A Crooked Road To Christmas

Coco quickly shut her mind against the howling of the harmattan wind outside. The sound always took her back to five years ago when she had hurried out of her hometown, a place where the women did all the hard work and the men only drank 'ogogoro' and impregnated as many women as possible.

The wind had protested in her ears and swept dust into her eyes but she had trudged on, resolved to fulfil her mission.

She had fled to Lagos to find a better life, a different life from her mother's. Her baby brother, Meeky had cried his heart out all through the celebrations because his best friend had left him. So each year after that, she would return the same time she had left. Not because of Mama, whose only concern was to make enough profit from her trade so she could provide for her home otherwise Papa would turn his "attention" to another more prosperous woman. Not for Papa who had so many other children, that it did not matter if she came or went. Not for Willy, her older brother by ten years whose footprints were a match of Papa's. She always returned because of her Meeky. And they would have a grand Christmas together.

She had arrived Lagos with a hopeful heart but several months later and with few survival options, she had joined Babina, her neighbour and new friend in her craft. Her beauty and freshness had attracted many clients to her and in no time, she became the one everybody wanted. But for a while now her clients had dwindled. Five years was a long time to remain number one in her kind of business. She was broke.

For Christmas' sake she had done something dreadful. She had cornered Colonel, Babina's highest paying client, because he was rumoured to be generous with money. She had betrayed Babina who taught her everything she knew about the business.

"No dey ever comot your brazia. Wear am wen you dey sleep. E dey make breast tanda for life!"

Babina had saved her from her village curse, yet she was doing this to her...

"Coco, what is going on? You promised to treat me well..." Colonel whined from his position on the bed.

He was a dark, burly, good-natured, ugly-looking man, and he spoke clean english in surprisingly gentle tones.

She walked to the middle of the dimly-lit room and with one finger released the towel around her chest. Her full breasts dangled beautifully as she bent to remove her panties. She moved towards the edge of the bed and stood facing him.

She was close shaven and squeaky clean. Her alum supply never went dry.

"Coco..." It was a growl; guttural, pleading.

She removed her gaze from the past and looked to the present.

It was going to be war on Allen, but she did not care.

Christmas was all that mattered...

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