Hard Man

14

"Because I swear to God the next time I find you in that establishment, I am razing it down. On God."
    — General Babalola Halal

The show didn't start until three, but Des was eager to leave the house. All her costumes were still at Safari, so she just put on a casual outfit of jeans and a spaghetti top. When she reached Safari, she would figure out what to wear for the show. Excitedly, she left her room, while praying she didn't meet the General at all. He already gave her indirect permission to leave, but she just knew running into him would ruin her mood.

Thankfully, when she reached the stairway and peeked downstairs, the living room was empty. There was no woman, and thankfully, no General. She climbed down, clutching her shoulder bag tightly to herself. As she started for the door, she heard movement from the dining area and stopped. She should probably tell Adeiza she was on her way.

To an extent, she and Adeiza had become good friends. After the General had blown her off yesterday, she went down to the dining room and Adeiza had lifted her mood. They were the only two at the table so he was able to loosen up and serenade her with stories about himself, and where he grew up in Kogi State. They talked for hours, long after dinner was over. Smiling, Des turned toward the dining to say hi to him. 

By the time she noticed Mohammed was at the table, it was already too late to retrace her steps. Adeiza looked up, and so did Mohammed. Des forced a smile on her face. The General had told her yesterday to talk to Mohammed, but he was not around.
Now that he was here...

"Good morning, Ade." Des greeted Adeiza who waved at her. He was always acting so business-like whenever Mohammed or the General was around. She turned to Mohammed. "Good morning, Mohammed."

"Good morning, Miss Des." He curled his fingers around the hot mug of tea Adeiza placed in front of him. "Going somewhere?"

"Well, yes." Des shifted her weight to the other foot. "I already discussed it with the General, and he said it's cool."

"Oh?" Mohammed slanted his head. "But he's not around at the moment."

"It was last night," she said with finality, and then turned to leave. "Bye." No one could stop her from leaving.

"Wait," Mohammed called, and she turned to see him on his feet. He was always in a suit, and Des briefly wondered how uncomfortable that must be. "I'll step outside with you and talk to the driver. He'll drive you to—"

"No, no." Des shook her head. She would order a ride. None of the General's staff should know where she worked. It was against her ethics. Before Mohammed could argue, she stepped outside the door.

Ify was right, she had been acting like a prisoner here. Since that first day Mohammed drove her here, she had not stepped out the front door. She wouldn't count the night of the masked party because it was dark and she had been too hyper aware of the General to notice the beauty and magnificence of the house.

As she walked to the gate, her head turned in both directions, lingering on the beautiful mini garden off to the left side of the wide compound. It had flowers like roses, sunflowers, and chrysanthemums. She should check it out sometime.

"Hello." She smiled at the driver at the gate, only to be met with a rude stare. "Can you open the gate, please?"

"It's the small one," he said without moving a muscle. "Just pull the hook and it's open."

"Thank you." Des did as she was told, and heaved a relieved sigh when she finally left the premises. She thought about ordering a ride from this location, but for the privacy of the General, she decided to walk down the road a little bit. It was an estate with residential buildings that were almost as big as the General's. It was apparently a wealthy residential area. When she had put enough distance between her and the General's house, she ordered a ride and waited.