We thought our father was too hard on us. At eighteen and my sister at twenty, we thought we were old enough to live our lives the way we wanted. We felt we did not need to be suffocated by the father’s draconian rules. My father was a perfectionist. He was a tall, athletic man whose baritone voice sent chills down our spines. We nicknamed him ‘crow’ because a tie never left his neck except when he was in the bathroom. We loved and hated him in equal measure. We loved him because he was always there for us, providing for our every need. We loved him because he was so protective of us. I remember that day that he threw that boy Martin over our fence just for trying to wink at my elder sister Jenifer.
But we also hated him. We hated him because, as young women, we yearned for our freedom. We wanted to be free to get out and see the world. We wanted to attend night parties and dance and drink ourselves silly all night. We wanted to go globetrotting. Why not? Our father was a wealthy man by the standard of those days. As the founder and CEO of Brighter Days Tours and Travel company, my father was among the who is who in Moonlight city. Now, he turned down our demands. He vowed that he would never allow his beautiful delicate daughters out in the wild world on their own. Never! We were utterly disappointed!
On this day, my sister Jenifer hatched a plan. We cannot be prisoners in our own home. No way, we must find a way out. My sister had whispered to me that she had come across an advert in our local daily newspaper. The advert was run by an agency firm recruiting attractive young women to work as air hostesses for one of our prestigious air travel companies, Angel Air. We were very excited. We considered ourselves pretty enough to capture these invaluable opportunities. On the day of the interview, our dress code was on point. We wanted to make an impression. We knew well enough that these airline companies valued smartness and decency. My sister Jennifer wore a colorful, elegant dress that gave her that polished look of a company executive. On my part, I did not disappoint. I intended to pull a la mode surprise on the interviewers. I wanted them to feel, taste, and even drink style from my person. I wore a fancy, adorable green overflowing dress that gave me an alluring look that made heads turn the moment we stepped out of our father’s compound. When we came out of the interview room, we were satisfied that we would secure these rare opportunities.
Well, we secured the jobs. We were ecstatic! We will now have a chance to traverse the world. Poor old father! We had this feeling of gratification that our walking styles changed. My sister tried to walk like an ‘air hostess.’ As we approached our home, we could feel the excitement building up in our hearts, ready to fly off like a cork from a bottle of champagne. We were to collect our appointment letters in three days.
We waited in anticipation. Finally, the day came. The agency contact person called us and informed us that we meet him at the Chancery building. Chancery building was a dilapidated building on the outskirts of Moonlight City. How can a reputable company like Angel Air be housed in a dingy house at a place characterized by dark alleys infested with street urchins and petty thieves? We were dumbfounded. Nevertheless, we decided to go. What appeared strange was the instruction the man gave us that nobody should accompany us.
We arrived at Chancery House at precisely two in the afternoon. Early, the man had indicated that we would identify him by his brown corduroy trousers and a green cap. We searched the vicinity with our eyes, but we failed to trace the man. Suddenly, a green jalopy pulled up beside us. Before we could say a word, four hooded men jumped out of the rickety car and blindfolded us before pushing us roughly into the car. Inside the boneshaker, a pungent smell hung on the air. After what appeared like an eternity, the car pulled up, and we were instructed to alight. The men walked us deep into the forest before taking off our blindfolds. When we opened our eyes, we could hardly tell where we were. Later, the leader told us point blank that we were to be sold off as sex slaves.
After three days in the forest, our escape plan was hatched. We laced the bandits’ drink with arrowroot juice. This juice can make one sleep for a week! When we were sure that the men would wake after many days, we traced our way back home. After two hours of walking, my sister stepped on something hard hidden between tree stamps. Out of curiosity, we tried to open it. After a few trials, the lid flew open. Inside the box were bars of gold! As we stared at the golden color of the bars, we were convinced that our entire community would never lack for very many generations.