Dear Beneficiary (13 page)

‘I will bring more clothing for you,' said Gowon, pressing his body against mine so I could feel his hardness pressing against my hip. The strange tingling could have been the recurrence of the groin injury, but I was sure the throbbing came from Gowon, not me.

‘You're a sexy mother,' he said.

The reference to parenthood gave me a moment of guilt which I soon abandoned as I heard a squeal from Tracey, then a thump. I looked round and saw the other guard kneeling on the floor, his arm in the air where it was attached to her via the handcuff.

‘Dirty pervert, tried to touch my tits,' she said, swinging round to look at me, giving the impression that if butter did melt in her mouth, she'd swallow it.

She'd whacked him one and his nose was bleeding.

‘I really don't think that's the way to get what you want,' I said to her, looking back to Gowon whose erection was still very evident, should one be bothered to look. ‘You'll get yourself into trouble if you're not careful. You were leading him on,' I said, basking in the warm glow of knowing I still had plenty of life in me, for an old girl.

‘She a beetch. Silly beetch,' said Tracey's guard. He was holding his nose with one hand while the other was swinging about, being attached to Tracey's every erratic and infuriated movement as she dressed herself.

She tried to manipulate her bosoms into her bra by shaking them vigorously, while bending forward to shackle them in place – which had her guard bending down as well, making him look as if he was bowing to an invisible crowd in front of him. She'd undone her hair from the ghastly daisy-clad band and was flicking it around as poodles do when wet, with droplets of water flying through the air and mostly onto the guard's face. When he wasn't bowing he was blinking and attempting to stem his nosebleed.

‘Come with me,' said Gowon, wrapping me in my towel. He was clearly uninterested in what was happening on the other side of the room. ‘I fetch you clothes.'

He led me to another shack some distance from the one Tracey and I had been incarcerated in. It wasn't much better than ours, except it had a small TV in a corner, proper beds with clean bedding and a portable gas stove, no doubt used for boiling our eggs. What I did notice was my suitcase, which had obviously been rifled through for anything of value. It was then I twigged what Gowon smelled of, as the evidence was straight in front of me.

I'd worn Chanel N°5 since Colin bought it as a wedding day gift. He continued to buy it due to not having the imagination to think of anything else more original. Gowon had been using it, with what I admitted were quite powerful results. I'd been lured into a sense of safety by my own perfume!

He sorted out a pile of clothes, which he passed over just as the other guard came tumbling in, holding his nose with both hands. I couldn't see Tracey but soon got the impression he wasn't prepared to have any more to do with her than necessary.

‘That woman hit me!' he said, clearly wounded on more than a physical level. ‘She's mad!'

I glanced up at Gowon, who was looking admiringly at me. He was probably glad to have got the sane one of the two of us to deal with. I was staying sane amidst the horror of the situation mainly because I was rather thrilled to confirm my allure to younger men, even if this one had taken me hostage. He could do what he liked, within reason.

The other guard threw Tracey's belongings out of her cases and handbag. I could see they'd gone through all our paperwork, which was spread across one of the beds. They'd also smoked some of Tracey's cigarettes, as the ends were stubbed out on a plate next to a pile of eggshells. It seemed that even the guards were on a limited diet.

Maybe I should teach them how to make an omelette
, I thought.

‘Could my friend have some clothes as well, please?' I asked Tracey's guard, as Gowon piled my clothes into my arms. He sucked his teeth and held his head in his hands, occasionally swiping his wrist past his nose, which was still bleeding.

Gowon went to Tracey's case and pulled out a pile of clothing, most of which looked like very small knickers. He placed them on top of my own pile, which was far more suited to foreign travel, although perhaps not ideal for living in a shack as a prisoner.

As he led me back, still locked into the handcuffs, men's voices could be heard in the direction of the canal. They were talking animatedly but I couldn't work out what they were saying. I tried to turn round to catch sight of them but Gowon increased his speed to get me out of the way as quickly as possible.

Once we got to the shack he pushed himself against me while unlocking the door. It wasn't an unpleasant experience and I smiled at him. As I did, I thought I could see him blush, although it was difficult to tell beneath the dark skin.

‘See you later,' he said as he unlocked the handcuffs. He blew me a kiss and closed the door behind him. My insides turned excitedly at the gesture.

Tracey sat with her hair in a big mess on top of her head, wrapped in her towel and holding her dirty clothes.

‘What was that all about?' I asked her, as I placed my clean clothes in a pile on the chest and put her items on the chair. ‘Hitting the guards isn't a very good idea. Not if we want to get out of here.'

‘Well, flirting in the shower isn't the best trick either,' replied Tracey as she flicked her hair around with no apparent result.

I stopped briefly in my tracks towards the chair. I didn't want someone like her judging me on my social etiquette.

‘I'm just trying to get him onside,' I answered, climbing into my clean clothes and hoping my tone gave the impression of someone trying to save themselves in dire circumstances, rather than that of a woman with very loose morals. ‘If we have any chance of getting out of here we need a friend. I don't reckon any of yours are going to turn up, after all.'

The sound of voices came again, talking loudly, and this time I recognised what I thought was Chike's voice saying something had to be done.

‘We need to use the details. We can't keep them here for ever,' his deep Nigerian accent lilted.

As the voices got nearer we heard the key turn in the padlock and Chike and Fasina, followed by Gowon, came into the shack.

‘Ladies!' said Chike with a smile that looked more menacing than friendly. ‘Well, what have we to do with you?' he said, looking at each of us in turn. His smile turned to a snarl and he walked around the shack as Fasina sat down on the only seat and Gowon stood by the door.

‘We need to get you out of here but that is going to cost someone some money. So let's hope your families care enough to pay up. Then you will be free to go,' said Chike, smiling again.

He walked very close to me and placed his face in front of mine.

‘And if they don't care … we'll have to find other ways to get what we want.'

Tracey looked shocked. Although she'd understood we'd been kidnapped she didn't understand the concept of ransom. I also suspected she'd have to think hard about whether there was anyone who'd be prepared to pay for her release. I couldn't imagine there was anyone at home relying heavily on her input for their survival – emotional, physical or otherwise.

I knew, on the other hand, I'd be released as soon as Darius found out what had happened to me. He would, of course, be waiting at the Western Union bank and he'd speak to these people, his people, and all would be sorted out.

‘Well, I'm sure that won't be necessary,' I said as I tried to make eye contact with Gowon who had been staring at the floor since he had come in. ‘I think you will find everything can easily be sorted out.'

Chike smiled and did a little hopscotch skip across the room, nearly falling into Gowon as he caught his right foot behind his left leg.

‘I very much hope so, my dear ladies. Time is money and we have plenty of time.'

As the three men left the room Tracey and I remained silent as we took in the implications of our kidnap. For the first time since we arrived I felt out of control – like my life was hurtling towards a precipice. I knew I needed to remain calm, but worry was biting at my heels like a snappy dog.

‘What do you think is going to happen to us?' said Tracey. ‘What if they don't get what they want and decide to kill us?'

Her words opened up a flower of possibility I hadn't considered in any depth. I addressed the rising panic by focusing on my breathing, an act that reminded me of childbirth. I thought of my family and what they would, or wouldn't, be willing to do to rescue me.

‘Let's hope someone knows what's going on,' I said. ‘Or we could be here for a very long time.'

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

We'd been in captivity for five days, and each day had passed much as the one before, but today felt heavier than the last. I couldn't decide if it was because of the accumulation of drugs or whether the novelty of staying in the shack was wearing very thin.

Both of us had had time to think. Tracey mainly about the state of her hair and nails, and whether she'd qualify to go on
Big Brother
after our ordeal.

‘It's much the same as being here,' she said, attempting to educate me about a reality television programme that sounded about as entertaining as watching paint dry.

I, on the other hand, had time to reflect on my lovely middle-class life, and wondered why I'd done nothing of any note with it. I could have had a career, written a book, learned Spanish or completed a marathon. I also thought that through my own force of will and personality I could chart my own path through life. Having been pulled dramatically off the course I thought I was taking, I was aware of the fine line between my comfortable life and what could become a living hell. If I'd learned anything it was to accept this adversity with dignity.

None of the days could be described as my ideal but no one could say we'd been particularly badly treated or abused in any way, although I was getting tired of the state of limbo – and the conversation, which would always be limited with only one other person to converse with. I could have been persuaded to watch
Loose Women
or start making my own greetings cards, I was that bored.

We were woken up by the delivery of the usual fare of eggs and fruit. My clothes were feeling very loose, and Tracey looked like her face was about to slide off from lack of nourishment, suggesting we'd both lost a fair amount of weight.

‘I'm getting really pissed off with this now,' she said. ‘Why doesn't someone come and find us?'

I sensed Tracey was suffering anxiety of her own. She'd expressed feelings of denial, sure we would be rescued at any moment, followed by thoughts of murder, torture or being locked up for decades with no one knowing where we were. I'd had my own concerns about all of those things but decided not to voice them to my fragile companion. Out of the two of us, I was the one to be relied on in a crisis.

‘We won't be here for ever. There's no point in them keeping us much longer,' I said. ‘We're no use to them other than as a bargaining tool for cash.'

Tracey lifted her jowls up on either side of her face as if checking whether a facelift might be necessary. I was glad we didn't have a mirror in the room.

‘What if they decide to torture us?' she said.

The thought had crossed my mind but I decided it was unlikely. They'd shown no real signs of aggression and didn't appear to have weapons. The very fact we were imprisoned had an implied threat, but what would they do? Shoot us and throw our bodies in the water to be eaten by the fish they pull out to eat? That wouldn't achieve their goals. Although I thought it unlikely, I also recognised I was avoiding the issue and allowing hope to override any such possibilities.

‘They are looking after us to some degree,' I said. ‘They wouldn't be feeding us and keeping us clean if they didn't care about our welfare.'

‘They ain't keeping us clean. Cold water and no bloody bog roll. I just want a nice hot shower and some smoothing serum for my hair,' said Tracey.

I said I doubted they'd be able to offer either of those at the moment, but maybe we could ask. We needed to keep up our spirits and a positive atmosphere, and the hope of any improvement in our conditions could help greatly towards that.

I peeled open one of the eggs and bit the glistening white top off it, revealing the sticky orange yolk beneath. If I had to eat just one thing over and over again to prevent starvation then egg was probably the best option.

‘It's not my obvious choice of diet but it seems to be working. We both look like filleted anchovies,' I said.

Tracey flicked her hair about to get it away from her eyes.

‘Eh?'

‘I think we've lost weight,' I said, partly to distract her from melancholy. Any focus on her would do that.

Tracey looked pleased.

‘You reckon? Hope I don't lose it off me tits.'

‘Well, it wouldn't hurt if you did. You've plenty to go round.'

Tracey laughed. ‘Certainly more than you have, that's for sure.'

I felt like telling her that Gowon thought my breasts to be particularly beautiful, but as she likes to steal the sexual thunder I thought that might give her the competitive opportunity she thrived on. I didn't want her as an enemy.

When it came to washroom time, Tracey's guard was conspicuous by his absence. Perhaps he'd been frightened off by her right hook.

‘I will take you both today,' said Gowon, handcuffing Tracey but letting my hand remain free. I hoped his statement wasn't meant quite as it sounded. He might not be the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but I'd no intention of sharing him, particularly with Tracey.

We got to the other shack and he attached her to one of the struts against the wall.

‘Why ain't you letting me go too?' said Tracey, pulling at the handcuff until it rattled the walls. ‘That ain't bleedin' fair. What's she got I ain't?'