2010, I wanted to go to Ibadan for the weekend. I had to, a friend was getting married and I had bought aso-ebi.
Lagos was practically ‘not it’, I just wanted out. Lagos was only a place for holidays and brief visits, but things had changed and here I was in Lagos. I have come to understand why the grass always look greener when you are peeping from the window; the same Lagos I always looked forward to visiting is not the same when it’s the place of abode. On holidays and visit, you can lazy around till 11 am before you set out to wherever your fancy leads, it’s not the same when you live and work here. Like a demon, you live the house before daybreak and may not be back till children are already snoring.
So all of my high dreams about Lagos life had vanished and I would always look forward to any opportunity to get out of here, besides I had no superb ties with anyone yet, just few acquaintances here and there and they would not pass as friends in truth.
Ibadan was it, AJ and I could hole up in the house all day and not be bored; movies, silly rants, books, gossips and sleep. We were never bored. We could live on oats and cereals and not die, we could feast on pizza or pastries…whatever..no pressures, just the pleasures of two girls who had shoved their worries into the grave. Those 2 days meant more to me than the whole week.
I left work by 6pm and headed for Berger. My salary was 25k per month, I would not think of getting into a car in Ojota, it never crossed my mind. Buses were okay because my purse said so.
I crossed the busy road and joined the crowed waiting for free or cheap rides; and it was a long wait. After a while, a man stopped and picked three of us in his beautiful car whose brand I didn’t know or care about. It was neat, A.C pumping and attractive. He would only allow three of us, myself and two guys.
We had barely settled in when he noticed the two guys were friends. He told them to come down, he wouldn’t pick two friends; he would not want to get robbed by them, he claimed. To him, they could have left their destination with evil intentions and would not like to be a victim on the dark road ahead.
You would expect me to alight with them, I didn’t, I sat put. He drove on and did most of the talking. A lawyer in a ‘big firm’ in Lagos, a father of 2 kids, his wife being the next thing to an angel and how much he loves his dad. He could talk the hinds leg off a donkey, I sat there with my heart in my mouth uttering syllables and sheepishly smiling to his family stories. I had more worries as the darkness grew thicker, different stories running through my head about kidnappers. I had to appear brave and confident and yes I tried.
Ibadan had gone to sleep by 9:30pm when we got in, getting a taxi to my destination would be a fat chance. He was going to see his dad in Ring road; I was to spend the night at AJ’s. I made my calculations, “I should get a taxi to Dugbe…and maybe a bike to AJ’s. “Maybe you’re going to your boyfriend’s place and lieing to me… I’ll like to know so I’ll drop you wherever you are going”- He offered without my asking… I gave a quick dry giggle and silently said my prayers “God, why do you love me so?”. He dropped me at her place, she was waiting; she looked at me, looked at him, and shook her head and offered a gentle greeting. I said my “Thank you” hurriedly, stepped out of the car and exhaled… BIMBOLA!!!!