2: Looming Disaster

I got to the admin office and sat down like a few others that I met there. We were a mixture of Africans, Asians and Arabs. When i was called, I got up and went to the lady who called my name. A female Interpreter was seated beside me. When I agreed that it was English, I repeated my name, my date of birth and my nationality. They asked me a few questions about Africa, whether I had ever been bitten by Mosquito, whether I had ever taken anti-malaria drugs, whether I had ever suffered malaria break down. It was all malaria and mosquito.
After ten minutes, I was told to come back in an hour to collect my camp ID card. The ID card would enable me to go outside and into the town they told me. I left the admin blocks and searched for my new friends, I couldn’t see any of them so I strolled aimlessly towards the female hostel. I found Agnes spreading cloths outside the hostel. She looked towards me and greeted.
”Did you have a goodnight” my caring self asked.
She looked at me and said nothing.
” I am just trying to be caring” I continued.
She laughed and asked ” since when did you Nigerians become caring, It had always been about how to make money”
I laughed it off and told her that the money we struggled to make was to take care of our women.
She agreed with me.
When she was done with the spreading, she invited me Inside.

• Despite the fact that the camp feed us, Agnes had her own pots and cooks her own food. She just visited the dining hall whenever she wanted*

She had cooked Jollof rice that day.
She dished out a plate for me. I wasn’t hungry but refusing the food could mean refusing every other thing, so I ate the rice with fresh fish. She explained that she was a vegetarian who ate only fish and vegetables.

• whatever that meant to me then*

After eating the rice, she asked why I was interested in her.

I wanted to deny that truth but I decided to flow with the current wave

” who wouldn’t be interested in a beautiful girl like you; that person must be a Ghanaian, I heard they don’t have fine girls” I said as she laughed out loud.
” you must be a funny guy” she accused me as I continued from where I stopped.
I told her that she was the only interesting thing in the whole camp as far as I was concerned.
Ten minutes into our sweet chat, we heard footsteps towards her room and we kept quiet. When a knock came to her door, it was John, the big headed Imo State guy. The guy was as direct as one can ever be.
” You need to stay away from Agnes, she is my babe” he bellowed with a tone that closely resembled that of hulk hogan.
Being smart at avoiding war, I kept quiet. I figured out that anything from my mouth could result in a fight. With that kind of head sitting on his shoulders, the dude could match Mike Tyson one on one.
” Stop being rude to my visitor” Agnes said coming to my defence. It was a lifeline worth exploring but I kept my mute. I was playing the victim and the innocent guy.

The Innocent guy from Africa, who was missing his mother and sisters so much that he needed to stay close to a girl, a beautiful lady just to feel close to his mother at home

” This is your last warning” John yelled as he opened the door and stormed outside.

” Come back here” Agnes had shouted. But John was too angry to return.

” don’t mind him” Agnes said?

Dont mind him huh, that guy was ready for war

I nodded my head like a baby whose mother had promised to buy Akara when coming back from the market.

Only if Mr. John had known how dangerous it was to leave me with a lady
There and then, Agnes declared her relationship with John Over and handed the mantle of leadership to me. Her reasons Ranged from John’s arrogance and carelessness and anger etc. While the reasons for chosing me was due to my calmness and way of understanding things.
attaboy

• women will always give you every good tag if they like you and vice versa*

The lunch bell took us outside. Agnes insisted on holding my hand while we strolled up to the dinning hall. Every curious eye was on the two black lover birds. John and his three wise men were already in the hall when we arrived.

We ignored them and took our place somewhere else. We were served potato mash and chicken, then the round hard breads and juice. It seemed the Germans eat everything with bread. I wanted to condemn such combinations but if it had worked for them for hundreds of years, who was I to condemn it.
After the lunch, Agnes took me outside the camp to A mall called Superspa. We bought cheap beers called pilsener and took it under a tree to enjoy the weather.

A few moments later, John and his squad showed up. One of them called me and asked that I excuse myself while they talk to Agnes. I refused to go anywhere. I instead stood up and faced John.
” listen carefully, I don’t know about you but I sponsored myself down to Europe. I also have enough money to do it all over again if I get deported” I said to John.
” If you want us to fight over this girl, I am ready for you” I spoke in Igbo this time.
They stood there for a few moments and left us alone.
” What did you say to them” Agnes asked as soon as they left.
” I told them that I was going to tell the authorities that we were all Nigerians and got us deported back to Lagos” I lied.
Agnes laughed hard. We took some beer and walked back inside the compound.

Despite my bold confrontation with John group, I was scared somehow.