Against All Odds

Chapter fifty Two: Nightmare

The road to Lagos seemed longer than ever, Obiefune did not care about the location where they were, he had not even come down from the bus when the driver instructed the passengers to. There were usually three breaks given before the bus arrives at Lagos, this was done to prevent people from creating nuisance to the driver in the name of urinating or purchasing food. Obiefune watched men, women, children exit the bus in order to buy food items. The items bought ranged from cooked food;rice, garri and soup, roasted yam and plantain. To snacks like meat pie, fish roll, plantain chips with soft drinks.

Obiefune saw women who purchased snails, fishes  to be used in cooking. "We dey Ore! Wetin dey work you! Ị say I dey come, I go fly reach Lagos?" A young man screamed into his handset angrily as he moved about. Obiefune suspected he was a business man.

Obiefune watched children excitedly drag their parents to Hausa men who prepared meat barbeque "suya". The men smiled at the children and offered them slices of the meat dipped in a light brownish powdery sauce made from groundnut and other spices.

These were the things he had done on his way to the village, he had even bought enough "suya" for Tobe and the girls. Obiefune tore his gaze from the meat and smiled sadly at the couple purchasing loaves of bread. It had become some sort of tradition for travellers to always arrive a house with a parcel from their journey. Where others bought vegetables and fruits majority chose bread because it seemed to look tangible and in some cases the most affordable ,hence the saying "welcome, wey bread?"

The loaf of bread he had bought for Obi and her family were handed over to a stranger in the village, that he didn't care to find out who he was. Obiefune felt like a stranger in his own body, he felt cold and his heart died. Not even mma's Achara tea could revive him from the winter that froze his love muscle. He poured several cups into his gut but they all seemed too warm to reverse the cold. The pain he felt was equal to none, he had lost his fight even before the war began.

Mma tapped his hand and spoke words that he didn't know he heard till he got to the bus. "Whatever is meant to be will be"

Obiefune loved the woman dearly but at that point he did not want to hear about destiny, or love. Destiny had tricked him, love had robbed him. The driver called in his passengers and they sped off. The trees that used to be fascinating were blurry and he saw everything in a haze.

Obiefune turned to the lady beside him she gave him a long stare wearing a staid expression before whispering to his ears. "it's in your eyes". Obiefune could only think of the last time he used the same words with Obi. He had known that she was scared that night and he wanted her to feel comfortable. Thinking about love, their love seemed to do the trick before he kissed her.

Obiefune remembered the night as being magical, Obi was happy wasn't she? Had he hurt her in any way he couldn't remember. Was it because of the pain that came from being a virgin? He had tried his best to take care of her. Did Obi doubt his love for her? Did she think the only thing he had ever wanted from her was intimacy? So many questions ran in Obiefune's mind as he turned to face the young lady.

He knew he had promised to come back but it was not his fault, he had wanted her to wait, wasn't love as patient as it used to be? . The young lady snapped her fingers in front of his face after he froze. Obiefune cleared his throat and spoke to her
"what!".

She smiled at him and told him "Nothing". Obiefune felt he had been rude to the lady in question but he was not in the mood to render apologies.

"Don't worry things will get better, the pain will go away". The lady spoke as if she knew his plight. Obiefune nodded to her words with a doubt in his heart, he could never heal from this.