I took a deep breath but not a step off from where I stood. Did Mom ask the general to come take me out, or did she permit him to have his way with me? Mother is of great political influence; she had her way with a lot of things that were far beyond my reach.
I swallowed this time. What's the point of dangling in thoughts? I turned and met Maria waiting by the stairs; her eyes staring me in the face like she was also startled to hear the general utter my mother in his words.
"The clothes," she said, "they are ready."
I faked a smile. she was in awe, too. I could see it clearly on her face. She was not good at hiding emotions. She was such a predictable and readable young lady.
"Okay," I uttered and made for the stairs. She moved aside to have me pass, and I did. We had nothing to discuss at the moment, except that I had yet to tell her where I was headed with the clothes, I made her pack in my bag.
I pushed the door to my room open and I swaggered in. The bag was waiting on the floor, and my phone was on the bed. Both were in the best position they would ever be.
I took the phone and carried the bag myself, and off I went from my room.
"You haven't told me where you are going," Maria said while I handed the bag to my driver to put in my car. I wouldn't drive myself. I used to, but that was until I employed him.
"The outreach is tomorrow," I replied.
"Does this house bite you?" she asked. "If so, you can spend the whole of today in your father's house and maybe join the outreach tomorrow."
That was a pretty bad suggestion. She knew how bad it was, yet, she suggested it, so, I had no business tossing a response at her.
"You aren't saying anything, ma'am." She said behind me.
I still had nothing to offer. I merely hopped in the car and blinked twice at her. I could have stuck a tongue out to mock her, but I'm no more kid. I'm now too old to be that stupid.
"Ma'am, where are we headed to?" My driver queried. We had'nt had time to speak since he said the general was such a nice man, just because he treated him like a princess whereas he was a man, with some genetic disorder if I was right with my words.
"Just move, and stop when I ask you to." I hollered in his ears.
He nodded and took off gently. The gate was opened under the watch of the gardener whom I was sure wouldn't utter a word at us. He merely waved a hand and smiled as we pulled out of the compound, I did the same to him, though I knew he wouldn't see me from outside because the glasses at my side were tinted.
"Ma'am, did you reject the general?" My driver asked.
"Remind me of your name." I sounded a bit bossy.
He made faces. I could see that from the head mirror, but I was serious this time. I had an issue remembering his native name because it was long, so, I told him the other time to use his church name, and he complied, but I kept mistaking it for Mathia and Mathias, I just couldn't remember.
"Mathew, ma'am." He said after making faces. "But the general was generous, he named me Rita, and I can swear I love that name."
I felt it, a surge of laughter, hot and loud, and before I could have held it back, it threw my lips apart and I laughed like I was being tickled in the car by the driver…I meant, Mathew.
"Why the laughter?" he asked. "Don't you like my name?"
"Not that I don't like Mathew, but Rita, both you and the man who baptized you with the new name deserve to be slapped in the face."
He chuckled and whistled like tappers in the rural region who woke early enough every day to bother palm trees. They were the native people who lived our native life more than anyone else. The rest of us far more Eurocentric than we could realize most times. We spoke French, listened to songs sung in the French language, and many times, we dressed like our colonial masters.
"Your parents named you Mathew." I retorted.
"The priest, not my parents. The priest named me Mathew when he sprinkled water on my head and had my parents swear on my behalf that I'm Christian, born into the family of the Lord Jesus, but the general named me Rita." He sounded proud and fulfilled with those words of his.
"The general is bigger than my parents, so, I take that of the general who had just become my new godfather." He honked at a car blocking the road. "Also, I like the fact that he accepted what I was meant to be. I should be a lady like you, but nature trapped me in a man's body."
"And you want to make yourself a lady even with that dick dangling between your thighs?" I asked.
He made faces one more time. It was clear. He should be a lady, but he was born in a man's body, but the problem was, he was born in Africa, and in Cote D'Ivoire, where such rights as he dreamt are promised, but not assured.