Remember To Forget

24

   The sky glowed as blue as it could but the clouds grew grey as it threatened the earth with rain. Those walking, those selling along the road side and every driver hustling to beat the common traffic sensed the atmosphere turn cold and everyone increased their haste for shelter.

In the blink of an eye, the blue sky was gone, the clouds grew black and the heavens opened up, pouring rain. Everyone took shelter and those that found no shelter ran helter scatter.

Except one man.

He strolled dismissively, letting his steps move comfortably and oddly relaxed in the wet, muddy ground. The rain ran through his native attire making the Ankara material damp and heavy. He didn't bother about all that.

He wasn't worried about the rain.

He kept walking with no haste or fear of catching a cold.

Moreover how closer can a man get to nature than to feel her tears crawl bare through his skin, he thought to himself as he made a cross to a junction.

Nobody stared at him like he was crazy for walking under the thunderous rain.

In Lagos, everyone learnt to mind their own business.

"Baba e get somewhere you dey go?" After stopping in confusion, he realized he has made a mistake and appeared lost.

"Yes I am. I am looking for an estate but I don't know the name?"

"Ah! No worry. Na only one estate wey dey this side. Okay, make I show you the place."

The skinny bus conductor, with torn dirty brown clothes directed the elderly man with a pointed finger and stern gestures.

"Thank you my son."

"No problem. Baba nothing for the boys?" The conductor grinned widely as he ran his blackened finger nails through his tattered beards. He smiled more after reaching out to collect a one thousand Naira note with an enclosed palm.

"Thank you sir. Go well o." The conductor brought down his raised hand which he used to hail the old man.

Drenched and weak to the bones, the elderly man kept on walking slowly with no care for the heavy rain still.

He took every direction he was given. By the time he had gotten to the estate check point, the rain has reduced to a drizzle.

"Good afternoon. I'm looking for someone." He spoke to the guard who seemed to care less about the exhausted man in front of him.

Still not looking away from his newspaper, he replied, "Who is this person you are looking for?"

"Mr Jonathan Chidi."

At the mention of his boss's name, his head jerked upwards, he took a careful stare at the old man, his gaze ran from his bald head to his drenched clothing down to his soaked brown sandals.

"Why in the world would my boss want to see someone like you?"

"Didn't your mother teach you how to talk your elders. All this children of nowadays! No sense or respect."

"Please o! Don't call my mother into this matter." Femi, the bodyguard, grew sensitive about his late mother even though he didn't remember her. She died at childbirth. He was raised by his wicked relatives. At the age of twenty, he had arrived in Lagos with a dream to make it big. He still had faith he would, even though his only stable job was an estate guard for close to seven years now.

"I'm sorry about that. I'm just tired and a bit frustrated. Please can you call your oga at least?"

Femi pulled his Nokia torch phone out of his back pocket, grudgingly.