18 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE PARTY

Fate had decided that Isabelle's chance meeting with the Twins would not end that night. Instead it blossomed into an unlikely friendship. Suddenly Isabelle's status charged. She noticed that people's attitude towards her had changed from teasing to a healthy respect. Nobody messed around with the chubby, shy, pretty girl in SSII. She had become untouchable.

She gained form the Twins in every aspect. They coached her in her academic work and she performed excellently in tests and exams. They taught her how to walk and talk like a big girl. They taught her things that her mother, whoever she was, would never teach her. They treated her like a sister. Isabelle began to enjoy a new kind of life. A life where you finally found yourself accepted in a family. A family of your very own in a school for orphans, it was something she thought she would never have.

One day Venus (Isabelle could never tell the difference between them but they wore different hairstyles to help identification) pulled her aside and told her that they were going to have a midnight party with some friends.

"All SSIII girls, honey," she drooled, "You are the only SSII girl invited so don't let us down. I'II come to pick you anyway."

"Okay, Venus. Anything you say."

"That's my girl."

Isabelle did not know exactly what she expected. May be a small groove involving Blessed mother girls and St. Peters Boys, the male equivalent of their school. Probably held in some classroom with a stereo blasting out some taped disco music. She was not prepared for what she met.

The party was held in Hotel Excelis, the costliest hotel in Kebbi Creek. The Twins had provided her and six other girls with black, short, strapless dresses and had given them some weird concoction to drink. Isabelle was to find out later that it was a potent cocktail of gin, stout, orange juice and marijuana. For the rest of the day she was as high as the noonday sun.

The girls assembled in an exquisitely furnished hotel suite, which looked like paradise to Isabelle. Cigarettes were passed round and the Twins informed them they were to wait. Isabelle wondered what was going on. A faint idea was struggling for attention in the back of her mind but she refused to give it audience. The whole situation looked so unreal and she couldn't believe she was involved in it.

Later some men arrived at the suite. It was with some shock that she realized they were oil workers. My God, she moaned to herself, what had she got herself into?

The party started and the men, most of they young, moved around choosing their partners with leers permanently fastened to their faces. Isabelle cringed as she saw the way they grabbed and dragged the girls around, then she spied one of the men zeroing on her like a torpedo from an enemy submarine. Now I've had it, she thought with finality.

The man was a tall, reedy fellow with a pair of glasses perched precariously on his beak like nose with a cruel, Caucasian line of a mouth slashed underneath.

His small but intelligent eyes were studying her curiously as he approached and Isabelle watched him with apprehension.

"Hi" he said in a friendly voice. At least he didn't grab me, she thought," like to dance?"

"Yes," she croaked uncertainly "sure"

Some highlife music was filtering from hidden speakers and any space available in the suite was occupied by dancing couples. Alex gently led her by the wrist to a vacant spot and faced her. She started to dance awkwardly while Alex followed suit with mild amusement playing on his lips.

"So," Alex started, clearing his throat, "What's your name?"

"Isabelle."

"Mmm. Isabelle. That's a pretty name but I guess people tell you that all the time. Can I call you Belle?

" Yes, you can."

"So Belle, what are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" she asked surprised at the question, " I'm here for the party,"

"But you are not really part of this crowd," He waved his hand at the other couples, "Are you? I don't think you belong here."

"How do you know that?" she asked irritably.

"Because you look different."

" How do I look different? "she demanded

"You look like a nice girl."

"Nice girl? What makes the other girls not nice ?"

"It's like diamonds and pearls" the man said smoothly as he danced, " Diamonds are rough with sharp edges that can cut very easily and they are extremely hard. Pearls are smooth and round. Yet both are very expensive to get. So you are a pearl"

" I see," she said smiling she looked round at the other men who were practically manhandling the other girls. "I suppose I can safely say the same for you."

He laughed. Isabelle noticed for the first time that he was actually good looking.

The rest of the night was spent dancing, drinking and smoking. Before they left for the dormitory the man slipped a card into her hand.

"Call me." He said softly, "Anytime."

Later on Isabelle peeked at it when nobody else was looking.

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He worked for the Shell Petroleum Development Company and he was engineer. His name was Alex Uzezi.