75. The Secret Garden

I kept glancing at the chatty hot guy next to me, to say he was happy to show me whatever this place was would be an understatement, the man was beaming with excitement. Without meaning to, I also began to look forward to seeing the famous club because Ntando was selling it, like, he was really reeling me in. I couldn't wait to finally enjoy my night at least I would create happy club memories that didn't revolve around me sitting in front of a bar with a glass of water, eagerly scouting each face in the room hoping to see Walter, not to mention enduring the uncomfortable stares from drunk thirsty men.

The club was a 20-minutes drive from Le Paradis, and as an extra safety measure, I had my live location on and Angela was on the monitoring end. We finally reached the infamous club which honestly looked empty outside, I will not forget the look I gave Ntando, after building the hype like that only to get a not-so-lively place, I mean yeah, he said the place was quiet, but how quiet can a club be. I felt duped, 

"Relax, wait until you come inside.", he said as he smiled, still building my anticipation.

I was also getting nervous, to be honest, if it weren't for the expensive cars parked outside, I probably would've assumed the worst, but since I was already there, I figured why not just go through with it? He held my hand and led me inside, and my jaws dropped in amazement. The place was not as empty as I assumed it to be, yes, it was packed, but it was not overcrowded. There was a huge glass wall separating the entrance area and the main club area, so I could only see my fellow clubbers through the glass door that could only be opened using an invitation card (which could only be used once) or a membership card. Before we could go in, we were required to leave our phones in a secured deposit box in the reception area. I must say, the receptionist was very hot and polite and came across as badass, behind her was the name of the club in gold: The Secret Garden. It also turns out the reason I couldn't hear any noise from outside, the place was completely soundproofed.

The moment I stepped foot inside the main glass door, I felt like I was stepping into a place of money. The place looked super exclusive with waitresses moving up and down with buckets of alcohol, it made the other clubs look like start-ups. There were private rooms on the third floor overlooking the dance floor which was in the middle of the main floor surrounded by couches and tables, made for those who didn't want to be in enclosed spaces. Now that I think about it, the place was set up like an arena with the dancefloor being at the center giving everyone the perfect view of the happy dancers. So basically if you wanted to dance, you had to leave your spot and ascend to the dance arena. The second floor was a VIP area, but the set-up was similar to the one on the main floor, just couches and tables except, the floor came with perks like free alcohol bottles and a dedicated waitress.

I couldn't stop looking around the place, the elegance and class were unmatched, and everyone was wearing a known brand paired with the latest purses and accessories, I felt underdressed in my cheap clothes, as if the whole no-phone rule was not a shocker enough. Ntando was right, the music and the whole set-up were intimate and the club had dim lights, but not too dim because you could still see people's faces, the whole vibe was everything, it exceeded my expectations, not too loud and not bright, just right. 

With a smirk on his face, Ntando gave me the 'I told you so' look, "Amazing right??"

I swallowed my judgments, "Okay, fine- You win"

Ntando reached for my hand, "Come...let me introduce you to some people", he led me to a group of 6 people who were already seated in the 8-people couch areas on the main floor. The moment they spotted him, everyone in that area cheered and rushed to hug him, "You made it! Finally!", one of the guys said, "You almost missed the best part. And you brought a date, good...."

That's when I noticed that it was actually 3 girls and three boys and they looked like couples, and I turned to Ntando with a puzzled look, "What? Date?"

He smiled awkwardly and gestured, "Ta-da!"