©️ Opeyemi Akintunde
Joy could tell there was fire on the mountain: the moment she walked into the reception, and saw most of the staff together in a corner, speaking in low tones, she knew something evil was going to happen soon. Joy saw what was worse than anger, envy, hatred in Loveth eyes for her. Joy wondered what she had done this time.
Like a Lioness charging towards her prey, Loveth rushed towards Joy. Joy thought of a thousand things she may have done wrong to warrant her anger.
“What society do you belong to? Tell me?” Loveth said madly at her.
Joy’s confusion had no classification, she was lost.
“I don’t understand you, Aunty Loveth. What have I done?”
“You don’t know what you have done? Tell me which charm you are using? Tell me why the guest wants you instead of us? Why you? Why not Me? Why not Jessica and Irene? He only saw you once, meanwhile he has seen us a few times”
“Maybe you are not his Spec!” Joy blurted out without thinking. Once Again, Joy knew she had spilled the beans. She hoped her mouth was not going to get her killed someday.
“Oh! So, you are his Spec?” Joy said laughing not believing Joy spoke back at her “I told you guys this girl is not innocent, but you keep saying she is only fifteen years Old. This one is Fifty… She is a witch, she seniors all of you here”
“What is happening here?” Denrele’s rich voice came out from nowhere. Loveth wasn’t expecting that. As a professional liar, she quickly changed the scenario.
“We are rehearsing for a Play. So sorry sir” She said quickly moving away from Joy.
“Oh! You organise plays here?” Denrele asked deciding to play along. He had been standing by the stairs all the while.
“Yes, the next one comes up next month, so we use our spare time to rehearse” Loveth lied
“Great! It’s a pity I will be missing the big show, can I have the pleasure of watching the scene you were just rehearsing. I think it is about fighting over a man”
Joy wanted to laugh so hard, she wasn’t a good actor, she liked this man for what he was about to do to Loveth. He was about to make a fool out of Loveth. Joy let out a short, muffled laughter. Denrele looked at her for the first time he stepped into the room and once again he was struck by her innocent beauty.
“I see you have a thing for laughing, and that is rare in this sad world. I like that” Denrele said.
Joy’s smile immediately disappeared.
The guest just added to her problems.
“I am tired sir. We have been rehearsing for a long time and I need to rest for a while” Joy said, trying to run off to her ‘rat hole’.
“One scene please.. At least I think I am the only guest you have in this big hotel”
‘Let’s do it” Loveth said. She wanted to flaunt her body in front of the guest and acting will give her the opportunity to do so. Loveth saw this as an opportunity to make a mess of Joy.
“Jessica, can you call action for us” Loveth said to Jessica who stood afar off with the other staff members.
Jessica also decided to seize the moment. She cat-walked towards the duo and shouted
“ACTION!”
Her voice was quite unnecessarily loud, and If Joy was her usual self, she would have laughed out loud at her irritating show of desperation.
“Hey witch, what society do you belong to? All the men who come to this hotel always want to have something to do with you, besides, it’s not like you are that beautiful or you have the sex appeal, If we want to put Beauty on a scale, you know I will beat you hands down. My skin is like butter, brown and sweet like chocolate, my breasts are rounded and well-shaped, my hips are …” Loveth went on and on describing her features erotically.
Joy looked towards the other contenders, and it was obvious they were angry at Loveth for trying to outshine them, but trust Irene from the Kitchen, she stepped into the play uninvited…
“I also wonder why the men do not look towards my direction. It must be some form of charm you are using on them, because it is said that the way to a man’s heart is his stomach. I know how to satisfy a man’s stomach. I have concluded that you must be using a charm stronger than food.” Irene said.
Jessica was also not about to be left out of the competition
“Why should any guest here not look in my direction, when I am in charge of lifting their Spirits, when I mix drinks for them, they forget their misery and live in the moment, so tell us witch girl, what does a cleaner girl like you have to offer to capture the hearts of the guests in this hotel if not through charm”.
“I help them clean their mess. I make them breath fresh air not clouded by the mess they may have caused, or the ones created by others or even Nature. A clean space allows for good mental health, it boast creativity. However, beyond being a cleaner, I am more, and I can bring more to the table. I bring Intelligence, smartness, and Joy like my name” Joy said forgetting that she was acting.
“You can give a man sex, food and alcohol and yet you haven’t given him anything, but I give men joy derived from good and intelligent conversations. Men can have sex with you without talking to you, men can eat your food or take your drink without talking to you, but a man will always want to talk to the one who makes his life less messy, the one who gives him joy and most importantly has sensible things to talk about”
The girls were not expecting that kind of reply.
Denrele was blown away. He stood up applauding Joy.
Ayo and Paul never believed Joy had that much sense in her; they joined Denrele in applauding Joy. She had beaten the vain girls hands down.
“Joy has beaten the big girls hands down!’ Paul screamed. His words had the undertone implying that Joy was the one the guest was going for.
Joy ran off. Her mouth had once again spoken on its own. She didn’t know where the wisdom had come from.
To be continued…
