This is not just a blog; it's a space where your mind can travel as far as you want it to. My stories will soak you in life's realities and also make you aware of the complexities of human nature. Sounds too serious yeah? This is a space for the open minded, the adventurous in thoughts and those who believe that angels exist.
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Never judge a book by it's cover.True value is not material; it goes way beyond the physical. It comes with experience garnered.
Showing posts with label EPISODE 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EPISODE 5. Show all posts
Sunday, 29 April 2018
MEMOIRS OF PISCES (episode 5)
ANNIE
When they got to the venue of the place, Annie couldn't help but observe that she had passed this particular place in Victoria Island several times during the day when she job hunts but had never really given thought to what the place was. She noticed that while the "bouncers" searched the bags of the other girls at the gate, her bag wasn't searched. Terry tipped the guys and they both went into the compound. It was nice. It had a pool side on the far right with little groups of people sitting, drinking, smoking and chatting excitedly. She noticed that in the little groups, there were girls her age or younger who were scantily clad in two piece outfits or simple body con gowns, their makeup was too much and sort of overly exaggerated for a simple sit out. The men on the other hand looked more composed, mature and smelt of wealth. Of course, the smell of their perfumes spoke volumes. She watched Terry moving from group to group, exchanging pleasantries, taking a drag of smoke from shisha pots and laughing out loud at a joke or two. Then he returned to her side and led her to a flight of stairs she hadn't noticed before.
It was concealed by some pot plants that were neatly lined up and the beautiful leaves which spread out like palm fronds had concealed the fact that the stairs actually led to the main entrance of the bar. The sight that greeted Annie when they finally reached the top of the stairs was intriguing. Unlike downstairs where there was a mixed crowd of men and girls, up here was a different sight to behold. The setting looked like a coven for females only. The population of girls against that of the men there was ninety against ten. Annie was rooted to the spot she had to draw Terry back.
"Terry, what is this place?" she asked trying to be audible above the loud music
Terry smiled and answered without looking at her, ''A bar obviously"
Annie wasn't convinced but she followed him anyways and as they walked to the end of the large room, she couldn't help but notice that most of the girls had on cheap perfume and some had none at all which caused the place to have a mixed smell of cigarette, alcohol, cheap perfumes and body odor. Just like the others downstairs, they were scantily dressed with too much makeup and they were dancing with so much effort to the overly loud Nigerian mix tape playing. And because there wasn't enough men to go round, the few men that were present,; mostly Indians, Lebanese and few Nigerians had this confused crease on their foreheads as they struggled to decide on who to focus on amongst the five or more girls gathered around their table, sharing their drinks and competing for attention with seductive dance moves. Annie could swear she felt piercing stares on her back as she walked with Terry to the end of the room and it made her wonder if these girls saw her as a competition or a bad omen.
..................
The room Terry took her looked like the VVIP section of the place. There were a few people there unlike the other side but Annie still wasn't comfortable. Terry noticed and suggested that they move to the pool side instead which she gladly agreed to but first, she needed to use the rest room.
....................
The rest room was packed with girls; all of them at the mirror adjusting either their clothes or their makeup then one of the girls started talking about a man who wanted to take her home for fifteen thousand Naira. Immediately, the other girls exclaimed in amazement and one said,
"Babe you lucky o!"
The "lucky girl" sounded reluctant "erm, him no be my type"
The others shouted again and they all started talking at once. One said,
'' You no get sense o! You know how much dem they give us for here? 5k or 8k still, you dey complain"
The "lucky girl" whined, "But him no be my type"
"Hmmm, hungry go catch you!" one said maliciously
Another said, "Abeg, give me the man if you no want"
When Annie came out of the rest room, she looked at the girls from the side of her eyes and noticed that they looked envious. The "lucky girl" sighed and shrugged as she said,
"Ha! make I go meet am o! Before dem steal am from me" then she left
Annie quickly left the rest room too. She was ashamed of what she had just heard.
....................
As the waiter brought their drinks, Terry started the same conversation he always emphasized on whenever he saw Annie.
"So, you still haven't told me what you want to do yet Annie. How else do you want to help yourself? I've told you the money is good"
Annie wasn't convinced "Terry, I can't do what those girls are doing. They look so desperate competing for attention from men who didn't even look interested. And I feel like I'll be really exposed if I'm here"
"So you think you're better than those girls?" Terry asked with one brow raised
"I didn't say that Terry. What I mean is, I'm a private person, if I'm gonna do this, then it has to be private."
Terry dragged on his cigarette and blew out the smoke before saying,
"Okay, this is what I'll do for you. There's this other place my friend manages. It's a strip club but they have a private boot for high paying guests. I'll hook you up"
Annie was shocked "Seriously Terry, you want me to strip?!" she asked
Terry was exasperated already. What does the girl want for Christ's sake. "Yes Annie! But in a private way! You want privacy don't you?"
"Yes but, must I strip? It's the same thing as what these girls do!" she struggled to keep her voice low
Terry scratched his head and said, "Look Annie, I'm only trying to help you. This is what I do; I hook girls up. Your rent is due, you're broke and jobless, your family can't help you, you can't get a bank loan cos you're not even sure of when you'll pay back not to talk of having people to stand as guarantors and all that shit. You're twenty six, you've got the body of an eighteen year old, you're sexy as fuck even if you don't know it, you can help yourself and this is the only way I can fix you up Annie. Take it or leave it." he finished, sipped his drink and stood up.
Annie felt reality like a sharp sting. She thought of any possibility at all of a change but none was readily available. Terry had refused to lend her any money. According to him, he would rather teach her how to fish than give her the fish. Though, his way wasn't the only way but it was the only available way she could get a quick solution to her current situation so she stood up and called out to Terry who had walked to the far side of the pool.
"I'm in" she said
Terry smiled and as he walked towards her, his smile broadened into a laugh and he said, "Trust me, we're gonna be rich! Lagos isn't ready for us!"
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
BURNT (EPISODE 5)
Friday was another fast day at work. The day had started with a presentation that Mila had completely forgotten about. Of course, she had been proactive enough to have prepared her slides since the previous week on Mr. Duke's instruction. She knew everything she wrote and had pulled it off successfully. Just like their name implied, the ACE Group had always been known for their excellent ideas and presentations, which mostly results in them getting the biggest contracts in the industry from multinational organisations. Mr. Duke had succeeded in building a formidable force for a team that he had highhandedly selected by himself to always represent the company and he had wasted no time in planting Mila in that team immediately she was employed.
Mila had been intimidated at first after attending her first presentation as a passive team mate. She had seen and heard other organisations give really good pitches but then, she had learnt that to overcome her fear of going head on with their competitors, she needed to do more research and think not just local, but global. It didn't take her long to learn the rubrics of not just knowing how to draft a presentation, but to own it and sell it like a last resort to their clients. She had done the usual that morning and as she sat in her lone corner at the cafeteria during lunch break, enjoying her lemonade, she allowed her mind to drift beyond the walls of ACE Group.
She allowed her thoughts to steal a peak into the dark corners of her memory. That was a chapter in her life she had deliberately locked away because, the memories just won't go away. She had never stopped beating herself mentally whenever she remembered what had happened and how it had all ended. She wasn't even sure if it really was the end of that phase of her life yet so, she had locked away the memories instead.
"Not today" Mila told herself.
She was in a better place now with a better purpose. Maybe, maybe not but she would rather not go down that lane today. She finished off her drink, stood up and left the cafeteria for the office.
..............
Simi was busy. The moment the company had won the contract, Mr. Duke had declared a TGIF celebration to take place at the company's open air lounge upstairs and she was part of the impromptu organizers. She loved that role and she was busy playing the part to the fullest. She had immediately used her contacts to get a mixologist, a DJ, and a grill master. Everything was set already by 4pm and everyone was moving to the Lounge excitedly as Mr. Duke had permitted work to end for the day by that time. Most people had used the opportunity to invite friends and loved ones to join the celebration. So by the time it was 6 pm, the spacious lounge was bubbling with life, drinks and good music.
Mila was leaning against one of the rails that surrounded the space. Though, there were canopies and couches that people could sit like those in a regular public lounge, she choose to stand facing the seaside with her drink. She didn't know why but the sight of the sea side always had a soothing effect on her raging nerves. The thoughts of that afternoon had somehow cast a gloom on her mood so, as she stood there looking out to the wide expanse of water, she began to regain sanity.
At that point, Simi was by her side with a glass of cocktail drink and a plate of assorted meats. She looked really excited for she had been receiving a lot of compliments from her senior colleagues for a job well done. Mr. Duke had sent her to fetch Mila for the toast to their victory and it had taken Simi a while to find her there. She sighed with relief when she confirmed that it really was Mila standing there in her black jean, Juliet sleeved white boyfriend shirt and her brown kitten heels. She was dressed according to the company's "corporate casual Fridays" tradition save for the fact that, she had removed the blazer she wore for the presentation.
" Hey! Are you alright? I've been looking for you" Simi said concerned as she had met Mila with her eyes closed
"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks" Mila answered with a weak smile
"Are you sure?" Simi asked
"Yes Simi. Now, why were you looking for me again?"
"Okay. If you say so then. The Boss needs you for the toast. You know, as the goal scorer concerned" Simi said excitedly. This made Mila laugh. Simi always knew how to exaggerate things but it helped her return to reality again.
................
After the toast, the cheers, the pats on the back and an exciting evening, Mila returned home at about 9pm exhausted, both mentally and emotionally. However, she knew there was one person she needed to call but she wasn't sure she was ready for any soft or hard talk at that moment. So she decided to leave it till the next day.
Tomorrow will be a great day, she assured herself. Tomorrow, she'll make that call and see what surprises the future's keeping for her.
She dozed off with these thoughts and slept soundly.
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