Garlic in your Soul, Ms. Grinch?

Adaora had visited America a couple of times. Growing up, she had gone there on vacation with her family, and as an adult, sometimes she had been required to go on conference meetings to different countries of the world. But she still didn't immediately get used to the difference in time and climate. For one, it was weird travelling on twenty-second in the evening only to get to her destination by eleven o'clock in the night; time difference being the ultimate factor.

Another was that if she had laid complaints about the cold that accompanied harmattan back in Nigeria, then winter in California was ice, freezing her body till she traded comfort for fashion and wore the heavy sweater she thought wouldn't be of help to her. Thank goodness Yemi had practically insisted on packing it for her, saying she would need it.

Adaora gritted her teeth as the cab sped through the busy streets glittering with Christmas lights, stuffing both hands into the cashmere sweater and wishing she had brought gloves as well. She blamed her forgetfulness on not having been to America during winter, and being short of time to prepare herself properly.

Which led back to her mother being the cause of her problem, the reason she was shivering with cold and wishing that the Ghanaian man who was her cab chauffeur would simply stop talking.

"And when it rains, it's snow madam, not the rain that comes with dust." He continued the chitchat he had begun the moment he picked her up. She blamed herself for that, her first mistake being admitting it was her first time in America during winter. The second mistake, or perhaps the worst of them all was telling him she was a Nigerian.

He had been engaging her in discussions since then, seemingly not bothered about the weather since according to him, he had been there for a long time and had developed a "thick skin" against the cold. Adaora glanced briefly at the thick sweater and woollen gloves he wore, scoffing inwardly. Had Darego been here in her stead, Adaora was sure she would have made reference to his dressing.

"The only problem here is that their food doesn't have weight. What they take as lunch is breakfast or appetiser to us." He stretched the word, "appetiser" as though tasting it in his tongue, as if it were butter and jam, rolling off smoothly.

"Oh..." Adaora muttered, shutting her eyes and wondering why in the world they weren't getting any closer to the hotel.

"But you see, this hotel you are going to is different. I have heard that it makes provision for varieties of dishes, from Italian to French and even African foods. So, you won't suffer." He laughed hysterically, and she wondered if he was going to ask her to take him into the hotel with her next.

As though he could read her mind, he went on, making a U-turn. "I have driven two rich people to this hotel and they took me to the restaurant afterwards. Everywhere was neat, you'll like it. Although I didn't eat much since I didn't have appetite then. I've been looking forward to it since then." Adaora opened her eyes then to catch him glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

She laughed inwardly. This man must have seen her as a foolish amateur who could be goaded into doing him a favour just because other rich people like her had done it. She wasn't obliged to do anything for him when she was going to pay him a hefty amount of money for his services. She imagined that with her face free of make-up and skin covered in a thick white cashmere sweater, he must have thought she was a rich heiress who had never worked for her money and was probably here on a Christmas getaway vacation. This was obvious from the way he had been looking at her, sizing her up. Politely.

"That hotel is also very expensive. You must be very rich, madam. I'm thinking of where to stay this night... Do you know anywhere?" Gradual process, Adaora thought, feeling the urge to laugh as he kept making his intentions clear. How would she know anywhere when he was the one describing the weather to her?

"No." She replied, digging into her handbag which sat beside her in the car seat for her earpiece.

It was time to shut her ears, or she would say something she would regret to him.