Jagua Nana

‘Yes, I go for Burma campaign, but I desert.’ He gave a short laugh.

Jagua was staggered by his detachment. ‘Dennis, I beg you. Take dis as warning and stop. Plenty fine work for Lagos. I already tell you. My boy frien’ Freddie, is in England. He got no money, but is ambitious. Is an ordinary teacher. He try, try, till God give him luck and he fin’ way to go U.K. Is in England now. He soon return as lawyer. I like man who try to go forward in de worl’, by honest way. For de sake of dat gal Sabina who love you, you kin try to be good.’

Dennis smiled. ‘Sabina no min’ at all. She know everythin’ and she like de fas’ life. You ever seen her dance in de Tropicana? I don’ mean, in de house. Dat one is small thin’. I mean in de Tropicana. De white men use to crase for her. But I don’ let her mix her blood. Sabina love me, because of my ‘business’. She love me because I young and wild and I got no fear of anythin’. She too, she got no fear in her blood. She fear nobody; and she strong like leopard! God!’

He had been carried away, and now Jagua saw that it was useless trying to make him change his mind. ‘Is all right – O!’ she said in desperation. ‘We live to see.’

Jagua said to him, ‘Dennis, you better go now. I jus’ remember de man keepin’ me soon come now.’ She was terrified of him now. He could easily contaminate her with his frightening life. She knew he could spoil her chances with men who mattered. ‘De man keepin’ me in dis house soon come, Dennis. He use to come here in de evenin’ time, like dis. So I beg you, no vex. You kin come anodder time.’

‘I see you again,’ Dennis said. But he was still standing there when ‘the man keeping her’ came into the room.

Jagua immediately bridled and swung her hips to delight him and winked at him intimately. Soon after she returned from Bagana Uncle Taiwo had become so taken with her ‘provincialness’ and marvellous skin that he spent first one night, then two nights with her and now she saw him daily in her room. He said he liked her because she was ‘not like Lagos women’.

‘I mus’ go now,’ said Dennis.

And when he had left: ‘Jagua, who’s de young man?’

‘Jus’ my brodder, Uncle Taiwo.’

‘Your brodder who sleep wit’ you on de same bed, not so?’ And he roared with laughter.

Uncle Taiwo was not a young man. He had seen life and in his fifty odd years he had developed a manner she liked. He was not stingy with money. She knew him as the Party Agent for O.P. 2, one of the big political parties in Lagos. He rode a Pontiac and lavished a lot of campaign money in the name of the Party. Although the elections were still far away, he told Jagua that this was the time to do all the groundwork; and therefore he gave himself little or no rest, save when he came ‘here’ to see her.

She came near and caressed his cheeks. ‘You too jealous, jus’ like young man. What I will do wit’ small boy like dat. Is my brodder, I swear. Don’t you trust me?’

‘I glad say he be your brodder. God save ’im if he’s not. I go jus’ kill am one time. Ah go make trouble for ’im till he ron away from dis Lagos. You tink I goin’ to pay rent and furnish dis house for small boy to come when I turn me back? No fear!’ And again he roared with laughter.

‘Is only me brodder, Uncle Taiwo. He come an’ tell me say our Senior Brodder done die for we country.’

Uncle Taiwo’s face did not soften and she knew he did not believe her. She was almost certain that men she picked up in Lagos usually knew nothing about her near or distant relations; but Uncle Taiwo knew about Freddie because it was he who had taken her to the airport when he left. At first when he began coming to her, he asked questions about him; whether she heard from him, how he was … but now Freddie’s name seldom came up for discussion. He was beginning to regard himself as the rightful lover, always jealous. She got around him by mothering him. She went over now and sat on his knee, rubbing her thinly clad hips into his thighs. She threw one arm over his shoulder, so that her left breast snuggled close to his lips. Presently she felt his thick, rough lips close on the nipple. ‘A dog with food in his mouth does not bark,’ went the proverb.

She felt the powerful arms binding her towards him, smelt the vapours from the voluminous robes that now swallowed her.

In the middle of the night she heard a knock on the door. She would not get up till the caller shifted to the window. She glanced at Uncle Taiwo. The weak blue bedroom light rested on the globular blobs of fat, the face like a baby’s unlined and innocent looking, the thick rough lips parted and snoring, revealing large front teeth. He was gone, transported to another land. She had mothered him well.

She slipped out in a single cloth tied under the arms and went to the door. Dennis Odoma was standing there. She placed a hand over her mouth to avoid shouting at him. He even tried to push past her into the room, but she pressed him back with her bosom.

‘Where you goin? You don’ know my man is in de bed?’ She was hissing like a cobra.

‘Always some man in de bed!’ Dennis growled. ‘Some man in de bed! You will die with some man in de bed one day. Look me!’ He raised his arm then, and her glance caught the silver bangle on his wrist. Jagua recognised the handcuffs.

‘Dennis! …’

‘De police catch me, an’ I ron away from dem. Das all. I come to warn you, sometime, dem will come here, come to ask you ’bout me. You mus’ tell dem, you know nothin’. You hear?’

‘God!’ breathed Jagua, not daring to raise her voice for fear of waking Uncle Taiwo. ‘You wound de policeman? Tell me true word, Dennis!’

‘Ah knock ’im down. I don’ know. Sometime he wound, or die. Not my lookout. All policeman be thief, so I don’t use to sorry for dem. If to say ah give am small money, he for lef’ me.’

‘Is officer of de law you wound, Dennis; das serious you know. De Government no go let you go free, however!’

‘I don’ care.’ He came nearer. ‘Lissen, Jagua. Since dem arrest me, I don’ see Sabina and she take de gun.’

Jagua recoiled. ‘De gun?’

‘Only small revolver dat we tief from army barrack. I hide am for some place an’ when I go look, is gone. Only Sabina know de place.’ He frowned, then began talking intensely. ‘I know dat gal goin’ to do somethin’, das why I fear. She tell me dat if ever dem catch me she goin’ to take her life. Lissen, Jagua. I beg you if she reach here to ask of me, tell am not to worry ’bout me. Try to keep am happy. De gal never reach nineteen year. She too young to die.’

He turned and was off into the darkness. She broke down then. The tears came. She leaned against the doorpost and let them flow. Then, with her cloth, she wiped her tears and went back to the bed, bolting the door firmly behind her. Uncle Taiwo made some protest, and Jagua told him she had gone to ease herself. But she was unable to sleep any more that night for worry. If the police came, what would they ask her? Would they want to take her to the station? What had really happened between Dennis and the police officer? Had she not warned him to give up this reckless kind of life? Now it was too late. An officer of the law! The Government would never rest till they had got Dennis. He could never escape with this one because the Government must protect the policemen who never carry arms.