Ojuelegba! Stadium!! Shitta!!!
A man in a dirty singlet that seemed to have never experienced the soothing effect of water, disheveled hair with broken and dirty fingers cried. He appeared to be in his late 20s, apparently the conductor of a very rickety Danfo. A good number of the danfos plying the Lagos route are rickety but the intensity differs. This particular one is a moving scrap, her mind quickly raced back to a few weeks ago. One of these mobile scraps tore her favorite pair of jeans, she bought at Balogun Market. She cried that day, as that pair accentuated her curves in the right place and proportion but upon looking at her timepiece.
It was time to return to her war front.
Upon entering the bus, the conductor breath almost choked her as he lamented hold your change oooo
Sandra! Sandra!!
Endeavor to send the briefings to me during the weekend for perusal before publishing. It should be out by Monday morning, the editor in chief pleaded with her. Nodding in affirmation, as she walked towards her car. A mass communication graduate from one of the leading private universities. Secured a job upon finishing NYSC in one of the top publishing and media firms, all thanks to her dad’s connection. Sitting in her matte black 2014 model Honda Accord Crosstour looked at her timepiece it was quarter past 7 but she was not ready to back to her front line.
In the past two years at Regis Media, she had grown considerably in ranks. She buried herself in so much work, spending extra hours at the office and even on weekends. To other members of the staff she was the busy body, overdo, overzealous one. She once heard them gossiping, do not mind all these spoilt brats from wealthy homes, trying to prove a point to their parents. To the management, her work ethic was exemplary. It was a norm for her to win awards at every end-of-the-year party since she joined the firm. Beneath all of this zealousness, she was a soldier running from the battle lines, who would believe her luxurious family home in Ikoyi was a nightmare!!
Abina looked outside the Danfo window; she loved the window seat, as this was her ‘’airplane seat’’. Going home was a dreadful experience for her, the house was too hot to handle. She graduated 3 years ago and moved to Lagos from the south in search of greener pastures. Fortunate enough to secure a job with a tech start-up in Ikeja, the remuneration was barely enough to cater to her needs. Getting a place of her own was out of the question, so she moved in with her uncle. A move she regrets but has no choice, it was a roof over her head. Endurance became her second name, living in that toxic environment she would not wish her worst enemy. Plagued by the daily serving of emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse, the first year she cried herself to sleep every night. She could not rationalize why she was treated with so much disdain. Intentionally pleasing everyone to subtle the effect, but her efforts were futile. If only my folks were wealthy, she often told herself, I will not have to put up with this. Lost in thoughts, jerked back to reality upon hearing the other passengers cussing a young woman in a matte black Honda Crosstour.
Ashawo!
Useless girl!
Spoilt brat!
All these small girls with big gods, a man in late fifties wearing faded Ankara behind her lamented. You want to form a big girl, witches that want to use innocent people for sacrifice.
Why you go carry motor enter express if you no Sabi drive?
Na wa oo, Nigerians, and conspiracy theories. Abina muttered inaudibly as she drifted back to her ordeal devising strategies she would employ it was crystal clear this was a battle and defeat was not an option.
Oh my God !!
Gaesfharsyuusgsuososui
Muttering further gibberish
She saw her entire life flash in a split second.
It was a narrow escape, she nearly ran into an incoming Danfo. Her car suffered a major crash with her headlight completely damaged. For a minute, she was numb trying to process the shock. The incoming Danfo passengers cussing her.
Driving home lost in thought, Sandra wondered why nature was unfair to her. In her words, her father was a monster. Nothing she ever did was right; she spent the early years of her life trying to please him. She came top of the class in the Ivy League college she attended, mastered the art of playing the pianos. Every extracurricular, she would put in her very best. Just to make him proud but nothing changed. At 16, she mustered the courage to ask her mother if he was truly her father. She had everything she wanted but the need to be loved and appreciated she lacked. University days were an eye-opening moment for her, this was not okay. She had been abused all these years. He never failed to remind her how she was good for nothing, a failure, worthless, and a liability because he wanted a male child so bad. Coupled with the revelation that her dad had another family in the US, the reason for his frequent business trips. She felt betrayed and completely devasted. Making her father happy was no longer a priority. Getting her apartment was the best bet but she could not bear the thought of leaving her mother alone with that monster. The plan was to teach that old man a lesson, which was not devoid of its own cost. Fuji House of the commotion was quite subtle with what went down in their home. This was a battle and she must emerge victoriously.
