Chapter 2. An Unwelcome Stay

I opened the car door and stepped out, peering around for any more signs of movement. 

“That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” Mom said as she brushed some hair out of her face. She had single plaits that she had tied back with a scarf. It came loose while she left the car hurriedly. “It looked like he was scared of something.” 

Dad leaned against the car door and surveyed the trees surrounding us. I considered telling them what I thought I saw some moments ago in the trees, but I didn’t want us to spend another minute there. Knowing my dad, he might choose to investigate the area. He could not help himself. 

“We need to leave. Something is not right here.” I said instead. 

Dad looked around before he sighed and got into the car with us. “I asked you to stay in the car, Precious. Anyway, we are wasting daylight. I don’t want us to be on the road at night in an unfamiliar place.” 

We continued the drive without any other incident, but my gaze darted for anything suspicious. What was supposed to be a three-hour ride had lasted much longer. We arrived just as the sun started to set. There was no way I could begin the registration process by that time of the day, so we decided to stay in a hotel for the night. 

“Do you have any room available, ensuite or double-bed perhaps?” Dad said to the receptionist. 

She smacked her bubble gum loudly and lazily blinked her heavily mascaraed eyes at us, looking clueless. 

“Have you got any room at all?” My mom asked. Her eyes drifted over to my mom before she turned to face my dad as if Mom hadn’t spoken. 

“Oga, we get room, but I no know ensweet.” Her local accent was heavy, with a hint of a dialect I suspected must be popular within the community. I sighed and looked around. What else to expect from a guest house called Arensole, whose sign board had two missing letters, e and n, and became very misleading? The air smelt heavily of rose-scented air freshener and something else I could not identify. Somehow, I was sure I wouldn’t want to find out. The door opened as a heavily built man walked in wearing white agbada with two girls, one on each arm. I blinked twice in surprise; the girls didn’t look much older than me. The receptionist’s face brightened as she ignored us to greet the man, who I guessed was a regular. 

“Chief! Welcome oh, your room is ready just as you like it.” 

“I know you won’t disappoint,” The man said, taking the keys from her. “See me later.” He whispered as he walked away with his companions. He didn’t spare us a glance. 

My mother had a pinched look as she turned to face the lady. 

“Can you attend to us now, or are we not considered customers too?” I spoke up before my mom did. Somehow, I figured she was close to losing it. It was a long trip we were all stressed out. 

The lady threw me a look but attended to us. “There’s only one room.” She placed a price list before us and pointed it out. “That is how much it costs per night.” 

“We’ll take it,” Dad said. The irritation was in his voice so was exhaustion. He counted a few notes from his wallet and quickly put them on the counter. The lady recounted them before calling an attendant to show us our room. He was a young guy whose face was a map of pimples. The lower region of his face boasted a struggling beard that had not connected yet. He wore sagging jeans with the official T-shirt hung on his bony frame. He inserted the keys into the door and held it open for us to go in. When I walked past him, I was sure my eyes did not deceive me when he winked at me. I nearly gagged. 

“Enjoy your stay.” He said as he gave my dad the key. 

When he was gone, my dad turned to us and sighed. “It is just one night. First thing tomorrow morning, we'll go to your campus.” He put an arm around Mom. “Darling, we’re out of here as soon as Precious settles in.” 

I shook my head and walked away from them. Sure, leave me in the strange land, why don’t you? We sorted out the sleeping arrangements then took turns to freshen up in the bathroom. I laid awake long after my parents had slept and stared at nothing in particular, it was not long before I drifted off too, and the last thing to flash in my mind was the memory of a dark, hooded figure limping away into the forest. 

I woke up to dancehall music, a result of partygoers nearby. I glanced at my parents to find them unaffected by the noise. Groaning in annoyance, I checked the time and saw it was just a little after dawn. I knew sleep was out of the question, so I silently imagined how life would be when I was on my own without my parents. I imagined it would be lonely and daunting. I would have to get used to being among people again. More importantly, I would have to learn among others and no longer at my own pace. I also no longer had Miss Sylvia for my in-person therapy sessions. I sighed and rolled unto my side as I worried my way back to sleep. It was with great relief that we checked out of the hotel by 8 am sharp. The receptionist bid us farewell with a smile that didn’t need a soothsayer to tell you it was fake. I noticed her eyes seemed dull and there was a hint of a bruise beneath the sleeves of her shirt she kept tugging down. 

“I am glad to be rid of that place.” Mom scoffed as we got into the car. “It is certainly not going on any 5-star lists anytime soon,” Dad commented as he drove off.