CAMPUS PAROL »»»Episode 16 I immediately looked like a chump, scratching my head hard like I was digging for gold. I still didn’t believe her number was cleared so I scrolled to my call log, ransacked it but nothing was found. I looked at the road they exited from, trailed it for some distant like I knew where they were, paused and gave it all up. I am sure bewitched, I said to myself. I had the feeling that it was a bad day for me, having lost something as precious as Adaobi’s number but every minute my hand collided with my swollen pocket, my day renewed authomatically; how are you? Money! Which draws a final conclusion that money answers all questions. I shrugged off the pity party I was throwing within and hastily forged on to the garage. I arrived at the garage only to witness the bus going to my destination take off. I was sad but I had no choice than to wait for the next one. I sat alone in a bus that would convey fourteen passengers, en route my destination. I was seated at the right-most extreme end at the back, with my chin resting comfortably on my left palm which was pivoted by my elbow which I placed just by the window. My wondering eyes couldn’t help but fist on the drowsy conductor, who yawned at intervals while beckoning on passengers, he was annoying but I had no choice than to stay glue to my seat till the bus got filled up. “Gala here! Gaaaallllllaaaaaaa! Bros Gala!” An hawker shouted. He brought the product very close to me, I peeped into the carton and I could immediately perceive that it was fresh. “Na today own?” I stupidly asked, not after knowing the answer myself. “Bros, na today own o.” He relied. “Bros, touch am na.” Like I was hypnotized, I touched it and demanded for four of it, which in total cost two hundred naira. I reached for money in my pocket, gladly drew a note out and handed it over to the hawker, who simultaneously gave me my balance. I realize the money grew wings when I ordered for viju milk, a drink that has different flavors but all had a milky taste. All the while I was statically shopping, passengers were already trooping into the bus. One, two, I counted the empty seats left in the bus and was glad with the turn up. The drowsy conductor roused up, returned to the bus and demanded for the fare. “Please,your money over there.” He roared, stretching his hand to the passenger on the front seat. Like flash, he got to me and I gladly paid. The bus became filled up some minutes after. The driver entered into the bus, ignited the engine and we zoomed off. The journey was for three hours, summing up the time the bus would endure in the inevitable traffic jam. The body balance of the bus got my heary settled, unlike some buses that would break down after two to three kilometers drive. They were nine ladies, two babies and six men in the bus, the driver inclusive. I sighed, brought out my snacks and crunch them slowly. Suddenly, I paused for some seconds, chewed slowly, and finally stopped. I laid aside the snacks on my hands and thought deeply about the main cause of my predicament. It hasn’t been like this from the begining, what happened? Who did I offend? Am I gotten from the gods or what? My C.G.P.A has drastically dropped and things are not getting any better. My father dead, my mother lying lifeless in the hospital, What did I do wrong? My mind randomly thought. I sighed again, dismissed the feeling and continued with my snacks. I ate it all within minutes, dusted away the crumbs from my cloth and sat upright. I couldn’t sleep because I was scared of the negative happenings that had surrounded me lately, staying alert was the best way for me to overcome any similar one. After spending two hours fifteen minutes on the road, the bus became extremely hot. The lady sitting next to me carried a baby at her back, I peeked at the baby boy and noticed his restlessness behind his mother. “Ma, your baby is hot.” I said to her. “Thank you sir.” She said with a smile on her face. “Let me help you carry him so you may be relieved.” I suggested. “Ha, thank you very much sir. God bless you.” She appreciated me, loosened the cloth she used in holding the baby and brought the baby out. I took the baby from her and kept him on my laps, I love babies alot. I tickled the baby and he gave me a bright smile. I was happy playing with the baby because it made me totally forget about my sorrow. I took the baby by the armpit, raised him up and I immediately got baptized with urine from his infinitesimally small nozzle. He peed on my face, it affected my eyes and I reflexly shoved the baby higher, hitting his head hard on the roof of the car. “Ha!” The mother and some other passengers shouted while the mother of the baby quickly collected her baby from me. I felt embarrased but that would had been better if the baby had cried. The baby remained mute with his eyes closed. Baby, I beg you in the name of Jesus, open your eyes and cry, I prayed in my heart. The mother turned the baby’s back to herself and patted it but still no sound was made. The mother fearfully peeked at me, I pitifully gazed back at her, she returned her face to her silent baby and quickly returned her focus back to me without saying a word. I shifted eyes away from the lady’s blazing eyes to the baby. I began to twitch and pray silently in my mind. Who on earth asked me to care about this baby? I should have allowed the baby sweat out his life at the back of her mother, I said to myself. Some passengers, who were aware about the incident showed concern while some were sleeping like log of woods. The mother inserted her mouth into the baby’s mouth, giving him a mouth to mouth resuscitation. Cough! Couch! The baby stretched and cried out loud like he was pinched. My racing heart halted immediately and I could smile again. Thank you Jesus, I almost said with my head resting on the seat in front of me. I peeked at the mother of the baby with the corner of my eye and all I could see was rage for me. She frowned her face like an employee who hasn’t been paid for years, inserting her bosom into the mouth of her baby. I felt like slapping the baby after solely displaying an horror scene before me. The baby never knew all that happened, he concentrated on his mother’s bosom like his life depends on it. After spending two hours fifty minutes in the bus, I decided to alight to save my head from further problem, we never could tell if the baby was destined to die some minutes later. “Driver abeg next busstop dey o.” I instructed. “You sey?” The driver asked, not hearing what I said. “Next busstop dey!” I and some passengers yelled at the driver. “Ok.” The driver confirmed. I looked at the baby keenly,to verify if he was fairing well enough for me to alight in peace. Yes, he was. I gazed at the mother, whose eyes had been shuffling from her baby to me, and I cared less what she thought of me. I wasn’t as wicked as she thought I was, so I decided to express my pang of guilt. “Excuse me ma.” I called for her attention. She looked at me disdainfully. “Yes, can I help you? My baby is not free.” She stupidly concluded. I smiled. “Ma, I’m not carrying your baby, I…” I said, when she immediately interrupted. “You can’t even carry him because I can’t hand him over to someone like you again.” I smiled again. “Ok ma, but I just want to tell you how sorry I’m about the whole thing. I’m so sorry. Pardon me.” She hissed, stared at me disgustingly and said, “I don hear you o. Would that be all?” She asked. “Yes, Ma.” I said and foolishly asked, “What’s his name?” “Whose name?” She asked with a suspicious look on her face. “Your baby.” I replied, stretching my hand to tickle the baby out of a clear conscience. She impulsively hit my hand away like a dangerous weapon. “I can see that you are mad. I don’t need to be told that you arexcdaf gfbnbzxsytf.” She yelled. “You are mad. Driver abeg next busstop dey o, hope you never forget? Abeg no forget o, hian!” A passenger, seated in front of us was quite disturbed by the lady’s rant. “Ki lo tun de?” He asked, which means, ‘What’s the matter again?’ The lady cleared her throat, swallowed her spit and started talking. “Thank you o. God will bless you for that question. Is it not this uncle here, not after he almost killed my baby he’s now asking for his name.” “Is that all?” The passenger asked. “Yes.” “Ok madam, don’t be upset.” He said and sat upright. I nodded my head in pity for the lady, shrugged it off and fixed my eyes on the windshield. Less than six minutes later, the driver parked the car,he had reached the busstop I demanded to be alighted. It wasn’t an easy task to get out of the corner I sat. I had to step on toes to get my heavy self out of the bus. “Are you blind?” The woman with the baby yelled. “Don’t you know you stepped on me?” I really wasn’t interested in picking a fight with her because I had excited her anger towards me. “I am so sorry, ma.” I apologized, looking at her. “Abeg, just go down. Bad belle.” She said. I gnored her and peacefully got off the bus. Thank God I’m finally out of this mess, now, the baby can die if he wants to, I almost said. The car zoomed off while I stood on the same spot calling for a motorcycle to board me to my final destination,which the bus should have dropped me. I waited for a minute, still no motorcycle in view, the ones I saw had passengers on them. I rather stand here than to sit in that bus which almost implicated me for my dying mother, I said to myself. Almost immediately as I completed the thought, I saw the bus I just alighted from, reversing towards me. I tilted my head a little and looked acutely to be sure if it was the bus. Yes! It was. “Hey! Bros!” The passengers in the bus shouted and waved at me as the bus kept moving closer. “Bros!” WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 17
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 03:46:40 +0000
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