Episode 1:
2015 August:
I was working offshore. At that time it was a contract job. Building diesel tanks for Chevron. I remember praying for that job. It was a very fulfilling job for me. Before this time I thought I knew myself. I always knew I was a softie but I also knew I didn’t stand anyone mistreating me. I was single and had a great job, also doing my masters at a prestigious university. I was happy.
Now back home, a woman who is done with college and has a job and is still unmarried is almost a thing of shame. A silent shame you carry around. Even though at that time I didn’t realize I was desperate but it later occurred to me that it must have been desperation.
As a logistics officer in Escravos in the oil and gas industry and offshore you get to meet a lot of people. 98 percent are men. One day while I was in my office a ma came in… said his boss wanted to speak to me. Now I’m not new to bosses wanted to speak to me. Working among these men you quickly learn that when they want to speak to you it’s either they want you to be their girlfriends or they want to ask about the project. Most of the time it’s the former. So I went to him, and he told me about his son who was schooling abroad and he would love to introduce e to this son. He said the son was an engineer and his son was the type that liked to old girls and he believes a calm and good girl like me will be the best for his son. Well what do I have to loose. I wasn’t dating anyone so I agreed.
2 weeks later I got a call from his son. Sounded very charming. Said he was back in the country and would love to see me. I said ok. Sounds great. He wanted me to visit him in his state and I told him I can come but you would have to put me in a hotel cos I had to travel the next day and I didn’t want to leave too late.
The day I met him. It was a cool evening. I go down from the taxi and he walked towards the hotel. He was standing there with a friend. I member thinking to myself, So this man(meaning the man at escravos) just looked at me and thinks I can date his son? He was very short and not at all fine. I said to myself I’ll see him today and be gone tomorrow and never have speak to him agan. I said hello to him. He was very nice. Took me to my room. The day he was so calm and gentle and talked a lot about himself. A red flag I don’t know at that time. Now once did he ever ask me about me…. He talked about himself, all his exes which he claimed were all bad and nasty. He left that day and came back next morning. He was early so we talked again for a while until his friend came. That day we ended up having sex. Not cos I wanted to but because he wouldn’t stop trying. I remember leaving the room for an about 30 mins to go sit by the reception and when I got back the room smelled funky. He and his friend had been smoking weed in the room. I told myself this is a deal breaker for me. I told him why would you do this…. You just met me, you don’t know if I am ok with this, why would you assume I would be ok with you smoking weed in the room. He apologized profusely. Told me people are different and he had never met any girl you minded before.
I remember leaving that hotel thinking to myself I will never speak to this man again…. Why I went back on every word I said I still don’t know cos that day was the day my life changed for the worse.