VICTORIA GARDEN (AUDA)CITY

FOREWORD: I’ve been a silent but avid reader of this blog; I could never quantify how huge and immeasurable the knowledge I’ve gained is. I also want to express my profound gratitude to all the writers here; you are all sources of inspiration to me.

And to PP and his team, what could we ever do without you guys? Deep Appreciation!

Now, to my story…

In Nigeria – as far as we know – hookups among same sex people is usually as secretive as possible. The meeting, acquaintanceship, entanglement etc. are always such a clandestine affair, right up there with any sitting president of the United States having an extramarital affair. It’s gotta be very hush-hush.

So, imagine my surprise when I encountered something very different on this day that I visited one of Lagos’s highbrow areas, Victoria Garden City.

I was on my way to tutor a private lesson one cool afternoon in VGC. The weather that day was as perfect as it could be, made even more glorious by my environment in VGC – you know, the serene and verdant surroundings, the palatial and exquisite buildings. It really is another world separate from Lagos when you step into these fancy areas of Lagos.

After the usual routine of getting cleared at the welcome centre, I proceeded to the main gate. There, I dropped my clearance slip with the security and entered inside the estate proper.

Normally, I would take a shuttle from the gate to my destination, but that day, I just wanted to feel the cool and refreshing “rich people” atmosphere. It was going to be about a twenty-minute walk to the house I was headed. I was really early for my class anyway. So I braced up and began a very leisurely stroll down the estate road.

I’d say I was about ten minutes into my walk when I noticed him. He looked to be in late twenties, average height and chubby. He was emerging from a road adjacent to the road that I was walking down on, and it seemed as though he was coming from the shopping centre that was down that road.

The moment our gazes met, I watched a slow, startling-inviting smile spread across his face. For a moment, I had to look around to be sure he wasn’t smiling as someone else he probably knew. But no, it was just me on the receiving end of the smile.

I didn’t know this man. So I looked away and continued walking.

It would not be very long before I heard his footsteps. A quick look behind me confirmed that he was indeed walking down the road behind me. The walkway was a wide one, but he was almost walking directly on the same path I was walking.

This was unnerving.

What is this? I found myself wondering, feeling a little harassed.

Then I started feeling scared. What if he was a kidnapper? Several thoughts began racing through my mind, each one more unsettling than the previous one.

Then I tried to quell my panic by reminding myself that I was in the Almighty VGC. What could I possibly have to fear from a random stranger in a place like this?

Then, I intentionally began to slow down my pace. I wanted him to walk past me. He must have noticed this and I heard his footfalls slow down as well. This guy was slowing his pace too!

Jeezuz! Why did he want to be behind me so bad?!

Not willing to be outdone, I slowed my walk even more to such an awkward pace, it was now apparent to him that I was on to him. Because, this time, he had to walk on until he was past me. As he walked past me, in the moment that we were side by side, I took another look at him.

He was looking at me, and when our eyes met, this time, he gave me a slow wink. This was followed by him running his tongue slowly over his lips.

I was flustered!

My God, what is this!

In that moment, I saw that he was not bad looking, and when he was now in front of me, I could see that he had a very nice derriere –

Which, very much to my consternation, he had started shaking!

Yes! This stranger was shaking his ass. There was a deliberate sway to his hips that wasn’t caused by the energy of his gait.

This was seduction!

It became even more confirmed when he lifted his shirt just enough to give me an unhindered look at the curve of his ass through the joggers he was wearing.

See audacity o!

Horror at this guy’s nerve flooded me.

This kind of flirtation so openly!

On the road!

In broad daylight!

People are bold sha!

I couldn’t help wondering if he was openly gay. Even so, how could he be this brazen with his seduction of a stranger whose sexuality he knew nothing about out here in the open?

I simply couldn’t fit to can!

He kept on with this as we walked, getting bolder with his hip-swaying gait and the gestures of his hand. And I began to feel very harassed. I had to say something.

I called out. “Hello?”

He immediately stopped and turned.

I walked up to him. “Hey, how are you?”

His face lit up, the expression of someone who had finally achieved what he’d been gunning for.

“I’m good,” he said in a drawl.

That had to be deliberate as well, I thought to myself.

For a moment, I didn’t know what else to say. I couldn’t just start telling him to stop shaking his ass in my face. That’d surely come off as homophobic.

So, instead – even though I knew where I was going – I acted like I didn’t. I asked, “I just wanted to know if I am on the right path to Road 5. It’s been a long time since I came here last.”

“Oh yes you are,” he said. “It’s just down that road. I also stay on Road 5. I work in House 3 as a help to the woman who owns the house.”

“Oh that’s cool,” I said. We had started walking again. “I’m Abdul, by the way. I am a teacher. I am on my way to a private coaching.”

“I am Tade,” he said. “It’s nice meeting you.”

“Same.”

We shook hands.

We continued walking in silence for all of about five seconds, and then he said, “So, it seems I’ll get to my place before you get to yours. So, I was wondering if you could do me a favour of knowing my place, even if it’s just to reach the gate, so you’ll know where to find me. We could still meet again, you know?”

There was no mistaking it: this was a hookup line!

I was dumbstruck! For a few moments, I didn’t know what to think as my mind raced from wondering if I was exuding an air of homosexuality that screams “You don’t have to wonder, I am GAY!” to thinking about whether this guy was some sort of kito guy just casing me as his potential victim.

Even if this was just a harmless flirtation, I didn’t like his audacity. It was unnerving. I wasn’t used to guys being this forward in a society like ours.

“What do you say?” he barged into my thoughts.

“No problem,” I found myself saying.

We walked the rest of the way together until he stopped and pointed.

“That’s where I stay. Feel free to visit me anytime you visit this estate again. My madam is not always around. I’ll be glad to have you.” There was that wide, inviting smile on his face.

“Okay,” was all I could say.

“My phone number is 08…”

It was a fumble for me to get out my phone as he had already started calling the digits. I told him to say the numbers again, and then I saved it. Then I gave him my number too.

“See you around then,” I said, and turned to start walking down the road.

“Please, call me after your class,” he called after me.

I stopped and turned.

“I hope it won’t be too late for you to visit me after your class,” he said. “We could try to see before you leave today.”

So we have fast-tracked the hookup from ‘anytime you visit the estate again’ to ‘before you leave today’, I thought sardonically.

“Okay. I’ll ring you when I’m done.”

“Thank you.”

Then I continued on my way, all the while thinking: What a guy!

I couldn’t get my mind off his boldness. Was this how he usually was with random people on the street or was I just his first time? Was it even wise for him to be this audacious with random people? What if I turned out to be some homophobic douchebag with toxic male insecurities?

So many questions!

Some three hours later, I was done with my class and I remembered I’d told him I would call him.

If you were me, would you call him?

TO BE CONTINUED

Written by Abdul