Mama Precious, an Adire merchant. She is known to travel Abeokuta to Ibadan to pick up Adire materials for sale from their producers – Abeokuta is known for that. She bought these materials for resale in Ibadan.
On the previous day, her customers needed another whole day to finish up on her order, so she had to sleep over in Abeokuta to continue her journey in the morning. She called her 15 year old eldest daughter to take care of her 3 younger siblings before she came.
On that fateful morning, Precious made a call to her mother,
“Hello, mummy, are you on your way? Come fast o, because Gift has been crying since he woke up, he is looking for you!”
Her mother replied “I am on my way, I’m in the bus right now, it remains three passengers for the bus to be full, and I would soon be home. How is Favor and Promise?’
She asked of her other 2 younger children.
“They are playing outside” replied Precious. “Ok I would soon be home tell Gift I would buy Gala for him on my way”.
Afolabi works at a construction company in Abeokuta. He was recently transferred there from Ibadan, so he had to report every Monday morning and return Friday evenings, but work held him back on this particular Friday, so he made his journey on Saturday morning.
He had missed his wife Biola and his 18 month old daughter. He hurried that morning so he could get to the park early enough and make Ibadan in good time and hoped to spend most of the day with his wife and kid.
He was the first passenger in the bus so he opted for the front seat.
While he waited impatiently for the bus to get filled up, he thought “This arrangement of me acting as a weekend husband/father is becoming stressful. When I get to Ibadan, I would have to bring up the matter with Biola again. We have to start making arrangements to move permanently to Abeokuta.”
“I know my dear Biola; she would bring up a lot of objections as to why we should take our time. Finding a place to stay, getting a new job for her and all the other arguments. I know she is right but I prefer to have my family all together in a place, plus I have to remove the risk of travelling these roads.”
“These roads are death traps and our government is not forth coming and the way these drivers move on these roads as though the roads are smooth and straight. The dangerous bends and even the narrow paths overgrown with bushes, God help us.”
“Hmmmmmm………my family, when I get to Ibadan, I have to make sure we visit the Olofinjanas later in the day. They have been a great support to my wife. Thank God for godly friends.”
“Excuse me sir,” Afolabi was shaken out of his reverie.
“Please I want to join you in the front seat.”
He looked and saw a corper with his bag. “Hello ajuwaya”,
“Sorry I was deep in thought”, Afolabi said.
‘No problem sir, I understand that waiting in a bus can be tiring. My name is Bankole. I am a youth corper attached to a secondary school here in Abeokuta”.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Afolabi. Are you not supposed to be at your place of your primary assignment? I would make sure your Zonal Inspector hears of this”, Afolabi joked as a smile spread over his face.
Bankole did not respond to the joke the way Afolabi expected. So he asked “Is everything alright?”
“It is not my wish to keep travelling back and forth like this and keep leaving my assignment, but my parents live in Ibadan, and my mother is ill and in the hospital. She has been battling this ailment for some time now. I along with my siblings have to take turns to stay with her in the hospital.”
“It is my turn this weekend that is why I am going to Ibadan. The only joy is that it looks like she is getting better by the day. We think with proper rehabilitation, in about 6 weeks she should be out of the hospital. I can’t wait for that time, it would be so much joy and relief for all of us”, Bankole finished.
“I am sorry, may God grant her speedy recovery”, Afolabi said.
“Amen ooo, Bankole replied.
And so they struck a friendship and chatted about other issues ranging from soccer to politics, while they waited for the bus to get filled.
Simbiat, a sales girl for Madam Owonikoko of Oja Oba in Ibadan,
“Driver, e wa bami gbe garri yii si boot o!”
Kasali was nowhere to be found.
“Which kind bus driver be dis sef? E no wan comot here today?’ Simbi complained.
“If not that the truck we brought from Ibadan could not contain the 4 extra bags of garri, I for don reach Ibadan now.”
Simbiat was an orphan and she worked with Madam Owonikoko at Oja Oba as a sales girl. She was a trusted worker of Madam Owonikoko. Her madam sent her to Abeokuta regularly to buy garri to sell in Ibadan for those who love to eat Ijebu garri.
On this occasion, they bought their usual consignment and got extra bags for their regular patronage. So Simbi told the driver to go ahead and she would bring the extra by public transport. She was happy she could talk the producers to give them those extra bags for free, her madam would be very happy because it means extra money from the extra bags.
“But only if this driver would load the bags ‘come and load these bags so we can be on our way’. I can’t wait to get home to my siblings, especially Taofeek who had been feeling feverish before she left the previous day” she thought aloud.
Kasali finally showed up and started to load the luggage into the bus. He pushed and shoved everyone’s bag so he could cramp the smallest space with the load. The load was obviously too much for the bus. He pushed some of the bags under the seats in the bus that some of the passengers had to complain about space for their feet.
He pushed the bags of garri so hard that the passengers in the back seat started to complain.
Four girls, students of Federal University of AgricultureAbeokuta, going to attend a wedding ceremony of their friend’s sister.
“What is the meaning of this rubbish?” Funke said, she was the most outspoken of the four girls.
“We would be covered in garri by the time we get to Ibadan”. Alero added.
“Is that what is bothering you? That’s if we don’t suffocate before we get to Ibadan”.Aisha playfully added.
“I don’t understand why these drivers over load their vehicles, I don’t think they understand what hazard this is”, Bukunmi said thoughtfully”.
“Let us get down and find another bus, I can’t stand this o after all we paid the fare. I can’t allow someone to pack me here like sardines”,Funke said as she grabbed her bag making her way to the door.
“We would be late for the ceremony o, they would have finished before we get there if we decide to wait for another bus. We might as well not go at all”. Aisha said, always adding a hint of humor in everything she said. She was the most cheerful of all the friends.
“I insist” said Funke “it is better to be late for the programme than endure this torture”.
All the passengers in the bus started to talk at once, “Don’t get down now”, “Manage it” “Do you want to go and wait for another bus”.
Everyone was in a hurry to get where they were going and could not afford to wait for four passengers to leave the bus at the moment.
Funke was adamant she said, “Maybe you people should sit there and see that no breeze is coming in from the back windows and the load at the back won’t allow us sit properly. It is not a short drive, this is a journey. No way”, she concluded.
It was then that the some of the passengers offered to exchange seats with the girls, so the bus could move and the journey would begin.
After the whole episode, the conductor collected the fare and the bus started to leave the garage, but not before the ‘agbeero’ had collected his usual tip. Kasali in his tipsy state tried to avoid paying the garage tout, but they would not allow him leave until he had settled them. In the process, he swerved dangerously to the right and left, this made all the passengers scream at him.
“What is wrong with you?” Mama Precious said.
“You have not even started the journey and you are already driving like this” Bankole retorted.
“My friend, take it easy, some of us have people waiting for us at home, and we are not ready to die” Afolabi cautioned.
“Why would you try to avoid your settlement, you know whether you like it or not you will still have to pay” Bukunmi added.
“Abi o” all the passengers chorused.
Kasali settled the agbeero and started to leave the garage. All of a sudden all the passengers felt a sense of kinship because they all agreed to caution Kasali’s recklessness. They had something to talk about as the journey started.
As the journey wore on, Muyiwa also a student of the University in Abeokuta drifted off to sleep. He was a promising and bright student. He spent the previous night reading up all his notes, because he knew he could not afford to miss up on his school work.
He had to spend the weekend at home with his parents, and he knew he would be so occupied and would not be able to do any reading, so he read all what he could. He had promised one of his classmates he would go over the assignment with him when he came back on Sunday evening and also promised his roommate to bring back some goodies from home.
“After this journey” he thought “I would pick all that I want from home, collect as much money from my parents and settle fully in school till the end of the semester. I have to concentrate and make good grades”.
This was what he was thinking as he drifted off into sleep. He was tired from not sleeping the night before.
*********************************************
