He Promised Me Work In Lagos, Na Trap I Enter (EPISODE 21)

EPISODE 21 – My First Honest Job

The morning sun filtered weakly through the rusty bars of my window. Lagos was already awake, the city humming with its usual chaos — honking cars, shouting hawkers, the distant wail of sirens. I sat on my narrow bed, counting the few naira notes I had left. Hunger pressed against my stomach, but something else pressed harder: the need to feel like myself again.

Blessing’s words from yesterday kept echoing in my mind. “Lagos girls don see this film before. Many of us dey silent. But if you no watch, e fit swallow you.”

I couldn’t stay swallowed anymore. I needed control. Even if it was just a little.

By mid-morning, I started walking around quietly, asking shopkeepers and street vendors about cleaning jobs. Lagos was massive, a jungle for the naïve, but even in this chaos, small opportunities existed. I didn’t want anyone to know I was looking — especially him. He would never approve.

After hours of walking, one small shop owner finally looked me over, scrutinizing my young face, my tired eyes, my hesitant voice.

“You dey try small, abi? I need person wey fit sweep, mop, tidy this shop. I go pay small-small, na 2,000 naira per week,” he said, his voice gruff but not unkind.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Two thousand naira was tiny, but it was mine. Mine to spend, mine to save, mine to control.

I started immediately, my hands stiff from the unfamiliar labor. Sweeping dust that had settled in corners for months, mopping floors sticky with spilled drinks, arranging shelves that seemed to mock me with their disorder — every task was a reminder that I could do something real, something honest.

Even as my body ached by midday, I felt alive. For the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel trapped. I didn’t feel like a pawn. I felt useful.

But freedom came at a cost. I had to hide it. Every night, I pocketed the little money I earned, hiding it under the folds of my mattress. Every day, I returned home pretending I had done nothing, smiling politely while he fussed over food, rent, and the small comforts that masked the cage he had built around me.

That night, lying on my bed, I counted my secret earnings. Each note felt heavier than gold — small, but powerful. For the first time, I imagined a life where I didn’t have to wait for him, a life where I could make my own choices, even if just a little at a time.

And yet, deep inside, I knew he was already noticing the subtle shift in me. He had begun watching closer, asking slightly more questions, lingering a little longer when I stepped out. I could feel the tension creeping in, like the first cold wind before a storm.

Episode 22 Coming Soon
Her small taste of independence awakens hope — and suspicion. He starts noticing her quiet distance, and Nkiru realizes she must be extra careful or risk losing everything.