MEMOIRS OF PISCES (Episode 11)

ANNIE

Annie still couldn't believe that she had finally gotten a job in Lagos. The once monstrous city had suddenly decided to be nice to her. Her parents were ecstatic when she called to inform them. Terry was indifferent and had gone on a motivational lecture on why she should continue stripping. He had made her see the difficulties she would continually face in terms of distance between her office and her home. She understood that problem quite alright and for the past three weeks, she has been struggling with waking up by 5 am, leaving the house by 6 am and resuming work by 8 am. Her Boss; Mr. Daren had told her that some days, she would be required to resume by 7:30 am and that had made her panic because they shared the same office space on the top floor of the building. The office was designed in such a way that Mr. Daren was in another inner office while she was positioned outside the main area. Neka's office was just the next door leaving both of them as the only occupants of that space unlike the other departments of the company that shared open spaces on each floor of the two storey building. This meant that she had to be on seat before he resumed work.

But she wasn't really worried, her salary was a consolation. Although, she always got home late, she was okay with the terms of the company which required her to undergo a three months probation first before she would be made a full staff. Her salary for the first three months would be eighty thousand Naira monthly then, if she was fully absorbed into the system, it would be increased to the actual amount she was due. She would also be entitled to other fringe benefits which the HR would disclose after the end of the three months probation. She loved their offer and was determined to work hard to become a full staff.

So, out of excitement, she had told her neighbor, Mama David. The mother of five had created an uproar in the compound as she ran out of Annie's room where she had gone to borrow matches and started shouting with joy to anyone who cared to listen that Annie had finally gotten a job as "second in command" on the "Island". The whole "compound" had been instantly filled with shouts of joy and songs of thanks as neighbors either left their soups on their kerosene stove or stuck their heads out of their one room apartments to join in the celebration.  Bros Zik had bought small stout for all the women and Star beer for the men. For them, it was a thing of achievement for an Ajegunle person to get a job with one of those "high flying" companies on the Island.

Annie had been embarrassed with joy. She had thought to herself, "look at these people, they don't even know me that well, yet, my joy is their joy". She had been overwhelmed with love and despite the fact that she nursed a deep resentment for her environment, she was thankful for the not so perfect people she had as neighbors.

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Every morning posed to be the most mischievous. You never knew what awaited you on the highway. The wahala from all the mean yellow colored "danfo" buses always left you exhausted by the time you got to the office. The conductors were ruthless with their words and their curses when they found out that you didn't have "change" that early morning, could mar your entire day. So Annie made it a point of duty to always buy something from her neighbors who traded corn and fruits in front of the compound so that she could have change for the early morning rush.

On this particular Friday morning, she left her home by 5:45 am and was lucky to get to the office by exactly 7:30 am. She was happy she had taken that risk to have left home earlier than 6 am as usual. So as she got into the spacious office, the first thing on her mind was to sleep.

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She tried opening her eyes but the sleep was just too sweet to let go. Then as she grew into consciousness, she felt another presence. Gradually, her senses awoke to reality and she perceived the familiar scent of  Hugo Boss which she had come to appreciate since the past three weeks but then, she knew she wasn't dreaming. Mr. Daren was around. She quickly opened her eyes and sat up to adjust the strands of her carefully wrapped natural hair but she saw him standing and watching her. She was shocked and ashamed and confused. She quickly glanced at the wall clock and realized that it was only 8 am on the dot. She noticed that he was still standing there so she greeted him as calmly as she could.

"Good morning Sir. I'm sorry I slept off"

He had a slight frown on his fore head as he studied her but he replied;

"Good morning Annie. Long night again?"
"Not really Sir. I got home late as usual" she answered then she quickly added, "but it's fine. I'm not complaining"

He nodded and turned to go into his office then as if remembering something, paused and called over his shoulder, "please come in for a sec"

...................................

Annie sat in front of her Boss and as usual, he took his time attending to some urgent emails before turning his attention to her.

"What time do you get home?" he asked
"9 pm Sir"
"Certainly that's really late?" he said with a raised eyebrow
"Honestly Sir, I'm fine. I just had to sleep today cos I got here by 7:30"
"Alright then. Let me know if you need anything" he said and together, they went through his itinerary for the day.

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Annie was worried. This was the third time Mr. Daren had caught her sleeping in the morning. The first time had been the very first day she had resumed work. She had left the house by 5:30 am , gotten to work by 6: 30 am and had slept till 8 am only because he had woken her up himself. Ever since, she had resolved to find a balance in time management. Now, he had caught her again. So during lunch, she had called Terry for a brief chat cos there was always a rush hour on Fridays. He had agreed and had promised to pick her up after work.

She was surprised at his eagerness to see her and suspected that there was something fishy about his eagerness but then, she ignored the nudge. Terry's always been extra, she mused to herself.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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!"
 

MEMOIRS OF PISCES (episode 3)

ANNIE

Annie had walked to the end of the long street before finally going back home the day she had the interview. That night, sleep eluded her. She had prayed more than ever that night and had conversed with her subconscious about the worse that could happen if she didn't get that job. She had decided that a lot of worse things will happen if she didn't get the job or any other soon. She had to do something quickly.

Today made it a month since after the interview and still no feedback from that company. Even the other companies she applied to still haven't called her. Most days, she felt depressed and frustrated, other days she felt completely disconnected from the world, her environment and her family. She had stopped calling home and stopped taking their calls as well. she had stopped going to church and totally blanked out from even herself. She needed that closure.

On this particular night, she decided to visit her regular online job sites to check for vacancies and to apply. The light had been fluctuating since morning and just as she was about plugging in her laptop to charge, it was lights out again. So she decided to go for her routine stroll.

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The stroll was therapeutic as usual. She was able to enjoy the noise and the chaos of Idewu street. The noise came in varieties; cars honking, okadas zooming past like flying bats with the riders not caring if they knocked the wind out of anyone in their way and the passengers cussing and praying under their breath to arrive their destination without breaking a leg, film rentals shop owners competing for attention as they blasted igbo, yoruba and foreign songs, barbing salons entertaining just one customer with hit songs from Wizkid and other young Nigerian artistes, little kids playing outside their compounds and waiting for their parents to return from work or their hustles and full time housewives who's decided to trade in the evenings only, displaying their wares of sweets, oranges and roasted corn by the road side, haggling prices with customers excitedly.

It was indeed a beautiful chaotic symphony of voices and people she thought as she walked back home.

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The light was back by the time she got home and she quickly plugged her laptop. She heard a knock on her door and went to check reluctantly. It was Mama David. Gosh! the woman was a pain in her neck.

"Good evening Mama David"
"Erm, Annie, how nau? Abeg give me salt there"
"Okay. I'm coming"
Annie went to her cupboard and brought out a sachet of salt and handed it over to Mama David. With her face lit up in excitement, Mama David exclaimed with gratitude.
"Hei! Thank you o! Chai, this one go last me for one month. Eya! You do well for me my dear."
Annie rolled her eyes and quickly smiled as she replied,
"No wahala Ma. Good night"

Annie sighed with relief as she bolted her door. Her neighbors won't be the death of her she mused. They were always coming to borrow one thing or the other from her and she was tired already cos she couldn't find herself refusing them. Mama David was a mother of five and a full time house wife whose husband found joy in bashing her face every month like a tradition so she found herself particularly nice to the woman. The other women in the compound found her as a resource house too and sometimes, it could be really exhausting but she indulged them anyways. In this part of Lagos, no man or woman is an Island.

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She was undressing for bed when her phone rang. She picked it up to check and when she saw the caller ID, she cussed under her breath as this was the last person she wanted to speak with but she picked anyways.

"Hi Terry"
"Hey babe! What's up?"
"I'm alright, thanks." Terry said excitedly
"Ummm, look Terry, I thought about our conversation. I'll give it a shot but you'll have to give me more time" Annie said
"Nada babe, I'm outside your house like right now. We have to go now. I already talked to the manager of the place about you and he's dying to meet you in person"
"Oh no... I'm not prepared Terry" Annie replied worried
"Come on! Just wear whatever you have and I'll handle the rest"
Annie hesitated for a bit before replying "Okay. Just give me some minutes"

Annie hung up and scratched her head. This is going to be a long night, she thought out loud. She was scared but she had to go with the flow. What she's going for, who she's going to meet, was something she'll beat herself over when she returned in the morning for now, she wasn't going to over think things.

She dressed up and went out to meet Terry.