OYELOLA OGUNRINDE - CORNELIUS

Oyelola Ogunrinde is a Journalist in Nigeria where she covers the activities of the Lagos State Government. She has written for several media outlet and is working on a novel 

CORNELIUS
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I never knew Cornelius would end up a prostitute. He was a young boy everyone loved in Abesan Estate, a very well mannered boy. As a young boy he came into my house to play with my older brother  Pelumi, who taught him how to count with his fingers, and they read the ' pussy cat,pussy cat' rhyme together.
Pelumi was two years older than Cornelius and my age-mate, but when Cornelius became a man, a prostitute, everything turned around. He distance himself from Pelumi because he thought it shameful if Pelumi got to know about it,but Pelumi knew when Cornelius became a prostitute, yet never said a word about it,neither did he call Cornelius siblings to tell them what their brother had become, a prostitute.
 Cornelius parents were well known in Abesan Estate, the biggest housing estate built by the Lagos State Government in the early eighties. His mother was a primary school teacher who taught history in the only  government primary school in Abesan Estate for many years while his father was an Engineer for a French company in Lagos before he left for Germany when Cornelius was just five.
 Many neighbours knew about his trip because he told us a night before his trip to Germany, knocking at everyone’s door,  pleading that we keep an eye on his family especially his children. A little party was held in his house before he left and my father drove Cornelius father to the airport the night he flew to Germany.
After his father traveled to Germany, his mother became very hard working, opened a small kiosk downstairs their house, to support her family after school hours. She sold soft drinks,biscuits, and children exercise books. Many who came to buy things from her loved the way Cornelius behaved, attended to customers.Cornelius would stand up before his siblings did, and often helped customers to carry what they bought from his mother’s shop to their homes.
As a young child, Cornelius was always seen riding his bicycle round the estate with some of his friends, helping those returning back home after the day's work with whatever they had with them  . Many parents in the estate liked him because of his good behaviour and whenever their children did something wrong ,they told them
'Why can’t you learn from Cornelius, be a good boy like him.'
He was never disrespectful as a young child, he paid attention to whatever any adults told him and many were very pleased to welcome him into their home as a child, because his behaviour sometimes rub off on their children.He also made the children in the neighbourhood laugh a lot, even me, with the kind of jokes he made. It was in my house  Cornelius first watched Coming to America . After watching the film , he stood on the table of my parents sitting room and started making gestures of Akeem in Coming to America. Everyone in the sitting –room laughed loudly including my mother.
'One can take you for Akeem, only you are not as tall as him. You are still a young kid.' My mother said teasingly
When Cornelius  grew older he fell in love with football.He played with most of his mates at Pius Ikedia field ,the only football pitch in Abesan Estate named after a football striker who played for the Nigeria's Super Eagles in the late nineties.Cornelius was also a striker like Pius Ikedia, he joined the junior football team in the Estate at the age of twelve, and many estate residents often go to pius Ikedia field during weekends just to watch Cornelius play football because of the fun he brought with him whenever he played football.He encouraged me to come watch him play, and whenever I went to watch Cornelius play football, I always sat beside Pelumi who prefers to play basketball rather than football.
Whenever Cornelius scored a goal during any football match, the crowd will run to the football pitch to carry him up telling him he is the next football star of the Nigerian golden eaglet,but when Cornelius had a serious knee injury at age thirteen, Doctors advised him to stay off football for sometime. When his knee got healed, Cornelius had already lost interest in football, even after many encouragement and persuasion from his family and many estate resident, he just refuse to go back to play football.
Before Cornelius finished his secondary education, his mother died of cancer. The whole neighbourhood rallied round Cornelius and his siblings for the burial. Cornelius cried for days and refused to eat. Many neighbours came to beg him to eat , encouraging him to look forward to brighter days, he was very close to his mother before her death.
Their father after the burial sent money regularly, which was used to send Cornelius and his siblings to a private school in Lagos. He also wrote several letters to his Children through my fathers' post office box which my father delivered to Cornelius sister whenever he received it. His elder sister made sure her siblings lacked nothing, she got a job at a Pharmaceutical company after graduating from University to support her siblings, the family. The Pharmaceutical company paid his sister good money which allowed her to take her siblings out every weekend.
A year after, Cornelius sister got married, it was a big wedding. She married an Engineer who lived at Ibadan, they met at a big wedding party in Lagos.  Cornelius father came down from Germany to give his daughter's hand in marriage, he also thanked the whole neighbourhood for taking care of his family after the death of his wife.He left few days after the wedding, Cornelious eldest brother drove their father to the airport.
Three years after Cornelius sister got married, his two elder brothers also got married and moved out of their flat. Their father didn't come home but sent money down to make their weddings spectacular, supporting his sons' weddings, though he knew they were capable to organise it themselves since they were both working. He was married to a German woman and he was working so hard to sustain his new family that was why he couldn’t come to Nigeria for his sons' weddings.
During his University years, studying Business Administration at University of Lagos, many friends of Cornelius missed him in the Estate, including my brother Pelumi, who had that time was working in a bank in Lagos Cornelius moved from his sister’s hosue in Ibadan to his two older brother’s house, always spending his holidays with them and their house remained shut until he finished school.
 It was after Cornelius finished from University of Lagos, when his father no longer sent money from Germany, Cornelius began prostitution.
He searched for  job in Lagos for more than two years without laying hands on one. He couldn’t depend on his elder ones because they have their new families to cater for. When he became frustrated with begging for money, begging for food in the neighbourhood, he began to think of what to do to sustain himself, it was then one of the bad guys in estate introduced him to prostitution, telling him rich married women, who no longer consider their husband desirable can offer him a better life.At first he refused because of the way and manner in which he was brought up , but when he became frustrated of his economic conditions, he decided to give in.
Cornelius stayed out late at night in the bar opposite his house. I never knew what he discussed  with the  people who came in and out of the bar but I knew it ended up in a huge laughter. Whenever he came back home, he was always talking to someone on his mobile phone, talking loudly, disturbing the neighbourhood with his conversations.
He had friends who sometimes come to live with him and they always talked about a lot of things into the night whenever his friends came.The neighbours always heard their discussions even from their flats. One day when my father wanted to go caution him, my mother prevented him from doing so
‘You know he is grow up now, there are some things you can easily scold a child for but not an adult.’
‘Then I should call his siblings to talk to him,the boy is becoming different these days.’
‘I think you shouldn’t be the first to do so, other people will raise eyebrows at us and remember we also have our own children.’
That ended the discussion and neither my mother or father ever discussed about Cornelius or the loud noise that comes from his flat whenever his friends visited.
 
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One night, on my way back from work, I saw Cornelius taking an older woman into his flat,the woman was old enough to be his mother. She got down from a Lexus jeep and followed Cornelius. I was on my way back from work when I saw them and for the first time I greeted Cornelius and he didn’t respond.He seemed to be consumed with what he was telling the woman. They held hands as Cornelius led her up into his flat.
In a short while, soft whispering was coming out of Cornelius flat, the woman pleading for more.  There was power cut, and their tone was raised high like a rhythm. She must have enjoyed it because when she came downstairs, they were both smiling, even in the dark, one could see their smiles easily. The woman squeezed some thousand naira notes into Cornelius right hand before she drove off. Cornelius watched the car as it speed off before going into the bar.
The men inside the bar hailed Cornelius when he came in, one after the other, telling him to come sit down beside them Cornelius sat in the middle of the bar ,where he gained the attention of everyone. He ordered that someone buy him a bottle of beer if they wanted to know what happened between the woman and him. One man quickly offered, putting his hands into the pocket of his shirt, as he went to pay the bar man. The bar man brought a bottle of beer to Cornelius, he drank to half bottle, placed the beer on the table in front of him, before began to speak
 ' She lives at GRA Ikeja, I met her at Ikeja Shopping mall, it was there she took interest in me because of my physique. She called me everyday and one day she invited me to a hotel around Ikeja, and that was where we had our first night together. She has been coming back since then, I am so sure she likes my taste.' Cornelius said laughing loudly.
'Is she not married ?' , the man that bought Cornelius a bottle of beer asked in a very curious manner
' Of-course she is married, it is not only men that are promiscuous , some women are not just satisfied with their husband after marriage. I have  three of them with me.'
'Cor-ne-lius!' The bar man shouted as Cornelius shouted at him angrily
' What have I done?’
'At your age you should go look for a job that is worthy no matter how small it is, but you   graduates of nowadays, immediately you finish school you want everything .’ the bar man said
'Where is the job, don’t you know you have to know a big man or woman in Lagos  to get a good job.If I give you my CV, will you get a bank job for me?' Cornelius asked the barman angrily.'
'That is what I have just said, I know you have big dreams but you must learn to start somewhere, no matter how small it is as long as it is a clean job, that brings you integrity and respect.Cornelius these days you have changed, you are no longer the young kid everyone loved  when you were growing up.'
‘Don’t spoil my business for me o., if you want me to continue to come here. I am not a small boy which you can easily advise. I have sense to think and do my things my own way.' Cornelius said angrily
'You are right.' The barman said before laughing loudly to wade his statement off. He didn’t want to offend Cornelius because he is a good customer who made his bar lively whenever he came in. Because of him many came into the beer parlour to listen to his jokes. Cornelius phone began to beep, he looked at and took his eyes away but  his phone continued ringing
'This woman should leave me alone, I am not fucking you tonight.' He said loudly, his statement not directed to anyone in the beer parlour
Everyone in the bar looked at him, Cornelius looked at the guy who bought him a bottle of beer
 'The only problem I have with this woman calling me is that, her whala is too much .’
Cornelius phone continues to beep, as he refused to pick it up. The bar man went to meet him   'Pick your phone, don’t disturb other customers with it.'
' I don't want to pick it. If I pick her call, she will tell me to come to VGC tonight. She is never satisfied with one round. Her children are studying in the United states, her husband must have gone to visit them that is why she is calling me persistently.'
'Then why are you dating her?' A man asked loudly in the bar
'I am not dating her, am only following her because of her money. ‘Cornelius said loudly
'Your Sugar Mummy.' The man told Cornelius and everyone in the bar laughed loudly, including Cornelius after which he sipped the beer in front of him.
Cornelius didn't pick the woman's call. Two days after, the woman came to Cornelius flat banging his door shouting
 'Cornelius please open the door. I beg you in the name of God please open the door. I know you are inside this flat, please open the door, I won’t leave until I see you.'
After a while, when neighbours began to peep from their windows, others gathering close to his flat, climbing the staircase, he opened the door, allowed her in, and closed it back immediately. A bird perched on the railing beside his door making beautiful sound, attracting passers-by to stare at it, look at Cornelius door.
Cornelius shouted at the woman never to bang his door again. Later, we began to hear  soft tones, it was obvious he was making love with the woman, the woman’s ecstasy was very loud, as she begged Cornelius for more.
 When he was done, the two of them came out smiling , talking to each other as Cornelius escorted her to her car. Neighbours stared at the tall, dark woman from their houses. She had a Brazilian weave-on, wore a long kaftan gown that covered her body, her smile concentrated on Cornelius face, with great satisfaction. She gave him two bundles of five hundred naira notes before she drove off in her Peugeot car.
A week after, the woman came with a plasma television and a cable. Cornelius house lightened in a new form. The woman came in frequently and one day after lying to her husband that she was going to china on a business trip, she slept inside Cornelius house for many nights, both in each others arms. Neighbours began to whisper in little tones, when seen in twos’, that Cornelius was keeping his Sugar Mummy inside his house.
When the woman heard of it, she rented a big apartment for Cornelius at Victoria Island. It was well furnished .She got a job for Cornelius at a new generation bank in Lagos, to keep him busy from other women and when her husband travelled to United States to visit their children, she stayed in Cornelius apartment for many days.
Cornelius became very serious with his Sugar Mummy, left the other women for her,and no longer came to the Estate to visit his old friends.
His Sugar Mummy bought him a brand new Chevrolet Camaro to cruise with, as she warmed her way into his heart. Cornelius in appreciation made sure he satisfied her whenever she came around and sometimes they ended up in five star hotels which she lavishly paid for in Lagos.
His Sugar Mummy also got him a visa to the United States when he was on leave and when they both visited , they stayed in a five star hotel which she paid for . It was when his Sugar Mummy’s husband caught them that everything turned around.
The husband of Cornelius Sugar Mummy found out from one of his wife’s close friend that his wife was cheating on him , dating another man. The man couldn’t believe it , because for the many years he and his wife have  being together as married couples , he has never cheated on his wife , and he saw no reason for his wife to cheat on him. With the confession of his wife’s close friend, he decided to find out.
 
A week after she told her husband that she was going for another trip in China, but she left for Cornelius house that night. Cornelius and his Sugar mummy were both in each other’s arms when they heard a loud noise at the door
‘Are you expecting someone, so you have being cheating on me when am not around?’
‘I am not cheating on you and I don’t know the person knocking at the door.’
When Cornelius wore his short to go see who is at the door , his sugar mummy followed him, she wore a small under-wear to cover her naked body, very angry hoping Cornelius hidden secret would be revealed. Cornelius opened the door with his sugar mummy right behind him, she was shocked when she saw her husband.
‘ Folakemi, so this is what you have being doing when you tell me and your daughter that you are travelling to China, the arms of another man is your China!’
Cornelius Sugar – mummy knelt down immediately , pleading with her husband, holding his trousers
‘Please forgive me, it is the work of the devil, it is the work of the devil.’
‘For twenty-five years of marriage , I have never being unfaithful to you, not even once. What have I done to deserve this?’ the man asked in anger.
‘Please forgive me, it’s the devil.’
‘Don’t return back to our house again, this is where you belong.’ he said before looking at Cornelius face.
'And you I will make sure I reduce you to nothing in Lagos.You think you can sleep with my wife and I will allow you get away with it, I will make sure you are left with nothing.'
The woman burst out crying as her husband left ,Cornelius sat down speechless , not knowing what to say. He knew his Sugar-mummy's husband meant what he said,he has connections in high places. Cornelius was scared not knowing what next would happen to him.