I stared at my beautiful reflection in the mirror utterly amazed by the transformation I saw. "Wow! Olivia you look amazing." Lola and Juliana chorused as they stared at me. I looked absolutely breath-taking in the white strapless lace trim dress Lola had given me, my makeup had been retouched by Juliana and I was wearing gold pleated heels with a lovely pearl choker on my neck, all courtesy of my cousin Lola. Usually I was always bubbling with excitement whenever I hung out with my sophisticated cousin and her fab friend Juliana, but I felt tensed and apprehensive as we left Lola's posh apartment on that fateful day.
Lola had pestered me about her friend named Thomas who had seen me at a party we attended and was interested in me. She had badgered me into having lunch with him and I agreed on the condition that I wouldn't go alone. It was my first time in such a beautiful restaurant. The opulence and splendour I was beholding calmed any reservations I had against the lunch date. Thomas was a beady-eyed, bald headed short man in his mid forties, he wore blue jeans and a polo T-shirt that did nothing for his unflattering pot belly, I disliked him instantly.
Lola and Juliana ordered animatedly from the menu with the familiarity of girls accustomed to Chinese cuisine. Lola was only a year older than me, but she was sophisticated and a campus socialite. She went on shopping sprees abroad, she was always dressed in the most fashionable clothes, she attended the best parties, and occasionally hung out with popular artists. We shared the same faculty but different departments. I on the other hand was a Straight A student whose social activities basically consisted of church and school programs.
"What are you having?" Thomas asked me.
I fumbled with the menu in front of me unable to identify anything. Kai! Will I ever belong? I wondered. "I'll have what she's having." I pointed at Lola to the waiter, he noted our orders and left.
The food was amazing. Wow! I marvelled as I helped myself to the scrumptious meal. I was a major foodie so it was a very satisfying moment for me. Lola and Juliana were so different from me and it intrigued me. Their outlook on life captivated me. They were go getters who went after whatever they wanted at all cost, their views were a contrast to the strong Christian values my parents had raised me with.
At first I could care less about fashion or the latest trend on campus but it all changed after I attended Lola's birthday bash at a famous club in town. It had been exhilarating and electrifying dancing to loud music, putting on lots of makeup and racy outfits, mingling with Lola's classy friends, and having my first taste of champagne. I became fascinated with Lola's lifestyle and I hung out with Lola and Juliana a lot more, paying less attention to my studies.
My phone began to ring nudging me out of my reverie, it was Cynthia my course mate and close friend. I stood and excused myself to take the call.
"Where are you? " Cynthia whispered.
"In town. " I rolled my eyes. She was always worrying about classes.
"We're having a test! Mrs Davis is about to give us a test. What are you doing in town? Get over here now!" She hung up. Whoa! I was far away from school at the moment. I hurried back to our table and told Lola I had to leave.
"Thomas is about to take us shopping you can't leave. Besides you wouldn't make it there on time, not with all the traffic." Lola coaxed. She was right, I reasoned, there was no way I could make it on time.
Shopping was another mind blowing experience that day. We shopped at a luxurious boutique downtown. Lola and Juliana excitedly helped themselves to expensive items while I was awe-struck. I had never shopped in such a plush place, the prices I saw were outrageously expensive. I got caught up in the excitement and forgot all about Mrs Davis' test. I picked lots of splendid stuffs for myself. We piled on bags, shoes, watches, clothes and even jewelleries.
We spent hours shopping, trying on expensive shoes and exotic dresses. After that Thomas wanted us to stop by a five star hotel so he could see to a brief business meeting. We had another fantastic dinner in his suite while we waited for him to round up his meeting. When he returned hours later it was almost 10pm, he suggested we go clubbing that night. Lola and Juliana agreed before I could even object, so Thomas booked us in another suite separate from his. I became alarmed, I just wanted to have lunch and leave, instead we had gone shopping and now we were talking clubbing. Lola assured me we would go to the club with Thomas then ditch him and head back to our hotel room. We changed into more revealing outfits and left with Thomas for the club.
That night my preference for clubs ended forever. I didn't like the loud music, the sweaty bodies grinding on each other, or the overwhelming smell of cigarette everywhere. I was left sitting alone with Thomas in the VIP section while Lola and Juliana went mingling with the crowd. Before I realized what had happened Lola and Juliana were no where in sight. I started to panic, they had left with their phones and keys. I began calling their phones but there was no answer. An hour passed by and still nothing from them, Thomas suggested we went back to the hotel in case they were already there so we left for the hotel.
At the hotel I was told by the receptionist that my friends hadn't returned so I would have to wait for them since they were with the room key. I almost went hysterical, they were still not answering their phones. My purse, transport money, clothes, house key and everything we bought earlier were all in that room. I was stuck with just my phone and the skimpy dress Lola had talked me into wearing. Thomas urged me to wait for them in his suite, and I was left with no choice but to accept his offer.
Alone with Thomas, I was tensed and frightened. He sat on the bed staring at me in a way that made me squirm uncomfortably. I tried calling again only to discover their numbers were now switched off, my heart began to pound with fright. They had ditched me on purpose, they had set me up with this strange man, I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream but I had to stay calm. My panic increased as Thomas continued watching me.
"Olivia." He called. I looked up at him and the look I saw in his eyes told me I was in one hot mess. How was I going to escape this trap?
He was looking at me with a predatory gleam in his eyes that was alarming. I had fallen right into Lola's trap, I was stuck in a hotel room with a man I barely knew at 2.00 am in the morning. My phone battery was running low and I didn't know who else to call for help at this hour. I felt confused, hurt and angry, but above all I felt frightened. Lola and Juliana had deserted me cold-heartedly with Thomas on purpose.
He was requesting for a bottle of whiskey to be brought up via room service. He leered lustfully at me as he asked if I cared for a drink. "No thank you." I declined. After hanging up, he continued to stare at me, he was enjoying my discomfort. He stood from the bed and walked up to me. He leaned close to me and ran his hands over my bare shoulders.
"I've known Lola for sometime now." He admitted. "I took good care of her in her first year. After a while our relationship degenerated to something of mutual benefit to both of us. She knows what I like so when she told me about you I knew I had to have you." He smiled wolfishly.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Lola had told me Thomas saw me at a party we attended together. She had tricked me. My beloved cousin had virtually pimped me out to her former lover, her ex-sugar daddy for money.
"What are you saying?" I asked, afraid I already knew the answer to that.
"I want you Olivia, you should know that by now. You can have anything you want, just name it. I saw how you enjoyed having lunch at the expensive restaurant, I saw your excitement while you were shopping at that luxurious boutique. You want the finer things of life, if you want to take trips abroad you will have it. Just give yourself to me, I can make you the envy of every girl in your school." He tempted me with promises and I was utterly transfixed.
He was right, I did want those things Lola had, I wanted to wear expensive clothes and shop abroad, I wanted to be sophisticated like Lola. I had been so fascinated with my cousin and her flashy friends that I wanted to be like them, but I didn't want to be defiled by this perverted man. I felt violated just by the thought of him touching me. My bible had taught me that my body was a temple and that sex was way more spiritual than physical, that if I obeyed God and preserved my body, they were blessings way more important than designer clothes and bags.
I also wanted to have peace, Lola and Juliana lived lavish lifestyles but they were never contented, they were never at peace, they were constantly chasing something, competing against each other, never appreciating but always wanting. I didn't want my time in school to be spent chasing after the unattainable, constantly living my life to impress people I didn't like, or being friends with girls who only valued me for what I owned not who I was. I realized I didn't want Lola's fantastic life. I just wanted to go home. Without warning he grabbed me and forcefully tried to kiss me, I struggled wildly and bit him on his lip, he yelped and let go of me. I sprang from the armchair I was sitting and tried running to the door, he caught me by my dress and threw me roughly on the bed.
He fell heavily on top of me crushing me with his weight, I fought savagely underneath him to no avail.
"I'll scream. Let me go or I'll scream down this place" I threatened, my heart was pounding with fright. He chuckled ominously. Please God get me out of here and I would never go astray like this again! I prayed in my heart.
"Stop fighting me Olivia. You're not leaving this room until I get what I want." He declared ruthlessly and fiercely reached for the zipper on my dress. I cried as I fought to hold onto my dress. I didn't know what to do.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. He ignored it at first, too intent on ripping off my dress. When the knocking continued incessantly, he went to the door and was speaking to whoever it was in low tones. I moved quietly from the bed, tiptoed behind him and pushed my way through, surprising him and throwing him off his balance. A male room service attendant was standing outside with the whiskey he had ordered. He looked very familiar, he took in my dishevelled appearance and knew something was wrong. I ran past him into the hallway and raced for the elevator. I could hear Thomas yelling after me but I ignored him. "Excuse me!" Someone else called, I turned and it was the room service guy. I realized I knew him from church, he was a new member in our drama unit. He followed me into the elevator.
" What's wrong? " he asked. I began to cry all over again. I cried as I told him what happened. When we got to the first floor, we spoke to the receptionist who insisted I wait for Lola since she had not yet return with the room key and the room was booked in her name. Then he took me to the assistant manager who questioned me and verified from the receptionist that I, Lola and Juliana had left the hotel together, he told the receptionist and the room service guy to escort me to the room with a duplicate key to confirm if my things were indeed in the room.
When we got there I showed them my bag and ID then I hurriedly changed into my proper clothes in the bathroom while they waited. I grabbed my purse and house key, leaving behind all the things we bought earlier that day. I wanted nothing to do with Lola and Juliana. I left the room with them and they locked the door. He then escorted me out of the hotel and helped me get a cab to take me home.
"Thank you so much. You know my name and I don't even know yours." I smiled.
"Steven." He replied.. "Hopefully I'll see you in church on Thursday for rehearsals." He grinned as the taxi drove off. I got to my room off campus by 3.30 am, prayed and fell into an exhausted sleep.
I avoided Lola and Juliana and cut all ties with them throughout the rest of my stay in school. I was contented with my life and my closest friends like Cynthia. Lola hadn't even bothered to call me. She must had heard from Thomas the full details of what happened. Months later Steven and I gradually became more than friends. He was decent, loving and God fearing. I later discovered he was the son of a very wealthy industrialist. His dad had cut him off because he was wild and reckless in the past. His mum sent him a monthly allowance but he still had to work part-time at the hotel where we met. As our relationship blossomed, he was able to reconcile with his family. He graduated a year ahead of me and his parents insisted he travelled to the US for his masters. By the time he returned when I was graduating, Lola was no longer the toast of campus social life. She was gradually fading, her beauty, the friends and the flashy lifestyle were dwindling away. She didn't do well in her final exams so she had an extra year. Her glory days were gone and she battled to hold on to her sinking reputation.
I realised Lola was the one stuck in a trap. She had been trapped in her own greed and materialism, an insatiable hunger that stemmed from insecurity and the need to be accepted. She was left drowning in her own pool of never-ending desires. I had learnt my lesson, I was happy, grateful and contented, but most of all I had blessings only God could give; grace, peace and love, and so much more.
