Chapter One - Episode Four: Leaving Home
472 Words
The next morning, the house felt strangely quiet.
It was almost as if the house knew she was leaving.
She woke up earlier than usual.
For a few seconds, she simply lay there staring at the ceiling.
Then she remembered.
Today was the day.
She got up.
She dressed.
She checked her bag.
One more time.
Her parents were already awake.
There was breakfast, but she barely touched it.
Her mind was somewhere else.
She looked around the house.
She tried to memorize little things she had never thought about before.
The way the morning light entered the room.
The sound of her mother’s voice.
The familiar environment.
Home.
She suddenly realized that people rarely understand how precious ordinary things are until they are about to leave them behind.
She carried her bag outside.
One bag.
That was all she had.
One bag.
One bus ticket.
And the word LAGOS printed boldly across it.
She looked at the ticket for a few seconds.
Then she looked at her parents.
Her mother tried to smile.
Her father gave her a nod.
She hugged them.
That was when the tears finally came.
She quickly wiped them away.
“Don’t cry,” her mother said.
“I’m not crying.”
Her mother laughed softly.
“You are.”
She laughed too.
Then she hugged her mother again.
Her father placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Be strong.”
She nodded.
“I will.”
The journey to the park felt shorter than she expected.
Everything around her seemed to move quickly.
People were carrying bags.
Vehicles were coming and going.
Drivers were calling out destinations.
Passengers were rushing.
There was noise everywhere.
And in the middle of all of it, she stood there holding her bag and wondering if she had made the right decision.
For one brief moment, she considered turning around.
Maybe she should stay.
Maybe she was moving too quickly.
Maybe home was safer.
Maybe she should wait until she had a better plan.
Then she remembered her friend’s voice.
Come and stay with me in Lagos.
Figure things out.
Breathe.
She took a deep breath.
Then she entered the bus.
She found her seat by the window.
Her bag was secured.
Her ticket was in her hand.
She looked outside.
Her parents were still there.
She waved.
Her mother waved back.
Her father raised his hand.
Then the bus began to move.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
She kept looking through the window.
The familiar streets began to disappear behind her.
The places she knew became smaller.
Her town became smaller.
Her home became smaller.
And eventually, all she could see was the road ahead.
She rested her head against the window.
She felt terrified.
She was excited too.
But underneath both emotions was something she couldn’t quite name.
Freedom.
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