Bunmi (Beluga) Belgore returned from a country where junkies and dysfunctional personalities are left alone and treated with scorn, disdain and complete ignorance to the chagrin of professionals in the UK who through love, care and sheer humanity look for ways to exorcise the demon of alcohol, sex addiction, drug and mental illness battling their youths.
By Taju Tijani
After years of running loose in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, Beluga eventually shipped herself to London to restart a life devoid of storms. Her old existence of high jinks, parties, orgies, and fun that borders on the edge of excesses was over. Done, dusted, and forgotten. Born into affluence in Lagos. Raised with a minty silver spoon amidst the great and the powerful. She was the talk of the town in the axis of wealth and power. The streets of Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki was her playground where she controlled the rich and powerful men who desired her fleshy gift – her great figure.
Tall and winsome. Light skinned and smooth. Busty with soft, feminine, curvy ass. She has a gift of the garb and could charm the best charmer in town. She was schooled in London. She finished in Cobham House, the famous boarding school of the rich and famous in Surrey. She graduated from the University of Sussex and read law and international relations. Through the connection of her dad she secured a job with Duncan Lewis Solicitor as a senior lawyer. Loved by all for her magnetic personality. She was destined for the top of her career. She was flying high until…..
Until she fell in love with a mixed-race bloke called Elroy Kelly. Roy was the archetypal mixer. Handsome, tall, muscular, lady killer, afro-haired, sociable, dashing and street smart. He was born, bred, and toughened up in Brixton. The father was an Irish who met Roy’s mum in the late 80’s. Love blossomed and Roy became the only fruit of that relationship. Roy grew up around Cold Harbour Lane in Brixton amidst marijuana, knife crime, bag snatching, car snatching, rape, and burglaries. He had a troubled youth, but Roy’s mum was determined to change the destiny of her only son.
Relocation to Notting Hill in West London made that possible. Notting Hill was known for its gentrification. It was a divided world where Football Club owners, footballers, film stars lived side by side with ordinary immigrant artisans and professionals from Jamaica to Nigeria. Notting Hill was predominantly West Indians, but Jamaican culture, art, food, and music ruled the streets. Roy experienced juvenile immersion that left a mark on his personality. He grew up without knowing his father. Roy was a product of single parentage.
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Roy worked at Trocadero in Piccadilly as a bouncer. There, he met Jackie James. Jackie gave Roy two kids. Over the arc of time, tumultuous events led to their separation. Roy vowed not to get deep with any woman again. That determination stood for years until…. Until Beluga crossed his path. It was a Saturday. Beluga had gone to the West End with friends to enjoy female night out. She wore tight fitting sexy clothes that defined her curves. She oozed lust and temptation combined.
Trocadero on Saturday was a beehive of fun seekers, night crawlers and go go girls looking for a hook up. Beluga was consumed with fun of the night and had good time trying all the various games on offer. She needed assistance with one of the betting machines and called on Roy for help. Roy was instantly besotted. A charmer met his charming angel. Roy who had vowed not to fall in love had to eat his vow for dinner.
Beluga was madly in love with Roy. She moved in with Roy and they both lived in a smart, new build, two-bedroom flat in Colindale in North London. After five years, love grew cold, and Roy began to exhibit jealous and controlling habits. Beluga’s life was turned upside down through raging anger and regular physical assaults. There were many Police interventions and referral to relationship counsellors.
Beluga was trapped. She hung between the sword and a deep blue sea. Three children became her baggage and a broken career made her insane. At a stage she toyed with suicide and turned to alcohol and drugs. She migrated into prostitution. She dreaded the verdict of her father and mum and extended family members back in Nigeria. The dad visited and was broken-hearted to find his daughter turned into junkie saddled with three young children.
The dad began a massive logistical relocation for Beluga. London was a ruinous fast paced city for his darling girl. He dangled the carrot of a good job in a law firm in Abuja and a dream pay before Beluga. Beluga fought back and forth afraid of losing the comfort of safe London – London that had destroyed her and tarnished her reputation.
At last, Beluga retuned to Maitama in Abuja. The hawks in Abuja from politicians, moneybags and businessmen could not resist the new babe in town. She found the ‘London Set’, the bevy of beautiful girls who returned from London to Nigeria to chase a new dream.
Many of the ‘London Set’ were children of the rich and famous but got their lives turned apart through the wrong crowd, drugs, sex, and alcohol in foreign lands. Beluga was doing well in Abuja but the allure of peer pressure from the ‘London Set’ continued to reset her value system. Abuja turned out to be worse than London. It was a life of high jinks, sabotage, intrigue, scandals, sexual escapades with politicians and fear of daily blackmail. The dad gave sedation of expensive gifts, regular visits to clinical psychologist and other interventions but Beluga had gone too far as a junkyard junkie. As a way-out dad shipped her to Port Harcourt and Lagos. It was the same. Back to square one.
Her mum died some years back. Dad later died of cardiac arrest and the family were up in arms against Beluga. They reckoned that it was her wayward life and its pressure on the dad that led to his death. There were accusations of bastardy flying around. Beluga was alone without a supporter. She was broken hearted, fearful, and alone in Nigeria.
Beluga then began to plot her second exit back to the UK. She contacted her best friend, an Irish lady called Elaine. Older, accommodating and understanding, Elaine was a social worker who knew the pain being suffered by Beluga. Her years of working with dysfunctional personalities gave her a better and richer understanding of Beluga’s universe.
Bunmi (Beluga) Belgore returned from a country where junkies and dysfunctional personalities are left alone and treated with scorn, disdain and complete ignorance to the chagrin of professionals in the UK who through love, care and sheer humanity look for ways to exorcise the demon of alcohol, sex addiction, drug and mental illness battling their youths.
