LIVING GHOSTS

08. The stop

The loud bump from the bus woke me up. I knew it was the bus bumping into one of those potholes again because ever since we started moving, we've been bumping into potholes which only deprived me of more sleep.

“Mtcheew,” I hissed as it bumped into another one. Now, it wasn't just about me getting deprived of sleep, the continuous bumping ached my back and waist. I had to conceal the pain of being thrown up and down every time.

“Sorry my dear. The road is not good at all. The government has decided to turn a deaf ear to our pleas to construct a good road for us.” The old woman beside me said. I never paid her any attention since she got on the bus, but immediately, I turned to look at her. She had this overly cheerful look and beaming smiles on her face that made me wonder if they were because of me, or something else.

Too tired to start up a conversation, I just responded with a smile and turned to face my view. I understand that my action might have seemed rude or unacceptable, but I just couldn't help it. I was really not desiring any form of talking.

It was already past 2 in the morning when our bus decided to move. A few minutes later, after we moved, I decided to take a nap. My watch hour was over, and I was thankful that I didn't get any negative vibes to raise an alarm.

Now, we were still on our way to Nkposhiri. According to the driver, we had just approximately ten hours to get there. So, we still had a long journey to go.

We got to this particular car park that I didn't know of, but it was called Leghorn Stop. Once the driver had parked properly, he asked that we all get down and get down to our business fast before we continued our journey. Confused at the turnout of events, I was forced to ask the old woman who was sitting beside me. I knew I couldn't keep quiet, not when I could already see every other passenger alighting from the bus, probably to follow the driver's instruction.

“Excuse me ma,” I called her attention and she turned to look at me with that same smiling face. “Why exactly are we here? What did the driver mean by his statement?” I asked.

“Oh, this is Leghorn Stop. It is the car park for drivers and their passengers to take some time to rest and sort out themselves.” She said, and I turned to watch and pay attention to where we were first. Something I realized I should have done in the first place before asking.

Looking around me, I could see that there were traders everywhere that sold various kinds of goods, like fruits, snacks, drinks, food. And there was also a restaurant and a suya stand. Behind me, on my left, was a restroom because I could see the sign that indicated so. And at that moment, I could now understand what the driver meant.

“What are you going to eat? Or would you prefer to visit the restroom then get back to eat?” The old woman's voice stopped my thoughts.

“Oh, I don't know yet. Probably, I'll think first.” I said, not knowing the right response to give. And I heard the woman chuckle.

“You better be fast with your thoughts. We have just thirty minutes.” She said and left immediately.

Thirty minutes? I thought. The time we had used in discussing, hasn't it passed thirty minutes? I thought and sighed. Without wasting any more time, I found my way to the restroom first. One way or the other, I needed to empty my bowels.

Well, I'm glad to say again that we're getting somewhere.

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