Road Trip
910 Words
Road Trip
It was one cold Friday morning and I was headed for Abuja in a Toyota Hiace bus. Somewhere along the outskirts of Ebonyo when we were stopped by a police officer.
A tall dark skinned man dressed in a hoodie, jeans and an headwaiter got on board. He sat the midst of three girls, a short light skinned girl, an average heighted fat dark skinned girl and a tall dark skinned girl.
"My guy you dey enjoy", my partner said.
"I can sleep to my left or sleep to my right", the tall dark sknned man said.
"If you sleep to your left it's better."
"You know what I mean."
Minutes latet.
"Make I comet before they go say", the tall dark skinned man said.
"Enjoy", he added.
He relocated the back seat to sit beside the only woman in the bus and her daighter.
"This place is better", the woman said.
"It's more comfortable", she added
"Who be all this one wen you carry?", he asked.
"Students", the driver replied.
"Where una dey come from?"
"Am a corper coming from Calabar", a quite light skinned girl replied.
"You nko."
"Am.a corper."
"Hey you come down."
A tall dark skinned man dressed in a hoodie, jeans and an headwaiter aligthred.
"Where your bag?"
He fished out his bag.
"Open am."
He opened it The police officer ransacked the carry on and returned the bag.
"Go", he said.
The vehicle TV was blasting igbo songs, he switched afrobeats and Lucky Dube.
"This man funny", my partner said
He laughed at Lucky Dube's hysterics.
"He funny die."
He laughed some more.
"This man don high."
He laughed some more.
The driver switched over to a Nollywood TV series. On the screen was a tall light skinned non on galax with a large face wearing NBA jerseys and jeans and heavy chains displaying hooliganism.
"Nigerian film, e no pass say dey go juju wen go backfire", the tall dark skinned man said.
"Oyibo I no see blackie",
"Blackie down dey neck sleep."
Upon arriving at Lokoja, he alighted the vehicle and I occupied two seats and dozed off. The driver switched the movie to Black November. I woke up hours later. On the screen was a tall dark skinned woman being executed on a nuzzle.
"Driver, this AC don too much?"
Total silence.
"Driver I get pneumonia."
"E ti ri nkoko", the light skinned girl reacted.
"You know he get as something go too much e no go good, you know e get as you go love person e go too nuch, e even get as person go old e go kong too much."
A luxurious bus with big inscription Ekenedilichukwu drove past us.
"All those luxurious bus they don't go to the East again", the woman said.
"Na North they de go now", she added.
"I remember wen I dey serve for Kano, I suffer, I go stand for bus, if pesin shift more I go kon sit, those days na stand I dey stand for bus", he reacted finally.
"Na before o."
"No be now."
"No be now, true true."
"Now standing no dey."
"I go wan fall, see small space for sit I go st down."
"Na standing dey cheap pass that time", he added.
"Now everything down chamge."
We arrived at Abuja at around eleven pm or thereabouts. Some people made their trips home with the exception of myself, the light skinned girl and the driver.I covered myself with my bedsheets and worms began eating my stomach.
"Good evening", I said to a passerby who happened to be one of the drivers.
"Good evening", he replied.
"Please where is the toilet?"
"Down there."
I headed round the building until I found the toilet. I finally answered nature's call.
"Rice dey", the driver came.
My stomach churned. I tried to force myself to sleep, and warded off mosquitoes. About an hour later I headed of the motor park in search of food based on the information I had gotten from the driver.
"Good evening", I said to the food seller.
"Good evening", she replied.
She was serving rice to one of her customers. Three men were eating on the bench, another food seller was available and behind was a kiosk in which was a shopkeeper who sold provisions. The food seller turned to me.
"You wan buy food."
"Yes."
"How much per plate?"
"1200."
"Do you take transfer?"
"Yes."
"Give me one plate."
"Stew or banga."
"Stew."
She served a plate of rice with a serving spoon from a cooler and stew and meat from a transparent bucket into a plastic plate and fished sachet water from a cooler and handed the plate and sachet of water over to me. I ate till my fill.
"Account number."
"9045876535."
"Bank."
"Opay."
"Hope Uzo."
"Yes."
I transferred the money. A guy and his girlfriend came from the nearby hotel
I headed out.
"You down transfer am."
"Yes."
I headed back to the park and found passengers sleeping on my spot. I stayed up a little, and once they left I dozed off till morning. The light skinned girl came by.
"Are you going to Zuba?"
"No."
I dozed off until mornimg. I set out for my home. I made use of the public toilet and went outside to withdraw from the POS, asked for directions and boarded a bus to the direction and another to my juction. I arrived home.
- Writer
