"Hello."
The voice was familiar. It was that of the lady who showed me to my room. I turned to her. She was standing right behind me, dressed in clothes I deem skimpy, a hundred percent seductive.
I felt the hard urge to ask her if she was a social worker in the hotel, or if she was merely doing the good work of showing people the way to wherever they booked.
"Looking for something?" she asked with a smile. I forgot to mention she had a cigar in the grip of her index and mid-fingers.
"Sure, I am looking for the club." I forced a smile. "I was told there is a club here."
She strutted closer to me with her cigar. "Yes, there is a club here, but I was told you guys are here for a charity and free medical outreach which would commence tomorrow."
I nodded yes.
"Good." She uttered. "Then the club is not for you, because no one among your team is there, ranging from those white doctors and those nurses and the charity organization workers, will be there in the club."
I raised my brows. Where could they be if really, they aren't at the club? I decided I would ask her when she was done teaching me the right thing to do for the sake of the outreach I signed up for.
"By the way, your team has been outside, deciding how the whole thing should go, and maybe, they might have tried contacting you and you were probably offline." She continued. "So, I advise you to go look for them outside instead of checking in at that club."
I nodded and turned, but then, I slipped into my mind to ask about the club and know why I shouldn't check in on it like she said.
"And the club, it's full of people you might consider rascals, sharp mouths, just the people you might consider the wrong kind of people." She added.
I paused. How come she knew just anything I thought of asking of? I turned to her, she was smiling and smoking, and her eyes were on me like thorns on a rose flower.
"Yes, I know what you want to ask." She said with smoke puffing off from her mouth and her nostrils, too. "How come I know whatever you want to ask."
She sucked the cigar one more time and blew off the smoke. She is such an interesting person, with such interesting instincts, or, maybe she had so far become too conversant with the kind of questions people ask when they come to the hotel, and thus wishes to make a name for herself.
"I merely wanted to tell you that you talk way too much." I scuffed. "And you call it smart. That's a good way of being psychological, but not with me."
She laughed and once again, closed in on me, her eyes bright with the flash of a passing light. I faced her, I looked her in the eyes without fear to ensure I didn't fall for her whatever trick.
"You are looking for a man you had a nightstand with." She whispered. "I can read that part of your mind that wants to fornicate, but not the rest of it because you are super reserved even in your mind."
She tapped my shoulder and smiled at me. "I am a witch."
Witch, I've only heard of them and read of them in books, then, I've seen a couple of people who refer to themselves as witch doctors, but I've never encountered one.
"How does that concern me?" I asked interestingly.
"You are a politician and I wish to be connected to the people at the top so I wouldn't waste my powers on mediocre." She replied. "Everybody wants to get to the top in this country, even the devil."
I laughed. Yes, my laughter was a safe one because no matter how loud it was, the music playing was there to muffle the whole thing and make it fair just for our hearing.
"And you want to begin with me?" I asked.
"Come on, aren't you thrilled I was able to tell you what you are looking for?" she asked. She now seemed agitated because I wasn't falling for her trick.
"Why do you have to come close to be able to tell me that, or did you see anyone pointing at me and saying he had a nightstand with me, I'm very sure I haven't done such." I snapped. I was lying, but what should I do if not lie?
"I can tell you his name, it's up there in your mind, and he calls you Stilettoes, please, go be with them, they are about to send someone to come fetch Sita Koussa, but I advise you visit your parents right after this outreach of yours, because soon, you won't be able to." She walked away.
I wanted to call her back and raise a mid-finger to her face, but I chose composure over being weird and super silly.
I turned and walked away, following the walkway. The guards at the door of each walkway have increased to three, and this time around, they were armed with AK47 riffles and they have bulletproof vests.
I passed the first walkway, the second, and on the third, a lady bumped into me.
"Lady Kouassi, I was asked to go call you." She said with a weak smile.
The lady, or rather, the witch got it right. She seemed to see both far and near, but she is of course of no use to me, and on the other hand, I can't let such a valuable asset get into the hands of those deadly politicians.
"Okay." I led the way and she followed respectfully without talking to me. She might be one of those who see me as god over them. the witch lady isn't one bit like that.