The Devil's Incarnate

19 - Escaping The Hotel - 2009

Sobrina made a show of relaxing at the hotel's pub so that people would notice her presence, while her new friend was getting ready for the club, upstairs. She walked out with her roommate who was heading to the club at Veronica Island, and pretending she only wanted to buy medicine for cough which was disturbing her. She branched at an ATM after she parted with her roommate, inserted the debit card and tried for ten thousand. She was new to the use of ATMs, which was a new technology in her country. She wasn't aware there was a way to verify exactly how much her new friend had in her bank account. To her delight, the ATM responded positively.

With excitement, she wrapped the money together with the card in a black plastic bag, and on her way back to the hotel, she dropped it in a public waste basket.

Sobrina returned to the hotel's pub, calmly took a seat, bought herself a bottle of water and began to take the medication she had bought at the pharmacy.

One minute later, her new friend ran into the pub like a crazy woman, she was accompanied by her roommate, screaming at Sobrina as she had anticipated.

"Give me my money and my card", she commanded, waving her open hand at Sobrina.

The girls at the pub quickly took Sobrina's side, they gathered behind her, shouting back at her new friend, telling her that Sobrina had been sitting in the pub all night.

Sobrina's new friend was generally hated by the rest of the ladies, she was pompous. Sobrina didn't have to say a word, the other ladies fought for their "Smally" - as they called her. The matter was finally settled by the Governess - a lady selected by the hotel management to oversee the other girls.

The Governess said Sobrina and her new friend would taken to visit a "Babalawo" - a voodoo priest - the following day, to determine what had actually happened.

Two hours later, after Sobrina's new friend had left for the club with her roommate, the Governess invited Sobrina to her room.

"Abeg sidon, how you dey?", she questioned in pidgin.

"I dey fine", Sobrina responded.

"Where you come from?"

"Nimo State", Sobrina lied.

"I also come from Nimo State, where exactly for Nimo?"

"Erra"

"You see say you be my sister? Our place no too far from Erra. Okay, I say make I tell you, you see Baba wey we dey go see tomorrow morning, if he catch you say na you thief that money, one for two things go happen to you. One, either he nack you madness there and then, or two, we go naked you, sing for you, dey patrol you around the whole Idu international market, and any time wey you come Lagunde you no go see wetin you fine come. So, if you know say na you, jeje go bring that debit card and money come give me, I go jeje give am back, no body go know wetin happen", the Governess concluded.

Sobrina stood her ground, insisted she only went out to purchase medicine for cough and nothing more. The discussion was over and she left for her room.

On her way to her room, she spoke to one of the girls, she inquired as to if she could go to the club, since she was no more traveling back to school the following day, and the girl said, "yes, of course".

Sobrina took only the new things she had bought for school in one handbag and left the hotel, leaving behind the rest of her accumulated belongings.

She got to the waste basket where she had dropped the plastic bag containing the money and the card, and retrieved it. She took a motorcycle to a different hotel located far from Idu Island. She paid for the night and out of annoyance went to the nearest ATM, and withdrew the rest of what was left in her new friend's bank account.

It was a total of forty-five thousand. When the money stopped coming out, she sighed loudly - "I thought you even had money, b***h!"