JADA AND THE LIES HE TOLD

It was December 26th, and the whole of Lagos was still in that post-Christmas mood. Traffic was light, music was everywhere, and Jada had planned a beach date with her friend, Toke. They just wanted to go have some fun, gist, eat good food, and probably meet a fine man. Life at the hotel was stressful, and Jada deserved one day to breathe. That’s where she saw him. Earlier that afternoon, Jada had transferred some money to Toke’s account to pay for the burger and chicken they got at one of the beachside shacks. The smell of suya was in the air, and the waves were loud. But unfortunately, it was festive period and bank network was moving crazy. They tried to pay, and the POS kept declining. They were unable to pay for their food. Toke groaned. “Ah Jada, this network is disgracing us.” Jada sighed. She hated owing people. “Let’s just walk outside the beach and go look for a bank around.” Jada agreed. “Yeah, that’s true. Maybe the ATM will work there.” They left the beach, sand still in their slippers, and walked for 5 minutes to a nearby bank. The sun was hot on Jada’s skin, but she didn’t mind. She just wanted to sort this out and go back to enjoying her day. Toke tried the ATM. No network. “Ohh, what’s wrong with this bank network?” Jada said, and moved back a bit, wiping sweat from her forehead. A black car parked in front of the bank, and a few guys were about to hop in. They looked like they were just chilling, maybe coming from a hangout. Then one of them turned and came to her. He was tall, with a clean fade and a white T-shirt. He had that Lagos-bad-boy smile. “Hi, my name is Lolly. What’s your name?” Jada looked at him, dumbfounded, not knowing what to say to him. Her heart did a small jump, but she told herself to be careful. Then she heard Toke’s voice behind her, sharp and loud: “Which number? Will you get out of here!” She turned, and it was Toke. Unfortunately, Toke had already left the ATM stand and was behind her, hands on her waist. Lolly raised both hands. “Sorry, my bad,” he said, and he walked away back to his friends. Toke went back to the ATM stand and kept trying. Jada stood there, feeling a bit embarrassed. Then she heard it again, softer this time: “Please, just let me have your number.” She turned. In her mind: This guy again. Toke is going to kill me. Jada explained, “I said we’re trying to get money from the ATM and our bank is not working. Can you help us with it?” He lied and said, “Yeah, sure. Like how much do you guys need?” Jada hesitated. “22k.” He scratched his head. “Ohh, I don’t have much cash on me right now. I would have loved to help. But I can send it to you if you give me your number.” Jada looked at Toke. Toke was busy with the ATM and wasn’t listening. Something in Jada said don’t do it. But another part of her, the part that was tired and wanted to go home, said it’s just a number. Jada smiled and said, “Okay.” She collected his phone. His phone smelled like cologne. She typed her number slowly and gave him back his phone. He smiled back at her and thanked her. “I’ll text you, Jada.” She didn’t even remember telling him her name. She turned back again, and it was Toke, looking at her with a bad eye but said nothing. The silence was louder than words. After a few more minutes, Jada ended up texting her boyfriend then, Richard, and he sent her some money to pay for her bills. Relief washed over her. They paid, ate their food, and left the beach. Jada got home that night, tired but happy. She showered, ate leftovers, and slept off like a baby. No overthinking. The next morning, she woke up to a message: “Hi, this is Lolly. Good morning. You didn’t end up telling me your name last night.” Jada smiled despite herself. The message was simple, but it made her morning. She responded, “Good morning, Lolly. My name is Jada.” He responded immediately, “Jada, wow. Such a beautiful name. It fits you.” They continued to chat that day. Jada told him upfront, “I have a boyfriend, so we can just be friends.” Lolly replied, “No problem. Friends are important too.” But Lolly kept on texting her. Good morning. How was work. Sent her memes. At first, Jada always ignored or replied late. She didn’t want to lead him on. One day, she got a text from him saying, “Hi, I’ve been texting you for some days and you’ve been ghosting me. You shouldn’t have given me your number if you know you won’t talk to me. Let me know if you don’t want to talk to me.” Jada felt guilty. Maybe she was being rude. She responded, “Hi Lolly, you were persistent about me giving you my number. That was why I gave you. And sorry about the late response. Work has been crazy.” They spoke that day, and after that, they continued to talk. Every day. January came fast, and Jada went to the market to get some things she’d need to go back to school. Textbooks, toiletries, foodstuff. Lolly insisted he wanted to see her before she went back to school. “Just for 30 minutes, Jada. Please.” Jada didn’t see the harm. They were just friends. She ordered for Uber and went straight to the hotel he was at with all the bags from the market. The hotel lobby was cold and smelled like air freshener. Lolly was waiting for her in the lounge. They spoke for 2 hours about school, about Lagos, about everything and nothing. It felt easy. Too easy. Then Jada left, feeling light. On her way back home in the Uber, a text came in on her phone. It stated: “Babe, what are you doing at a hotel?” Her stomach dropped. She was shocked. It was her boyfriend, Richard. Her hands were shaking as she typed back, “I was hungry on my way home and decided to eat at a nearby restaurant. The hotel has a restaurant.” She lied. He then said, “Okay, baby. Let me know once you get home.” Jada stared at that message for a long time. She had just told her first lie. And deep down, she knew it wouldn’t be the last.