Vagrants

Chapter 42

I called up the Landlord and he picked just immediately but sounded busy.

"Maa peyin pada." I'll call you back.

"Okay sir." I said and he hung up.

I decided to go online and see what was happening there. I knew I just got off a while ago where hateful comments were passed to me on a group chat but I wanted to keep myself busy from everything going on around me. It was late and I wasn't feeling very comfortable staying on the streets.

The hateful comments had continued on the group. People started saying bad things about Christians and how they pretend to be Godly and then do something bad when no one is watching. They called me stupid for not having protected sex then they started saying things like: "That's what happens when you're raised by a single Mother."

That shattered me. I was badly hurt by that statement that I broke down and cried.

I was sitting on a bench with few other people so I got up. I didn't want people to see me crying. It was probably weird to have a pregnant woman alone on the streets at night and for her to start crying would even be more weird.

I received a call from the Landlord. I was still amidst tears when I picked.

"Hello? E pe mi." You called me. He said.

"Y-Yes, yes. I need a place to stay." I replied in Yoruba.

"E duro." Hold on. He whispered to someone. They spoke discreetly for a while. I thought it was his wife. They probably were discussing whether they have a room or not.

"E ma bo." You can come. He gave me the address to his residence and I thanked him.

I picked up my bag and left.

I got to the address and was shocked by what I met. Even if it was dark, I could see so well the type of place I'd be staying in.

It was a decrepit building, broken doors, cracked walls, windows almost tearing down and I knew there was going to be holes in the roof. I didn't expect to come to a sumptuous residence but I didn't expect it to be austere either.

This is the worst place I've ever been to. I've read about austere places and seen them in movies but I've never seen something worse than this.

"How much?" I asked.

"Twenty thousand naira."

"Ehn? For one year abi?"

"Ninu Nigeria tawa yii? Twenty thousand osu kan ni o." In this Nigeria that we live in? It's Twenty thousand monthly.

"In this place? E mo bo se ri abi?" You don't know how it is?

"If you're looking for a better place you'd pay about Fifty thousand monthly or rather go to an hotel." He said.

"Okay." I sighed. "Why don't you give it for Fifteen thousand?"

"No oh. My mates are selling for Thirty-five and are mocking me for selling for Twenty and you still want to bring down the price?"

"Please. Pity my condition. I have nowhere to go and I need a place to..."

"You're not the only pregnant woman in this country. Everyone is going through one problem or the other. I struggle to feed my family and I have children to send to school too."

"I'm sorry sir. Oya Seventeen."

"No. Kogba." Impossible. He said. "There are people that wants this your room. I even gave you this one because you're pregnant so don't waste my time."

"Thank you sir." I smiled. "So how about Eighteen?"

"This woman! Kinni yato? E kan ma fi Two thousand kun." What's this difference? You'd just add it up with two thousand. The man shook his head.

I gave up, I couldn't argue or drag the price down further. I was very tired so I transferred some money to him and went into my assigned room. It looked like a drunkard had previously slept here because of the state of the room. It might have been a long time since someone last slept there, it was quite dusty, filled with cobwebs, the windows were half-broken and half okay. There were beer bottles lying around, foodstuffs on the floor, biscuit nylons and many others littered everywhere and to top it all, there were rats in the room!

I let out a loud scream and the Landlord rushed in. When I told him what happened he hissed and shook his head.

"O n se bi omo oyinbo." You're behaving like a white.

I begged him so he agreed to kill the rats for me. There were not one or two but Five! I flinched as they ran around the room while he caught each of them and killed them.