Date :December 23rd
Time :6:30 am GMT
Location : Waterlines Park Rivers State Nigeria
Sunday morning. A day to festivity, a joyous one at that and I will be going home to family to join in the celebration after a year of being away from them. A two-week vacation from the new session to resume the following year, I will be home - Lagos, my birth, growth and life -, a place like no other, a place of multiplicity and State which houses the various ethnic groups of our beloved Country...I will be home.
Kiki did well to help me park my luggage for the journey, she is the most loving and beautiful soul I have stayed with since freshman and we have bonded like sisters, our parents through our 'ship' have gotten closer and tighter and we have taken turns to spend what little rest the school offers us. This time I will be going alone and I so miss my honey bunny and marshmallows, the talker for the journey. I miss her company but I have got company - phone, food which Kiki made, novels (Brenda Novak and Agatha Christie), power bank for supply and my all time favourite, daydreaming.
Dawn was here already and I could hear the never ending blasts from loud speakers... Aaarrrrggghhhh. Curses. Triple curses. These humans defile nature with the noise they make. When will they ever learn??. Oh well soon I will be converging outta this noisy place to quietude for hours from these barbarism.
My travel clothing is (was) light, a white 'spaghetti' singlet tucked in blue jean shorts with black Timber boots. Kiki and I quarrelled over this wear, our argument, as she advised I look more feminine so as to attract guys and feminine to her were the stilettos. She has tried to teach me to catwalk and do the woman walking thing but I end up embracing the boots and sneakers even tighter after so many falls from those mountains. I cannot kill myself na, it is not by force to walk in heels ni. I...love...boots...and...I.. feel...so...comfortable...in...them...plus...I...love...the...feel...of...earth...beneath...my...feet.
I sunk deeper into my seat as I choose the space beside the window for air while awaiting other passengers to join in the trip. Soon the bus began filling up with people who weren't hesitant to leave the city for the destined State for whatever purpose, boredom is an idiot, I was getting bored with the activities around me and couldn't wait to have this bus in motion as I could imagine mom's face when she finally sees me when I approach her at the Estate gate in Ajao. Her countenance will be awesome as I give her the mischievous smirk, her eyes will bulge like a frog and mouth form the 'O' letter leaving her contemplating for minutes if truly the figure before her is the daughter she gave essence to, her rebuke, her questioning and finally her solution to feeding me fat for weight gain. Smiling inwardly which reflected out I took out my earpiece from my purse as I inserted it to my phone and to my ears listening to Chris Brown play and getting drifted.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Three light taps on my right naked shoulder bringing me back from the world of music to noisy chaos, I paused the music to give attention to the intruder not forgetting my iciness but was melted by the beauty before me.
' umm hello, is there an occupant after you?' she politely asked.
'yes there is lady, you could switch places with the young dark man over there' I said leading with my eyes to the direction of a fat middle-aged young man having heavy breakfast 'please plead with him I can't have his weight crossing my space, I need someone like you close'. I heard light chuckle as she went ahead to bargain with the gentleman. Following with my gaze, I must confess she is truly beautiful - a dark rich chocolate tone with body of Agbani only inches shorter in height, for face, she had diastema and dimples when she smiles, her eyes were colours of brown slightly lighter, a straight broad nose, and semi plump calves - and her fluency in English had me captured, she must be thoroughly baked. I quickly caught a glimpse of her wear, a short denim gown with a Converse white sneakers and black Chanel bag hanging on her left shoulder, as she slowly walked towards the bus and inside sitting beside me smiling as she uttered 'a done deal' from her petite glossed lips. 'Thank God, what did you do the convince him?' eager to hear her answer meanwhile knowing it, her smile and tiny voice, she responded 'my smile did the trick and a bit of sultry plea'. She laughed throwing her head back and she got busy with music while we waited.
The driver and his cohort arranged and sorted out themselves with whatever it was the normal thing for transporters and the wheels came alive. 'Hallelujah! Finally!' my Thanksgiving words after what seemed like centuries to me as I put aside my phone watching the view before us, soon we met Rivers State outskirt and we journeyed through states. I loved the beauty of the trees and the vast virgin vegetation, the smell of road dust sweeping past and before us, a clear sky with a happy sun... Beauty in nature.
The engagement of passengers with talks ranging diverse topics filled the bus as some argued and others supported, some lost in the subject of discussion and some confused about the issues, the driver was not left out in the conversation as he had his voice heard giving his own true or cooked up stories so as not to be a fish. He was a jolly driver who loved talk, history and political subjects soared his spirit and this was noticed in the way he accelerated, he was one of those who was on the fence who supported any and everything and a chronic tribalist who saw fault in other tribes Igbos especially. His accent gave off a Yoruba ethnic one from deep Ibadan as he added the 'H' to almost every uttered word. To add to his culture, baba driver soured my ears with Yoruba music with all the 'igbati igbati' emitting the stereo.
Kasala that burst was when majority of the passengers sang along with the artiste and they conversed in either their Mother tongue, Native language or Second language. I was now the one who felt cold as my Yoruba competence wasn't up to standard but I pass for a speaker, I took out Brenda Novak's When Lightening Strikes and absorbed myself in it while feigning nonchalance to the rising voices.
The young 'hanty' beside me took note of my coldness and offered explanation from time to time to me and I warmed up and we got deep in our separate conversation. I learnt a lot about this undergraduate from Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) popularly called UST located in Diobu. We share things in common and we talked for long, laughed at our silly jokes and quickly exchanged contacts as we found in each other friendship and I couldn't wait to introduce her to Kiki thereby making us a circle of three. A complete piece Kiki and I was so looking out and forward to. 'Kiki really need to see this girl and assess her herself' I said in heart. We got to Benin-Ore road after two hours of stand still at the River Niger bridge in Onitsha as the driver stopped by an eat out for us to stretch our legs and feed our tired bodies. Everyone was grateful to him for his extra care in driving and maneuvering of sharp pits, Stacy, my new friend, and I went hand in hand into the restaurant, placed and had our orders packaged because the driver instructed we hasten so we could beat time and the traffic that awaited us at Lagos - Ibadan express road the entrance to Lagos the Centre of Excellence. Exactly as predicted, the hold was heavier in that area as the driver who knew crannies in the state took those routes to save time and decongest traffics. Baba like other smart drivers who knew these routes had it congested in no time as everyone was in haste, no one wanted another passage as this led to a show of the dominant language - Yoruba - in the state and enough curse words to last generations to infinity. The flying of spittle of drivers, Danfo drivers and Company drivers were seen, some of it entered mouths of unclosed opening, the odour of unwashed or sweaty bodies mixed with the air made breathing so 'aromatic', the anger that spoke from reddened or reddening eyes were 'beautiful' as each stare had a rival and the colours from these struggling vehicles made a rainbow. I was wearied out and couldn't wait any more to meet mom while I sit in the comfortable Honda as she drives to No 27 Chinedu Okoroafor Avenue which is home.
6:34pm
I ended my call with mom as I told her how close I was, I was to stop at the popular Oshodi market after the bridge. I informed Stacy of this and what I read in her eyes were what I interpreted to be sadness, I didn't know why, her eyes which shone with glee moments before had black deep darkness as her pupils flattened and a streak of tear escaped the right eye which she immediately wiped off. 'awww, don't cry sweet, I know how you feel, I will always keep in touch with you and...driver Oshodi o wa o, mofe bole'. I said to the driver as he turned sharpely to see the person from whose mouth those were uttered as surprise spread well over his face. I immediately made my way down from the bus as cool evening air hit my face announcing I was finally in Lagos strapping tightly to my back pack, my only luggage from the journey and holding it more for safety from 'friends'
'Stace, call me as soon as you get home, don't forget!' I gave out my order as I waved at her.
'Goodbye forever Gee'. Those words hit my heart so hard, it felt cold, really cold, a scary coldness at the pit of my stomach... Why forever? Why did she choose those words as parting? Is this girl crazy or what? Those were clouded questions as the bus in preparation gathered speed to continue
Almost immediately.
It was five steps, five walking steps forward when my eyes saw it all. Without caution or warning, a loaded trailer of Coca Cola beverages ram hard into the bus bumper sending it flying and spinning in the air as it landed on its side on the vast express with shattered glass splinters. The driver without a fore of what he did climbed the reminder of the bus as lives were crushed under those mechanical wheels, for each crush I heard the snapping and grinding of bones and last saving prayers and screams from the occupants until all went silent. My eyes grew twice wide as the black tarred floor was a glistening RED. A colour that held or once had the life of beings. A colour I soon came to hate. I ran to what was left of the vehicle I had alighted from as faces of the travellers came flashing my head with only one in mind - Stacy. I screamed all along as words I couldn't comprehend escaped my lips, I went to the scene searching deeply searching for familiar items to a friend, hoping that something was left of her or probably an intact body. Miracle was what I prayed for, held onto, had faith in, a faint faith. The smell of blood, human blood filled the environment as I turned blind to the confusion around, things and event came to slow movements as the only sound I heard was the beating of my own heart which slowly stopped as I embraced darkness.
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Tap. Tap. Tap. Three light taps on my right naked shoulder bringing me back from the world of music to noisy chaos, I paused the music to give attention to the intruder and was grateful for the wake. I lifted my eyes to see Stacy and cold shivers froze my spine rising hairs mixed with gooseflesh on my body.
'Umm hello, is there an occupant after you?.....'
Written by Gloria Lawrence.