My brother's girl

Eghosaela

          June 15,2018.
I drove in the streets of Benin,at the government reserved area in Ihama.
I drove inside a nice compound and I parked in front of a mansion, it's Ella's house.
Ella's family used to be a average class but after she became a model,her family became very rich.
I rang the door bell and some one answered me.
"Huemwenmwen,what a pleasant surprise,come in", said the maid.
" how do you know me?",I asked.
"Ella talks about you all the time, your picture is always with her,she practically worships you", said Iyore Ella's sister.
" that's not true ",said Ella as she came down the stairs.
"Hue,what brought you here today?", Ella asked.
" I have always told you, never to call me Hue,Hue doesn't have a meaning and isn't my name, my name is Osahuemwenmwen and if you can't call me that call me Huemwenmwen ".
" what is the difference between Osahuemwenmwen and Huemwenmwen, they are both long,I prefer Hue for short".
"You keep on doing things to make me dislike you,this is going to be hard",I said in a low voice.
" what?",asked Ella.
"Nothing",
" OK",
"I was going to the zoo and I know you love to visit animals so...",
" I will go change,wait for me,don't move a muscle",
I smiled then I walked around the lobby, I saw the pictures hang on the wall,how beautiful they were. The father with a dark hair,dark eyes and nude libs,the mother looked exactly like her father,that I started wondering if it's was true what they say if the longer you stay with some one the more you look like them,the only difference was the brown hair the mother has,Ella was the photo copy of her woman, she has brown long curled hair while her mum has brown short curled hair and her sister has dark short hair,of course we are Africans so when I say long hair you should know that the length is a little above the shoulder, Africans don't normally have long hair so when an hair is above the shoulder it is referred to as long.
But then Ella hardly reveals her natural hair,she is always on long brown curled wigs worth above 50,000 Naira. In Nigeria we have two types of wigs,the one we call synthetic and the one we call human hair. The synthetic is the one with less value, the cheaper version while the human hair is most costly,Ella fix human hair. Iyore Ella's sister loves to braid her hair than to fix wigs. In Nigeria we call the rubber hair we attach to our hair "attachment" while the wigs we fix,we call it "weave on". So Iyore doesn't weave just her hair but with long attachment reaching her waist,so the fact that she doesn't have long hair doesn't affect her concerning the fact that her sister who has long hair doesn't even show it,what's the need. They also have two boys,one is dark and the other chocolate in complexion.
As I was in thoughts,Ella came down stairs with her gray crop top and blue belly jeans along with a brown sandals. She looks so beautiful that I couldn't just swallow it inside.
" you look fabulous ",
" really ",
" yes,you do",
"Thanks",
" let's go ".
     As I drove, wizkid song was playing.
" may I?",Ella asked as she was about to change the song.
"Go a heard", I said and she started searching from song to song until she stopped at a song titled"eke nu yena",which means where you are now.
" I didn't know you liked Benin songs ",I said surprisedly.
" of course ,am I not a Benin girl?",
"You know most girls in your class love blues and American songs",
" yes you are right but I am not most girls ",
" well guest what",
"What?",
" I love this song too",
"That's a lie",
" no it's the truth",
"The song is talking about how people should be greatful to God on where they are now...",
" because they are people in worst conditions ",I cut her short.
" yes,so do you believe that?",
"Yes people are in worst conditions",
"No,that you should be greatful to God for where you are now,what you have now even if you pray so hard and it's seems like God isn't answering?", asked Ella.
" what would you be praying for that God hasn't answered, you are rich,well to do,what else do you need in life?",I asked
"There is so much in life than money Hue", said Ella.
          We got to Ogba Zoo in Benin and I paid the ticket fee,then we entered. We saw all the animals in their cages but I couldn't stop myself from wondering what Ella could still be praying for when things seems so well.
"They are given the rabbit to the snake for dinner,no!! can't they give it something else,some thing not living", cried Ella.
" Ella walk with me",
"OK",
As we walked,I spoke to Ella.
" Ella I would want us to be friends, would you want that?",
"Yes I would love that",
" that's great,friends then",I said as I stressed out my hand.
"Friends", she shakes me.
At the zoo we watched animals together, she talked to me about some animals, we laughed together and got to know each other a little.
Afterwards we went to buy meat pie and two bottles of mineral(soft drinks).
" so tell me,what's could make a beautiful girl like you want to the extent you pray about it and yet no response? ",I asked.
" it's nothing ",
" no it's not,if it was nothing it would not bother you this way ",
She sigh.
" OK I will tell you but you must promise not to tell anybody ",
" I promise",
"Because I haven't told anyone this before",
" I understand ",
" modeling isn't what I always wanted to be, when I was 17 I went to buy a snack from a small provision store close to my former house and I met this guy",
"Such a beauty", said the man.
" I said thank you and waited for my order,as the store owner gave me my snack and I gave her the money,I was waiting for my change(balance) when the man said ",
" the figures and body shape are perfect ",using his hand to demonstrate.
" excuse me",I said.
"Please don't mind my language, I meant you are well built",
" and I know your kind,you say sweet words to young girls,they go with you and then who knows what you do to them,my friends in school laugh at me that I am flat in both front and back and you come and tell me this,oh please ",
" you do not understand me,take me to your house,let me meet your parents so you know I am serious ",
" why?",
"your parents would understand me better",
" so I took him home and as soon as he told my parents the money I would be paid a month that blinded them and they signed the papers,they even forced me to sign,after we took some pictures, what the man didn't tell me before, he started telling me and I couldn't say no because some how it's in the contract, when he would say take off the top,I would do so,and when a contract is done I sign another, my parents said I should bear it, my sibling are still studying abroad, my dad needs to invest first ",
" and there is nothing you could do",
"Don't you get what I am saying",
" I do",
"So I see circumstances made you a model,but your father would always be investing and your siblings would not finish school for many years more,you shouldn't punish your self Ella",
" I have to do this for my family ",
" so what did you wanted to be, when you were young? what's your dream in life? ",
" I wanted to be a musician, a singer,a celebrity, a pop star,some one who would bring Edo culture to life,you know sing in my natural dialect ",
" so you want to sing in Edo like the Edo musicians, like Palmer Omoruyi, Naomi...",
"No no no,that's not what I mean,I do not mean I will sing like them,of course not,how could you think that",
" well the way you said it",
"Imagine me singing in such a way,I love our native songs but no,seriously",
" you said you want to sing in your natural dialect ",
" yes I said so but not like that",
"Then like how?",
" I want to sing in English but chip in one or two Edo,you know ",
" oh now I understand",
"Like wizkid and olamide but they do theirs with Yoruba",
" yeah yeah,sing for me ",
" what?",
"Sing for me Ella",
" here",
"Yes here",
" no",
"Come on Ella, sing",
" no".