She had never thought she would live in a place like this, not even in her wildest imaginations, she had spent of course spent countless nights here before now due to her previous line of work, but that she'd own a home here - not just a home, beautiful children and a loving husband here had never occurred to her. Not here, on this Lagos island where the only people who lived here were the filthy rich and those who took care of their needs, there was no in between.
But here she was, in the juiciest part of the island and with the juiciest husband, a far cry from her life 5 years ago but she still wasn't sure if this life wasn't truly hers.
She still remember very clearly the first time she met Solu, she had gone out with a friend to meet a client who could come with a friend. It wasn't long before she was alone with the friend of her friend's friend Solu, as her friend and client left to presumably transact in private. She sat awkwardly with the hands on her laps not sure what to say, she wasn't used to silence from her men, they always wanted to talk about themselves, brag about this, that and what they can do for her, or at least tell her what to do, they spoke both with their mouths and hands all the way to her bedroom, but this friend of her friend's friend didn't look like he wanted to be taken care of and she didn't want to initiate anything, he just sat opposite her nodding to the music playing from the background. After a stretch of awkward silence she coughed and smiled sheepishly when he looked at her. He smiled back and followed with, "Are you alright?", "do you want anything?", she replied both questions with smiles and head shakes.
After another stretch of silence he asked her about her choice of music, what she love about Lagos and her favourite part of Lagos. They spoke until it was past 10 before they stood up to go, she did most of the talking because he only asked and even after she was done answering he kept looking at her and nodding so she continued talking. She didn't have to lie about anything as he didn't ask personal questions, she couldn't tell if it was on purpose, he just asked about her likes, her opinions on issues and life as a whole, she couldn't read much from his expression but the rapt attention with which he listened made her suspect he found her intelligent. It was drizzling when they walked outside, under the light she observed his features for the first time, he was beautiful in an interesting kind of way, his mini afro glittered even more when the rain drops fell on it, his lips were red and full. The rain didn't look like it was going to stop soon, he explained he came with his friend in a car and couldn't leave without him, she smiled in understanding. He didn't even ask her name, he just stood there smiling and waved as her taxi moved away.
They didn't meet again till about six weeks later, in the lobby of another hotel where she was hanging around hoping to find prospective customers and he was there for a business meeting. When he walked into the lobby she was seated at a corner, he walked up to her after seeing her and stretched out his hand with a large smile, she took his soft hand in hers assuming it was a handshake but she held on to it and pulled her up and led her out to his car. They spent the rest of the day and night together in his 17th floor Eko Atlantic apartment, this time he did the talking, telling her about the stress of work, how he hadn't had a good sleep in a week and pressures from his mother, he spoke till he fell asleep. This man was confusing her, she wasn't sure what he wanted but she didn't want to leave him just yet. The next day he asked her to accompany him to an event at some hotel later that evening, she agreed. It was clear to her once she walked into the event that this place wasn't for people like her, he didn't comment on her dress but she knew immediately it was inappropriate, even the ladies who dressed too sexy did so with class, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her in her open back form-fitting gown that stopped just few centimetres below her romp and her face padded with too many layers of make up, her lips covered with the thickest of reds. The ladies who greeted him ignored her and the men looked confused. She ran to the bathroom and washed everything off her face but that didn't make her feel part of the evening so she waited in his car till the evening was over. The next day she bought her first ever suit.
In the days and weeks that followed he kept her close and then closer, soon he gave her a key to his place and began spending his money on her, nice dinners, clothes, jewelleries and the rest of it, he never dictated for her, he let her pick whatever she wanted and do whatever she wanted to do. The night they finally did it was the most confusing of her life, this was her life, her hustle, her job; she had done it all with her clients, she went as far as they wanted so long their pocket was deep enough; but with him she was at a loss, she wasn't sure if she should be forward or withdrawn, she didn't want him to think he was just one of her other men. He had never asked her what she did for a living and how she got into it but he sure had to know. But it was fine, great actually; he is the kind of man that considered her satisfaction as important as his. He paid attention to all parts of her body; breasts, nipples, toes, stomach, back and her mushy flesh, she vibrated in ecstasy even before he was inside. At the end of everything when they laid in silence, her head on his chest, she looked up at him and said, 'My name is Preye Jaja, I'm from Opobo in Rivers State'. He had never asked, he called her 'big eyed girl' and 'my big eyed girl' when he wanted to be softer.
Weeks and months passed and they were officially an item, he didn't ask her to be anything to him, she didn't agree to be his anything, they grew into whatever it is they were. Life with Solu was different from the life she had known all her life, there was an external feeling of security she felt, she wasn't sure if it was because of the money or the knowledge that in her new life she wasn't just a pawn to be exchanged for a need, that she now had a choice. With Solu came his friends and colleagues, they were as rich as himself and appeared to have known each other all their lives, milk and butter children grown into milk and butter adults who didn't seem to know there was another type of life besides the one they had.
Solu did not seem to mind that a certain kind of choice we're expected from people like him, he made his choices like a kid, whatever lit his eyes he chose without considering the consequences, he chose her. To his female friends she was nonexistent, they could never wait for him to finish introducing her so she could disappear off their radar, his male friends made faces but never said anything, not in her presence at least, she had seen in eyes that "pass her to me when you're done" look.
She never ceased to worry that she'd one day run into someone she had bedded before.
Her new shoes, clothes, bags and new lifestyle wasn't enough to make the people in this her new life see her in a different light, she knew they had somehow found out about her past, she recognized the looks in their eyes, the contempt with which they looked at her. But she didn't care, she was the one he chose, she was the one fucking him and most importantly she wasn't his companion only at nights, he took her along during the daytime and hold onto her like his briefcase.
Countless times when he engaged too long with a female friend she went over to him and hugged him, he would continue his conversation and without looking slip one hand around her waist to pull her closer before planting a kiss on her forehead.
Whether or not he knew something new about her Solu's attitude didn't change.
She had hoped things would change but they hadn't, not after the 3 years she courted Solu and in her four years of marriage to him, her past hung over her and her future like a thick cloud blanket shielding off the sun off her path. Without Solu she was a nobody, even his mother considered her his mistress, that she bore her grandchildren didn't elevate her status.
But what bothered her the most was Solu, he appeared completely oblivious of the fact that his wife was a former whore, in their early years she suspected he wasn't convinced or wanted to recruit her as his personal bitch until he found someone deserving. But he married her, even after it was publicly revealed she had slept with some of his coworkers and friends.
She sometimes wonder what his game plan is, it makes no sense at all that a man of his status would discard all the women at his disposal and come for her. More than once she had thought of sitting him down for a say-it-all session but had never gathered the nerve since she was the disadvantaged one, he had never thrown it in her face, had never mention it, everyday when he returns home he plays with the children on the floor and in the night pulls her onto him as if she were a virgin.
Even her wouldn't pick her if she were him.