For several minutes, she locked herself in the women’s room and gave vent to her frustrations. Her head was spinning round like an electric fan and her emotions ran riot. She closed her eyes and muttered a short prayer, fumbling over her words. When she calmed down enough, she straightened her dress and adjusted her makeup before stepping out.  “Hello,” she heard someone calling. She turned and saw Ken, Bob’s project manager. “Hi Ken,”it was a relief to see him. “What are you doing here? “I saw you going to the ladies, so I waited up for you. I hope you are enjoying the party?”  “There’s no fun here,” she snapped. “I just want to go.” “Go?” He raised his brow. “Why? I mean, the party is just getting started.” “I don’t know. I just want to go.”  “Who have you been hanging with?” “Chief Waju.” A frown crossed his face. “Chief Waju? Seems like a bore?” She nodded. “He nearly drove me mad.” He suppressed a giggle. “How?” “He has no iota of decency. His hand was all over my body, behaving stupid and saying stupid things. I am fed up. I just want to leave here.” He scratched his hair. “Why?” “I don’t know. But …but I can’t help getting the feeling that I’m cheapening myself the more I stay here.” He took a deep breath. “I was about to go for a drive, care to join me?” She hesitated. Why not, she thought. Anywhere was better than hanging around in this party with Chief constantly embarrassing her. “I’ll come.” Without telling Cynthia or Chief, she jumped into the car, and off they went. “So, where do we go from here?” “I don’t know. Anywhere is better than here at this moment.” “Chief got on your nerves, huh?” Ken was watching her closely from the corners of his eyes. “You bet,” she nodded and shied away from the memory. They drove on in silence. “So, tell me about yourself?” “What’s it about me that you don’t know?”  He laughed. “Lots of things.”  “Like?” “Like…like …your upbringing, dreams, aspirations, stuff like that.” “Why should I?” she fenced. “You haven’t told me about yourself?” “Okay, I get it. I am Kenneth Obi. I am a movie director, singer, and actor. I am not too rich, but I have enough to get by. I like beautiful women, dancing and partying. Presently, I have seen a girl I like and would like to marry but she does not even know that. Are you satisfied?” “Hardly.” “Why?” “In the first place, you didn’t tell me her name and why you want to marry her. You also didn’t tell me when and where you met her.” “That will come later. Now it’s your turn.” “What do you want to know?” She wished he would forget the topic. All men were the same and they all want the same thing -to get you into their beds and that’s it. They were now passing through the third mainland bridge and the cold sea breeze rushed into the car, caressing their faces with misty freshness. “Many things.For example, I know you do not like dancing or partying. I also know you don’t like men who get under your skin, but what I don’t know is why you are bent on ruining your life because of money or is it because of your career?” Hurt by his remarks, she retorted. “If I were you, I’d be more civil with my tongue.” “Sorry,” he chuckled and pulled up in the middle of the bridge. “I have always wanted to see the sea at night. Care to join me?” He was already out of the car by the time the last word left his lips. She got out too. It was a beautiful night with scarcely a cloud in the sky. The star jeweled sky, looking like a great artwork by a highly talented painter, cast its silver dust on the earth below with amazing brilliance. The full moon, so near, yet so far away, shone down dazzlingly like a giant fluorescent lamp. She swallowed the beauty of the night.  Her heart was in turmoil, and she was hurting badly. What he said was the truth, nothing but the solemn truth. Was she ruining her life and relationship with the Lord in her quest to make it on her own? Was she going too far? The sea waves clashed with each other, rumbling like wounded warriors and sending ecstatic whispers across the whole length and breadth of the quiet night. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Ken broke into her thoughts. “It is,” she admitted. There was no way she could deny that. The full moon, magnificently etched in the sky like in dream paradise, shone down brilliantly. Its silver shadows reflecting in the waters below. The tiny, bright little stars reminded her of the old nursery rhyme. Silently, she began to recite it. ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. It felt like heaven outside but inside her mind, she was a boiling pot of confusion. “God is wonderful, isn’t he?” She fought her emotions. “Yes…yes, He …He is,” she stammered. The awesomeness of God’s handiwork simply overwhelmed her. God’s voice began to speak to her again. “Because I have called you and you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh…” Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. The feeling of alienation from God was driving her nuts. They spent another ten minutes or so exploring the seaside and talking about this and that before going back to the party. Once they got back, Cynthia was curious to know where they had been and what they did. She told her all, without leaving a thing out. “Chief’s been looking for you. He’s as mad as a tiger with a sore head.” “He can go ahead and hang himself for all I care,” she snapped. “I am leaving here now.” She blinked. “Leaving?” “Yes, leaving.” “Do you mean leaving, as in, you want to go?” “Yes, I’m sick and tired.Do you have a problem with that?” “No, but why?” “I don’t know. I just want to go. What’s so difficult to understand?” Cynthia glared at her, and realizing she meant it, shrugged. “Okay, please yourself.” They went to Chief and bade him goodbye amidst heavy protest.