Jewel(Agbonifo Hilda Ufuoma) The story is about love, culture, passion and the zeal to survive. It revolves round Iroro, an African Royal dancer, and Rudy, an American, and his father Ben.

Rudy (a white American) visited Africa on vacation with his friend Ejiro (an African prince who has lived all his life in America). Ejiro decided to come home due to the plea of his father to visit after so many years away. Rudy, who has always wanted to visit Africa, took it as an opportunity when Ejiro asked if he could go with him to Africa. Rudy gladly obliged and they both set out for the journey.

When they arrived in Africa, they were received with great entertainment and jubilation, all the cream de la cream came to receive prince Ejiro and his white friend. A great party was thrown in their honour whereby Iroro, a beautiful black damsel who was destined to entertain the king with her peculiar dance steps, came on stage to the admiration of all to entertain. She comes from a lineage of royal dancers (“emete”, as they are called) whose destiny is to entertain the king all their lives; according to the myth, they are like little gods, or rather angels, who were sent by the real god to protect and make any one who happens to be made king in that kingdom happy. This has taken place from generations to generations. They are treated like gods and are not allowed to come out of the palace. They are not allowed to get married but can only be pregnated once by the king or his heir so that the lineage will not end. They can only be pregnated more than once if a particular female gives birth to a boy instead of a girl. If it is a boy, he will be made to serve the king all his life, but can get married only to whomever the king chooses to be his bride. Iroro happens to be the royal dancer for prince Ejiro’s father, king Mudiagha, who took her as a daughter and hoped that prince Ejiro would be the one to impregnate her and eventually give birth to another royal dancer.

Iroro, looking as gorgeous as ever, danced to the admiration of every one leaving Rudy speechless as he fell head over heels in love with her.

During his (Rudy) stay in the palace he searched for all means to communicate with Iroro and even pleaded with the prince to just let him say hello to her, but he was denied. He finally got an opportunity when he cooked up a story of wanting to do a documentary on the king and his people, which meant he would have to interview everyone in the palace before interviewing the villagers. The king, not knowing his true intention, gladly agreed and he was given the opportunity to interact with everyone starting with the king which he (Rudy) did in a rush. After going through some important people in the palace he finally got to Iroro. Rudy did all he could to woo her but she refused his advances until one day, he asked her if she has ever kissed anyone before and she said no and never will she, but Rudy told her so many exciting things of kissing someone and the beauty of falling in love, she finally gave in. When Rudy kissed her, she wanted more and she would pray for Rudy to come over to her chambers just to kiss her and tell her how beautiful she was and how he can't wait to make her a real woman.

This continued for a while until Rudy who could no longer control his emotions and asked her to marry him. But she refused because of the tradition binding her. She tried to explain to Rudy that it is a taboo for her to be married to anyone, that custom demands that she remains as the king’s royal dancer all her life. Rudy refused to believe, stating that it is barbaric and superstitious.

Rudy, after so many thoughts on what to do about the situation, convinced the Prince, who also did not believe in such superstition since he has lived all his life in America, to help him steal Iroro away from the village. They succeeded, and Iroro was stolen from the village and together the three of them headed back to America, leaving the palace in disarray as the king swore to hunt Rudy and Iroro down and publicly announce his disappointment with his son (prince Ejiro) who was supposed to protect the tradition of the land, since he is to be the next king.

Getting to America, it was another story as Iroro, who had never stepped out of the king’s palace since she was born, let alone going into the village, except when she sneaks out to her favourite cave where she normally goes to spend time alone whenever she feels sad, was faced with the challenge of adapting to a new and more advanced world. Rudy, who was trying so hard to teach her his culture, was also faced with his overbearing and socialite mum (Georgina) who wanted him to marry her best friend’s daughter even before he visited Africa; one of the reasons why he wanted a vacation. And Lucy (the mother’s best friend’s daughter) who wanted Rudy at all cost was ready to do anything just to get him.

Rudy could not bring himself to tell Iroro of his situation, and on the other hand, he was not man enough to tell his mother about Iroro as he hides her in the bedroom whenever the mother pays him a visit. Iroro was fascinated with the technology, e.g television, the shower, cars, etc and she sometimes feel as if she is in a fairy land and everything is magic. She longed to go out and see things but Rudy was more careful not to take her out yet, since she is still learning some new things and also to prevent running into his mother with her.

Rudy and Iroro shared passionate and romantic moments together and Rudy just wanted it that way: to go to work, come back and make sweet love. There was a time he eventually took her for shopping and she was over exited seeing tall buildings, the elevator and the mannequins at the boutique really made her go wild, she just could not believe that they are not humans but man made dolls. She was so exited she didn’t want to leave. Rudy was a bit embarrassed by her behavior but didn’t mind, provided she was happy and enjoying herself. Their love life blossomed until the mother, who could not take “no” for an answer, tried all she could to make Rudy marry Lucy. She even went as far as getting a private spy on Rudy when she discovered that he was unnecessarily excited. She later discovered that Rudy was camping a black girl in his house. This made her mad and she swore to Rudy that she would never forgive him if he did not marry Lucy. Rudy contacted his father Ben (who has been divorced from the mother for over three years and owns a casino in Las Vegas) telling him what he was passing through in the hands of his mother. Ben advised Rudy to be a man and tell the mother off and follow his heart, but Rudy could not because he was his mama’s boy.

With so much pressure from Georgina (his mother) and her promise to eventually make him the head of her Hi-Tech company if he marries Lucy, Rudy was caught in the middle and did not know what to do. Rudy is not strong willed like his father. It was because of his mother’s overbearing attitude towards Ben that made him leave her and sue for divorce. Georgina, a socialite with lots of friends, thought she could control Ben because he happened to be the type that loves working, and spending quality time with his family. But she just could not get enough. She suspected every move he took and made him to fire three of his secretary's because of her jealousy, because she just could not stand pretty ladies around her husband. And women on the other hand just can’t take their eyes off Ben who is very handsome and well behaved with great sense of humour.

Georgina just loved to nag and even paid private eyes to spy on her husband. Ben, who thought if he showed her more love she would relent and start behaving right, was shocked when photos of him and his business associate (a pretty lady) were taken when having dinner with her. Ben was fast enough to get to the photographer and was short of words when he later found out that the photographer was paid by his wife to follow him around and take photos of him. That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back; He immediately took his things and left the house and later sued for divorce.

Although Rudy was devastated at first because of the divorce, he later got over it, but was not so pleased that his dad was far apart from them, because Ben was not just his dad but his best friend. Although Rudy wanted to leave to another city just to get away from his mother, he could not because he was working under his mother and his dream had always been to become the head of his mother’s company some day, because he had worked so hard to bring the company to that state and he wasn’t ready to just let go of everything. The company was originally his fathers’ before it was given by the law to the mum after the divorce.

Rudy was torn between accepting his mother’s wish, which would automatically make him the head of the company, and keeping his love affair with Iroro. In his confused state, he became cold towards Iroro and Iroro, who had never seen him in such a mood, tried to cheer him but to no avail. Even sex with her became boring and he started blaming himself for falling foolishly in love with Iroro and taking the risk of bringing her to America.

He tried spending some time with Lucy just to please his mother but everything she did disgusted him. His life style and that of Lucy where incompatible; she loves to party, go shopping, and she dresses indecently. She wanted to have sex with Rudy at all cost but Rudy was never in the mood. He always made excuses just to get away from her. Anytime Rudy looks at Lucy he sees his mother, because she behaves almost like his mother.

Eventually Georgina decides to visit Rudy’s home in his absence. She met Iroro and was taken aback by her beauty, but nevertheless that does not impress her. She spoke rudely to Iroro and asked her to leave her son’s house, not knowing that she was not an American and did not know her way in the city. She promised to give her enough money to leave, but Iroro pleaded with her that she did not have anywhere to go, that she would want to wait for Rudy to take her back to Africa. That was when it dawned on Georgina that she was actually a local girl from Africa that probably came to America with Rudy. Nevertheless, she contacted a friend and asked her to come over to Rudy’s apartment, they both connived, with the friend posing as an African who promised to take Iroro back to Africa. She (Iroro) was glad to leave because Rudy has not been nice to her lately. She got dressed, took her small belongings that consisted of some pairs of jeans and tops that Rudy bought for her on her arrival to America, and she was set to leave. Georgina dropped a note which read, “I have gone back to Africa, please do not look for me”. They (Georgina and her friend) drove her to the highway, dropped her there, gave her some money, and asked her to wait for them, that they needed to search for a place to buy gas. They drove back to the city, leaving her helpless on the highway.

When Rudy returned, he was devastated when he saw the note, although wondering how she was able to write since she was still learning to read and write. He searched everywhere for her but could not find her. He could not forgive himself for his recent attitude towards her. He was heart broken, and for almost a week he was wasted; he began to drink, refusing to go to work, and just kept blaming himself for everything that had happened. His friends tried to convince him to get over her. His mother, who was the propitiator of everything, tried to convince him to forget her, that she was just an opportunist, that she warned him but he would not listen. She became so nice to him and immediately made him the head of her company just to bring him back to his senses. He eventually went back to work but was still not happy.

Iroro, on the hand, when she waited for them (Georgina and her friend) to come back and they did not, she got tired and started searching for help. Since it was a highway it was difficult for her to get any help. Help finally came when Kimberly (white female), a waitress that works in Las Vegas, was on her way back from visiting her parents and was heading back to Las Vegas where she worked, sited her and stopped for her when she (Iroro) waved for help.

She narrated her ordeal to Kimberly who immediately took pity on her, and promised to find a way to take her back to Africa but that she (Iroro) would have to give her some time since she was on her way to work. Kinberly allowed Iroro to live with her for some time while they looked for a way out for her.

Since Kimberly worked in a casino she convinced Iroro to apply for a job there because she is beautiful and that is one of the criteria of working in the casino. That was how Iroro began working as a waitress in the casino named (The Cobra), owned by Mr. Ben Woodwick, who happens to be Rudy’s father. The casino is so gigantic that someone might even get lost with all the different sections for different purposes. And one of the sections happens to be strictly for VIP, close friends and important clients of Mr. Ben. There you have refined and well defined entertainment by very beautiful ladies of different coloures. And for the ladies in the entertainment section, if you are chosen to perform in “Blue waters” (the name of that section), count yourself lucky and be sure that fortune has smiled on you, because there you get to meet powerful people with great fortunes.

Since Kimberly had seen Iroro dancing at home, she was impressed, although she has never seen anyone dance like that before she thought it could be a great opportunity for Iroro to make a fortune if she was able to dance at the ‘Blue waters’. After convincing Iroro to dance at the “Blue waters” they headed to the Choreographer in charge of the casino, Mike Munrow, who had been asking Kimberly out for some time but she refused because he happened to be a chronic womanizer. Mike at first was not convinced that Iroro could even raise a leg, let alone dance, but after so much pressure from Kimberly and her promising him that she would agree to go out on a date with him, he decided to give Iroro a try, and he was dumbfounded when he saw her dancing. Immediately he thinks he has found that star that can do something extraordinary, because he was running out of ideas to satisfy the audience in “Blue waters”.

Iroro was set to do her dance on the day Mr. Ben was celebrating his birthday. It was tagged “A special Birthday gift” after the normal performance.

All the great men and woman were present at ‘Blue waters”, and so was Mr. Ben with beautiful ladies to do his bidding. Rudy, who was suppose to be present for his father’s birthday celebration, called to inform him that he would not be able to make it but promised to make it up to him. Immediately the celebration commenced. Iroro, who was backstage, was frightened because she has never entertained an audience with great number of foreigners, but Kimberly was also there to ginger her to go for it. Iroro finally came on stage and did her dance, which left everyone astonished and over excited and everyone wanted to know who that girl was. You see men giving their complimentary cards to their bodyguards to give to Iroro. Iroro became the star of the day and the other girls who have been dancing at the “Blue waters”, although astonished by her dance, were not too pleased with the attention she was getting. Mr. Ben immediately fell in love with Iroro and her dance steps and he wanted more. He asked for her name and all of a sudden he wanted to meet her and have dinner with her. It all happened so quickly that Iroro became confused and afraid that Mr. Ben, who she perceived as a powerful man that can have any girl at the snap of his finger, was just going to use her and eventually dump her as Rudy did. She vehemently refused to see him, let alone go on a dinner date with him, undermining the fact that he was her boss. Ben, who had never been turned down severely by a woman before, was amused at first and thought she was just being a woman. The situation became worse when he just could not seem to concentrate any longer; all he thinks about is Iroro. He said to himself, “I think I am falling in love”. He sent her flowers, love messages, beautiful gifts, but she just kept saying no to all his advances.

Ben was so frustrated that he got up one cool evening wearing jeans and a t-shirt, took one of his cars and drove straight to Kimberly’s house and knocked on her door. Kimberly and Iroro, who were about to have dinner, were shocked when they opened the door and saw Ben. Kimberly just could not believe that she was actually seeing her boss on her door step. She quickly asked him to come in as Iroro tried to hide herself from him. He went straight to her, took her hands and asked her to tell him one good reason why she had refused to date him. Iroro was short of words and just stood there gazing at his blue eyes. When she regained her self she said, “I have never in my life been this close to anyone with blue eyes, are you for real?" And they both burst out laughing. To cool the tension in the house Kimberly invited Ben for dinner since they were about to have dinner when he came, although she was not too sure if he would accept. He said he would join them if Iroro asked him to. She eventually did and he accepted. The three of them shared a great time talking after dinner. They (Kimberly and Iroro) discovered that Ben had a great sense of humour and they just could not stop laughing. That was when Iroro fell head over heels in love with him while Kimberly was just excited that her boss actually visited. It was a dream come true. That day was a beautiful day for both of them (Iroro and Kimberly).

Ben had always kept a good record after his divorce from his wife, as a disciplined man with respect for women and strong principles.

She decided to give her heart another try by accepting Mr. Ben’s proposal to become his lover. That catapulted Iroro into a new world of love, passion and prosperity. Mr. Ben treated Iroro like a queen and taught her so many things including how to read, write, curtsey in public, and all that a true woman is supposed to possess. He practically transformed her into a modern day, polished and wealthy woman. Kimberly also benefited from Iroro’s new fortune as she was given a good home and a good position in the casino. Both girls were excited with their new found life and Iroro couldn’t thank Kimberly enough for being there for her.

Ben, who had not had any serious relationship since he got divorced from his wife, was overwhelmed with Iroro’s beauty, innocence, manners, and above all, the way she made him feel. He just could not get enough of her. Making love with her was great, and any time he was away from her he just kept reminiscing of their time together. He was so exited that everyone around him noticed it. He took her out to his favourite Spanish restaurant and asked her to marry him while his favourite band played love tunes to soothe the evening. This announcement gave the press so much to talk about and it was all over the tabloids, etc, that Mr. Ben, after Three years of divorce, finally found love in an African woman.

Meanwhile, Rudy, who had finally accepted his mother’s wish to marry Lucy, was preparing for the wedding, although not with excitement, when the his father’s engagement hit the news. And Georgina, who had always nursed the belief that Ben was going to come back to her, was shocked to hear that Ben was engaged and about to wed. She was devastated and could no longer concentrate.

Rudy, who had not yet seen the tabloid to see the picture of who the father was marrying, was excited for his father and called him to congratulate him and promise to attend the wedding.

Georgina could not curtail herself, she dashed into Rudy’s office to announce the father’s engagement and her disappointment at Ben as she threw one of the magazines containing the story of the engagement on Rudy’s table. As she swore to destroy the whore that dares to marry her husband, Rudy took the magazine to see who exactly the father was marrying. At first he did not recognize Iroro, because she was more sophisticated and gorgeous, but as he continued to admire the lady beside his father, he was taken aback as he recognized her. But he could not believe his eyes, and could not believe that she was the one. He tried so hard to look at the picture to be sure, and he called the prince (Ejiro), thinking maybe he would be able to counter his fears. He rushed out of the office like a demented fellow, leaving Georgina and the other workers stunned at his behavior.

Rudy got into his car and drove straight to the hospital where prince Ejiro was working as a doctor. When he met him he gave him the magazine to identify the person beside his father. After a thorough scrutiny prince Ejiro concluded it was Iroro because of the royal mark on her wrist which he also has. Rudy passed out immediately, as prince Ejiro and some other doctors battled to revive him. He eventually regained consciousness and began to weep like a baby. Prince Ejiro, who had been kept in the dark on Iroro’s disappearance, was pissed with Rudy for treating her in such a way, after all the trouble they got into to bring her to America and how his relationship with his father (the king) had gone sour because of what they did. Ever since then he had been scared to go back home. Rudy tried to explain his own part of the story but prince Ejiro was not in the mood for explanation as he stormed out promising Rudy that he would pay for what he did to Iroro.

As Iroro and Ben prepared for the wedding, Iroro along the line became moody because none of her kinsmen would be present on her big day. But Ben and Kimberly tried to cheer her up, telling her it was going to be okay. In the heat of the preparation, Rudy showed up with Prince Ejiro at Ben’s office. Ben was glad to see his son, but he got a rude response from Rudy who accused him of stealing the love of his life. At first Ben was confused but when prince Ejiro, who was a bit calmer explained everything to him, Ben was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do as Rudy pleaded with him to let him have Iroro back. Ben, although he took pity on his son, was not ready to let Iroro go either, and so he decided they should both go and see Iroro at home.

They drove straight home with long faces, and as Iroro stepped out to the sitting room she was shocked to see Rudy and asked him what he was doing in her fiancée’s house after what he and his mother did to her. They later explained everything to her, that Rudy is actually the son of Ben. Although Ben told her initially about Rudy, she never thought it was the same guy that brought her to the United States and the only picture of Rudy that Ben had was when Rudy was still a kid. She was bitter and began to cry as she ran to her room and shut the door. Ben pleaded with her to open the door but she refused. Later she called her friend Kimberly and told her of her plans to leave the country and go back to Africa since she can’t stand the shame of having dated father and son. She believed it was the gods way of paying her back for running away from her responsibility and trying to get married, which is against the tradition. She decided to go back and plead for mercy, but she never mentioned her decision to Ben as she sneaked out of the house with a few of her belongings to Kimberly’s house.

After all preparations to leave the country, Kimberly decided to go with Iroro since she would be lonely without her. They both boarded a plane and headed back to Africa, unknown to Ben or Rudy.

Iroro and Kimberly finally arrived in Africa. At first she was scared of what the king would do to her when she returned to the palace and was having a rethink of returning to America, but Kimberly, who had already fallen in love with the beauty of Africa, was not just ready to head back to America yet. They finally got to the palace and were given a warm welcome to Iroro’s surprise. And the villagers troop out of their houses to welcome another white person (Kimberly). They were excited to see her and Kimberly was overjoyed with their behavior towards her as she danced with the dancers.

Later Iroro went to the king, who had been seriously sick but getting better, to plead for forgiveness. The king gladly forgave her and asked her of his son, that he desperately wanted to see him, since he is no longer strong and would want to pass on the kingship to him (prince Ejiro). Iroro assured him that prince Ejiro was fine, but could not tell if or when he would be coming back, but prayed that the gods would bring him back before the king passed on.

Meanwhile, back in America, Ben, who has been disorganized and heart broken because of Iroro’s disappearance, first thought she was kidnapped by Rudy. And Rudy, who was not ready to let Iroro go, accused his father of hiding her from him because he feels Iroro still loves him. But after thorough investigation they found out that Iroro has gone back to Africa with her friend Kimberly.

Georgina, who could not forgive herself for driving Iroro into Ben’s hands, almost went mad when she discovered that both Ben and Rudy were not ready to give up Iroro. She tried to convince them that Iroro was using voodoo on both of them but it all fell on deaf ears. Rudy, on the other hand, immediately called off his wedding plans with Lucy, as he prepared to journey to Africa, convincing prince Ejiro to go with him. Ben, who was not ready to call off his wedding with Iroro, since it was still one week before the wedding, also prepares to go to Africa and bring his bride back.

Rudy and Ejiro arrived in Africa, not knowing they were being followed by Ben, who disguised himself.

When they got to the village they were also received with jubilation, as the king, who thought he would never see his son before he died, thanked the gods for bringing his son back to him. A great party was thrown to welcome them. Ejiro begged for his father’s forgiveness for helping Rudy steal Iroro away. The father accepted his apology and told him that soon he would be crowned king and then he could make his own laws, but the interest of the people must be paramount.

When Iroro heard that Rudy and prince Ejiro has arrived, she was confused on what to do. Kimberly advises her to stay calm and make her decision regardless of tradition or any one. Iroro refused to come out to see Rudy but prince Ejiro went into her chambers and advised her to follow her heart; either to remain all her life in Africa as a royal dancer or choose between Rudy and his father Ben.

Unknown to any one, Ben finally arrived at the palace and met with the king who was pleased to see another white man, he (the king) called on the prince and the villagers to welcome Ben. Kimberly was pleased to see her boss as she runs to embrace him, but prince Ejiro was shocked to see him and questioned him cunningly on how he managed to trace them. Rudy came in and met face to face with his father and he went wild with rage, but he was calmed by the king who, after hearing the whole story decided to settle the matter once and for all. When Iroro heard that Ben had come for her she was filled with joy and sadness; joy, that Ben actually came after her, sadness because she was confused on who to accept since both men had touched and changed her life in different ways.

The king ordered that a welcome party be thrown for Ben while Iroro gets ready to entertain with her dance. Iroro wanted to run away from the palace for fear on how to face Ben and Rudy, but Kimberly convinced her to stay. She actually performed to the admiration of all but after the performance, as the crowd continued to cheer and Ben and Rudy were searching for ways to meet her, she sneaked out of the palace in the middle of the night and hid herself in the cave where she normally passed time whenever she was in a bad mood.

They searched everywhere for her but to no avail, and no one seemed to see her leave. Kimberly, in tears, told everyone that Iroro told her she was going to run away but she never mentioned where.

A search party was carried out as everyone searched for Iroro all over the village and in the bushes until the next day. They continued the next day till it was very late and that was when Ben got close to the cave. Meanwhile, Iroro was already weak and hungry and wanted food but was not ready to go out of the cave. Ben, who was already tired, entered the cave and searched for where to lay his head. As he searched with his torchlight on, he spoted Iroro, who was lying down facing the wall. He went quietly to her side and began to caress her hair. She jumped up, frightened, but when she saw Ben she began to cry. They both began to cry as they reminisced on their good times together. Ben kissed her and she could not resist as they both wrapped in each others arms and made sweet love in the cave, while others were still out searching for her.

When it was dawn they both were still wrapped in each others arms, undermining where they were or who was searching for them, they just wanted that moment to continue forever. And that was when Rudy and prince Ejiro, who also slept in the bush, walked into the cave and seeing them (Iroro and Ben) were shocked. But when they realized what was going on, Rudy left hurt, and they both got dressed, and prince Ejiro took Iroro back to the palace as the villagers jubilate for her safety. Kimberly was happy to see her friend again as Iroro narrated her romantic and enchanting moment with Ben in the cave, and she came to the conclusion that it was Ben she would love to spend the rest of her life with, if given her freedom from the palace.

Rudy demanded an audience with Iroro and she obliged. He told her how sorry he was to have treated her badly, how much he loved her and would want to spend the rest of his life with her, etc., but Iroro replied it was too late, although she had forgiven him long ago, that Rudy, although kindhearted and loving, was still a child following the dictates of his mother, and that he needed to grow up and be a man. Rudy assured her that he had learnt his lesson and that he is a man now. Iroro told him it was too late, because she is in love with Ben and would want to be with a real man for security purpose. Rudy could not bring himself to believe that it was over and he just kept pleading when Ben walked in and tried to control his son and he speak some sense into him.

Ben finally married Iroro when the king, after strong consultation with the kingmakers and elders, abolished the law of royal dancers not being able to get married. The venue of the marriage was changed to Africa in the kings palace. It was a fairy tale wedding, all the guests flew in from America to attend the wedding in Africa. The villagers were over excited to see so many white men and women, including black Americans in the village. Ben and Iroro were attired in the African marriage costume. Ben looked handsome in his attire while Iroro looked stunning in hers. It was a marriage between two different worlds. Rudy accepted his loss and joined his father in celebrating. Georgina also flew in to attend the much talked about wedding, but she was practically ignored by both Rudy and Ben.

After the wedding Ben and Iroro flew back to America and lived happily ever after.

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