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 n*de
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, n*dity 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 n*de 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
n*dity 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.