STRANGEST RIDE HOME EVER!
 |
| "...every inch a "danfo" by the city of Lagos standard,..." Picture courtesy: Google search |
It was suppose to be one of those days you tell yourself, “I’m
going to leave the office early and give myself an early start at the weekend.” But then, things don’t always work out as
planned. For there I was standing at the
bus-stop, in the darkness of the night waiting, unknowingly waiting for a bus
ride with a story that would make for a bestseller!
A thirteen sitter bus, every inch a “danfo” by the city
of Lagos standard, became my ride home with vacancy for two more passengers
before the approach to the Lekki phase one toll plaza heading towards Ozumba
Mbadiwe Avenue. A few metres to the
toll, the bus was fidgeting with engine hiccups that got the passengers eager
to show off their troubleshooting skills with “danfo” buses.
“De bus no dey enter gear,” was the generally agreed
diagnosis by the passengers while the driver struggled to keep the bus
moving with the hope of avoiding the lava of angry spoken words from desperate-home-on-my-mind
workers.
At the next bus-stop after the toll plaza, “Sand-field”
bus-stop, the bus was at full passenger capacity. A necessary factor for the intrigue that was
about to follow.
Midway between “Sand-field and “Law school” bus-stop, the
bus shook to a stop with the driver opening his door to jump out while muttering
something under his breath. As
passengers were about to assume the worst about the bus someone declared that
the bus was out of fuel. Immediately,
the bus erupted with demands from passengers for a refund of their fare or at
least a part of it that would take them to where the bus was suppose to get
them to.
Alas, before they could coordinate their action and hold
down the conductor, he was across the road with a four litre container headed
back the direction we were coming from.
To a fuel station at “Sand-field” bus-stop, our last stop for passengers
before the unintended stop at a point no one could easily get a bus ride.
So, there I was, having worked out the calculations of
which next line of action would favour me most, and deciding not to join the
mob action for refund, my peace of mind was disrupted by two guys spitting
words at each other as mandatory ground clearing technique for a fist throwing
brawl. At this point, I was the only
person inside the bus without the blessing of sight to know those involved. So, I just assumed that the conductor had been
dragged back to the bus by the mob for a “give-me-my-money!” protest.
I alighted the bus, moving gently with diplomacy on my
mind, trying to convince those on my path of my line of thought, “we no go fit
get bus for here o… make we get patience make the conductor go buy the fuel .” Only for me to realize that none of the guys
involved in the brawl was the conductor.
The conductor was already gone. So,
I stepped back from the frail not intending to “chop” free blow not meant for
me.
One of the guys involved was a friend to the driver, “a
staff” by Lagos parlance. He was
advocating for patience from the passengers and his opponent in the brawl took
his stand very personal.
After the brawl was quenched without any blow thrown, but
both guys still steaming with fury, the “staff” went to one of the passengers,
a hawker of the acclaimed herb-concocted medicinal drink popularly known as “Alomo,”
to buy a bottle. This hawker with her
plastic carrier of assorted gin drink mixed with herb, attended to him only to
discover at the point of giving her customer his balance that her purse full of
money was stolen!
A frantic dance of panic ensued. My descriptive ability lacks justification
for this dance. One second she was in
the bus, the next, at her wares, rummaging.
While at all time dancing with panic as well as issuing a plea to
everyone and anyone who might have seen or intentionally taken her purse.
Everyone was instantly a suspect. But I had my doubt. Did she loose it in the bus? Was it really
stolen? And of course who would not
point accusing thoughts to the brawl that never yielded a single fist blow? Everyone and every situation was
suspect!
What happened next?
Visit my blog alexzanda’s opi @ alexzandasopi.blogspot.com on Wednesday
16th April 2012 and you will know!
Copyright 2012
Story by Alex
No comments:
Post a Comment