Teju No be small ting wey I go talk, Segun –

Segun Then weytin be the problem?

Teju (beat) I’m sorry.

Segun For what? Please, Teju! Just tell me what is going on. Are you in trouble?

Teju nods.

Segun What’s wrong? What’s happened?

Teju I go tell you.

Segun Good!

Teju But you have to . . . I need you to just sit there and not talk. Do you understand? Do not say anything. OK?

Segun Why not?

Teju Please, Segun. Please.

Segun Alright.

Pause.

Teju Do you know the Stone Bar, just up the highway, near Victoria bridge?

Segun goes to speak then simply nods.

Teju On Sunday, I was there.

Beat.

I just went in for one drink. Wunmi and I had fought. We’re always fighting these days. If I’m honest, I can barely look at her sometimes.

I was at this bar having a drink, just minding my own, not looking for anything. When this man, he came and took the seat right next to me. There were many other places for him to sit. I did not look for him oh! But somehow . . . he found me.

He had very high cheekbones. Fair skin. We spoke for a while. He was funny! It didn’t feel like we were just meeting. It was like we had known ourselves for a long time. He kept calling me ‘my brother’, ‘my brother’. I liked it. But also . . . it didn’t feel right to me somehow.

After we’d been talking for a while, he invited me to this party. ‘Private party,’ he said. ‘Very private.’ And he winked at me. I swear, Segun, I didn’t know what that wink meant. I didn’t know. But, I can’t tell you why, I left my car and I followed him there.

This party, it was in a hotel. And there were many, many men there. Just men. All different ages. I thought this was a little strange but Wale – that was his name, he had such reassuring eyes. He offered to buy me a drink and I said yes. And as he walked to the bar I noticed that there were a couple of men behind him, to his left, who were . . . kissing. Out in the open.

I felt afraid for them. I didn’t know how they’d forgotten themselves like this! I checked to see if anyone else had seen them and . . . It was everywhere. Pairs of men: holding hands, dancing, slow, with their arms around each other. One man was just stroking the back of his lover’s head, on the sofa, looking into his eyes. It felt like I was looking into their living room.

I couldn’t believe it. Right here in Lagos! So many men like this.

Beat.

Like me.