Life Of A Random Nigerian Child

It was a sunny afternoon somewhere in Ketu Lagos, in the early 2000s. Shola was a shoemaker in his late twenties who worked in his uncle's shop. Having grown up under his uncle's care, he had learned the trade from a young age and had become known as a bright, cheerful, and hardworking man. That afternoon, he stepped out of the shop to buy a sachet of cold water. The street was busy as usual, with traders calling out to customers and people moving from one place to another. As he took a sip of the water, his eyes landed on a woman standing a few metres away. She was dark-skinned, of average height, and neatly dressed. Beside her sat a tray filled with pastries. She looked to be in her middle or late twenties and carried herself with quiet confidence. "Uncle, help me lift this onto my head," she called to a passerby, pointing to the tray on the ground. Shola watched. For a moment, he forgot about the water in his hand. The woman noticed him staring but chose to ignore it. When Shola finally came back to his senses, he cleared his throat and walked closer. "Ehm... how much do you sell them for?" he asked. He wasn't really interested in buying pastries. He simply wanted a reason to start a conversation. The woman turned to him with a slightly annoyed expression. she hissed slightly and asked. "Which one do you want?" Her tone made it clear that she had noticed both the staring and the nervousness. Shola shifted awkwardly. The cold water in his hand was beginning to lose its chill, and he could feel himself running out of things to say. "Will you be passing by here again soon?" he asked suddenly. Before she could answer, a woman approached with her children and began buying pastries. Fáde immediately turned her attention to her customers. Realizing the conversation was over before it had truly begun, Shola gave a small nod. As Shola returned to the shop, he sat quietly on the stool in front of his shoe-stitching machine. The noise of the street continued outside, but his mind was elsewhere. He replayed the encounter over and over in his head. Why had he stared so much? Why had he asked such a strange question? The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt. He shook his head and let out a small laugh. "Well, it's normal," he told himself. "A man sees a beautiful woman and loses his words." Still, something about her lingered in his mind. Her serious expression, the way she had responded to his questions, even the slight hiss she gave before turning her attention back to her customers. He picked up a shoe, threaded the needle, and pressed his foot against the machine's pedal. The leather moved beneath his fingers, but his mind remained on the pastry seller. The days that followed were much like every other day in Ketu. Customers came and went. Shoes were repaired, sandals were stitched, and the noise from the busy street never seemed to fade. Inside the shoe shop, Shola tried to keep himself busy. Around noon, his uncle handed him some money. "Go and buy us two sachets of cold water," he said. Shola nodded and stepped outside. As he crossed the road, his eyes wandered out of habit. Then he stopped. There she was. The same neatly dressed woman. The same tray of pastries balanced on her head She stood beneath the shade of a tree, patiently waiting for customers. For a moment, Shola wondered if he should walk over to her. After all, their first meeting had been nothing short of embarrassing. He smiled to himself. "Maybe this time will be different." Gathering what little courage he had, he walked towards her. "Good afternoon," he greeted politely. Fáde looked at him and returned the greeting with a slight nod. "Good afternoon." There was no sign that she recognized him. To her, he was simply another customer. Shola wasn't surprised. He had spent the last few days thinking about her. She, on the other hand, had probably met hundreds of people since then. "What do you have left?" he asked. "Meat pie, sausage roll, doughnut and egg roll."she answered "I'll take one meat pie." he said She handed it to him and told him the price. After paying, Shola stood there for a few seconds, trying to think of what to say next. Fáde looked at him. "Anything else?" Shola smiled awkwardly. "I don't know if you remember me." She looked at him carefully before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I don't." Shola laughed softly. "I'm the one that asked if you'll be passing by again." Fáde paused for a moment before a faint smile appeared on her face. "Oh... you're that man."she said. "I am" Shola replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know I sounded funny that day."he said shyly "You did," she said, trying not to laugh."I wasn't so nice either, my apologies" For the first time since they met, both of them laughed. "accepted." he replied quickly. They both burst out laughing After they both laughed, there was a brief silence. Shola cleared his throat. "My name is Shola."He said. "I'm Fáde," she replied. "It's nice to meet you properly this time." Shola said shyly. "You too." She smiled faintly."So, you sell pastries every day?" He asked. "Almost every day," she answered. "Except when I have somewhere important to be." he asked again. "You cover this area alone?" she answered. "Most of the time." Shola nodded. "It can't be easy." Fáde adjusting the tray. "It's not. But it puts food on the table." she answered. Before Shola could ask another question, a woman approached. "Please, give me two meat pies and one doughnut."Fáde attended to her customer while Shola stepped aside. When she was done, she looked at him. "I have to keep moving. If I stand in one place for too long, I won't sell much."she said. "I understand," Shola replied. He hesitated for a moment. "I'll probably see you around."he said in hope of a response. "You might," she replied with a small smile. Shola watched as she adjusted the tray on her head and continued down the busy streets of Ketu, calling out to customers. As he walked back to the shoe shop with his meat pie in one hand and sachet water in the other, he realized something. For the first time, he knew her name. And somehow, that was enough to make him smile for the rest of the day.