Bobo Lagos

Bobo lagos room was tastefully furnished. It had every appliance a social bachelor would

desire to have. A big colored TV set was placed at the corner of the room on a big glass shelf, on the

shelf was a video player and a big bass stereo with its speakers on both sides of the shelf. The room was

lavishly rugged with a thick and fluffy blue rug and a four-piece settee to match. A master size bed

mattress was kept at the corner of the room. It was neatly laid with a white bedspread with blue stripes.

There was a creamed colored curtain with blue flowers adding more effect of coolness to the room. The

wall was filled with posters of half-naked women and heavily built tattooed men. Adara squeezed her

face for she disliked them a sea view adored with flowers would have been preferable, she thought. She

shivered slightly as the breeze that came from the air-conditioner penetrated her skin. A large standing

fan was also blowing heavily from a corner in the room. The fluorescent bulb was switched on as it was

beginning to get dark.

Adara wondered how she would cope living with a full grown man in the same room. She

anticipated that Bobo lagos would have an apartment like one in the village where most of its rooms

were always empty. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She wanted to go for it, but

she was interrupted by Alaye as he has instructed her to call him, he stopped her in told her to go and

hide under a table in the kitchen which served as a host for the utensils. Adara concealed herself

perfectly well. Soon, Alaye opened the door and five hefty men trooped in and saluted him all chanting

some thuggish slangs, one of the men opted for a drink and went to the fridge, he picked his drink and

also picked one for each of the men. They gulped it down hurriedly as if it were a race. Soon Alaye got dressed, Aadra almost peed herself when she all the men bringing out small shiny guns. They all trooped 

out including Alaye behaving as if he had forgotten she was there.

It took Adara almost eternity to recover from the sock and regain enough strength to crawl out

of the table. Her nine-year-old mentality could make her discern that her host was a ruthless and

fearless armed robber. She couldn’t sleep all through the night partially because she was terribly hungry

but mainly because she awaited the arrival of her host. It was around 5am that she finally dozed off on

one of the chairs she had been sitting on, thinking of her survival and all the hardship she had been

facing.

Alaye didn’t return home until late in the evening of the third day. Adara was able to get herself

fed, for the inspector had come to check on her welfare. He brought with him a bag of few clothing.

Fortunately for the poor girl, she now had all her belongings intact. The inspector gave her another one

hundred naira and there was also a pack of food for it was still hot. Adara was extremely happy with the

inspector, she knelt and thanked him with gratitude. The inspector waited for her to finish eating her

food. She couldn’t hide the depth of her hunger, she ate voraciously but she slowed down a bit when

she noticed the inspector was staring at her and smiling. After she ate, the inspector told her about

himself and his family. He said he was happily married with a son. He also told her a bit of what he had

been through at childhood that’s why he understood what she was going through. He went further by

imploring her never to hesitate getting in touch with him when help was needed. He bade the girl

farewell, and then went his way. When Alaye returned, he came with a light-complexioned slim lady. Adara had to excuse herself

from the room without being told. She therefore decided to take a walk round the street. She was on

her way back when she found a boy of her age group probably a few years older than her sitting on the

edge of a gutter crying. She moved nearer to the boy and asked him what was wrong. The boy then as if

Adara`s question was a sting to intensify his crying. Adara sat next to him and helped him relax. It took

the crying boy a while to calm the crying boy down. When he later did, he narrated to Adara his ordeal

from the hands of his stepmother, how she had maltreated him, and thrown him out. He was now

stranded and penniless. He didn’t even know when to go to. Adara took pity on the boy and thanked

goodness she had taken two hundred naira from her little stash of cash. She gave the boy a hundred

naira note out of the two hundred naria note she had on her. The boy was extremely grateful. Adara 

went her way not really getting the name of the boy although he had told her. When she returned

home, she met Alaye alone as the girl had left.

She greeted him and went straight to lie down at the corner of the room. Alaye asked her to get 

up and to her surprise, he handed her a plate of food. It was obvious that the lady had cooked before

leaving. She thanked Alaye and sat up to eat. He asked her why she was sitting on the floor and not on

the chair. She then sat on the chair and began to eat.

“I want to talk to you, Adara,” Alaye said as he gave her a sachet of water and sat opposite to

her. She nodded as a way of saying she was listening. “You know you are a very pretty girl. All I did for

you and your mother was done for your sake. I have always liked you and what you to be close to me. So now that my luck has it, and you are with me, would you be my friend?” Alaye concluded laughing

wickedly.

Adara was puzzled. She couldn’t quite understand if all he said were compliments or something

else. “E-eh-mm, thanks for your entire help, sir, but I don’t quite understand you for we are friends

already, sir,” Adara stammered.

“Look her, girl; you are no longer a kid if you think you are. Nothing goes for free here in lagos

and especially with Alaye. For you to keep staying with me, you have to in exchange be like a wife to me.

You would practice all a wife should do, such as washing my clothes, cooking my meals, tidying up

everywhere and also be my companion in bed,” Alaye spat it all out.

Adara was shocked beyond measure at her host who she had always considered as a brother

and a friend had said. How could this man be so cruel and heartless? She thought. “sir, I don’t still

understand all you have said,” she said trying to excuse herself.

“You don’t understand what!” Alaye shouted making Adara jump. “How can a ten year-old-girl

tell me she didn’t understand what I just said in clear language? Liar! Idiot! Bloody fucking liar!” he

shouted furiously creating an atmosphere of fear.

“Sir, please have compassion on me and help me for the love of God. Please don’t do this to

me,” Adara pleaded. “Would you shut up? Did you just say God? You haven’t been given birth to before I had known

God and here you her talking to me about God. Now, Adara, or whatever your name is, you understand

what I want for you, and if you can just do that, I assure you of the best education, clothing, feeding and

so on. Come to think all of all you would get back by just the acceptance of my proposal,” Alaye lured

her, trying to put up a fake convincing smile.

“Sir, please, that’s not morally right …”

“Then leave my house!” Alaye shouted cutting the girl short of her pleas. Adara was thrown out 

of her shelter by Alaye that evening. It was about sunset then and the sky was pregnant with rain. she

wondered what she would do where she would go she was lost in thought as she didn’t know what life

held in store for her.