"People like to assume they know what their partner wants," Mrs. Yasmin was saying. "the sense in which because everybody likes it, I should, and it's one despicable thing about sex. Any day, anytime, no matter how pleasurable, I hate a mouth to my pussy."
Soliat was used to the woman's brazenness, that she could talk about her distaste for oral sex with such vulgarity, and in the presence of those who wanted to get her laid, who oooed to the image of her legs spread at shoulder width and their faces in-between. It was more brow raising because she was a married woman, had been married once, and it was expected that she had virtue.
"I heard you were married?" A woman asked, as if to prove the point.
"You heard well," Mrs. Yasmin answered, looking straight into the woman's eyes.
Internally, Soliat applauded, she had grown up looking up to the woman. She stood at arm's length enough to pretend she wasn't eavesdropping, and kept a drink in her hand so that when the men who kept glancing in her direction finally walks up to her, she raised the glass and told them she was busy.
Soliat could pass for anything; beautiful, tall, learned and rude. Especially rude. And maybe there was a rudeness in the way she had given the stranger her number and expected him to call. She had banked on her facial and bodily features that he would call. And because her conviction had been strong, when the piece of paper in which she had written her number flew into her face through the window of the taxi she boarded right after alighting from the bus, she had been shocked.
"Are you both crazy?!"
The shout brought her back from her memory with a jerking awakening and it angered her. And as she turned to see who had shouted, she was startled. Maybe it was because the man was dressed in a robe, or because he looked angry enough to bite the head off the man whose name Soliat didn't care enough to remember. Or maybe it was because she recognized him. How could she not?
"So much for being dedicated Muslims I see, is this what your god tells you to do? And it seems everybody knows what you're doing."
Soliat did not know, and she did not know if the people that had stopped talking, even Mrs. Yasmin, knew.
She watched as the man's eyes moved from the girl he had dragged and the couple before him to one guest, then another, stretched on some than others, then as if not content with the disdainful stare, he said, "Hypocritical fools", then turned back to the couple to say something. But Soliat had stopped paying attention to him, because another man soon appeared in a robe, another man who looked large enough to discard her number minutes after she'd written it. He said something to the first man and dragged him out of the second. And although he turned back to cussed at the couple as he was been dragged, she no longer heard what he was saying. She was as speechless as she first was when she caught the piece of paper from flying into her eyes. She had stared at the paper for a long time, then she and laughed. She laughed now too, eliciting the same reaction from other guests who thought she, as they did, found the scene hilarious. Then she stopped to ask herself if she was sure, had she really seen them? She had recognized the first man after a few seconds and the second within a blink of an eye, that meant it had been them. Right?
She dropped her glass to a passing tray and chased after them. It was a futile attempt though, as they had already disappeared into one of the rooms in the lobby. As she walked, her eyes lazying around in a quick search, she had an impromptu pause. What would she say if she confirmed who they were? Would they even recognize her? Then what? Would she question the man for not wanting her number?
The room to one of the doors opened in a fierce fling and shut with a loud, almost reverberating, bang and it was because of the fierceness of the fling and the loudness of the bang that she flinched and raised her head up. When she saw him this time, she knew there was no mistaking the recognition, and with the way he paused and stared at her, she was sure he recognized her too. Suddenly, she was upset that he threw her number. She would put on her rudeness and show him how much of a stranger he was to her. But before she could do that, he walked towards her, walked passed her and walked away from her. For the two times they had had an encounter, he put her in her place. She picked another glass and downed it before going back to hear one of the men say, "What does he mean by hypocritical fools? Did we tell him to offer his daughter to men?"
"That's the problem with new money, they think they can change the rules," Haruna said.
"What rules are you talking about?" Mrs. Yasmin asked him and the man, as if now aware of his stupidity, kept quiet.
"Who is he?" One of the women that when Soliat had been growing up had had miscarriages, one life threateningly serious than the other until her husband married a new wife, said. She had wanted to sympathize with her, but did not like the woman, and as with people she didn't like, she showed it.
"He's somebody from south that does not have money, has a few but is not well loaded, right, Yasmin?" Haruna asked turning to look at the woman.
"I don't think I concern myself with whether or not he has money," she answered and could see the shock spread across Haruna's face because she had been the one to buttress on Edegbe being mildly rich during their evening time. But that was during a close neighbouring meeting with people she tolerated.
"It was actually brave of him to do that," Ms. Samira said. "No body confronts a rich man openly, especially insultingly."
"It was stupid of him to do that, we don't confront a rich man openly for a reason," Haruna said.
"It was a good thing his bouncer took him out," the first man said, "he would have created so much trouble for himself if he kept on talking."
Bouncer? He was his bouncer? He had that attitude when he was only a bouncer?
"Solia?" A voice from behind said, jerking her and revealing her presence. It was Alhaji, she smiled. Expect that he was the only associate of her father's who still regarded her as a human being, he was also her mentor, had seen her through her childhood, had heard her cry and knew the theatrics involving her tantrums. Her father even turned to him in cases where she didn't listen to him. In some sense he was the mother she didn't have, although he would always say she was his wife.
"Good evening, Alhaji." She hugged him.
"You also call me Alhaji now, huh? And have you been around and did not come to visit me?"
"I've been busy, Brother Abubakar but I will come. Does this Friday sound okay to you?" She had wanted to visit him as soon as she arrived at Kedi, but she stalled it.
"Of course, of course." Alhaji patted her shoulder.
"Soliat, is that you? You have been standing there for a long time and you didn't even think to greet the elders?" The woman whose predicament Soliat couldn't bring herself to pity said. "No wonder your father disowned you."
Now, why would she ever pity the woman? "At least he has a child to disown."
"What did you say?" The woman asked, giving her a chance to take back her words.
"I said, at least my father has a child to disown. Can you say the same? Do you have a child to disown? Did termite not eat all the children in your womb?"
"You bastard!" The woman flared up. "I watched you grow up, I washed your shit off your anus and you talk to me like that?"
She touched the gold stud ring on her nose, regretting what she had said, not because the woman had changed her diapers as a baby, but because sauciness did not define her. She was rude, not insulting. And because she was rude she turned away from the woman, ignoring her and said goodbye to Alhaji, who looked at her disapprovingly, promising to tell him about during her absence from Kedi on Friday when they would meet.
On Friday, Alhaji's house welcomed her the way it always had since she was a girl, and it was as empty as it had always been. She wondered why he had not married, he would always joke that he was waiting for her but had never tried to woo her. She grew into adulthood hearing that she slept with the man, even her father once accused her of sleeping with him. As a young girl who wanted to keep her image intact, she had explained and try to dissolve the rumours until she could no longer explained. When she had left her father's house, she had spent days there, crying and gathering her thoughts and Alhaji had watched her and given her time.
Her father had not disowned her, she had disowned him, but she was going to let him take the credit, after all she was the ungrateful child, the self centered one. But if being self centered was putting off marriage until she was a little more older, more matured and until she was fiscally autonomic, then she was gladly self centered. Alhaji had offered to talk to her father. The Peacemaker. It was a nickname that suited him as he would always try to resolve things in peace with a pleasant smile on his face, never adhering to the voice of violence, although Soliat doubted that violence even spoke to him.
"Is that my wife?" Alhaji joked as she came in through the door.
"The reason I hurriedly left your side during the party was so that you would not call me your wife and stir up rumours about us having sex again." She hugged him.
"Does the rumour bother you that much?" He kept his hand on her waist longer than necessary.
"This time around it would be something like, she refused to marry so she can keep sleeping with Alhaji."
Alhaji laughed. "Why do you call me Alhaji, you know my name?" He led her to the living room where there was freshly baked cookies and an orange juice and they sat on the cushion.
"Alhaji is cooler. How is your sister?"
"Yasmin is fine, but she'll chew your head off if she hears that."
"You're twins, don't you feel betrayed that she doesn't even want anybody to know you're related?"
"I have other important things to do, and I've missed you."
She smiled. "Then why didn't you call me?"
"I would have had to lie to your father when he called to ask if I knew where you were, and I didn't want to. Plus I thought you needed time alone in?"
"Bayelsa."
"Why did you go that far?"
"My father has people in all the Yoruba states, he would have easily found me. Then I spent a week in Benin, two in Nassarawa before coming back."
"Benin, why does the name sound familiar?"
"It does?"
"Did you call your father?"
"I changed my number because I didn't want to be in touch with him, why will I call him?"
He smiled. "I told you you'd get used to wearing a nose ring when you start," he said eyeing her nose.
"Doesn't it suit me?" She touched it.
"It does, especially when you're angry and telling people termites are eating their children."
"It was wrong of me to say that."
"Then why did you? The normal you would eye her, or sigh, or mimick her."
"I was upset."
"But nothing happened from your arrival to your departure except the time when you and Edegbe's employee had that moment." He then realized why Benin sounded familiar.
Soliat furrowed her brows in confused. "Edegbe?"
"You know, that man who created a scene."
"Oh." Then her eyes shone. "You saw that?"
"I watched you from the moment you came in from the door to the minute you left. So tell me, what was that eye locking about?"
"You saw me from the moment I came in? You didn't come until much later."
He looked at her to say, "I thought you didn't want to see me, you didn't call to say you were around, you didn't call to ask me about the party, you'd normally do that." When she only stared back at him, he said, "so tell me about that moment."
She shrugged. "I just thought he was somebody I know."
But he knew what he saw and knew the girl well enough to know when she was lying. But he wanted to be sure so he stood up. "Let's go out for a walk."
"Does Sister Yasmin stays here?" She asked standing up.
"She has a room, but she stays at her home, she's been coming less frequently since her husband died and I don't know whether to be grateful or not."
"She was greatly relieved when he died."
"I was too, but at least she came around all the time." They had entered the street.
"Because she wanted to get away from her husband and not because she missed you."
Soliat was familiar with the street, she knew the houses and which people lived in them except the new residents. And one of the new residents she didn't know was the owner of the Toyota Camry packed in the house besides Mr. Ahmed.
"That's our new neighbour, seems their car broke down, let's check."
Victor wanted to die as he turned the ignition again and yet no sound from the car. Of all places did the car have to stop outside the gate? Edegbe had come down and was looking at him as if he was the engine that refused to work. "Sir, I swear everything was okay this morning. You saw it yourself, the car just stopped."
"That the car just stopped means something is wrong with it. If you had accessed it properly, we wouldn't be here."
"Open." Efe tapped on the front of the car and Victor complied.
"Do you think you can do it?" Edegbe asked him.
Efe didn't answer him, and Victor got out from the car to watch him.
"Give me the farmer's number, let me tell him there would be a delay."
"I already texted him."
That fast? "When do you think you'll finish fixing it?"
"I'm not a mechanic, it'll finish when it finishes."
"Keep our personal differences out of work."
Edegbe turned just in time to see Alhaji in the company of a girl he recognized. He looked at Efe who had also seen her and their eyes met.
"Why don't you call a mechanic, can your assistant fix it?" Alhaji asked after they greeted.
Assistant? Soliat asked, she thought they said bouncer? And what a surprise they lived on the same street as Alhaji. She had thought about it after the party and had decided that she gave him her number, he insulted her, that was going to be it.
"He's handy in things like this. You have company." Edegbe said.
"Yes. Em, excuse me." Then turned to face Soliat and whispered, "Should I introduce you as my wife."
Her reply was a hurried, "Don't even try it."
"But you said you just thought he was someone you know."
"Is that why we went out for a walk?"
Alhaji turned back to the men who were actively watching them. "This is my friend, Soliat. Solia, this is Mr. Edegbe, and that over there is his assistant, Efe."
Victor wondered if he was invisible.
Efe, Soliat said in her head. "Hello."
"Hello," Edegbe replied.
"Sir, we're done." Efe informed.
"I should get going Alhaji, thank you for stopping."
"Solia, Mr. Edegbe here involves in start ups, maybe you could give him your number."
"I think I'll pass," she said. "The last time I gave a man my number, it flew out of the window."