THE FLY ON THE WALL-THE POOL PARTY II
The weather is fantastic today; it’s windy and seems like it might rain. I get off the phone with Erika, inhaling the sweet smell of wet soil, a cold breeze, and grey skies. Speaking off, I think to call my bae Kenneth, and — I — oops! Recall that I am the other woman, “the absolute ghetto.”
Anyway, I approach the address Erika sent, a big black gate with a beautiful fence aesthetically decorated by crawling plants and thick shrubs. I wound down my glass to speak to security. He confirms I’m on the list and grants me access. Driving in, I see a massive fountain in the middle gushing out the most transparent water I’ve ever seen in a minute. ‘This is some luxurious shit.’ Looking for a parking space, I find one just right by a mad-ass black Benz. Whew! This car is sweet! I wonder who owns it. Now I’m wondering who and how many people are coming to the party! I’ll be good if it’s fun and I unwind from the week’s hassles.
I head to the door and ring the bell.
Erika answers it.
“Hey, Baby Girl!”
Hi Sis!
“I’m so glad you made it! It’s going to be L-I-T-T-Y AS FUXK!” She screams.
*Chuckling* Ahn ahn… This one, you’re so excited; what’s up?
“You just wait! This party will be the cherry on top of your frisky spa session.”
Erika winks at me, and we both laugh. A nice-looking babe walks up to us, waving at me.
“Bridge, this is Flo, aka Florence.” “Flo, this is Bridge, short for Bridget.”
She hugs me and pecks both cheeks. I reciprocated, of course, but I could tell she’s not from here, nor does she live in Nigeria because we no dey move that way. Her ascent confirms it as they speak to each other.
Erika grabs me by the elbow, and we walk into the back section of the house. There is a beautiful fresh pool at the end of the yard, facing lovely scenery.
“Oh wow! Erika! How did you find this location.”
“This? “Incredible, isn’t it? This is my lovely ex’s pool house; he calls it the “beach house” because of the view.
Wow! This view is incredible! I could see the bright street lights of my amazing city. At the top of this hill, we can see the most significant estate in West Africa, the Gwarinpa estate. From a mile, the roads lead to life camp and the extensions. I’m awed by the beauty of my city yet saddened by its current situation. I wish we could end it all. I wish we could EndSars because 2/3 of us will be leaving for good a few months from now. We spent our childhood on these streets. I remember our night strolls to go buy Suya. How safe, calm, and quiet we all felt. Had we known the future, we would have opted out earlier, but we were hopeful.
Erika snaps her fingers at me to wake me from my daydreaming.
We each grab a pool chair while Erika picks up the bag from a table and drags the stool to the side.
“Here you go, ladies; you can change into these.”
She hands over two swimsuits to Bridge and me.
‘Girl, I dunno about these swimsuits. “Can’t you see it might just rain?’
“Just wear it is; we are at a pool party, not a housewarming. Plus, you have this sexy kimono to wear just in case you get cold.”
Bridge and I take off our clothes and lay them on the side.
She lights a blunt and passes it to me.
“Ha, lovely, now I can relax. What strain is this? Please tell me it’s a Sativa, or be ready to lay a bed for me.”
“Ha ha, of course, it’s Sativa.”
Well, she lied. Not intentionally, though. Erika does not know the difference between strains because she claims it all feels the same to her, except for the hybrids. For some reason, they make her puke.
I take a few drags and pass the blunt to Bridge. She takes a few puffs, and I hand them back to Erika.
“What a view, man,” says Bridge.
“I know, right? That reminds me. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
‘Oh no, Erika, not again!’
“What? Trust me, he’s a catch!”
‘Abeg, Abeg! Not one guy you’ve tried matchmaking with is my type. Besides, matchmaking people, especially me, does not work.’
“That’s because you never give them a try.”
‘Girl, bye!’
Bridge cuts in; “First of all, what is your type?”
‘Well,’
“Lemme tell you, she likes them bald, skinny, tall, and stylish, and for a babe that looks like her, you’d think wealthy too, but she doesn’t give a damn.”
‘Hello, sis… that’s not entirely true. I do like a wealthy man, but please, the source of his income matters to me. I no like stray bullet.’
“A moral queen!” “I stan!” says Bridge.
‘Thank you, better pikin!’
“Abegiii, who that one epp?”
‘Ah, it epps me o and my entire generation. We do not intend to attract curses. Also, not necessarily skinny. I would prefer a bald and relatively slim-fit man. My taste buds have adjusted over the years. I also like them with a “dad bod” and average height, as long as they are fit, semi-muscular, or with a boxer’s stature!’
pause
— And most importantly, without a beard! Then you can sign me up!’
The girls collectively laugh.
Bridge: “I can relate to your preference. Honestly, I like men who look like me, and I can’t be with a short guy like Abeg.”
Erika: More for me, I guess.
They unison.
‘Bridge, don’t mind this one; she’s a freelancer; everything goes as long as they’re wealthy.’
Erika: “Ayyy, girllll! You know me. As long as that money is LONG and is entering my pocket, we are good to go! “
We all scream, “MATERIAL GIRLLLL!” with our tongues out, laughing our ribs out!
Erika’s phone rings.
“Yes! My guests are arriving. Be right back, ladies. “
“Lemme go get some wine,” Bridge says and passes the blunt to me, following Erika behind.
I’m left alone with my thoughts and some good weed. I feel so chilled and relaxed that I might not need to dance anymore, except the liquor wakes me up, and I meet a fine pie at the party.
It ought to be lit! Erika knows a lot of people, and I’m talking about a range of them, from regular to average to rich and famous. Her mom is one of the city’s leading women in fashion, lifestyle, and nightlife. She has been working for her mom since she turned eighteen. As for her father, he is a renowned “pastor” in one of these famous churches, called Seven Heavens Apostolic Church. I know, right? What an irony. How opposites attract, just as she and I are friends, and I am the mellow one. Erika says I’m the sanest friend because she tends to be grounded around me. Still, with her other friends, it’s a different story. We could go to wild places. I can handle myself and not do things I dislike, like driving while intoxicated, doing lines on a stripper’s ass, or being loud at the table. Thank God I’ve grown and am a more mellow woman. You can’t catch me looking unfresh.
Erika is the girl I’ll call for anything and almost everything when I’m in desperate need. We balance each other. We make such good friends.
As I sat in the pool reminiscing about our friendship, I felt a cold hand gently squeeze my shoulder.
“Hi Florence, how are you doing.”
Huh? I look over. ‘Hell no! It’s him. The clown Erika intends to match me with.’
‘Argh. Oh my God, not you!’
“Hey, please be calm; I come in peace, please.” chuckling.
‘Indeed.
“I swear! It’s been a while since we last spoke. I just want to catch up and check up on you, Flo. That’s all.”
I was enjoying peace and quiet before the lad interrupted Kmt.
“Flo?”
‘Abeg, abeg, leave this place. Why are you calling me Flo, like we are besties?’
He tried to pass me his blunt but realised I’d got mine. I take a drag and lie quietly while he stares at me with a smile on his face. This man is infatuated with me, and I can feel it every time he comes close to me, and we all know that’s not good. Mainly because it comes from a person, I do not remotely find attractive. He begins talking, starting another conversation, but I stay still, high and minding the blunt that feeds me.
I interrupt: we don’t have to talk, so don’t chase me away. You can just enjoy the view, as I am, and the smoke.
“Ahn, ahn, but this is a pool party, babe; we are supposed to be having fun, nau not — ”
“Flo!” “Come See!”
Bridge calls out to me from the entrance. I turned immediately to answer. Whew! Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me as always.
I leave without saying a word to him so that he gets the message, even though the notice is as clear as the water at the fountain.
“Gosh! God bless you, babe! “ “What?” She giggles as we enter a crowd of people in the living room. The music is loud, but not so loud that we can’t hear ourselves think! I’m impressed by the soundproofing because I couldn’t hear much of the noise and music at the pool.
“Girl, this party is parked!” “Meet my friends, Kunle, Jessie, Peji, and Jeffery.”
When she stopped at Jeffery, I froze. My lashes automatically batted like a doll, and my eyes and lips widened like the chaster cat from Alice in Wonderland. Oh my, Jeff. I nodded at the rest but stretched to shake Jeffery’s hand. I love the look on his face, his eyes, and his smile. They matched mine. We are in sync. Every sound in the room fell to the ground, and we just kept staring at each other, ignoring the others staring at us. I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand, my chest, and my glory walls tighten as we drool.
“OKAY, GUYS…” Bridges’ voice busts our bubble, and their unison laugh snaps us back to reality. Jeffery and I slowly let go of each other’s hands, blushing.
We get into the party, taking a tour of the hallways, rooms, and every corner. People were dancing, doing drugs, smoking, and, you know, all that adult —typical Abj party.
Then I trail away from them; I accidentally barge into a sex room; oh shit! It’s an ORGY. There were a lot of people half-naked, and amidst them was Erika. She looked up immediately and met my eyes, smiling sheepishly, seductively stretching her hands, inviting me in. I said “nope” and slammed the door behind me. As I turn around, I bump into Jeffery.
*screaming at the top of our lungs*
“Hi, Florence!”
“Hey, Jeffery. Are you having fun? “
“Kinda! This party is crazy. “ I laugh in agreement.
“I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit in just these few minutes.” I signal him to come to see; I walk to the orgy room and open it slightly; he peeps for a slight second and moves back. We laugh, and he asks me if I’d love to chat; I nod. His palm grabs mine strongly yet softly, and like an enchanted doll, I follow him to wherever he is taking us. I hadn’t felt this fatal attraction in a long while, and the last time I did, I was almost a decade younger.
Before we got to the door, 🎶 “Winter by Permsky Kray” 🎶 came on.
We both froze. No freaking way! We turned to each other, threw our hands in the air, and danced like David danced.
The way our bodies rhymed to the song, I felt like I had met my kindred soul.
🎶 Winter 🎶 played in the background for 2 minutes, but it felt like 20. I thought we were in an electric shield, a bubble surrounding us. I put my hand in my bra and brought out the blue pill. Bridget slid it to me whilst she saved me from that lad at the back. I slowly placed it at the tip of my tongue so he could see me take it. As I closed my mouth to chew, he came toe to toe and mouthed to me, “Can I kiss you?”
God, I feel flushed.
Nodding
His smooth palm slid over my neck as he bent his long neck to kiss me. I felt his right palm squeeze my waist.
____
I’m alive.
_____
You need to see what our tongues are doing.
Our tongues trussed the pill back and forth. Exchanging a long french kiss like we were long-term lovers. Good, God! He’s so passionate, slow, soft, and tender. And he smells so good. Once, Jeffery gave me a break by pecking me on the lips about three times. I used the opportunity to grind the tablet with my teeth; once we resumed French kissing, the powder split evenly down our throats.
The music stops playing, and the crowd goes crazy, giving the DJ a thunderous round of applause. We break our kissing tournament laughing and blushing at each other’s lustfulness. Everyone is impressed and lit; as always, Erika’s party is a blast. And I feel like I’m in a 90’s movie club scene.
We laughed out of the party to the front pavement, right in front of the water fountain. I catch a glimpse of the dark, white-grey skies, but I ignore it. I don’t want to worry or think about anything else aside from this moment.
‘Naaa, that was unbelievably mad a$ fuxk!’
Jeffery: “I know, right? I can’t believe how we synced into this party, and the song just crowned it all.”
‘LIKE!!!’
“God bless ALTÉ.” He screams.” “Laughing.”
I feel nervous, but I’m way too high and ecstatic to show that emotion.
We pause for a minute, stargazing into each other’s eyes. Our words fail us, yet we keep trying to introduce ourselves properly.
Jeffery begins telling me how drawn he is to me. He apologises for staring too much because he thinks I’m the most beautiful woman he has ever seen besides his mom. I just met this lad, and he’s saying all the right things and making me laugh my ribs out like a secondary school chick being toasted by a boarding school boyfriend who jumped the fence to visit her at the school social night.
Mahn… Love is sweet; happiness is a drug I will always prescribe, or is it the pill that makes me feel this way?
We hear the thunder roar from a distance.
Oh shit! It’s about to rain!’
“Ah! No. God, please, I’m not ready to go!!!’ He says, wrapping his big, long hands around me. We get up, giving each other a big, tight hug. I can sense him fighting the urge to kiss me, so he plants one on my forehead.
The freaking thunder roars again; this time, it feels like my father is sending Amadioha to rush me home. While still hugging him, I look up, rolling my eyes at this miserable weather.
Smiling ear to ear, “Please tell me I’ll see you again.” Instead, can I get your number?
His smile is so beautiful and genuine; it makes me feel a beat in my tummy and pretty tight in my jello.
‘Of course, you’ll see me again, Jeffery. ‘
I collect his phone and dial my number.
“ I’m so glad I met your Florence.” Blushing
“Me too, Jeffery.”
We head back inside so I can change. I attempted to book a Bolt ride on my phone, but he stopped me and insisted that he book it through his phone since I declined him driving me all the way home in my car. Then he’ll jump a bolt to bring him back to the party to join his friends. Lol, what a sweet lad! But we are intoxicated, so why would I trust that he can handle my wheels better than I?
It’s getting pretty windy. I tried to find Erika and Bridge but couldn’t find them, so I hugged Jeffery one more time before boarding the cab. The wind shoves me into the car with dust, debris, and mosquitos.
I watch Jeffery wave goodbye as the cab takes me away from him.
“🎶Troubled Youth 🎶” Fade in
“ Omo! Na my death warrant by this? ”
Chapter three… the Final lap
