COMING HOME

Chapter 16

~~Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
                           Proverbs 3:5(NKJV)~~

The map before her didn't look like it'd offer her much help. She'd never used a map before and neither had she left home without a driver, friends that knew the way, good network and a working GPS.

'Madam, you sure say you know where you dey go?'

She waved her fingers dismissing his question and continued trying to figure out the place she wanted to go.

'Madam!' Her hand moved hastily taking a part of the map with it.

'What is it Justin? Don't you know when to keep quiet?' Angry, she raised her head to look at the driver. The driver left the main road and drove to pack at a side of the road.

'I'm not Justin. Na you stop me say you dey go somewhere. I don dey drive for one hour and you never talk anything. Pay me my money and come down!'

She didn't get the chance to say anything before he got down, marched to her side and pulled her door.

'I'm sorry about that sir,' She mumbled as he bent inside to drag her shoulder.

'Sorry no go help my business. You dey owe me ten thousand.'

'Okay then.' She reached for her card.

'Where the money?'

'I thought you had a POS machine?'

'I no get madam. Pay me money for hand.'

Torn between his thick Pidgin English and not having cash at hand to pay him, Tobi leaned against the car and put her hand over her head to block the sun.

'Okay sir but can you drive me to the nearest ATM? I will withdraw the money and give you there.' The look the man gave her told her he didn't trust her. 'I promise you, I won't run away.'

'Enter car. After you pay me I go leave you for there.'

The drive to the ATM unnerved her. She didn't want to go back home. She'd told her mother it was a brief trip to the supermarket to get some things and declined a driver or driving herself. Instead, she'd stopped a cab and headed in the opposite direction.

This wasn't the Abuja she knew. It was still the centre of the country and unity alright but she would have vowed this wasn't her State. As the driver drove passed a red light she became more repulsed and wondered where he was taking her. Discovering this part of Abuja was disturbing. Maitama, hotels, bars, restaurants, supermarkets and the airport where her only familiar places.

The stench of decayed food, unkempt roads, overflowing gutters and dirty people triggered her senses sending her forward using her hand to block her mouth and nose to stop herself from producing her breakfast. The already lowered windows offered no help as the air blew in more funk. Suddenly, the car filled with the suffocating filth of bodies that have been deprived of water and soap. Her nostrils danced in uneven rhythms as shadows surrounded her window. Confused, she looked to her side. Her lips opened to her neck and her eyes took in the sight of humans that were once pink. Almajiris of different colours, sizes and shapes fought to get a spot in the small opening and in time, the fragile glass slumped.

'Madam hurry, wind up before dem go remove my door!' The driver shouted. Tobi moved backwards until she was in the opposite end. In one swift move, the driver was at her end hitting hands, pulling and rolling the window. 'Ahnnn!...Where dem for born you?'

'What?' Tobi shook her head trying to forget the memories.

'Where you grow?'

'Oh! Abuja. I've never been here before.'

'Ẹ clear. We don reach here o.'

'Thanks.' She walked to the queue. Her eyes surveyed the area. Heads turned and she found herself surrounded by bulging eyes and faces that had been blackened by the harshness of the sun. She swallowed walking quickly to her line.

'If I give you thirty more, can you take me farther than here?'

'As in?'

'You'd keep driving until I'm in the outskirts of Abuja.'

He hesitated looking at the money. He raised his head lowering his eyelids. 'Whatever you go do for there I no go wait for you. Enter car make we dey go.'

'Wait,' She unzipped her purse and brought out her phone. 'I want to sell it and my wristwatch. Do you know where I can sell them?'

He stood up straight. 'Why you wan sell them? Àbi you be thief? Person dey find you?'

Her lips moved downwards. 'No, I just want to sell them. I need the money.'

His brows lowered. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. 'Are you going to help me or not? If you do, I'd give you a fair share of the money.'

Nodding, he walked to her door and opened it.

'The place where I dey carry you go na my friend own am. His offer dey dey reasonable.' He glanced at her through the rear view mirror for the remaining part of the journey.

She removed her sim card and broke it, collected her debit cards and any personal belongings that could break and broke them into several pieces before placing them back inside her bag.

The driver waited in the car while she entered the building coming out an hour later.

'Here!' She handed him a bundle of money. 'I'm ready to go.'

'Thank you.' They journeyed until they'd left the traffic lights, tiled roads, commercial buildings and vehicles. He slowed down when they reached the point with dust and emptiness filling the roads. 'This na village, do you know anybody here?'

Her head moved slowly in a daze. 'This is where I'm going. Thank you. Can you take me closer inside, I'll walk the rest of the way.'

The driver remained for a while, it was as if he was thinking about changing his mind and driving them back into civilization.

'Madam, this na proper village, me sef wey know Abuja well well no know the name of this village. Na just one day I stumble upon am. Light no dey dey, water na stream dem dey fetch from. Wetin you dey find?'

She'd asked herself the question a million times too. From the sunken sign board that'd once held the name of the village to the empty roads, she knew this wasn't a place to be but she couldn't ask the driver to take her back. Nothing good was home waiting for her. Not even a degree. Maybe after nature and starvation dealt with her for a night here she'd return home herself but for now, she was going to see what was on the inside of the village.

'Day don dey dark, I need to return.'

'Oh, then, drive me further, I'd find my way to the village.'

He drove for ten minutes and stopped. 'Na here I fit drive you reach. I need to return.'

'No problem, thank you.' She said getting down. She didn't turn back to watch the driver as he drove off. She gathered her strength and marched on without a destination.

She'd walked for thirty minutes and still no sign of a living being. Not even a motorbike or bicycle passed. The sole of her feet ached but she continued walking. Maybe if she walked a few more minutes she'd see someone.

Minutes turned into hours without her finding any building or human. She stopped, she couldn't go on any further or her feet would tear open. She hadn't even bothered to think this through before setting out without food or water and she couldn't turn back. No matter what, the journey into the village was shorter than her going back and trying to find the city. Standing on the same spot worsened the pain on her feet, she had to sit down a while. She pushed herself to cover some more steps. Joy filled her heart and she found herself singing praises to a God she didn't believe in when she looked ahead and saw something that looked like a hut not too far from her. She walked faster but her joy was quickly replaced with the unsteady side to side movements of her body, her knees buckled nearly sending her deep into the thick sand, her hands shook as they tried to support her light-head. She drew saliva from her dry throat, wetted her tongue and licked her lips.

'I'm almost there.' Her eyes closed as she jerked forward. 'I made....' She whispered falling head first to the ground.