to her residence. You are welcome to
my humble abode. I hope you find it very
comfortable. By the way, where are you
belongings? She asked. I came here with
just a school bag and I keep it in a store at
my office. I’ll go over there later on and
get it. She raised her shoulders and said;
ok then, let me prepare you breakfast
before I head to the market. Thanks, I
replied. She quickly prepared tea for me
with left over bread that was there. While I
was consuming the bread, she went into the
bathroom with some set of creams and
cosmetic. I wondered what would happen to
her if she didn’t apply cream for one day. I
used that time to survey the house she
lived in. It was a self-contain. She had a
set of electronics and a refrigerator in it, a
bed big enough for two, a reading table and
wall hanger. I wouldn’t know what she had
in her bathroom and kitchen. This kind of
houses cost a lot in Enugu, so I concluded
she must be a rich girl. After a short while,
she came out of the bathroom glowing like
a diamond in the sky. I stared at her in an
unusual manner, and she noticed.
Immediately, she dropped those cosmetic in
its place and said; I’m heading for the
market now. See you when I return. Okay, I
replied. She got to the door of the room and
stopped suddenly, turned towards me and
asked; I forgot to ask what your name is.
“oOhH! My name is Jesusboy”
“Like seriously?”
“Yeah, that’s my name.”
“Okay, enough with the joke. What’s your
name?”
“I’m not joking. That’s my name”
“As in, that’s the name your parents gave
you at birth?”
“Nope! I gave it to myself”
“And why would you call yourself
Jesusboy?”
“Because Jesus is the one I claim.”
“(Kind of short of words for about 5
seconds) Okay Jesusboy, see you when I
return from the market.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
She left shaking her head and smiling. I
quickly got up to analyze her from the
window. That was when I realized that she
was a beauty to write about. She had long
black hair, amazing curves and was about
my height, probably my age. Her fair skin
glittered at making contact with the light of
the sun. Her slow and gentle steps made
the guys around take a second, third, fourth
and fifth look at her. When I noticed these
things, I was glad that I was gonna be
staying with her for a while. I watched her
until she boarded a bus to the market
before I returned to the breakfast she had
prepared for me. I couldn’t stop thinking
about her afterwards and couldn’t wait for
her to return so that we could enter into
some real conversation.
To be continued
