EVERYONE IN ABUJA SHOULD BE RICH

“Sere why didn’t you wake up on time, I mean check the time, it’s 8-o clock, you know how bad traffic can be at Area 1 roundabout, let’s not even talk about whether or not you will find an along from Lifecamp junction to Apo bridge.” She heaved a loud sigh after making her thought so loud. She will then find a Keke Napep going to Lifecamp junction, she will enter the park to find an along going to Apo bridge, but she will decide to stand at the roadside hoping to find one that is on the move so her time will not further be wasted. She will wait a while, moving back and forth on the express so these vehicles with no regard for traffic laws won’t hit her leg. She will finally find an along, a rough, old dirty car with a Berekete family sticker on the side, it has about three passengers inside of it, she will have to sit between the second and fourth passengers at the back sit, squeezing herself to the tip the chair so as to make room for the fourth passenger. “Oga how much, Apo Bridge?” She will ask, the round head, dirty bearded driver. He will reply “Apo bridge naa 250.” She will scream “Ah, Oga no be 200.” He will reply, “madam na 250, if you no fit pay, abeg come down make another person enter.” She will respond while thinking of the fact that she has no choice, and her salary will be deducted the longer she argues with the driver, “Na wa o, Oya now, make we dey go now.” The driver will increase the volume of his radio to the most popular radio in Abuja or at least among Abuja ‘along’ entering passengers. “Embelembe” the presenter will call, “olololo” his audience will chorus, he will do these two more times, and with each time he calls, the chorus becomes louder. Osasere will be tired, as she is squeezed between three passengers two of whom seem to have enormous backsides. “What could have gone wrong this week?” She will ask herself. Waking up late, coming home late, refusing to go out, eat or even smile. She has become a shadow of herself. She even hates going to work, I mean the work she loved some eight months has suddenly become disdainful to her. Between doom scrolling endlessly on Twitter and simply staring in to space, the depression hits differently. She will suddenly remember that she forgot to close her window at home, and she will pray that rain doesn’t fall else, she is doomed. “Area 1?” The driver will call interrupting her thought, ‘I go stop for Area 1 bridge” the first passenger will respond. The passenger will highlight, making the car spacious for her to sit well on till she gets to her final stop or the useless driver decides to carry some one else. She will highlight at her bus stop, and the driver will waste her time a little more because he doesn’t have a change of 50 naira. “Oga no waste my time o”, Sere will shout at the driver as she checks her phone, it is 8:45 already, she just has fifteen minutes left until that stupid HR starts barking at her. She will enter another along going to Area 11. She will highlight at Efab shopping complex and enter the office at exactly 9-o clock. She will sit by her small cubicle and put on her computer to start her day at the office. “Sere, Sere” a voice she knows too well and hates too well will come up to her. “Mike o, how far na”, she will respond turning her chair to give him attention so he could go away quickly. You here say Oga don increase Mabel salary” he will whisper to her. “Wetin concern me” she will respond with a hint of jealousy in her voice. After everything she did for this her Oga, He still chose Mabel over her. “Anyway, I dey hear some kind things for this office, sha” “Wetin you dey hear?” She will ask. “No worry na gist for later”. The voice and its owner will leave. Mabel will catwalk into the office, like her father owned the place, apparently Oga is her father now if you understand. Mabel will wave at her, but she will pretend not to see her. She will continue with her work, until her HOD will ask her to bring her report as regards a file to his office. He will admire the shape of her buttocks as he always does especially when she puts on a skirt. He will then tell her how beautiful she looks and how her ‘boyfriend’ is enjoying. “Useless man”, she will whisper to herself. She will finish her work for the day early and go for lunch break. She will eat at her regularly cafeteria Mama Ada, the only person nice to her in the whole of that environment. She will gist and gossip with Mama Ada. And Mama Ada will tell her how her Oga is always leaving the office at ungodly hours with Mabel “that overbleached yellow girl”. They will laugh about it and she will tell Mama Ada how her Oga also asked her to be staying after work hours. She will tell Mama Ada how her Oga asked her not to wear trousers to the office again instead she should wear a skirt or gown and how he asked her to raise up her gown so he could see the color of her pant. She will want to tell Mama Ada how one night at the office Oga grabbed her by the waist and tore her skirt. How he told her to be a good girl and what he wanted to do wasn’t serious. How he forced himself on her even after her several attempts of pleading and begging. She would want to tell Mama Ada how the next time he tried to force himself on her two months ago, she summoned courage and slapped him, punched him and broke his arm. How she ran out of the office, falling down the stairs. She will want to tell Mama Ada these things just for the laugh, but she couldn’t and she wouldn’t. She will hear the sound of thunder and see that the clouds have suddenly gathered as enters her office, she will pray that the rain doesn’t get to house. She will sit at her cubicle and Taiye the office messenger will walk up to her. “Madam HR is calling you” Taiye will say. “Okay, thank you” she will respond. She will enter Madam’s office, greet her, even though madam will only respond with a nod. Sere will remember how she came to report the incident that happened with Dennis the Sales Officer on their field trip, how he tried to “check the size of her breast” on one occasion and how he told her that he would love to place his head on her “big boobi”. She will report to Madam HR and her response would be that Sere should know that’s how men behave and she should just be careful. Madam HR will hand over to her a letter terminating her appointment whilst thanking her for her services and asking to handover company property. She will return to her cubicle and start laughing while clearing her desk. Mike will come again to her and begin his faux condolences and pity. “No worry, you go get another job” He would say, “Thank you” she would respond”. “I go send you links you hear” he will say again. Like she cares. She will stand under a shade while waiting for the rain to subside, it is still early enough, thankfully she will get an along back to Apo bridge, then back to Lifecamp. It wasn’t rush hour yet. She will shed a tear, but quickly wipe it with the back of her palm. She knew why she lost her job; she knew she was going to lose it; she just didn’t expect it to be this long after two months. And the reason, she will laugh because it was the flimsiest reason, “the company is downsizing,” but Mabel got a raise she will think. She will remind herself that it was a phase and she will move forward regardless. But her main focus will be how she would scoop out her flooded room when she gets home.