by Damien Dsoul
The week came to an end and I returned to the embassy to pick up my approved visa, it was like a rock had been lifted off my shoulders. Thaddeus Black wanted us to celebrate. We went to a bar that evening and one of his girlfriends came and met us there with a friend of hers. Once again I declined the offer. We had a couple of beers and then the four of us went to his place. I stayed up late flipping through the TV channels while he and both women made a hell of a noise inside the bedroom. What a guy.
I almost didn’t feel like returning home after he’d dropped me off at the Greyhound and we’d shook hands and he told me to keep in touch. He gave me some pointers before I left: watch my money and only spend when I need to, especially on food and transportation; try not to be too obvious; blend in, even though down there I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb because of my skin; and make friends only when necessary, find someone who can make things easy-going for me. But most importantly: don’t ever try to be a hero. If I see something I couldn’t handle, bail out and fetch whatever authority I can find to handle the situation. I hope to pay him a visit when I return.
I’d started preparing for my travel when I returned home immediately. My folks had enquired where I was packing a bag to but I lied that it was a summer project trip I’d signed up with the school to be involved in. I told them I’d call them in a few days once I’d gotten settled in. I didn’t know how long I would be gone and I’d nearly withdrawn much of my savings to make the trip with.
It seemed so long ago that all that had happened. Even now it was still hard for me to believe that I was actually travelling to a foreign land all by myself. I have been to England before, but I knew this trip was going to be like that. A part of me trembled with anticipation at whatever was bound to come my way that I didn’t yet know about.
A day had slipped away. It was early morning when our plane entered Nigerian airspace. A lot of the passengers inside clapped their hands and whopped with joy as the plane touched down on the runway and we taxied towards the Cape City International airport. We filed out of the plane and I followed the movement of the crowd into the airport and waited to claim my baggage. Clarence had emailed to me discreetly much of what little information he could as to the name of the resort Catherine’s parents had paid for. I had visited the resort’s online website before departing Buffalo, right after I’d gotten my approved Nigerian visa and made reservation for a room to go with the visa application. They sent me a return mail declaring that they’d received my deposited payment and travel iternary and would be sending a delegate to meet me at the airport at the scheduled time of my arrival. It was a good thing too because standing there in the airport while crowds of Nigerians and foreigners pushed past me to get at their luggage, I felt like someone actually lost. Not to mention that it was the wee early hours of the morning.
I found my bag and went with the crowd heading towards the outside of the airport. there were plenty of taxi drivers hanging about and several of them accosted me asking if I needed a ride; they were talking so fast I could barely catch what they were saying at once. I politely shook my head and kept on out of the airport.
There was a strange odour about the air I couldn’t tell what it was with the crowd jostling to get past me and people talking and shouting and car horns honking at the same time, it looks like chaos about to happen. People pushed past me without care. I went and reclined my back against the side of a van thinking what my next route would be. A good thing I still had the resort’s information in my bag.
“Good morning,” I heard someone say to me. I turned my head and a black man stood there wearing a shirt with the name and logo of the same resort I was here for. The man was smiling at me. We shook hands and he introduced himself: “My name is Elias. Queensland Hotel & Resorts welcomes you to Cape City, Nigeria, sir.”
I told him my name and that I was delighted to be here. He helped me with my bag and I walked along with him towards the resort’s van parked not far from the airport. He opened the door and I saw there was a white man seated inside wearing a straw-type of hat. Elias told me to wait inside while he went to fetch others whom he was there for. I sat next to the man with the hat and he introduced himself as Hugh Lawrence, a Briton. He was in his early-forties, greying hair and goatee beard and rumpled clothes. He asked where I was from and I told him. He gripped about the heat and opened his shirt to dab his neckline with his handkerchief. I too was uncomfortable sitting there and wished for Elias to find whomever he was out looking for and hurry back so we could get to some meaningful civilization.
He did find whom he was looking for - two white women, one of young enough to be my age-mate. Elias stowed their luggage in the back of the van while the ladies climbed into the van and we exchanged greetings and handshakes. The women were both blonde and Canadian; the older had a streak of grey in her brunette hair. Her name was Anya Dubois and the young girl that was a near copy of her was Heidi. Elias jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine, enquired if we were all okay in the back. We answered that we were, and then we were off.
It was a relief when we finally broke through the near insurmountable traffic that was at the junction leading out of the airport. There was a cacophony of blaring car horns and people stepping out of their cars haranguing with each other. Elias remained in the vehicle. Hugh laughed and told me this was his fourth time of being in Nigeria and he was starting to get used to the traffic situation; Anya and her daughter replied each other in rapid French; above our heads airplanes took off into the night’s sky.
The drive was a long one. I didn’t realize I was dozing until we drew to a halt and Hugh tapped my shoulder and told me we’re there. A film of sweat clung to my face and wiped it off with my handkerchief and looked out the window and true enough we were just driving past the gate of the Queensland Resort. The van drove round a circle fountain and Elias brought the vehicle to a halt.
It took little time for me to get my room key having confirmed my reservation and then into the elevator I rode to the second floor where my room awaited me. I tipped the porter after he’d laid my bag on the bed and he bid me welcome and closed the door as he stepped out of it.
I fell on the bed, tired. Finally I’d made it. I couldn’t believe it: all the endless days of talking and thinking things through and now here I was. In the same resort where my darling Catherine and her parents had stayed in before being declared missing. I was finally here; this was a big start in the right direction. The time on my watch was reading back home; here it was way past midnight. A day had just about gone by since I bid JFK goodbye and now I was jet-lag tired. I needed a shower but didn’t know if I could make it into the bathroom in time without passing out. I managed to unzip my bag and dig out my night clothes and changed into them before crawling into the bed. I was asleep before I knew it; I even forgot to turn off the lights.
***
I slept fitfully like one who hadn’t wished for sleep in a long while. There was a measure of light behind my closed eye lids and I probably still would have been sleeping had the cleaning lady not rang the doorbell wanting to know if I was up already. I got up with a groan, went and answered the door and told her to return in an hour. Wasn’t till I glanced at the bedside alarm clock that I realized it was a quarter past eight already; usually I was up by 6:30a.m. Then I reminded myself I wasn’t in Buffalo anymore, and I’d forgotten to change the time on my watch last night before I passed out.
The bathroom was inviting, especially the shower went I stood under its gushing water. I could almost feel New York leaving my body as I sponged my body and when I stepped out of the stall with the towel around my waistline, I felt somewhat renewed. I put on some clothes and got to putting the rest of my stuff away. I left my laptop on the reading table and when finished I called up the lobby and had them send me something to eat. I enquired as to their Wi-Fi system and within minutes I was hooked up. I wrote separate emails to Cl
arence, to Thaddeus Black and to my parents to let them know I’d arrived and would be keeping in touch later on. I wouldn’t be surprised my folks had tried calling me and couldn’t get through.
Catherine and her parents had checked into one of the apartment suites located on the sixth floor as Clarence’s information had told me; he’d furnished me with their room number too. I would have to figure out a means of getting into the room, maybe make an excuse of not liking my single room and wondering if I can change to see the suites to know if it’ll be to my taste; the least choice would be to bribe someone to let me into it. I thought about my other companions who’d arrived the resort - the Brit and the two Canadian women, wondering where in the hotel they might be.
A knock came on my door - my breakfast had arrived. The cleaning lady who’d knocked earlier returned again and this time I allowed her to do her work while I went on with my breakfast.
***
Find a friend, especially one who’ll make things easy-going for you.
Such were the words from Thaddeus Black I still remember. It was going to be a little tough finding or at least getting to know my way around things in here. I needed someone whom I could share some measure of trust with. The question was who.
I went down to the bar to get myself something to drink, but more to start finding my way through how I was going to go about my search in the resort. I felt exhilarated but at the same time overwhelmed by what lay ahead of me and I was hoping I hadn’t really gotten too over my head on this. For one thing I didn’t know to start or where to begin. I nearly fell off my stool when a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned my head and there was the smiling face of the Brit of the night before; he still had on his straw hat and he tipped it in courtesy and said hello to me.
“Hey there, buddy. Just the right man I’ve been searching around for,” he said as he pulled back a stool and planted himself on it. “Was wondering where they got you locked up in this building. Didn’t know how to find you and was busy wondering about it and then here you are. Jolly nice running into you again.”
“The same here,” I said, shaking his hand.
I was having myself a beer - Corona. He ordered the same himself. His words were so rapid I could barely catch what he was saying.
“Was admiring the ladies down at the pool section,” he winked at me as if in confidence. “Saw those two hotties we shared the van with last night too. Looking lovely in their bathing suites. Wonder where their men are. You curious?”
“Not really. They look pretty close, probably sisters.”
He snorted. “Those girls ain’t no sisters any more than you and I aren’t from the same mothers. Wonder how I came by that info?”
Listening to him talk was enough to make me know he was a pompous ass. I wasn’t really curious as to whatever information he had but decided to humour him. “Tell me.”
“Fellow that brought us in yesterday - Elias. I ran into him this morning and he and I got to talking a little this and that, and then he opened up to me. He’s a smooth operator, that bloke is.”
“He as well tell you what the ladies are here for?”
Hugh nodded. “Some man’s supposed to stop by later this evening. Fancy guy. Elias wouldn’t tell me who, but I guess he’s being careful not to find out I’m blabbing about it.”
That piqued my interest. The Elias fellow could just be the friend I’ve been thinking about.
“Where can I find him?” I asked.
***
I headed out towards the beach where Hugh told me he last saw Elias helping some of the staff putting up the cabana umbrellas. It was a hot day and a strong wind blew from the sea ruffling my clothes, blowing back my hair and cooling the heat that was within my clothes. There were other foreign couples running past me towards the sandy shore of the beach as if the water was going away. It occurred to me to wonder if the alleged kidnappers had in some way selected out Catherine and her parents along with the other couples and why hadn’t they gone after others. I made a mental note to ask Elias something regarding that once I’d gotten cosy with him.
As I got closer towards the beach I saw Elias and he saw me too and we both waved at each other and he told me he would be with me shortly as he was still helping set out lounge chairs and cabanas some feet from the shoreline. I looked out at the beach and sighted one of the Canadian women, Heidi, running towards my direction. I waved at her and she looked at me and smiled and came to meet me. We shook hands and told her she looked great in her swim suit; she thanked me for the compliment. She had a lovely laugh and her English was so fluid with little accent in her voice. I remarked that she had studied music at a college in Maryland.
“So, how come you’re out here all with yourself? I thought you’d be out with your friend?”
She said: “We were together a while ago, then she went out for a swim with a friend of hers. I don’t know where they’re at - oh, there they are.”
She pointed behind me. I turned towards where she meant and saw her friend, Anya in a light pink bikini walking with one of her arm wrapped around that of a black man. The black man was tall, broad-shouldered and athletic, wore knee-length shorts and had a towel draped over his neck looking like he just stepped out of a gym and he was saying something to her which got her laughing.
“Your friend is pretty looking,” I said.
“Don’t I look pretty enough?” she said.
“You look far better than her,” I turned to her.
“That’s a lot better. You here alone or with company?”
I’m alone. No one with me except myself.”
“Standing here, you don’t look so alone right now,” she flashed her eyes at me.
I was thinking of a snappy return to her flirting when her friend along with her male companion joined us. Anya and I shook hands and introduced me to her friend, Olu Shango. He was tall and bulky up-close and my hand practically disappeared in his when we shook hands.
“Hey there, Mike. What’s up with you, white boi?”
White boy?!? I’d never heard anyone call me that before. Almost at once a part of me didn’t like him and I hopped he wasn’t staying in the resort so I won’t have to run into him too often.
I talked with Heidi for a while and we exchanged room phone numbers and promised to meet down at the lounge later during lunch. She waved goodbye to me and ran over to join Anya and her friend as they in the direction of the lounge hut.
“I see you were talking with the Canadian ladies,” said Elias. I’d totally forgotten about him.
“Yes, I was. The British fellow you picked me up with last night mentioned that they aren’t related.”
“They’re nieces,” he said. “Though you won’t know just looking at them. But that’s not what you wanted to see me about, is it?”
We found ourselves a lounge chair and sat down. I stared at the Canadian women; a part of me felt wounded watching the way the women appeared to fawn over their black companion, then returned to Elias.
“I want to know if I can trust you, Elias. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you about and I think you’re the only person I can talk to. How well do you know the people that work here in this resort?”
He didn’t appear surprised by my words. In fact he seemed somewhat bemused by it. I know that’s probably because I wasn’t the first foreigner to want to confine to him about something. “I know just about everybody that works here, and they too know me. You want me to make a special favour for you: you want a woman for the night, you want to score some powder ... I can get you whatever it is you want for a price.”
I told him no, I didn’t want any woman ... and I wanted no drugs either. However what I wanted was simple: information.
“Information?”
“It’s about those white couples who got kidnapped three month
s back,” I said it straight, not mincing any words.
Elias looked at me as if expecting me to say more. I’d expect some type of reaction from him but he seemed so cool about it, like he’d been expecting me to say exactly such.
“You’re related to any one of them?”
“Sort of. I’d like to know what happened to them during their stay here.”
He got up at once. “I’m sorry I can’t talk about that. The police already quizzed me about it and I told them everything I know. You’ll get better luck asking them. Good bye, sir.”
I came after him, tried to hold him back but he flung his arm off me; the look he gave me now was dark.
“Look ... I’m sorry, I was just trying to - ”
“I don’t know what you’re about, sir. You’re going to get me in trouble talking with you.”
I tried to calm him down even though his eyes were still fuming at me.
“I apologize, Elias. Look, do you remember her?” I took out the photo of Catherine from my shirt pocket and presented it to him. I was frantic to get him on my side. “She was one of the women kidnapped. Her and her parents spent a night here at the resort and that was the last time anyone saw of them. Please, all I want is whatever information you can help me with finding her.”
He looked at the photo; the angry look slowly left his face.
“She something to you?” he said to me.
“Yes, I’m her boyfriend. We’re supposed to get married soon.”
He gave me back the photograph. “How you want me to help you?”
I thought quickly, wracking my head for whatever I could think of. “Well ... first I’d like to know what suite she stayed in - what room. I know her Dad paid for one of the apartment suites on the sixth floor, is that correct?”
He nodded. “You want to go in there and look around? There’s nothing there, you know. The police went away with everything they had.”
“I’m aware of that, but I’d still like to take a look in the room just to see what it was like. Is there any chance you can help me with that?”
