Chapter thirteen

At the Replete Voyager, as Jose and Armadillo conversed, a peculiar clientele was now settling down. The sun had gone beyond the horizon and the electric stars were popping up here and there. These were the beginnings of an extraordinary nightlife at Replete Voyager and party lovers will indulge in the fast-paced evening show that will go on right into the small hours of the morning. This was not the kind of life Jose wanted. But he could learn. Sometimes the beginning of one thing is the ending of another. Jose will, nevertheless, lean heavily on Armadillo, if he wants to see a smooth transition to this new life.

But again, were it his choice to tread on the more familiar path, Jose would have simply informed Dladla and then walked out. Sad to say, he lacked the strength to do this even when his heart and soul had already departed. He only sat there. When he looked up from his high seat, he saw a clientele that comprised the youth that was swaggering in style and came in pairs and sat in multiples of two. They were here to party.

Jose felt out of place. In the years of early youth, he had found socialization amongst his peers a difficult task and preferred the company of older people over his peers. Just then his mobile phone rang. When he looked at his watch, the time was 9:30 pm. This was the time when they would be at the dinner table.

He said, "That must be Ellaisaire."

Armadillo signaled to be attended to by the waiter, as Jose sought a convenient spot to answer to his caller.

Jose realized that for all these years he'd been married, not even once had he stayed out this late. With the years when he was in jail all accounted for, today he was straying.

"Darling, are you alright?" came the voice from the other end.

Jose answered in the affirmative but there was so much noise around him. He had to move further.

"Darling, should I prepare supper for two or do I sort out myself?"

Jose answered, "Whichever is convenient for you, my dear."

Ellaisaire said, "There is so much noise where you are, darling. "

"Yes darling," said Jose, "I will be with you presently. Do not worry."

"Darling, what will you have me prepare for dinner?"

Jose answered, "Whatever comes to your mind, my dear." He added, "you will find whatever you need in the refrigerator."

It was then that it came to his mind that even if he wanted to leave, he would have to call for a taxi. This is not a difficult thing to do. But for the sake of courtesy, he must inform Armadillo.

Jose was uncomfortable as he found his way back to his table. He drilled himself on what and how to present his predicament to Armadillo, much the same way an eleventh-grade student would do before his headteacher. At last, he had the words, but how on earth was he supposed to speak those words?

When he came to his table, behold, two more seats had been added and were now occupied by two women. The noise level had increased tremendously. Conversations became shouting contests. Jose was aware that conversations that evolved into shouting contests could also evolve further into open conflicts. Open conflicts drew blood. You could lose your eye or tooth, break your nose, or indeed your limb if you were caught up in one episode. He was scared.

Before he could speak a word, Armadillo shot up from his seat and to his amazement introduced him.

Patrons turned round as waiters froze on their track to check out the person whom Armadillo praised with such glowing words. Hating himself and wanting to leave immediately, Jose sat at the edge of his seat. He allowed Armadillo a few more seconds to conclude his speech. But before he could utter the words in his heart, a thunderous noise of whistling shouting, and clapping of hands cut him short.

Jose was surprised to see everybody moving into the dance floor. "What's going on here," he said to himself. He found himself fighting to regain his balance as invisible hands shoved and pulled him to the center of the dance floor. All the mellow-minded, chicken-livered husbands were at home helping with household chores. What reason would he give for being at Replete Voyager and not partaking of the reveling and lasciviousness of the water hole?

As the music came to an end, two dance floor animators formed an 'anybody can dance' arc door. This 'door' was formed when the two animators both standing facing each other with their right hand held high, thus forming an arc, counted whoever passed between them at the end of the song. The person whose choice song had the highest number of people would be given special treatment. This was the tradition of the water hole and Jose was not to be the one to change things.

"This must be Armadillo's way of getting back at me," thought Jose, "But why?"

From that time henceforth, Jose was made up in his mind to call it quits with Armadillo and sought every opportunity to get up and get out. While enduring all this, he must not show his displeasure. The lump in Jose's throat grew larger and larger. He had nothing to say and whatever was spoken to him made no sense to him. A jazz lover now found out that even his best songs were annoying.

He had only just embarrassed himself dancing clumsily on the dance floor. And now these party lovers would have him believe that he was in good company as to wine and dine with them.

It was nearing midnight and the show was coming to an end. The master of the ceremony was making preparations to announce the 'anybody can dance' show winner and there was a possibility that Jose was going to be voted as the winner. This would only happen over his dead body; Jose swore to it. The reveling crowd was ecstatic.

At an appropriate time, Jose slipped out of the dance hall and found his refuge amongst security guards and taxi drivers. For some time, he was just out there lurking in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity to leave this place for good. He turned off his mobile phone just in case his wife or his friend Armadillo should call.

Presently, a Sparrow Linx taxi cab swung around the parking lot. Jose stepped out of his hideout and walked across the parking lot to join the taxi driver. He spoke no word.

The taxi driver sensed that Jose was in no mood of talking. When the taxi driver declared his arrival, Armadillo wished to know of Jose's whereabouts. The driver told him that Jose was seated in the taxi cab, dumb and mute. After a couple of minutes, he emerged from the dancing hall with the two ladies on tow. Whereas the two ladies, full and running over with excitement, strode vivaciously across the parking lot, Armadillo was a perplexed man, walking in their midst. They walked towards the taxi and presently got in.

Jose said, "Take me out of here immediately."

Armadillo remained silent. Neither did the two ladies speak one word. After a few minutes of confounding silence, one of the two ladies giggled. The other lady sought Jose's telephone number. And so did the other. None of them got it. Armadillo instructed the taxi driver to drive home at once.

By the howling and yelling of dogs in the neighborhood, anybody coming home at this hour would have his arrival broadcast. Jose expected to get a reception such as this. The night owls of Park View taught him how to ignore the first dog that approached him or else raise a commotion should he rebuke it. This would, in turn, attract the other dogs then make it harder for him to pass by. This trick worked well because soon he was at the apartment gate, the night guard was there and of course, expecting him to dig into his pockets for the loose change. This he did.

Jose saw that the light in his room was still on. This meant that either Ellaisaire had forgotten to turn them off or was still awake. He knocked softly and then a little bit harder and when there was no response, used his keys to enter.

There, on her favorite couch, laid Ellaisaire sound asleep. She wore the bland, shapeless, and out-of-fashion dress, he had spoken against the other day. This dress, according to Jose, instantly took away his appetite and added at least ten years to her age. He walked to their bedroom, where he stayed for a few minutes. He had no appetite for food or anything the world could provide. In any case, there was no food in the house.

Jose looked at his watch and noted that he had only four hours of sleep that night. The rest had been taken up by dancing and reveling. "Had my son been here, I would have had no stress with my wife." These were his thoughts.