Uchechi's departure was a tearful separation for her and her grandma while they were at the ticket stand waiting for her ticket.
"My daughter, do not tarnish your parents' reputation, focus on your studies, pay attention in class, be careful with the kind of friends you keep and remember to pray" her grandmother said while giving her a hug with tears rolling down her cheek
"I will try my best and I will not let you down" Uchechi gave a resounding promise to her grandmother embracing her even tighter.
Uchechi kept her grandmother's words and her promise at heart. She told herself the same thing every day and night. She was very determined to keep to her promise and live up to her grandmother's expectations.
After bidding all her goodbyes, the distant shout of the bus driver called unto her "Madam we de wait for you oh, biko de do sharp sharp!"
Mr. Chigbuike gave her a pat on her shoulder and added "you need to get going but here is a sum often thousand for your upkeep and my friends phone number, keep it safe, his name is Emeka. Once you get to Lagos look for a phone booth and call him, he would handle the rest; take care my dear"
She kept the money and number in her handbag, grabbed her suitcase and ran to the bus. She gave the ticket to the ticket collector then waved her last goodbye to the only family she knew; the bus departed around 8'o clock in the morning on a Friday. The seven-hour drive to Lagos was painful but relaxing as she kept her leg in one position, thankfully the AC was on, and the bus was spacious enough for her box to stay between her legs while another passenger sat beside her. The drive was also irritating due to the body odour most passengers had lingering off them; her discomfort is indescribable. She alighted from the bus along with other passengers, groaning with severe muscle pull as a result of the strenuous position they had kept their legs in for hours.
Uchechi was baffled at how busy Lagos was, the numbers of cars on the road, the number of venders along the road either selling roasted corn, roasted yam, pealed or non-pealed oranges and the likes, hawkers walking between cars advertising their goods waiting for someone to patronize them, the Keke and bike riders going on with their day with their same old 'corner, corner' style and the choking, smelly gas emitted from the rickety old yellow buses. Immediately she thought to herself "would I be able to cope in this place? See as everywhere just de busy, odi kwa egwu!!" she exclaimed in her native language 'Igbo'
Suddenly moved by her grumbling stomach she bought some pealed oranges, five for one hundred naira; she located an empty bench under a huge tree that created some shade and proceeded to eat her oranges. Once she was through, she began to inquire from the passersby and vendors where the nearest phone booth was sited. After hours of searching, she finally found it; right beside the tree she sat under to eat. In order for her to put a call through to her uncle's friend, Mr. Emeka, she had to pay fifty naira to the person in charge for a minute; and she did.
'RING' 'RING' the phone rang for some time until a deep voice spoke "hello, please who am I talking to?" the voice paused, and Uchechi answered "good afternoon, this is Uchechi Mazuike speaking. I got your number from my uncle, Mr. Chigbuike. Please am I talking to Mr. Emeka?" the voice began again "yes this is Mr. Emeka, oh you must be the girl I am to pick up from the Maryland park, don't worry I'm on my way, I have been waiting for your call. Please what are you wearing so that I can easily identify you?" "I am wearing a long brown skirt, a pink shirt, holding a purple suitcase, with a red pouch round my waist and I'm tying a red hair tie. I am sitting on a bench under a huge tree" she returned. "Don't worry I'm on my way" Mr. Emeka said "thank you sir'' she said and dropped the call.
Soon after, he arrived. Immediately, he was able to identify her and went over to get her. He introduced himself to her as Mr. Emeka, he was a dark-skinned man, bald headed, had a huge put belly, and a little huge; the man she had spoken to over the phone. Uchechi wasn't convinced so he went ahead to call her uncle. Once she heard her uncle's voice and they spoke for some time, she was convinced and followed him.
Minutes into the drive, he began asking her some questions like; "when is your birthday?" "Have you been to Lagos before?" "How old are you?" and she answered all questions. Driven by curiosity, he proceeded to ask, "do you have a phone?" she answered, "no sir I do not" and he continued "tomorrow is Saturday, and I don't think my wife has anything serious on her schedule, so I would ask her if she would take you shopping for clothes, a phone and SIM card. What department do you belong to?" "I belong to the Arts' department, but I intend to specialize in theatre art" she answered "don't worry it's not hard, you would be fine" "Amen sir" she chuckled. Before they realized, they were already at his house. It was a huge bungalow with a veranda you could see immediately you drive into the compound.
"Yay, daddy's back" two funny looking children; a boy and a girl; probably at the age of ten, screamed from the veranda.
"Stop screaming you two and come help me with the bags" Mr. Emeka demanded. They raced downstairs swiftly.
"Okay daddy, we are here now, how may we help?" the boy said, "daddy who is this ugly dressed woman standing behind you?" the girl added immediately. "Chiamaka! Mind your tongue that is a very straight thing to say" he scolded her.
Turning to Uchechi he said "please don't mind her, these are my two children, they are twins. They go by the names Chiamaka and Chisom, they are a handful" "it is a pleasure to meet you, I'm Uchechi" she introduced herself. Once she finished her statement their father said "listen up children!! From now till she leaves us, you would address her as 'Sister' Uchechi." Uche smiled inwardly, excited for future ahead.
