Best Writing My Lagos Hustle (Episode 1)

I woke up from my beautiful sleep and asked the woman who sat close to me if we had arrived Lagos yet. She looked at me and smiled, "we never even reach Benin sef,this journey still long"

I wiped my eyes with handkerchief again,
"Why is Lagos this far" I said to myself. I had slept and woken up like five times and yet we still haven't gotten to Lagos.

I turned to talk the woman again but her baby's mouth was on her breast and she was snoring heavily as she breastfed the hungry child who winked at me as he helped himself to his mother's voluptuous breast. I was scared he was gonna choke on it but little man had it covered.

I have spent nearly all my life in Calabar and my family and friends were beginning to think I would amount to nothing, so when the call came from my friend in Lagos Abdul, that i should come over, everyone was excited.

"make e come do de go sef so dat food go reach everybody "my cousin murmured..

I never knew I had become such a liability that everyone wanted to do away with me. I felt used but at the same time I was excited about the prospect of going to Lagos and making it big.

I mean, its been barely three years since Abdul went to Lagos and he's already driving his second car..

"Oya make we stop here eat" The driver said to the relieve of everybody ..The worms in my stomach were already fighting for supremacy and since I didn't know how this things work, I had kept quiet the whole journey..

I ordered for Egusi and pounded Yam, as I took a sit close to a beautiful girl whose gaze I tried to avoid, i wasn't going to pay for anyone's meal i said to myself..
I helped myself to the meal and it satisfied my cravings..

Soon we were back on the road again and everyone in the bus were lively all of a sudden, discussing about almost everything from sports, entertainment to politics.

The politics aspect brought a lot of arguments as people tried to justify actions while some outrightly condemned it.

I collected the suckling baby from her mother and held him in my arms, he smiled at me and fell asleep, the mum looked at me and smiled "the pikin like you oh"

I tried to sleep again but I couldn't, the man behind me was eating egg and groundnut, the odor was so offensive that it made breathing almost impossible. What made it worse is that he wouldn't shut up, always trying to contribute to every topic being raised..

I checked the time, 9pm and we still haven't gotten to Lagos, we must be travelling to another planet I murmured!!

Just as i was still talking to myself,the bus came to a halt in the middle of nowhere..

"Sir wetin happen" one of the passengers asked

The driver scratches his head and hops down from the vehicle, he opens the bonnet only to be welcome with horrible smoke,
"Na wa oh, de oil de leak, and i no carry extra"

Everyone was dumbfounded, no one could say a word, just as we were still thinking of what to do, we noticed some men coming towards our direction,they had some stuffs in their hands, we couldn't tell because it was terribly dark,and they called my name!!