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 to 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.
