ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part Forty-Three)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part Forty-Three)

ByMoyo Okediji

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part Forty-Three)

“Hey, Moyo,” Hilda yelled. “Are you alright? Are you with us?”

“Yes, I am,” I responded. I pulled myself back to the moment.

The traffic was light and the road excellent. The Lagos to Benin expressway was the best road I had ever driven on. The bus zoomed along on it effortlessly.

“You went so silent and looked so vacant, I could have sworn you were not here,” Steve said.

“I was here alright,” I answered.

“Thinking about Gina?” Hilda asked.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part 38)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part 38)

ByMoyo Okediji

“Wole Soyinka wants to have a word with Rufus. Tell him to come as soon as possible. Kongi travels out of the country next week,” was the simple message that I got back from Kole Omotosho.

Omotosho was the head of the Dramatic Art Department, University of Ife. He sent a driver to me to collect a manuscript, “Marx and Mask,” written by the brilliant Ghanaian writer, Ayi Kwei Armah.

Soyinka regularly received manuscripts from several writers, and after making copies, he would distribute the manuscripts among his circle of intellectuals who met at least once a week to read and discuss the manuscripts.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part Thirty-seven)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part Thirty-seven)

ByMoyo Okediji

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY 1982 (Part Thirty-seven) “You are quite ugly too,” Mary said without a pause. “I knew you had too much palm wine today.”

“You are angry?” I asked.

“No,” she responded. “Did I sound angry? If so, I apologize.”

“I was only trying to let you understand a simple fact of life,” I explained. “Because you were unable to sexually arouse Joshua does not imply that Gina would also be unable to sexually arouse him.”

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982: (Part Thirty-Six)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982: (Part Thirty-Six)

ByMoyo Okediji

***Reader’s Note:

I was informed that I should complete the ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY series before moving on to the next series, THE RETURN.

I will therefore return to the ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, and continue with Part Thirty-six. To refresh the memory of our readers, I have placed parts Thirty-five and Thirty-four at the end of Part Thirty-six.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part Thirty-Two)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1982 (Part Thirty-Two)

ByMoyo Okediji

Steve quickly realized that it was a bad idea to take off his shirt to enjoy the breeze. He hurriedly wore it back. He had complained about the heat, which was one of the reasons we left the house.

Steve, finally, decided to take us to a place not too far from the house to show off the body of water he said he discovered. He had been raving about it, but we were unable to go and see it, distracted by the various things happening in such rapid succession.

Prominent on the list of my to-do-things was a visit to River Steve.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Thirty-One)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Thirty-One)

ByMoyo Okediji

Rape?

That was the last thing on my mind although it was clear to me there was something amiss about Gina. I was lost for words. My body felt numb.

It was an experience I could not imagine as a man. All I could think of was how humiliating it must have felt for a person you didn’t want to pin you down and force entry into your body.

I sat there for a long time and could not utter a word. I could not find any statement of consolation to bring calm to Gina. She looked paralyzed. It seemed the best thing to do at the moment was not to say anything. Perhaps by not saying anything, I could pretend it did not happen.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Thirty-One)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Thirty-One)

ByMoyo Okediji

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Thirty-One)

Gina did not look glad or relaxed. I could read it in her posture, without even getting close to her.

Rufus said, “Moyo, Gina is back!”

Steve hardly allowed the bus to stop properly before jumping down to run and hug her.

“Is that her?” Adolo asked Felicia rather softly.

“Yes,” Felicia responded. “That’s her.”

I got down slowly, and took my time locking up the door. Then I went to Gina. She looked down and didn’t meet my eyes. I thought, “She must be mad because she didn’t see us at her father’s funeral.”

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Thirty-One)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Thirty-One)

ByMoyo Okediji

Gina sat on the floor by the doorstep waiting for us when we returned late to Benin City from Iludun. I didn’t she was sitting there until the headlamps lit up the spot where she was and Felicia said, “Hey, is that not Gina?”

It had been a long day spent mostly on the road and it took me a minute to adjust my mind to what was happening. I was exhausted from hours of driving on rough roads to and fro Iludun, Mama Rufus’s place.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Twenty-Nine)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Twenty-Nine)

ByMoyo Okediji

Some fire seemed out of Papa Ru as he sat, something which would be clear to someone who knew him well, and might not be noticed by others.

I saw the difference in the grey dim to his eyes. It was less in the bow that formed around his shoulders as he leaned forward on the table, under which Obaseki was hiding. But Rufus was hardly aware of his own body yet. It was the first time he left his room since we carried him there the moment we arrived from burial. He seemed to have a hard time just keeping his face from falling off his head. As if to ensure that did not happen, he pressed his chin into his palm, his elbow resting firmly on the table for support, seemingly carrying the entire weight of his torso.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Twenty-Seven)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Twenty-Seven)

ByMoyo Okediji

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part Twenty-Seven)

“So whose panties are those?” Adolo asked, pointing at something.

She had just finished wiping down my feverish body. She sat on the chair. Felicia sat on the table and Steve stood, holding on to the open door of the wardrobe.

I didn’t know what Adolo was referring to.

“What panties?” I asked.

“These ones,” She said.

Steve looked in her direction, and answered, “Gina’s”

I was weary and in a dreamlike state. The fan whirling above was noisy, and as it blew the air on my wet body, I felt bone-rattling shivering spells.

I really wanted to cover my body with the blanket.

“She must have left them there when she was here,” Steve said.

“Gina?” Adolo asked. “Who is Gina?”

“Guess you may say Moyo’s new girl,” Steve said.

“Moyo? He has a new girlfriend?” Adolo asked.

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part twenty-Six)

ENGLISHMAN IN BENIN CITY, 1981 (Part twenty-Six)

ByMoyo Okediji

“I just discovered a river!” Steve announced, breathless, as he ran into the sitting room with enthusiasm. “And it’s just fifteen minutes from here.”

I said, “Mungo Park.”

Rufus, spreading out on the sofa, said, “Where is it?”

“Hidden in plain sight!” Steve said. “I was driving down Ekenwan Street, and there was this dirt road by the side. I decided to explore it.”

“What’s the name of the street?” I asked.

“No signboard,” Steve said.

“There is no Benin street without a signboard,” Rufus said. “Benin people are good with signboards. Even narrow paths have signboards.”