CHAPTER 2

       The days always seemed crowded with all sorts of busy schedules, in the city of Lagos it was rush hour, twenty four seven, the heat, the cars, the traffic, too many inconveniences came with it, inconveniences that according to some was best drowned in liquor.

       The night clubs were a relaxing point from the madness of the hustle, the rich drowned in bottles and revelled in the illusion of the magic, that would be over by the break of dawn, they relished in the surge of damsels, as the wine cascaded down their throats all night long, partying in the craze of the euphoria, and in the episodes of drunken stupor.

       It was meant for the careless and carefree, some would leave the madness with a fortune from a drunk man's credit card, others would leave with their trousers unzipped, parading in the stench of alcohol, mixed with cheap cologne from a runs girl, never the less, that was the hustle, and in the hustle it was win, or lose. Check mate.

       The Nightingale wasn't any different, it crawled from naughty, to nice, to wealthy, to the hustler, the next big buck for a steamy night of one shot intimacy. This had been a fortress of solitude to many, and Alice was no exception. 

       She had started visiting the Nightingale, to drown her glum of a relationship on the ropes, she had suspected him of cheating on her, he could barely stay away from all that chunck of ass and bullshit.

      It started with a feeling, a hunch, that she set aside after each fake seductive smile from the good for nothing unfaithful,  sugar-coated tongued boyfriend her mother could care less about, she had complained about him, how he made her feel, she didn't like him, the reasons were innumerable, his nails were too long, he had tattoos, his jeans always sagged, even though he tried to be on his best behaviours whenever she was around, mummy Shade would always outsmart his facade. ( Shade was Alice's native name, one her father thought was old fashioned, but second to none, in her mother's perspective)

      If only she had listened, she wouldn't be drowning herself in Vodka, in a club full of drunks, whores, ( also known as one shots) and men who would rather spend their last dime on anything that wasn't their wife. But the alcohol wasn't the only reason she was there.

      Apparently, someone tipped her off, that her supposed boyfriend, along with his lover would be at the club that night, ( someone who preferred to stay anonymous) she had hoped to catch them red handed, and end the drama with her vodka in his face, while she blurted the words " we're done" to him, casually walking away, and also fulfilling her mother's long awaited dream, but she was yet to find anyone who looked remotely like him, and the sound was getting louder, the club crowdier, and the rush of testosterone was approaching it's climax, on one hand she was ready to leave, but on the other she had to end the drama of her relationship.

      Despite the shadows cast by the fusion of bodies, cuddling under the club's luminescent lights, the crowd, and the banging of the DJ's mixer, one figure stood out, she would recognize her anywhere, tall, short dress, in high heels, with lenghty human hair,  and flaunting her Louis Vuitton bag,  like anyone there would care about it, Taria Kingston, 28, beautiful, slim,with high cheek bones and a weakness for glamour and fashion, also spoilt to a fault strutted towards her.

    " Alice? " she questioned, almost unsure. 

       A night in the club alone was fine, but with Taria, something was bound to go wrong. Alice couldn't ignore her if she wanted to, plus she was all ready to leave, the least she could do was exchange pleasantries with Taria. With an obviously fake smile plastered on her face, and an hello that vaguely showed genuine excitement, Alice confirmed Taria's uncertainty.

    " Taria ? hey, now isn't this a surprise ?" she questioned with a friendly tone.  

    " It is a surprise" Taria responded, going for a hug, which Alice reciprocated, as they let go of each other Taria made sure to scan Alice's assets, from her purse down to the bracelet on her wrist, to the earrings she wore, through to the designer ring she had on her finger. 

   " You look nice " she suggested 

   " Thank you, you're looking equally beautiful" Alice replied.

   " I haven't seen you since Alison's birthday party "said Taria, as she adjusted carefully onto a stool, before crossing her legs, and beckoning to the bartender with a wave of her right hand.

  " I'll have what she's having, thank you" she said, with a shimmering smile and then focused on the conversation. 

  " I know, I've been busy" Alice replied.

  " I can see that " Taria responded, with a less than convinced look of the busy actress that was currently in a club drowning her frustration in a glass of vodka.   

  " And your boyfriend ? " she continued, peering into the crowd as if looking for him.

     The question caused Alice to take a pause, as she gently lowered the glass of vodka from her lips onto the counter, just as the bartender brought Taria's order.

   " Here you go" he said as he handed her the glass.

   " Thank you" she replied, taking it out of his hands before resuming her sweep of questions.

   " Isn't he here?". she asked again, without even allowing her a chance to answer the first question.

      Alice's intents were to ignore her questions, both the first, the second, and everyother that would come after them, but there wasn't any need to, no one was home, she could indulge in Taria's curiosity for a few more minutes, even if it meant lying about it. 

   " Don't tell me you're here alone ?" she questioned, drawing the conclusion that Alice was lonely and needed sympathy. 

   " Well aren't you ?" Alice retorted, shifting her gaze to Taria, with an ironic look that floored her face, a quick, solid come back,  meant to send a straight message, that she was in no mood to be messed with. 

    " Fair enough, I suppose" Taria replied, (message received)

    " So where is he ?" she continued, eager for a response, she knew Alice would have no option but to give one sooner or later if she persisted, and she was good at persisting, more for the affairs of others than for her own.

   " He is out of town for work " she replied casually, bringing the glass to her lips for a taste of the content, "

   " Work ?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow,  and reluctant to succumb to Alice's white lies, which she didn't make any effort of concealing.

   " He had a deal he couldn't cancel " Alice replied, also casually. 

   " Oh, I see " Taria responded,  feigning convinced, while she continued watching the dance floor, giving Alice the opportunity of sizing her, from the human hair on her head to the stiletto on her feet, she was irritated by the thoughts of his betrayal, and having Taria interrogate her only tested her patience.

    Taria on the other hand seemed to be getting bored, as she was yet to set her eyes on something tasty on the dance floor, until she saw the door open, and the person that came in after made the night all the more interesting.

    She couldn't hold the surprise and excitement, as a crafty grin appeared on the side of her face, big enough for Alice to notice, who eyed her from the side of her glass.

    "See anything you like ?" Alice questioned, not really wanting a response. 

    " Something like that ",she replied, the grin still evident and her gaze equally locked.

       Few could exude the kind of patience Alice had, but she was ready to call it a night. She reached into her purse, paid the bartender, and dropped from the stool, ready to leave her company. 

     " Are you leaving already ?" Taria questioned, feigning disappointed.

    " You sound surprised ", Alice replied. 

    " Well, I thought we could catch up on a few things, like, you didn't tell me what business your boyfriend was into, " 

       There was something about the question that tested almost suspicious, but Alice was neither ready nor had the intention to entertain anymore of Taria's pesky questions, and after a 20 second long stare she continued, and bade her good night.

     " You know, you didn't have to lie about your boyfriend, " Taria suggested, a statement Alice found insulting, she had gone a few paces but stopped, and turned, fixing her eyes on Taria, she couldn't help the confusion that spoke volumes on her face.

    " Excuse me ?" soft, unapprehensive, angry, all suggested Alice's tone of voice  

   " Seriously ! how long have we known each other ? " Taria questioned, adjusting into a more comfortable position on the stool, after which,  drank from her glass as if wanting to savour every taste. She finally drew the glass from her lips and dropped it delicately on the counter, to resume her mockery of Alice .

    " No matter how hard we try to hide something, in the end it would eventually surface, just like this glass, shut at the bottom, but wide open at the top ", she said with a giggle.

    " You're drunk Taria, go home, Alice suggested.

    " I mean, could it be that you didn't know, or are you just playing dumb ?" 

       Alice had obviously had her fill, she would leave regardless of whatever Taria would spit out next. " I don't have time for this nonsense" Alice replied, and made a turn to leave.

    " But your boyfriend seems to have plenty of time on his hands " Taria replied mockingly, which caught Alice's attention once more.

    " I mean, how come you never told us, that he was into women's clothing ? "she replied, locking eyes with Alice and then shifting her gaze to the dancefloor, where Alice's boyfriend was evidently having a good time with his lover, he was cheating on her, the doubts were cleared, it was right there, in black, and white.

What would happen next? will Alice storm out of the club and severe all ties with him? or unleash her anger on the dance floor .

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