Big City - The Ink Well Fiction Prompt #139

The bus conductor was so zealous in calling for passengers. The veins of his jugular could be seen as he shouted at the top of his voice:

Oshodi, Oshodi, Oshodi ooooh

At other intervals, he'd squeeze his tongue to give the pronunciation of the word another vibe:

Ossodi, Ossodioooo.

Dele has never seen such in his entire life. He watched as the bus conductor called forth passengers into the bus. Against his will, passengers scampered for a seat on the bus. It was closing time, hence the bus stop was full of passengers who were patiently waiting for the bus that plied their route to emerge. This is the case in Lagos's everyday life but it seemed strange to Dele.

He had been invited to Lagos to seek a well-paying job by his friend, Emeka. He has only heard of Lagos on the radio set as a land that is full of opportunities.

How is it possible to survive in such a land where everyone is always on the run?

Dele asked himself as he watched as both old and young people scampered to get a seat on the bus. Certainly, one does not have to be sluggish if one must get to his destination.

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As he pondered on his next move, seeing that every person standing by him was waiting for a bus, he knew that he was in for a huge fight. In the meantime, he called Emeka to tell him where his current location was. While the call was on, another bus emerged and the conductor in their usual manner shouted:

Anthony! Anthony!! Fadeyi, do not enter.

Within the twinkling of an eye, the bus was filled up. Dele was still trying to end the call with Emeka but before he could, the driver sped off.

By 7:30 p.m., the number of people waiting to get a bus had reduced. Dele breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the struggle wouldn't be as much as it had been for the over three hours he had been waiting to catch a bus.

When the next bus arrived, Dele quickly jumped in before the conductor could utter a word but fortunately for him, it was heading to his destination. The passengers sat calmly first as they paid their fares to the conductor who was speaking the local pidgin English, telling all passengers to remit the exact fare for the trip as he has no low denomination to give as change.

Emeka was standing at the bus stop, waiting to pick his friend, Dele. He was sure Dele would make it quickly in lagos. They had been gist partners during their university days.

As Dele alighted from the bus, Emeka grabbed him in a tight embrace as they laughed out loud that passers-by looked at both of them.

That night, Emeka and Dele chatted about many things. Dele narrated how life in the village had affected his finances even though he had peace of mind while on the other hand, Emeka gave a detailed explanation on how he had many options to choose from in terms of well-paying jobs. He however promised Dele that he would do everything to assist him to succeed in Lagos.

The next morning, Dele woke up by 4:00am to get prepared for work. He has to leave on time or risk being held up in the heavy morning traffic that would mount on the third mainland bridge. He was polishing his shoes and boiling rice in the kitchen at the same time while Dele was still sleeping and snoring.

A few minutes to 5:00 a.m., Emeka was ready to leave for work. He decided to wake Dele so that he could freshen up.

Please, get ready, I may call you anytime to meet me up on the Island, in case there is any job opening.

Dele was half awake when Emeka was telling him all that. But as soon as he heard "job opening", he became fully awake. Emeka left the house to catch a bus to his workplace on the island of Lagos.

Dele knelt by this side of the bed to say his morning prayer before taking his bath and then dressed up. He waited for Emeka to call him, all to no avail.

Life in Lagos is altogether different from what he had anticipated. Though life here is different from what he had in the village, he soon learned how to leave the house in the morning to help himself to seek a job.

Two months after he got to Lagos, he secured a job in a textile manufacturing company as the storekeeper. Tstorekeeperwith accommodation and a car but he had to live within the premises of the factory. He gladly accepted the offer and ran home to announce the news to Emeka who was already waiting to hand him an employment letter from a telecommunication company on Lagos island.

Dele could not believe his eyes when Emeka produced the letter. The telecommunication company's offer was as fascinating as that of the textile manufacturing company. He exclaimed to Emeka:

I knew it all along that there was something in the wind.