Nigel felt guilty. While he was earning tons of money by illegal trading on the Black Market, his cousin was problematic about her mother’s debts.
“Look. I know of something that could help you pay off your mom’s debts.”
Tasia’s countenance brightened. A glimpse of hope lightened her heavy laden.
“Really? Oh, thank goodness. What is it?”
“Before that, I just wanna ask you something.”
“Yeah, sure. Tell me.”
“Whatever you heard in this place, stays in this place alone, ok?”
Suspicion dimmed her mind.
“Ok?”
“Ummm… Not sure. Tell me first.”
“No. Deal or No Deal? Choose one.”
Sighing, she could not say anything but to agree.
“Deal.”
“Alright. Here it goes.” Then he paused and looked at her in the eyes.
Please, just say it. She thought.
“I work as a trader in the Black Market.” He began.
“What?” His words drummed against her ears. She couldn’t believe it.
“Remember what you said.” He reminded her, making sure her tongue wouldn’t slip off and put him in tremendous trouble.
“Right. Continue.” Tasia inhaled deeply.
“That’s why I get a lot of money to buy these.” He pointed at his jewelry.
“So… if you want to earn a lot of money in an instant, I would introduce you to my boss. He’s black too like us, so I think you’d be fine. Just make sure you dress properly. No skirt. No tight-fitting blouses. And most of all, no stripping naked.” He laughed.
“Hey…. I ain’t a whore.” She laughed as well, sharing her cousin’s humorous jokes.
“So, what do you think?” He whispered, making sure no one was listening.
“Ummm… Let me think.”
“You can’t prolong this opportunity. There’s many out there who’re waiting to get in. So what? Yes, or no?”
“Oh, man… I don’t know….”
Fist clenching her arms, Nigel wanted an instant answer. “Tasia. Look, you’re doing this for your mother. Think of her first.”
Drawing a deep breath from within, Tasia finally said, “Yes.”
Although against her will, she had no choice. Family first before herself.
Sorry, Papa. I’m not doing this for myself, but for Mama. She’s going to jail, and you don’t want that, right?
Her eyes fixed on the cloudy sky.
Chapter Three
Ivories from Africa lay on the floor, perfectly aligned, allowing the traders to choose the best ones with the best prices. Guns. Armalites. Bombs. All sorts of stuff were laid out for everyone to choose from.
“Welcome back to the Black Market, Anton.” Sam placed his left arm around his shoulder as they discussed the matter intimately.
“I’ve told you already about the shotguns that you’ve ordered, right?” Anton spoke.
“Yes, son. Don’t worry about it too much now. Let me do the talking to our other brothers. I know they’d understand. If they don’t, they know what’s gonna happen.”
“Make it sure!” Anton replied.
Just around the corner, Tasia was standing still, letting everything sink into her head. She couldn’t believe she was actually taking part in illegal trading in a notorious market that the majority of average people did not know about.
She had been in the industry for a week now. But it felt like she was in a dream. A dream she hoped to be unreal with real money. It did not make sense. Nothing made sense. Everything happened in a blink of an eye. What am I doing here?
“Hey, don’t just stand there. Look for customers!” The other traders in her group yelled at her as if they were the boss.
Trembling. She opened her mouth to respond. “Yes, sir.”
“Hello everyone….. Come and see our cheap products here…. Yooohooo….” She tried her best, but it was not enough. In fact, it was not good at all. This was not a normal market. Professionalism was highly required in this field.
“What are you doing? That’s not how you call for customers. You’re booing them away.” Nigel told her in a quiet voice.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I-I just don’t know if I can do this any longer. It’s hard.”
“It’s just in the beginning. You’ll get used to it. Keep on trying.”
Anton noticed their muttering. It intrigued him. But what got his attention was Tasia. He had never seen her before, and he knew by experience and the way she acted, she was new to this field.
“Alright. I’ll try again.” She inhaled as she bravely spoke, not wanting to put her cousin in trouble.
“I’m gonna go now,” Nigel said. “They need me inside. We’re having a meeting.”