YEJIDE (episode 1)

The story of a prostitute…..

Writer’s note: As you read this story, you will come across pidgin English in a few places. I’m sorry if you don’t understand pidgin because they were not really translated but I’m certain if you just follow it, you’ll understand the storyline and get to know what they mean. Apart from that, normal English was mostly used. Thanks for your understanding.

Episode 1

It was about 11:00pm and Yejide still hadn’t found a customer. She looked around and saw that the other prostitutes were already getting picked up in fancy cars. She began to get really pissed until a car drove up to her. She looked at the car and squeezed her face even more because according to her, she could tell what a man already had to offer her by his ride. She looked away and acted like she didn’t see the car. The man in the car opened the window and called out to her with a strong Igbo accent;

“Hey betiful gal, omalicha, kedu? How are you?”

At this point, Yejide who was still looking away moved away from the car even though she knew he was trying to get her attention.

“Betiful gal, I’m talking to you na. Business don close?”

When she heard this, she got irritated, moved closer to the car and said her mind;

“Omo Igbo. I no gree now. You dey chase all my customers. Abeg waka.”

“Ahn ahn! Why you dey talk like dis na. I be new customer be dat. I get money na.”

Yejide saw how persistent the man was and not angry even after she spoke rudely to him so she asked him a question;

“How much you get?”

“Betiful girl, enter car fest na.”

She finally agreed and entered the car. As she got in, he brought out some money from a bag he had kept at the back seat and handed it over to her. It was a stack of money. She looked at it and was very surprised to see the lot but she pretended to the man like it was a small portion compared to what she normally got from her other customers. Then, the man brought out some money out of the bag again and handed it to her, letting her know that, it was all he had. She accepted it and after a little discussion, they drove to a hotel together.

The next day, Yejide got back home to her one-bedroom, self-contained house that she shared with her friend by around past two in the afternoon. She entered the house to find it empty as she had left it the previous night. She yelled her friend’s name but nobody answered so she locked the door behind before heading for the bed. As she sat, she took off her heels and brought out the money she had obtained from the previous night. She looked at the stack of money and smiled boldly but then the smile suddenly turned into a frown. She became sad and a little depressed. She had been thinking about the life she was living and confessed to herself that she hated it. She knew what it all meant as a prostitute but according to her and her friends, it was what put food on the table. She wasn’t a graduate from the university neither did she finish her secondary school. She had wished back then that she would complete her senior secondary school and attend a university but life wasn’t as it seemed. Every time she had this thought, she only gave herself excuses in order to avoid the truth or guilt that she felt. So as usual, she made yet another excuse and shook off the sadness. It wasn’t long when she saw the door open and in came Dupe, her roommate. She put the money back into her bag as a conversation sprang up between them.

“Ahn ahn ashewo, you don come back?” Dupe said to Yejide.

“Dupe, ah don tell you make you no dey call me dat name.”

“Bet no be ashewo you be”

“ah don tell you make you no dey call me dah name Dupe.” She said to Dupe angrily.

“Oya I’m sorry. No be play ah dey play. You sef ehn. Yeji baby! Oya I’m just joking. I’m sorry now.”

“I’ve heard.”

Dupe looked at Yejide with a funny face and they both burst into laughter.

“Yejide, you funny sha oo” Dupe said.

“No start again oo” Yejide replied and Dupe immediately put her hands in the air in surrender. They smiled again before Dupe asked Yejide about their landlord. She asked if he had come around again to talk about his rent and Yejide replied that she just got back home. They talked about their day and previous night since they were both into the same business. After talking about their encounters and night, they both brought out money to contribute for their house rent and not long after, their landlord came knocking on their door. As they opened the door, they greeted their landlord who immediately asked for his rent. After giving him his rent, they shut their door as he left the premises. They continued talking until they were exhausted. Yejide decided to prepare some food while Dupe decided to go take a bath.

While Yejide was preparing food at the kitchen outside her flat that she shared with some of her neighbors, she heard a man’s voice. It was the voice of oga Lucas as they normally call him. He was one of Yejide’s neighbors in his thirties who was not married and always had something to say whenever he came in contact with Yejide.

“My wife! How are you?” he said as he entered the kitchen.

“Oga Lucas, wetin you dey find?”

“My wife, I was, I mean I am looking at….I mean I am looking for you.”

“Oga Lucas, I know sey English hard but please I’m not your wife. Stop looking for me now”

“My wife, don’t say that now. Hmm, dis tin wey you dey cook, na for me and you abi?”

Yejide rolled her eyes at him before laughing. He was very annoying but he was also a funny man. He always looked and acted drunk even though he wasn’t a drunkard. It was just his nature to act stupid some times. He started singing when he saw that Yejide was trying not to pay attention to him again.

“My wife Yeji Yeji dey make me kolo eh, kolo eh…”

When he started singing, Yejide got really annoyed and frustrated so she told him to leave the kitchen. On his way out, Dupe was just coming out from the bathroom when she met oga Lucas coming out from the kitchen so she greeted him;

“Ahn ahn oga Lucas. Good afternoon oo.”

“Ahh Dupe, good afternoon oo. I just went to see my wife and she chased me away. Can you imagine?”

“Oga Lucas! You sef, you’re not tired? Yejide no gree now.”

“You be Yejide’s mind. No annoy me oo. Ah don dey go sef.” Oga Lucas said angrily while leaving Dupe behind. Dupe just smiled and retired to her room.

After Yejide was done preparing food for both of them, they ate together and rested. By night time, they were already dressed in their business outfit heading for their spot. They, that is, Yejide, Dupe and all the others used to lurk around one area in Lagos. That spot was very populated with prostitutes and even though several incidents had occurred there, they never seemed to reduce in size. This faithful night, Yejide met a young man who she thought was very good looking. In the essence that, he looked rich and he was handsome. She had been given a huge sum that night by the man and she had happily followed the man to the hotel as usual. After a night of fulfilling this man’s desires, they slept until the following morning. That morning, she got up early and was dressing up when he woke up and spoke out;

“Where do you think you’re going?” Yejide looked at him in a confused state before speaking up;

“I’m going home.”

“Not until you give me back my money”

“Ahn ahn, see me see wahala oo”

“Why should I give you my money?”

“I will not ask you after this. Give me my money!”

“Shuoo, Oga which one be dis. Abeg no even start oo” she said before ignoring him, putting on her shoes and picking up her bag. As she was done dressing up and was about heading out the door, she received a hot slap on her face that made her fall to the ground. When she recovered from the slap, she looked up and found a gun pointing at her.

“Now! Give me my money!” the man said, leaving Yejide in shock.

She paused for a while, still in shock before opening the zip of her handbag to bring out the money he had given her the night before.

To be continued…..