The sales girl episode 10

10:30pm, 21st May 2016,
Saturday Night,
Lagos Island.

Natasha stood with a small group of girls by the
roadside. They were all scantily clad to show off
their body to the best advantage. The girls were
well-acquainted as they were the same ones in
Andre’s house the day Mr. Phillips dropped her
off. Each of them had a small purse that to anyone
it would seem like a lady’s usual accessory.
A metallic grey Audi pulled up to the roadside and
a man stepped out.
“Which of you girls is Tasha?”
Natasha stepped forward reluctantly, knowing what
was to come. The girls and Andre had explained
the process to her and the consequences if she
doesn’t comply.
“That’s me.” She managed a small smile.
The man was in his early Thirties but looked much
older. His face was rough looking and unfriendly,
his teeth were stained yellow from years of
cigarettes and strong drinks.
“Get in the car.”
She obeyed and soon, they drove off. During the
ride, she wondered at how she had landed herself
into this mess. She’d been terribly deceived by
Mr. Phillips. She scolded herself for not suspecting
a thing when she had been offered the job for a
position she had no experience or qualification for.
They never even asked her for a trial or interview.
She should have known she couldn’t have been
that lucky and that something fishy was going on.
But she was so desperate for the money.
Now she knew that Mr. Phillips wasn’t who he
presented himself to be and that underneath the
cover of a real estate manager, he was a crook
who ran several underground businesses.
“I’m sure you have my package, honey?” The man
asked.
She didn’t even know his name. Frankly, she
didn’t think it would make a difference.
“Yes.” She answered quietly, wishing everything
would be over quickly.
The man smiled and turned off the engine as they
arrived at a shady looking building. He led her to a
room and first asked her to bring out his package.
Natasha opened her purse and brought out her tube of lipstick. She opened the tube which didn’t
actually contain anything other than a little packet of a white substance; cocaine. The man grinned in
satisfaction before locking the door behind them
and moving on to the next phase of what he had
planned for the night.
Later that night when she was alone in her room,
Natasha cried herself to sleep. Her phone beeped
with a message. It was from Andre.
You did well tonight. I had no complaints from the
customer. You will receive your pay tomorrow
morning, you earned it sweetheart.
But when she saw the alert the next morning and
the substantial amount of money she’d received,
she felt nothing at all. There was no joy or relief.
She felt completely empty and drained of
emotions. She dragged herself to her feet and went
to the bathroom to freshen up before heading to
the hospital.
“Good morning mom, how are you feeling?” She
asked walking into the hospital room quietly.
“Chidera, come and sit with me dear. I’ve missed
you so much.” Her mom patted the bedside. “I feel
better already just seeing you.”
She went to sit with her mother, not bothering to
mention that she had dropped that name a long
time ago. No one apart from her mother called her
by that name anymore; no one else was allowed
to. She looked around the hospital room and
sighed softly.
“I’m getting you out of here today mom, I’ve
already paid the deposit. You can’t stay in this
place anymore.”
Her mom blinked and focused on her daughter’s
face.
“You’ve… paid? Where did you get the money,
Chidera?” There was something urgent in her
voice.
“I have a job, don’t worry.”
Her mother stared at her for a moment before
nodding slowly. She assumed it was the restaurant
job she told her about, not knowing that she’d
been fired.
“I trust that you’re wise enough not to repeat the
mistakes of the past.”
Her heart thumped as a painful reminder of what
her mother was referring to. The reason the two
were left alone after her father’s death. She wasn’t
the only child of her parents. She’d had an elder
sister named Ufoma who had taken up the role of
breadwinner of the house, but her means of
earning income had caused more damage. Ufoma
died of AIDS and her death caused them to tumble
into a state of sorrow and depression.
As she left the hospital with her mom, she swore
to herself that she was going to get out of this
mess.
***
Later that day, Natasha was back at Andre’s
house. True to his word, Mr. Phillips had never
come to check on her and not once did he even
contact her on the phone. He had handed her over
to Andre’s care completely. Andre was half
Spanish and American so he had a slightly mixed
accent. He didn’t bother her much except to give
her details of her next client and appointment.



She was seated in the living room waiting for him
to arrive when one of the other girls walked out of
one of the many rooms in the house.
“Tasha, you dey early today oh,” Rashida said as
she sat down on the couch beside her. “Shey no
wahala?’
Rashida was one of several girls who lived with Andre, they were all either homeless or they had some kind of family discord or financial issue that
pushed them to seek outsiders help. Natasha
realized that she wasn’t too different from Rashida
who was from a desperately poor background.
Rashida was a typical example of a Ghetto Girl.
Andre had tried his best to polish her up for
clients but he couldn’t completely erase several
years of her upbringing.
Natasha shook her head, even though she knew this whole thing was a huge problem.
“I just want to see Andre.”
Rashida nodded and went to the kitchen to grab a
packet of juice and two cups. She filled them with
juice and offered her a cup.
“Your face is saying something else oh.” She said
to Natasha who sighed softly.
“Rashida, I want to ask you something.”
“Fire away.”
“This job we’re doing… I’m thinking of quitting.”
There was silence. Natasha looked up to see
Rashida staring into her drink.
“You wan quit.”
“Honestly.”
Slowly, Rashida began to chuckle. Natasha looked
up startled.
“What is funny about this?”
“Do you think you’re the first one? Ronke tried to
do the same thing before but look where she be
today. She been promoted to manage her own
group of girls, the kind money she earning now silence her.
Amina go as far as to double-cross the boss and she end up with permanent limp.
Now, she rarely even gets customers.”
Natasha looked her in the eye.
“And you? Did you ever try to quit?”
“Heck no! This is what sustains me.”
She frowned at Rashida’s response, not believing that she could be content with this. After walking
into this blindly, she already hated it. Now how
could she remain the same way when she knew
what was really going on. The girls heard the gates
open as a car drove into the compound. Andre
was back. Rashida got up to go to her room.
“Whatever you are trying to do, no forget say
neither Andre nor the boss is to be messed with.
Just be careful.”
When Andre walked in, for some reason she
couldn’t gather up the courage to tell him what
was on her mind. Rashida’s warning kept ringing
in the back of her mind. In the end, she left there
with yet another assignment instead of being free
from the clutches of prostitution.
***

Around midnight, Natasha stood by the roadside
again. This time, she was in an area on the
mainland that was well-known for late night
revelers. Andre advised the girls not to stay in the
same area for too long so as not to create any
suspicion or get caught with hard drugs. It was
one of the reasons customers weren’t allowed to
visit the girls in the house, so they didn’t attract
unwanted attention. She stood with another girl
named Tricia who was from Ghana but had been
brought to Nigeria through human trafficking with
promises of a bright future and education.
It was a cold night and Natasha wished she could
wear warmer clothes but she knew it was out of
the question. She stood up straighter when a car
drove toward them. Most of the girls who usually
stayed in that area had already been picked up
leaving the newcomers; herself and Tricia.
She walked closer to the car, hoping to get away
from the cold air. The window slid down but the
man didn’t get out. This was a bit unusual. The
men Andre sent usually got down to find the girl
they were directed to. The girls never knew the
identities of these men. All they had to do was wait
for them to come along.
The car’s interior light came on and her eyes
widened at the sight of the man in the driver’s
seat. He looked nothing like the men Andre usually
sent. Those men were the type to resort to hiring
female companions as they were not blessed with
either good looks or personality. The effects of
hard drugs were also evident on them and all they
had to their advantage was money. But this man
didn’t look like he needed to hire anyone so what
was he doing here?
Natasha decided not to let that bother her. She
moved to stand beside the passenger window,
leaning down to look into the car.
“Do you need some company?” She asked,
knowing she was breaking protocol but she just
wanted to get off the road.
His dark eyes watched her carefully and he nodded
for her to get in. She got into the car without trying
to bargain on a price. The men usually paid Andre
and he in turn paid the girls. The car felt warm
compared to the brisk wind outside and there was
a pleasant scent in the air. She closed her eyes for
a moment, pretending she wasn’t a call-girl in a
car with a man who she didn’t even know.
“What’s your name?” The man asked, his deep
baritone voice breaking the silence in the car.

She opened her eyes and looked at him in
surprise. No one ever asked for her name, they
usually didn’t care.
“Natasha.” She answered quietly, fiddling with the
hem of her skirt.
“Natasha…” He repeated, as if committing the name
to memory but he didn’t introduce himself.
They lapsed into silence again. Meanwhile, she
was waiting for him to ask about whether or not
she had the drugs. That was usually the major
thing on the customer’s mind. He arrived at a
hotel that seemed busy even for how late at night
it was. She followed him up to a room and sat
down on the bed, still waiting for him to ask her
for his goods.
“Would you like a drink?” He asked.
“Yes, thank you.” She replied. She was very thirsty
and tired from standing for so many hours without
food or water nearby.
He opened a small refrigerator and asked her
which drink she liked before grabbing two glass
cups and serving them. She took the drink gladly,
wondering why he was so unlike any other
customer. The man smiled at her briefly before
sitting down in a chair. She thought it was strange
that he didn’t choose to sit beside her. Natasha
finished the last of her drink and set the glass cup
down, looking at him expectantly but he didn’t
even move. He just watched her with his sharp,
intelligent eyes.

Slowly, she began to feel light-headed and
uncoordinated. Her eyes refused to focus and she
suddenly started giggling for no reason. The man
smiled in satisfaction and got to his feet, his tall
frame towered over her. He brought out his wallet
and held up a police badge.
“I’m Inspector James, from the Anti-Human
Trafficking Unit. I’m following a case of reported
missing persons and illegal activities. A few days
ago, I received a tip that a group of unusual night-
workers were in the area. I have a few questions
to ask you, Natasha.”
She began to feel dread creeping up within her.
“What did you do to me?” She whispered, her
speech was slurred.
He picked up the empty glass cup and held it up
with a smug smile.
“Oh, you mean this? I simply slipped some Sodium
Pentothal in it.”
Natasha was confused.
“Truth serum. It inhibits the rate at which your
body sends messages to your brain. Basically, you
can’t concentrate long enough to form a lie.”
Natasha blinked groggily, already feeling her mind
slipping. Inspector James grabbed his seat and
brought it closer to her. He opened the recording
app on his smartphone and placed it between
them.
“Now, shall we begin?”
Natasha was powerless to withhold any information
she had