LOST WTHOUT MR GENIUS

chapter one

"Next!" Said a sharp hoarse voice from the lanky figure standing in front of the fat woman seated next to me on my left. I jerked as soon as I heard him and lifted my face, drawing my bleary eyes to him. What a face! He was scary! As soon as I saw the pair of ruddy eyes, a long moustache and two protruding incisors with a gap between them, a dirty vest with a murky perch under the armpits which he had matched with a pair of faded blue fusty jeans, my stomach almost raised and I made my glance as fleeting as possible, turning my face away shifting to the old man on my right. He was snoring, holding the small bag firmly against his chest and a piece of paper clenched between his fingers. How could he be sleeping comfortably in such a ghastly atmosphere? The intolerable heat inside, the repelling smell of the fumes, the stench from the sweating bodies of the travellers, the urine from the babies that almost made me chunder, the noise from the engine and then the gaggle of passengers inside that irritated me- Everything was repulsive! But he was snoring as if he was in the comfort of his home! "Perhaps it's old age…" I wondered and was jolted by the same voice, "People like you should be made to pay a double fare. Look at how you are almost occupying the three-seater alone squeezing…"

"Hey," the woman beside me interrupted him with a snide, "hold your tongue, you snoot! I paid for my seat- straight up! Didn't I?" She puffed up. Anger was raw in her eyes. He'd messed up with the wrong person who couldn't let his gaffe go unpunished! It was galling to have set about her like that! Embarrassed, he flicked at the condemning eyes around him and gave a goofy grin, trying to hide his feelings of anger and rubbed the fuzz on his hand. He eyed me up and blushed. How mysterious! I couldn't discern his interest and crinkled a facile smile drawing my attention to the magazine she held in her hands. If I hadn't noticed one or two of the passengers were half nudes, I would have thought that the pictures in the magazine were of terrestrial creatures. I was still taking fancy at several of them as she flipped over the pages when she was interrupted;

" Ho- ho, goody, what a temper!" He said in a steely voice as if to shackle her, and checked her ticket. His statement fanned her anger; She gave him an unflinching glare and fiercely pointed a finger at him in utter rage, her flabby bicep hanging beneath her arm,

"The next time you want to say something, take an air freshener first because your mouth stinks." She said dryly in a grimace, snorted and twisted her unlined face away. My lips hang in embarrassment. If you ask me, I think he asked for it.

I tried to hold back my laughter but couldn't. I giggled, and bestowing a glimpse at me, he shrunk, gritting his teeth in anger. I wished Dave was with me. It would have been fun! I already missed him. I thought it would be easy to forget him for the six months I would be away, but now I wanted him near me. I must have been a fool to forsake my love for trying to chase my dreams. I could still remember the turmoil on his face as we parted ways; the haze in his eyes that brought a daunt of fear in my heart as if I was losing him forever- and his last kiss- it was longer than ever as if it would be the very last. His last words were still vivid in my mind, "Joanna, please don't leave me. I am scared of losing you, ever…" The tone in his voice was laden with sadness. His words cut deep inside me. He was sad and so was I, but he knew well that I, Joanna, wouldn't turn against my word. I sobbed and made him promises- eye-wash that I doubted they would ever be fulfilled because I wasn't sure what the future held for me. What could I do? I could hardly afford two square meals a day and was tired of poverty, suffering and the boring village. I couldn't stay any longer, not now that I was a complete orphan. Somehow, I had to forget the pain of losing my dad. He was the only relative I could count on and Now that he was no more, I was left alone, feeble and helpless. I was tired of being pitied yet no one was willing to help. If only Dave's situation was different, we would have gotten married and started a family, but it was impossible- utterly impossible because he was scrimping on his meagre earnings to take care of his mother, not to mention, his younger sister who looked up to him as a father. He was lumbered with many responsibilities after his father's death and I didn't want to add on his agonies. I needed to go and hassle in the city; do minor jobs and save for mine and Dave's future- our future. What else would a semi-literate like me do in the city? I just had a certificate! As long as I could save even the little I could earn, my future with Dave could be secure. He was my first love, my one true love. I trusted and clung to that. "Dave, will you wait for me?..." I was still lost in these thoughts when the rude man jostled against me heading to the driver. I saw him whisper something into his ears. Suddenly, my mind was set with intrigue, "Why was he passing around with a receipt book?" I wondered and quickly turned to ask the fat woman who now looked calm. Perhaps she knew better.

" Hey, ma'am, who is he?"

"Ah, you mean that scruffy stupid man, Maxwell? He's the conductor."

"Conductor!" I muttered with uncertainty. Being my first time travelling to the city, I didn't have the feel of travelling procedures. I had luckily sneaked into the bus without a coin on me and didn't know how I would get to the city safely without being taken for a fraudster, but now I was apprehensive that it mightn't be as easy as I had thought.

" Err, ma'am-"

"Milly- call me Milly." She beamed, wiping her face daintily with a hankie

"Oh, sorry, Milly, why was he- I mean what did he want?"

She gazed at me inquisitively, her eyes narrowing into slits and smiled,

"Is it your first time travelling by bus?"

I nodded nervously.

"And- I guess the first to go to the city." I nodded again feeling rather embarrassed. She was a stunner; perhaps a city dweller because she'd an aura of sophistication; Her glowing skin, the tinted tresses, the red lips which she often moistened with a lip gloss, the long red painted nails, her purple cheeks she had dusted with make-up and her dress code were a description of a 'city' lady. Genuinely, I coveted her. You could hardly find such an elegant lady in the village but a salubrious place like the city. After analysis, she said,

"I see. You have your ticket-"

"Ah…" I stuttered and was hesitant to reply because the term was unfamiliar to me. As such, I didn't have anything apart from my small luggage, but I had to be discreet and careful with my tongue. She clasped her bus ticket and tried to explain,

"You were given such a paper at the terminal. You must keep it safe and present it every time he asks for it because it's the only evidence that you have paid for the bus fare."

"I...ok, ma'am." I gulped and was stuck, but had to compose." God have mercy…" I mumbled.

"Err- did you say something?" She clipped my hand.

"Yeah, the music. It's nice." I said with a fake broadened smile and wiggled my head to and fro cheerfully, following the rhythm of the hit song from the background. She took a gander at me and shook her head amused. I had to pretend that all was okay, but Inward, I was chilled to the marrow because I had no bus ticket.

I was a callow beautiful bubbly poor girl from the village. Nonetheless, my appearance couldn't attest to the fact. Luckily so I should say, God had endowed me with my natural beauty and by simple means, I looked neat and sleek despite my unfortunate circumstances. Dave once told me that he fell in love with my beauty and smartness, so I always wanted to maintain the compliments, ha! ha! ha! And slay in my simple State. My can-do attitude had always emboldened me.

I had to act fast or else I would be thrown out of the bus and left in the middle of nowhere.

"What do I do?" I mumbled in vexation. I had no clue whatsoever. The gangling conductor came sluggardly towards me. It was undoubtedly my turn to show him my ticket but I had none. I trembled as he advanced. To be honest, didn't like him, especially his cold tone and the untrimmed moustache that made him look like a Mafia- and his gruff face, oh no! I think he was still seething with anger. Fear surged in me. Lowering my face, I kept peeking at him as I waited upon my fate. In a moment, he stopped and twisted on the chair in front of me and flung his arm in front of the lady and said,

"Your ticket, madam, you had better not be playing around or else I will send you flying through that window." He warned the lady in a rough voice, conveying his choleric temper which got me even more terrified. I cowered in my seat.

Suddenly, the old man beside me slowly tilted his head on my shoulder and I wiggled to look at him. Ugh! He was another pain in my neck! He ate and swallowed and was gibberish amidst his snores, How annoying! I flushed with resentment. "This snoring old…" I had almost pushed him off when my eyes glistened on his ticket. He was my immediate rescue. "Well, sleep tightly granny pa!" I muttered, seeing the opportunity in front of me. I ought to have sung him a sweet lullaby! Carefully, I pulled the ticket from his hand and flashed it at the conductor as soon as he approached. "Wait, lady," he said, giving me a lustrous smile, "He's the first in the line." He motioned to the snoring old man, "Order matters here, miss."