Unbreakable

chapter 8

The Journey Back Home

On the day of my journey back home, I woke up very early.

I quietly cleaned the house one last time. As I washed the plates and swept the floor, many thoughts were running through my mind. I felt a mixture of emotions — happiness, sadness, and worry all at the same time.

The house I had lived in for almost two years had never truly felt like a home to me.

Before leaving, I washed my uncle’s clothes and packed the few things that belonged to me. When I looked at the small pile of my belongings, it made me realize something painful.

After living in that house for such a long time, I had almost nothing to show for it.

Still, I tried not to complain.

Instead, I focused on preparing myself for the journey ahead.

Later that day, my uncle arrived to take me to the bus park.

On the way there, my aunt gave me some small things — a few clothes and my school uniform. Those were the only things she had ever bought for me during the time I lived with her.

Even those things were already worn out.

But I accepted them quietly.

When we arrived at the park, something unexpected happened.

My uncle gave me a phone.

I was surprised because I had never expected that.

At that moment, I noticed something simple that stayed in my memory. My uncle was wearing only shorts, with no shirt on his body, and he was carrying my little cousin in his arms.

As I held the phone in my hands, I decided to take a quick picture of my cousins.

I wanted to keep their faces as a memory because I knew I would miss them.

But when my uncle saw what I had done, he became angry.

He quickly took the phone from my hands and deleted the picture.

Then he warned me never to take pictures of his children again.

He accused me of wanting to use their pictures for something evil.

Hearing those words hurt me deeply.

My stomach felt heavy, and I felt like crying.

My aunt was standing there watching everything, but she said nothing.

She simply looked at me.

At that moment, I felt completely alone again.

Tears filled my eyes as I quietly stepped away and waited outside.

After some time, we boarded the bus.

The bus left the park sometime between 5 and 6 in the evening.

As the bus started moving, I sat quietly in my seat and began to cry.

Everything had happened so quickly.

Just like that, my life in Lagos was over.

The journey back to Kaduna felt very long.

I cried for some time, then I eventually fell asleep.

After everything I had gone through, my body was exhausted.

Even though I was still scared and unsure about the future, something inside me gave me hope.

I believed that once I reached my parents’ house, things would finally become better.

My aunt had given me a small amount of money for the trip, so during the journey I bought some sugar to eat along the way.

It was a small thing, but it helped me feel a little better.

Throughout the journey, one thought stayed in my mind.

Soon I would see my family again.

Soon I would be home.

As the bus continued moving through the long road back to Kaduna, I held onto that hope tightly.

I prayed quietly inside my heart.

I prayed that when I reached my parents’ house, I would finally find peace.

Even though I was still shaking with fear and exhaustion, I felt something I had not felt in a long time.

Relief.

Because for the first time in two years, I was finally going back home.