I looked around, a white man was in the hall. I needed not to be told he was French, and he could be the special guest because no one in the hall was special to Yapi and all the guests. They've always known each other.
"She is a fellow politician with so much impact in the business of politics." He went on.
I looked around to see who he was talking to. The men in the room were the big politicians here, and the ladies were more of the wives of politicians, ministers, and big madams.
"And a philanthropist who has helped the poor and our nation at large, please welcome the newest member of the winning party, Sita Kouassi!"
Everyone delved into clapping. I clapped, too, but then, I realized he was talking of me, and he was at the center of the gathering, bidding at me to join him.
For heaven's sake, I haven't said yes to this fellow, but he wasn't the one you would shame right in the presence of those who love and respect him.
I stepped out. There were pressmen in the hall. I hadn't noticed them early enough, but they were there, taking pictures of me as I stepped out. The news would go around in a few hours, my face would be all over the internet, and blogs would write that I've joined the camp of the man who had been most mocked among wicked politicians.
"But I haven't said yes, Honorable," I whispered into his face as I closed in on him.
The mean fellow said nothing in response to what I said, he merely crossed his hand around my shoulders and made me stand next to him against my own will.
Wap…wap…wap. The cameras kept coming. We were being videoed, but the good thing was, I knew I could come out tomorrow and debunk the whole mess. I can't be inducted into a party I despise.
"Welcome to the winning party, Sita, now, your good life will begin." He eyed the guards in the room, and gently-gently, he delved into the little bidding of sacking the pressmen.
He had deliberately invited them to the party to publicize his game, and nothing more.
"Welcome to the winning party, Sita Kouassi!" one of them hailed.
"Welcome to the winning party, sister Sita." They all chorused.
The servants rolled in with trolleys of glasses and champagne. I had been tricked, but to me, that wasn't enough for me to bow for the induction. I'll still have to think about it like I told him earlier.
***
"I understand how you feel." Yapi was standing by me with a glass of champagne. I had mine, but I wasn't sipping like him. I wasn't supposed to, not with anger boiling in me. How could he dare to do such?
"I didn't tell you I would do it this way, but remember something, members of the winning party do not defect." He said; his voice decisive, and champaign in his breath. "Induction is public, and it's an oath, too."
I said nothing. I wanted to hear him speak his piece. I wanted to hear all he had to say to me. Every bit of his threat, the threat that kept most members of the party glued to the party.
"You leave the winning party, the winning party will come for you and either drag you back or kill you." He said in a hushed voice and drank up what he had left in his glass. "Do you mind dancing with me?"
He dropped the glass on the floor and it shattered. That was what they had been doing in a couple of parties he had invited me to. They break glasses after drinking, and plates after eating.
"Finish up what you have, let's dance." He ordered.
"No, I don't want to dance with you." I leaned in on him as though I would kiss his lips. "Your hands have no boundary."
He laughed. he knew what he did last night, but I wanted him to think I went to the restroom because of what he did, and not for any other reason.
"Come on, Sita, look around you and see what we have in here." He sounded proud. "Magistrates, lawmakers, governors, even the president is a member of our party."
He looked around, pretending to be amazed at what he had to show me, but none of them was head swelling. I knew all of them, they were all in our classified list. Some of them no longer came out in public because of the scandals we had so far released about them.
"We are the law, so, whenever we are here., we do things the way we wish, and no one questions us." His hand went around my waist and grabbed my behind. I shrugged it off and gave him a slight push.
"Maybe I should go home already." I passed him the glass of champagne. "We will talk later, Honorable."
He blocked my way. On a normal day, I would spin him over and make him stand with his head, but this is not a place to display the Jackie Chan in me.
"The party is till eight." He spoke in my face. "You don't have to step out of here."
I waited for a moment, and then, I came up with my query, just to ensure they were all safe in my hands.
"Will the party kill me if I don't stay till eight?" I asked.
"No," he replied.
"Good, out of the way." I forced myself away from him and left for good.
***
I came out of Yapi's house and met the chauffeur waiting for me in the compound instead of the car I asked him to wait in so he would pick me up and off from this neighborhood as soon as I stepped out of Honorable Yapi's house. He seemed to be waiting for a report.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, angered to see him waiting in the compound.