Chapter 3

By 7pm, Henry was already back because I heard his voice. I could hear Henry from my room, a wall demarcated Henry’s room and my room, and I could hear Rita calling Henry ‘Baby”. Maybe that is how they do it in Lagos because in my place, you don’t call a grownup baby, talk more of your brother, but I wonder if Rita is older than Henry because she look older. After 30 minutes, I heard a low cry, and someone slapping someone, I thought Henry was beating Rita, I felt bad for Rita. Rita was moaning and Henry was hitting her, I didn’t know what to do to save Rita, I felt he was choking her but I must save Rita before her brother kill her. Immediately I left my room to knock on Henry’s door,I knocked on the door for 10 minutes before Henry opened the door, I had to beg him not to hit his sister again, that the hitting was too much, and I could barely concentrate in my reading. Henry laughed, and he apologized and promised not to hit Rita again. I thanked him and went back to my room. I did not hear the cry or hit again. My cousin came back by 9pm with lots of gift ranging from clothes, shoes, jewelries, wow……People working in Lagos are enjoying, my naïve self thought that every company or organization share those things to their staff. My cousin called me to her room, gave me some clothes and shoes to try on, and they were perfect on me. She told me that Lagos ladies wear heels, so whenever I want to go out, that i should wear those heels, that I should be classy. I took the gift, I thanked her and went back to my room. She came to my room to inform me that she would take me out to see some places and meet one of her rich friends by 7pm on Tuesday, i was so excited, imagine going round Lagos, finally I have arrived, so I thought.

As early as 7am, my cousin left for work as usual, Henry came to the house to drop key for another of his sister “Bimbo”, I asked him about Rita, he told me that she left as early as 6am because of her work, said okay. He went further to tell me that Nkechi would come by 4pm,that I should give her the key. I agreed and went back to my movie as usual. Bimbo came earlier than expected, she came by 3:30pm,she knocked and opened, I knew why she knocked so I took the key with me. Bimbo’s complexion adopted two nationalities, her face adoptedAmerican nationale while her leg adopted Nigerian nationale, but her makeup, she may be a makeup ambassador. Her eyebrow looked like they were in conflict, but its none of my business. That one was rude, I was not surprised. I handed the key to her and locked my door, my mind was at the fun I would have that night, Tuesday night, the real deal. I rushed to my room and arranged the clothes I would wear. I remembered the wig my mother gave me, i hard always admired the wig, so the day I was about traveling, she called me to her room and gave me the wig, the wig was so beautiful, i couldn’t wait to show the to my cousin and wear it out. I went back to the sitting room after arranging my outing clothes and continued my movie.

My cousin came back by 6;30pm. She told me to dress up and went straight to her room. I hurriedly went to my room in excitement, dressed up, wore my heel and comb the wig, finally I was gonna rock the wig…so I thought. I went straight to her room to tell her I was done, but she looked at me and started laughing. I didn’t know why she was laughing because I was looking ‘classy’. She walked straight towards me and yanked my wig off. I was angry but I kept my cool. She told me that I should leave village things for people in the village, and use town things for people living in the town. I did not understand where she was driving at until she threw her wig at me. She analyzed my wig, ‘your wig is sponge, your wig is synthetic, your wig is very old’. I was hurt because I admired that wig and prayed fervently for my mum to give it to me, I will admit the fact that I had difficulty in combing it and the wig was 4 years old, but I thought it was normal for one to have difficulty in combing wig just like the way they have difficulty in combing natural hair. I touched the wig she gave me, it was too soft, I never knew wig could be as soft as a relaxed hair. She helped me wear the wig and combed it for me, I was looking different, like ‘city girl’. I was admiring myself and I remembered one question I wanted to ask my cousin concerning her male single neighbor, the one that usually drop key. I was curious to know if he was related to those ladies. When I asked my cousin, she looked at me in a weird manner, and replied “yes” sarcastically, then she busted out in laughter. I never knew my question was funny and I wondered why she was laughing so I waited for her to finish laughing. She finished laughing and she said “don’t believe everything someone say to you, this is Lagos. The more you look, the more you see, the more you understand ,the more wiser you become”. This is my seventh year in Lagos, I have seen, and I am wiser.

She finished dressing up, she made a call to one Chief, telling the chief that we were done, then she said okay and dropped the call. She turned at me and asked me if I was ready, I replied in the affirmative, she said okay, let’s move.