WHIRLWIND(1) As conductor you meet different kind of people everyday, you see sad faces, happy faces and those that are blank, the face of smiling child in the arms of her mum, all cuddled up and thats when my mind race back to the village, I had leave that village or I and my family would be buried in ruin from the hardship and untold poverty that has mopped out every hope of happiness, the proverbial church rat would even laugh at us for atleast it had a roof over his head that was designed by a very well trained architect but our house in the village had nothing to go back to, when it rained heavily we are all soaked in the rain, I, my mum and Ada my only sister, tilling the soil of other peoples farm to get food on our table was the only occupation known to us. I can remember vividly that day I decided to move to the city, it was after an ugly incident at the market square that boldened me to leave, I and mama had helped a farmer convey his goods to the market from the farm, tubers of yam and vegetables, on getting to the womans shed we dropped the goods and was standing by so that she could sell some goods and then pay us, all of a sudden the butcher that displayed meat on the table for sell just turned to my mum and asked “Where is my meat you thief!” I was surprised at such question and I intervened before even mama could say a word “Who are you asking that kind of question? do we look like thieves to you?” I inquired angrily at the guy and he shouted angrily “You are the thief infact, If you don’t bring the meat you stole from here, you will not believe what will happen to you here today” he said, and almost like an automatic button an irrate crowd had gathered round us shouting “Bring the meat out!” “meat thieves o” some chorused from the crowd and out the crowd a young boy pointed under the table “Is that not your meat?” and then the butcher looked under his table to see his meat and he looked so dissappointed that his plan to bring us to total disgrace was foiled as the crowd turned immediately and began to disperse as mama began to cry, such tears are the one that could drive one to commit suicide because it boils the heart and makes it bleed”, as we left the market that day, I vowed to leave the village the next day, being poor seemed to be like a sin. I sneaked out of the house very early the next day morning and off to the city I travelled without telling anyone for Mama won’t let me, so I took that trip having in mind the pain mama would go through but if that be the sacrifice to pay that we would leave poverty forever, I was willing to trail that part. The city had it all, its gory and glory, the segregation between the poor and rich was evident, so in th social strata I found my class and joined, my first night was memorable because just as I dropped at the park, I knew no one and had no place in mind to go to, it was already dark as I sat by a makeshift restaurant and a guy walked in, he had everything to make you want to run, his height, the scare on his face and one eyes was gone as it made his face wear the look of a hardened criminal, he puffed his wrap of weed in his hand and then sat beside me as I clinged to my bag which had nothing other than two old looking shirts and five hundred naira in it “shift joor” he said as his harsh baritone voice that was like from an old radio, I shifted and was shaking in fear, he looked at me with the one eye remaining and then stretched his hand to the food vendor “madam put rice for me, put three meat make person chop better food” as the food vendor serve him his food, he ate like a hungry lion who has been starved for decades, the heap of rice on his spoon looked like a magic show when he puts it in his mouth and it dissappears and then he takes a drag off his weed, he ate so fast that I was scared he was going to choke, he ate to a point he began to cough as I rushed for water on the table and gave him to drink, he heaved a sign of relief after gulping the water I gave him and then wiped the trickles of sweat that had gathered on his face with his hand and then took that same hand and stretched it forward to shake me as he let a big grin shrewded in fear, I shook hands with him as he rubbed his sweat all over my hand and then he introduced himself “Na me be arrow, I get this whole park under my control” I never what that meant but was happy I had made a friend as we both walked out towards the entrance of the park. Standing at the entrance of the park, Arrow and I obviously waiting for a cab as he told me I was going to stay at his place until I find my feet here in the city, an elderly woman was walking towards us, she had stool on her head, she must have sold her goods for the day and was heading home, the moment she got closer to us, Arrow turned and gave this elderly woman a thundering slap as she used her hand to cover her face in pain and shock, he dragged her purse from her and took to his heels as I acted on impulse, joined him as he ran so fast that made me wonder how he was able to carry his huge body and run that fast, we ran to spot where he then stopped breathing heavily as I turned to see if anybody was chasing us, and then gasping for breath he said “See my house!” pointing at a shanty building with coloured lights everywhere, as we got close I noticed it was a brothel, girls with unclad bodies dancing around as they all kept shouting “Arrow!!” and then he sat down and opened the purse.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 11:09:58 +0000