A NEW HOME

Finding yourself in a new environment and living with new people can be a challenge but what happens when you live in a strange place with friends you don't seem to be friends anymore?

CHIDI

Sitting in this bus that's taking us to a new place I felt happy and relieved, first because we were finally going to live in our own house and second I knew I didn't have to wash those toilets in Mr John's house again because honestly the smell of those toilets still gave me nightmares.

Thinking of Mr John I wonder what his reaction will be when he gets back from his trip and discovers that we have felt, I'm sure he will be furious mostly because he's free labour is gone.

I was still deep in my thoughts when the bus suddenly stopped and the conductor yelled " We don reach Lugbe oo, if you know say you dey stop here better come oo. If not na kuje you go see yourself next".

My friends and I didn't need a second invitation to get down and once we did, we quickly went to yet boot to get our bags. The good thing is that we were the only ones with large bags so we just took our bags from under the sits where they were stashed. Then in no then at all the bus zoomed off. Then from there we were on our own.

I looked around and saw that the bus had stopped us in front of a pedestrian bridge which was packed with people crossing to either side of the road. We tried to talk and think about our next step but it was almost impossible to communicate because of the noise in this place and the pedestrian bumping into us and to cap it all off the honking of cars behind us driving through the express way. So we decided to go and find shade and a quiet place to stay where we could think effectively.

It was another hassle finding a place to sit and and rest. We had to walk a distance in the process we walked through a motorcycle park and a small market.

When we finally a tree to stay under Emeka started complaining of hunger and tiredness. At this moment I was tempted to remind him that it was his idea to leave without any concrete plan on what to next and where to stay but decided that it was best to keep quiet.

If I really wanted to be honest , it really was Emeka's fault that we were stranded here because of his impulsive decision to leave Mr John's house quickly but I didn't want to mention that because I sensed that it will lead to a fight.

Emeka carried himself sense of authority, he had a new aura about him like he was incharge and Chinedu also changed also be became more subtle and quiet which was very unlike him but I guessed that it was the pregnancy issue with Silvia that was weighing him down.

"Omo like this now na to find hotel wai we go crash this night" Chidi said,paused for a second or two then continued " Abi una get any other idea" This Chidi's new found confidence was beginning to irritate me but he was right though we didn't need to find a hotel.

I never really understood the importance of communication was until I found thirty minutes gone in a conversation with a motorcyclist trying to know where the nearest hotel was and how much it costed to get there. He was difficult to understand, he spoke mis-using the pronouns 'me and I ', saying things like "Oga where I dey go" or "I go carry me go that hotel". At first I thought he was referring to himself and I asked him "Wetin concern me with where you dey go". Also he interchanged the letters p and f in words so instead of saying fifty he said 'pipty'. We were still trying to decipher what the motorcyclist when u passerby saw us and decided to help.

He explained to us saying " That's how they talk now, it's like your new in Abuja. We told him we actually were new. Then he said " Don't worry with time you will get used to it". After that we proceed to ask for directions.

We followed the directions the man gave us and it took us to a desk neighborhood. The only source of light was from the house at the end of the street. So naturally we decided to go towards the light ( no pun intended😁) and luckily for us that was "the hotel".

It looked nothing like a hotel though, it looked more like someone's house that was turned to some type of guest house. I guessed it was what the friendly passerby from earlier though we could afford after sizing us up.

If I had any doubt from outside that this was someone's house turned to some kind of guest house, when we entered the house (that didn't have a gate by the way) my doubts were cleared.

Inside the house itself, the light was feint in this place which I was sure was the living room turned into a reception. In one corner of the ochre covered "receeption" behind a wooden made counter stood a light skinned ( though her complexion didn't look natural, but it wasn't really my business was it), she was didnt seem to notice us or if she did she didn't show any sign of it.

We walked to her, rang the small bell on the counter in front of her to get her attention but she didn't even flinch, we then resorted to shouting still no answer. She only answered when Chidi banged the counter. She then raised one side of her hair to reveal an air pod which was stopping her from hearing us before taking it off.

"How can I help you" she asked  with this 'I don't care attitude', chewing gum loudly with her mouth opened so it made that "chap chap chap" sound. Chinedu then asked her about the rooms, which was the first time he spoke since we got here. She then attended to us quickly like she wanted us out of her face so we wouldn't disturb her which was really fine with me because the feeling was mutual.

She took us to the back and showed us a room. Once she opened the room door the smell that hit my nose was undescribably bad, the light in the room was flickering so I couldn't really see what the room really looked like. If this is really the kind of hotel room we could afford there was a serious problem.

After the receptionist left the room we got settled in, I for one decided to take off my shirt because the weather was hot and the ceiling fan wasn't working. Then I laid down on the bed and decided to get some shut eye despite the rumbling of my stomach.

In the middle of the night I heard a "bam bam bam" sound which I was very sure was gunshot noises and I quickly laid on the bare floor ( because you know a brother can't take any risks), then before I knew it Chinedu and Emeka were by my side laying down flat on the floor covering their heads. Then I said " Come oo I don't care what you think oo but we are leaving here tomorrow". We didn't get back on the bed till the noise stopped.

******

The next day I was the first to wake up and I decided to wake up my two friends because I was serious about leaving that "hotel". We couldn't clean up because there was no running water from the taps and even the well outside was empty. "This people are not getting a five star rating anytime soon" I thought to myself. So we just changed into new clothes, carried our bags and left.

On our way out I noticed it wasn't our "friendly" receptionist who was the reception desk but I didn't have the time to make pleasantries because I really wanted to leave. So I just returned the hotel key to her.

We stood on the road, looking left and right to see if we could find a motorcyclist, silently hoping we wouldn't have another round of communication problems again. After waiting for about half an hour, we finally found a "keke na pep" (tricycle) that would carry us but the problem was we didn't know know anywhere to go. We asked the tricyclist to take us to any cheap hotel where we could stay but he said he didn't know any place, so instead we told him to take us to the nearest affordable restaurant.

When we got to the restaurant I found out the definition the word affordable in Abuja is not the same with my home time. In my home town an affordable restaurant was a decent building with ceiling fans, a TV where only nollywood movies were always on the TV's, the tables and chairs made of plastic with people eating and chatting away loudly. Sometimes you could hear pounding sounds from her kitchen at the back.

Abuja was nothing like that. 'Affordable' here according to the place the cyclist brought us to, was a place made of bamboo with people eating with one hand and swatting flies with the other and the kitchen was just a place were some women used fire wood to cook. The smoke was intoxicating, I could smell it from where I was standing but the other customers didn't seem to care.

We quickly ordered food because we were famished, we ordered different things. The smell of the jollof rice I ordered was mouth watering but I didn't have time to savour the food because of hunger.

The cyclist too ordered for food, I guessed he saw it as an opportunity to eat since we made him come here, but I didn't know who he thought who would pay for that food him or us. We then asked him if he knows about any a vacancy accommodation wise and he said he didn't.

As we were talking someone on the next table who apparently overhead us or was eavesdropping came and said " Brothers howfar now, I don't know if I heard you correctly but did I hear you say you need a house" and when Chidi said yes we did, he picked up a chair and joined us on our already crowded table.

He called for food and ate "I really hope this man doesn't expect us to pay for his food too " I whispered to Chinedu who was beside me, but unfortunately I knew the answer to that question. When he finished eating he confirmed it by saying " Don't worry, I'm like other people who eat much". I then imagined what will happen if we just stood up and left, but we couldn't because we needed a house.

After we finished the food that's when this man remembered he hasn't told us his name (which was Joe was by way). The cyclist was kind enough to take us to this house Joe was talking about.

We got to the house which was not painted but it was plastered and judging from the discoloration of the walls, I could tell the house was old. It was one big house in front and smaller rooms at the back forming a c shape.

He introduced us to the land lord and after we had agreed terms, he stood up to show us our rooms. Just as we were about to leave the door, a female voice spoke " Darling come and eat ". I turned around and saw the biggest shock of my life.

Translations

"We don reach Lugbe oo, if you know say you dey stop here better come down oo, if not na Kuje you go see yourself next"-

(We have arrived at Lugbe oo, if you know you are stopping here better come down, if not you will find yourself in kuje next)

"Omo like this now na to find hotel wai we go crash this night"-

As it is now we have to find a hotel to Sleep this night.

"Abi una get any other idea"-

Or do you guys have any other idea

"Wetin concern me with where you dey go" -

What's my business with where you're going

The last two translation are basically the way uneducated northerners talk

Oga where I dey go means

Sir where are you going

I go carry me go that hotel

I will take you to that hotel

These translations are not mean't to hurt or make fun of anyone. They are just for story telling sake.

That's the end of another chapter wow.

What or who do you think the big surprise was.

Do you think the friendship between Chidi, Chinedu and Emeka will last?

Please comment if you think you know and of course vote and don't forget to share.

And corrections are highly welcomed so feel free.

Till next time ciao ciao 😉😉