Come Back Abayomi

CHAPTER TWO

Johannesburg looked like a huge garden from two thousand feet above the ground. The in-flight magazine said that the city had one of the largest urban forests in the world and indeed, from above, the city sprawled across the rolling hills between little green and purple tufts like a fluffy carpet. Abayomi didn't recognize any of it and couldn't tear her eyes away from the window as the promise of change a grooving in her belly. The courage to stop waiting for something to happen took root there.

"Bing! Ladies and gentlemen, we're beginning our scent into Johannesburg. The local time is eight-fifteen and it's expected to be a bright sunny day!" the Captain's announcement echoed. Abayomi strapped herself in and watched a baby boy's head bob about as the plane hit the ground. The little boy chuckled with delight as the aeroplane skidded on the runaway during contact.

Pia meanwhile had tightened her grip on Abayomi's hand and pushed herself into her backrest. The stack of files she chose to hold on to with her other hand tumbled onto the floor as the wheels made contact with the runway. Not that Pia noticed. Her eyes were shut tight. But Abayomi embraced not always be smooth and christened the new beginning by waving dreamily at the baby boy.

After disembarking into the vast halls of O.R. Tambo airport in Johannesburg, the girls grabbed their luggage and met the concierge with a sign bearing their names. He push their trolleys to the limousine when suddenly an army of news reporters pounced upon them.

Would the conference achieve anything or was it just political fancy-footing the gist of it? Their concierge was attempting to shield Pia and Abayomi from the chaos caused by the incisive questions being hurled at them. His reach was limited, though, and he was soon overpowered by an ageing newscaster in a trench coat, who climbed over everyone else. His microphone was stuck in Abayomi's face.

"Are you aware of faction groups in South Africa who are dead against the conference?" he shouted at her.

"Maybe you should send them a bloody invitation!" Pia swiftly countered, creating a deafening silence.

She had three children and chaos was something she handled with considerable ease. Pia calmly hooked her handbag into the crook of her arm and stepped into the limousine. Abayomi simply shrugged her shoulders and leapt into the car after Pia.

Down on the ground, Johannesburg was a collage of sunshine and shade. It had recently rained and the beautiful Jacaranda trees had shed their purple flowers, coating the streets in pretty mauve pathways leading everywhere Abayomi wanted to go.

"Did you know they're not indigenous to South Africa?" Abayomi pointed out.

"Alien, like us, you mean?" Pia quipped in jest.

Driving along, they were awe-struck by apparent wealth of Johannesburg. The spread of industry, residence and recreation, told the tale of a nation with vision. Johannesburg was indeed an ambitious city and it was no wonder that South Africa . There really was so much to discover beyond the rote pushing of paper from one hand to another at the office.

Eventually they exited the highway en route to their hotel. The city definitely pulsed to the beat of the African drum. Taxies tooted their horns and traffic was a dismal effort to navigate. It felt just like the esplanade Abayomi's office overlooked in Lagos with people trafficking themselves in a thousand different directions, each with a purpose. A sense of home overtook Abayomi, so she opened the window to allow the fresh breeze to flow into the cabin of their car. The heat was slowly rising through the morning, but the sky darkened as tall buildings filtered out most of the light.

At a traffic light, a young boy, barefoot, led an old lady, with an empty cup in her hand, to Abayomi's window.

"Give me a few coins" Abayomi stretched her palm out to Pia, unable to look at the old woman.