It was November, a year and a half ago. I was on a trip to Lagos to destress and catch some fun with my sis and girls. We went to Radisson Blue in Victoria Island to swim, eat and take pictures. We were having fun. I noticed this white man looking at me from time to time while I was in the pool. I thought I was shy till I was ready to leave the pool and realized he was sitting right next to my seat. When it dawned on me that I couldn’t stay in the water much longer, I came out, took my towel and started to wipe my body. He smiled at me, and said hi. I replied, then sat down and looked through the pictures I’d taken. I saw him through the corner of my eye smile at me again, then he came closer and said “you’re very pretty”. I smiled back and said “thank you”. Who doesn’t like a compliment? And the man wasn’t lying either so 🤷🏽♀️☺️
He’s sitting so he’s facing me now, then shifts closer, “what’s your name?”. “Etyy” I replied. “I’m Justin, Justin Warner*” (*name has been changed, I don’t want y’all googling him 😂, apparently he’s quite famous as I got to find out later) and I thought to myself, “crap, should I have mentioned my surname too? Whatever! I don’t care, he doesn’t need to know who my grandfather is”
We got talking, I don’t really remember all of it. He asked me what I was doing, I told him I was serving at the time, then I asked if he even knew what NYSC meant and he said yes. He asked how much I got paid, I was embarrassed because NYSC is a joke! He was quite surprised and asked how I was surviving on 19,800 naira. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time 😩😂. Thank God for my parents though (MVPs 🙌🏾). He mentioned he was paying an NYSC intern at his office 70,000 naira and had always felt like it was quite little. In my mind I’m like, this one wants me to just cry and roll on the floor 😩😭. I was already doing 70,000 plus 19,800 in my head so I didn’t really hear what he was even talking. I sha nodded and smiled (a very forced smile because that boy in his office was earning 19,800 plus 70,000 and I was earning just 19,800 😭😭. I wondered if it would be ok to ask him how much he earned too, but I figured that would only cause me more pain so I didn’t 😫
He asked why I was at Radisson and I told him I was hanging out with my friends and sister. I also asked him what he was doing there and he said he came to stay for a few days to treat himself. Nice! Then he mentioned that he’d heard stories of how girls went to hotels and hotspot places to hang around to hook up with men, so he was impressed that wasn’t the case with me and my friends. I was very offended. It reminded me of a time when I went out with my girls and we were denied entry to a club simply because we didn’t come with guys! I’m not even joking, but that’s a story for another day. So I asked him why everything girls do always have to be about men? Like, so girls cannot just go out and have fun without it having anything to do with men? I didn’t get it! I told him he did seem suspicious as well just coming to lodge in a hotel and sit by the pool just looking around, like he was looking for women to hook up with (since we all want to be mad 😠) He said he didn’t mean any offence but that he was only telling me what he’d heard. I reminded God in my mind that I needed to make plenty money so all this nonsense will stop, because if I were Linda Ikeji will this one be happening now?
He apologized and said that he was honestly impressed that I was young and done with school, then asked if I really felt like he’d just come snooping around for women. I couldn’t fall my own hand so I told him “I mean, you’re just at a hotel not very far from where you said you live doing nothing but just chilling by the swimming pool, so, yes, it crossed my mind 🤷🏽♀️”
“Oh no darling,...that’s not really my style” he replied.
Story! This one has become a Nigerian man. “So how long have you been in Nigeria?” I asked to confirm my thoughts. “About 7 years”
In my mind I was like, ghen ghen, I talk am!
Anyways he showed me pictures on his phone, a group of 3/4 men who were his sons, holidays, some boy who begged at his church whom he had taken a liking to and usually bought gifts for whenever he travelled out (I was touched 😩) He even showed me how to use the “pano” feature on iPhone because I saw one of the pictures and asked about it. I asked about his wife and he mentioned they had been divorced for a while.
Omo, me I didn’t have plenty nice stories and I wanted to start going before I will start being boring (don’t know why this is always in my mind when I meet people)
He got my number then said he usually preferred to give out his number because it was very simple to memorize. He asked if we could see the following day...I said yes, because me I came to Lagos to have fun so why not?!
So we went on our way...we entered a wrong car so we got robbed at gun point. This is a very traumatic story that is also for another day...(let me know if you’d like to read about it too)
Anyways, the following day came and I had to borrow someone’s phone to call Justin to confirm our meeting. Apparently his number was so simple I actually remembered it. He asked why I was using a strange number and I told him I’d tell him later.
I got to the hotel and got someone’s else’s phone to call him that I had arrived and I was downstairs. He told me his room number and said I should come upstairs. I was a little surprised because I thought we’d be sitting out or having lunch or something. Anyways, I went up to his room. He really liked my dress, he commented on how beautiful I looked and how beautiful the colour was on me. Maybe I’ll attach a picture of said dress? While he really liked my dress, I really liked the view by the window. I could see the swimming pool and the lagoon. It was beautiful.
He asked why I’d used different numbers to call him. I felt the bubble in my throat, hot tears were coming, and then I realized that since the very violent and horrible robbery had happened, I hadn’t cried, I wasn’t even able to sleep. I felt hesitant about telling him, because it felt weird. Like, what are the chances that you just get robbed after meeting someone that’s well-to-do, I mean, I imagined him hearing something similar about girls (since he’s always hearing things) and decided I wouldn’t tell him, but he asked me again, and the tears almost choked me. Somehow, I held my tears back and told him I’d gotten robbed after leaving the hotel the previous day. He seemed quite shocked, then asked if I was serious and how it happened. I honestly couldn’t talk because I would have cried if I didn’t have a moment. I was still standing by the window, so he walked up to me, put both hands on my shoulders, then hugged me and said “It’s ok if you need to cry”
Mehn. That was my cue! The tears came rolling. How did he know I needed to cry?! After about a minute, he pulled back and said “you’re very tense, do you need a drink or anything?” I shook my head and he asked if I was sure so I told him I didn’t drink and I didn’t want anything either.
“Was it an iPhone?” He asked.
“Yes” I said even though there was another one taken as well
He asked if I’d reported to the police and I told him I had (but I had no faith in the police because of how lackadaisical they had been with us).
“Have you been able to block it?” He asked again
I was confused. “No, I don’t know how to, and even if I could I think I would need another phone or laptop for that”
Then he got his phone and called some tech guy that worked at his office to ask about how to block/track a stolen iPhone. He got some directions and then proceeded to help me block the phone. I wondered if that actually worked, I still do sometimes 🤔
“I got you something” he said, giving me a beautiful pink bag. I didn’t know where it came from, my face had been down still battling my tears so I didn’t see where he’d pulled that from.
“Wow, that’s so kind of you” I replied. I honestly wanted to ask if he had that just lying around looking for who to give it to because I was quite sure he didn’t just go shopping within the last 24 hours. Also did he have it with him at the hotel or he’d gone to his house to get it? I didn’t ask though, I thought it might be rude. I kept looking at the bag.
“Do you like it?” He asked
“Yes” I nodded
“I actually got it the last time I was in London. I thought you might like it” he continued
“It’s nice, thank you” I replied.
“Can I give you massage?” That one took me aback.
“What?!”
“I would like to give you a massage, if you’d let me. You’re very tense.”
“Ummm...” I was trying to think.
“It’s ok if you don’t want it” he said sensing my hesitation
“I think it’s ok. I’ve never gotten a massage before, I’d like to experience that” I replied
“Oh really?! No wonder you’re so tense.” He looked a bit surprised “I go in for a massage every once in a while, it’s really good”
I shrugged. He said he was going to set up the place which made me wonder what kind of setup was required for a massage. I thought you only needed your hands and maybe some massage oil no? I excused myself to use the bathroom.
I was staring at myself in the mirror, eyes a little red from crying. Well, that matches my dress I guess. Then I washed my face with warm water and wiped it with one of the towels. “Get a grip of yourself this girl” I told myself then I step out of the bathroom.
For a second I thought I was in the wrong room. The lights were out, curtains were drawn so the room was dark, then there were lit candles around, oils on the bed and soft English music playing. So he really meant it when he said he wanted to set up. Then the Nigerian in me quickly told me this could be his way of preparing me for rituals/blood money. Yeih 🙆🏾♀️ what have I gotten myself into?! God deliver me o.
I stopped in my tracks by the bathroom door.
I held onto the door handle because I was actually expecting something to happen then I would run inside the bathroom and lock myself in (too much Crime Channel will not kill me o 😩😂)
“Are you ok?” He asked
“It’s dark!”
“You don’t like it? I thought it would help you relax. I could open the curtains if you like” he replied.
“Please do” I said, thinking his partner in crime would probably emerge when he did but alas, there was no one.
I took the first step forward then I asked why he really wanted to give me a massage. He told me he wanted to because I was so tense and he thought it would help me relax. He was sure it would be therapeutic for me as it was for him. He also just loved massages, whether he was giving or receiving them.
“God please don’t let me die because of massage. I cover myself with the blood of Jesus” I muttered under my breath then I went and stood by the bed, suddenly horrified to think that it would require me to lie down.
“You can lie down here” he said rubbing his hands on the bed.
I lay down, then he let out a soft laugh and said “you have to unzip your dress”
I tried to be brave “help me” I said as if my heart wasn’t pounding. He helped me unzip and then I pulled the dress down to my waist. He increased the volume of the music (I wonder what that had to do with anything) then poured some oil on my back and some in his palms. I felt his warm hands go up, down and around my back. My eyes closed. I was savouring it, enjoying it, I didn’t even know I needed it. Every time his hands were around my neck and shoulder area, it felt so good, as if there were actual knots that were being losened. Whenever his hands drifted away, I felt bad that I didn’t have the courage to say “stay right there mister!” I was practically battling sleep. Then he stopped and I looked to see why, he was smelling something in a small bottle very close to his nose. I pulled my dress over my breasts “what’s that?” I asked. I’ve forgotten what his exact reply was but it was something in the lines of “it helps you to get relaxed and feel good”.
“Drugs?!” I asked.
“No, no” he said shaking his head. Then he went on to explain the name and uses of the substance. He had bought it in London. I strongly suspected it was an aphrodisiac but I wanted to perceive it so I asked and he let me get a quick whiff at it
“Like it?” He asked
“It has a nice smell” I said. It wasn’t really my cup of tea. I just wanted to satisfy my curiousity.
“Can you just get back to the massage?!” I thought in my head as I lay back down. He continued the massage and then asked if he could massage my legs. I said no and he said I should give it a try, he was sure I’d like it, and promised to stop if I didn’t.
He was right. I enjoyed the leg massage just as much as I did the back. I’ve forgotten how long the massage lasted but I felt like a newborn when I finally got up. He asked if I was ok and how that felt. “Great actually” I replied “thank you”
“Was my pleasure, you’re welcome”
I asked if I could rub some more oil and he said I should go ahead. I poured the oil into my palms and massaged it into my arms and chest. I wanted everywhere glistening with that good oil ✨😊
He gave me a ride back during which we talked about random stuff. Then gave me some money “I know it’s not nearly enough compared to the price of your phone but I’d like you to have it”
“You’ve been so kind, I really appreciate it” my eyes were filling with tears. Ugh! Every time my phone came up I felt like crying.
“Don’t mention it darling”
I opened the door and went down
“I’d love to see you again” he said.
