Adesuwa took one last drag at her cigarette and flung the stub onto the sidewalk indifferently. It’s too late for me now.
She straightened her shiny black mini-skirt, moving the long slit to the front so it gave the world a sneak preview of her firm thighs. Kill them softly, Des. She dipped her hand into her purse and fumbled around for a while, raising it to the light. Eventually, she extricated her black compact from a pack of latex condoms and mascara. Raising it to her face, she looked at herself briefly and smoothened her worn-out Peruvian hair. That was how long she could look at herself these days. Briefly. Because she never liked what she saw.
Adesuwa was twenty-three but looked thirty-nine. She had walked and worked the streets of Rome and Milan for four years on end. In a year or two, she would be able to pay back Mama C the six thousand euros spent on her immigration and other expenses. Then she would be free. She attempted a smile but failed woefully.
Business was slow today. She stood in the shadows some steps away from a particular street lamp and watched the other girls talking and giggling in the distance. They knew well enough to stay clear of her territory. Poor fools! They were still green and hot. Give them another year or two and let’s see if they can find a reason to smile let alone laugh. At the moment, Rome was still uhuru to them. They would soon shine eye!
The headlights of a car appeared on the lonely street. Pages of newspapers were strewn across the road as the vehicle turned the corner and drove towards her. All the girls were now on alert as the hum of the engine grew louder. Adesuwa came out of the shadows and stepped into the full glare of the lights, squinting to accommodate the brightness. She had to be ready. It was coming her way! She strutted around on her high stilettoes and twirled around, ensuring her chin was up and chest out. The car was not slowing down and it was moving rather too quickly to be the usual window shoppers. Perhaps an old customer? She twirled again to back the vehicle so that the driver could have a different view- a different perspective- an encouragement. She needed him to fully appreciate her assets. She swished her hips and walked away but stayed under the streetlight, letting her buttocks bounce a bit as she swaggered deftly on her heels. She twirled around again and struck a pose, observing that the car was a black Audi A6 2018 model with striking alloy wheels as she did so. She knew her cars. But this one wasn’t slowing down. Should she twirl around again? No. She found herself flagging it down desperately.
It drove past her. There were three men in the car. Two in front. They slowed down as they approached the group of giggling girls standing two streetlights away. Imagine that! What did they have that she didn’t?
The more experienced girls among them approached the ride confidently, laughing and teasing the boys. No sooner had the first reached the car than the rear right window wound down slowly and a catchy David Guetta track poured out. The heavy beat reverberated against the window as it rolled down slowly. Then a hand came out. It pointed at a frightened little teenager at the back of the pack, standing next to the light post and hugging herself nervously. She hadn’t moved an inch and seemed to be new to the trade. Adesuwa studied her curiously. She didn’t seem to fit in. She looked erudite- like a college student, like an amateur. She wore a red spaghetti strap velvet dress that complimented her subtle hour-glass figure and transparent heels. Poor African girl! She looked so terrified, almost as if she was praying not to be picked. Adesuwa wondered what her story was. Needed urgent money for tuition? Rent? Food? Benefactor payment? Whose idea was it to get it this way? Surely not hers…and it seemed she was having a change of heart. Or was it just first-time anxiety? Was she a virgin or what? From the way she was being concealed and protected by the other girls, it sure looked that way. But the hand was insistent. It would not be distracted, dissuaded, or enticed by other propositions. It was she and nobody else. The hand waived others aside for a better view of the nervous girl and beckoned her towards the car. Resignedly, she was escorted over.
The girl barely spoke. One of the experienced ones was her mouthpiece and was handling negotiations. The woman seemed more interested in them returning her in one piece than getting a good bargain. When she seemed satisfied with their assurances amidst annoying laughter, she talked to the teenager briefly then the girls hugged her and ushered her into the car. The Audi sped off.
For a few minutes, the girls seemed lost and just wandered around the street aimlessly. The giggles had stopped and there was a general hush. You would think someone had died. Then one of them got a call, she laughed, shared the joke, others laughed and they were back to normal. Life goes on.
Adesuwa lit another cigarette. Business was indeed slow. For a country with almost a hundred thousand prostitutes and over two million customers – or so they say – the patronage was quite low today. Perhaps more cleavage? She propped her sagging breasts up and breathed in deeply. She coughed. Damn implants were beyond reach. Such expenses were a luxury. Her rent was due and she had problems with Immigration. It needed sorting out again and the immigration officer had given her three days to pay up or be deported. He was no longer interested in ‘other forms of payment’ as she was, in his words, old baggage. Mama C was also tired of bailing her out because she was no longer creditworthy. News about town was that she had lost her appeal. She was almost a bag of bones now.
Her hand quivered as she raised the cigarette to her lips. Maybe she should go back to E.U.R.? It had a thriving red-light district. Maybe she could reclaim her spot there or somewhere more visible. A transvestite had chased her out of her spot last summer, most likely fulfilling her pimp’s directive as a result of her plummeting market. She had gotten the message and cleared off.
She took a long drag and exhaled slowly. She coughed again. She coughed violently. Adesuwa was not well. Perhaps she should see Nurse Blessing for some more medicine instead of E.U.R. She could not afford to go to the hospital. Even if she had the money, she could not risk anyone learning of her expired visa. No, not at this critical time. Her younger brother, David, was graduating this year and needed money to complete his final-year project. He was such an intelligent young man- pushing for a first-class degree. She could not fail him.
She remembered how her family had encouraged her to come to Italy. They were living in squalor at the time. Abject poverty. Then her father met Mama C at her school and consented to his daughter travelling overseas to work as a hairdresser. In their desperate situation, her parents could be excused for being so gullible. Before she knew it, Adesuwa was forced to drop out and join young girls in the middle of the forest for a parting ritual before the journey. Samples of their nails, pubic hair and some personal items were taken and they were made to swear an oath of silence. Adesuwa was so scared. It was like something out of a horror movie. Never could she have imagined herself under such conditions. Did her folks know about this? Should she tell them? But she had sworn an oath of silence. Well, she had little time to decide because she was soon on the next Alitalia flight en route to Rome with some of the other girls. The past was forgotten. It all seemed worth it then. She was up in the clouds! But when she came crashing down to earth, it was a hard fall. As soon as she arrived, she was taken to a sleazy, rat-infested apartment at Salone Street, on the outskirts of Rome, where her passport was seized. It was then she was told exactly what she would be doing. She cried for weeks.
Adesuwa threw away her half-finished cigarette and laughed drily. They think I am living large over here because I send money home, abi? If only they knew. If only her good friend, Osas, knew the truth she wouldn’t even think of coming. She had sounded so serious on the phone. Adesuwa had tried to dissuade her but could not provide cogent reasons without violating her oath of silence. If she had divulged it in any way, her family would have been cursed for generations and she could not risk any of that.
Why, oh why didn’t Osas catch her subliminal warnings and discouragement? She had always been the magpie, hadn’t she? Always had a craving for the bling and the luxurious life. “Fine babes like us were not meant to suffer,” she always said and they would laugh and high-five each other. Wasn’t that why she broke up with that nice boy from her village who was so obsessed with her and wanted to marry her? The school dropout, what’s his name? He was such a nice young man too! Why, Osas, why? Maybe if she had given him a chance, she would not be on her way here now. Maybe. Anything was better than this. Such a nice young man, he was. And so industrious. What was his name again? It was on the tip of her tongue. Ohis? No…not Ohis. Started with an E. Ehis? Ah, Ehis it was! Ehimigbai. Ehimigbai Osagie was his name.
Adesuwa found herself smiling genuinely for the first time in months.
Such a smart man, Ehis. She wondered where he was now…
END
Claude Opara
Claude is a Nigerian author, artist, architect and project manager. An avid movie watcher, history buff and football fan, he also has a penchant for travel and adventure. Claude has authored a few books ...And the Night Hissed being his first novel, a historical thriller about a slave raid gone awry. He has also written and published two lighthearted comics and a children's storybook under his An African Legend series. Claude is also the co-founder of Teambooktu.com.
All for parts are great reads. Story is down to earth and relatable; as far as human experiences go, you don’t have to have been in the same situation to picture the scene the author is painting with words. I would eagerly read this story if it was a 300 page book.