Dear Diary, today was the last Saturday of this very beautiful month. Here in Lagos Nigeria, we do something called "environmental sanitation" every last Saturday mornings. You know I host a radio show yeah? Ehen, good. Alarm went off at 5am, I didn't dilly dally today, it was a 'straight to the point' morning for me. I got ready and left the house by 6am. I waited for more than 10 minutes for a bus. While I was waiting, a woman (she looked to be in her late 30's/early 40's, I'm not sure) with 4 children (they looked between the ages of 5-11), quietly tapped me and I removed one of my ear pieces. She spoke Yoruba, "e jor aunty, e fun mi ni owo motor". I looked at her for some seconds and I could tell she was lying, she wasn't going anywhere. I asked her in English "where are you going?". Diary trust me I was devoid of any accent. I spoke clear Nigerian English. She didn't understand what I said so I looked at her oldest child, a boy, and I said to him, "do you understand English?". He nodded and I told him to ask his mother what I just asked her. I speak Yoruba well but I wasn't gonna speak it with her, I have no idea why, I just didn't want to. The question took her by surprise and she stuttered. She told me "Alagbado". Then the Yoruba came out. "Mama, Alagbado la wa yi". Feeling cornered, she switched, "agbado ijaye ni mo'n lo aunty mi". I was right, the woman wasn't going anywhere. I paused for seconds, thinking what to do, I didn't wanna give her anything at the beginning but looking at her four children, I knew she lied to probably feed them and I was moved. Her lie didn't matter to me anymore. I sighed deeply, got out a note from my purse and gave her. I didn't wait for her thanks, I blocked my ears again and waited. From the corner of my eyes, I watched her, she would occasionally glance at me to see if I was watching her. Our eyes met a few times but I always looked away just as quickly. Buses going to Agbado Ijaye came and left, the woman was still there. It's quite alright, I understand perfectly.
I got a bus eventually and my journey started, alighted at Ikeja Along and something funny started happening. Come and see race! People became Usain Bolt, running and panting. What was chasing them? ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION. It got to one stage I had to hold my breasts and jog small o! They literally freaked me out with the race! I dived into a bus going towards Secretariat as that was along the route of my destination. I sat next to a nice looking girl who was panting, trying to catch her breath. "Ahn ahn, you are safe now naa, relax" I told her, she smiled at me and looked at my face and I smiled back. "I didn't know today is sanitation oo" she told me. I calmed her down as she was clearly freaking out. "You are safe now, it's usually at the main roads that the police arrest people. We laughed about the whole thing for a bit then we became silent and minded our individual businesses. I alighted before her but not before saying goodbye, nice human she was.
Show was LIT AF! (I Slay). Roland dropped me off and soon I got home. 'Ishi ewu' was on the menu and I happily wolfed it down, no time. It rained for some hours and I slept for a bit. Trina called my cell and we had this weird convo that had me laughing like a hyena. She told me she had missed me and I did too, my best friend is my lifeline, I tell her this every time. So I think that was how today went, humor me Diary, tell me how yours went.... Yeah I didn't think so, ha! #ByeFarrah.
Trina and Amy.
I got a bus eventually and my journey started, alighted at Ikeja Along and something funny started happening. Come and see race! People became Usain Bolt, running and panting. What was chasing them? ENVIRONMENTAL SANITATION. It got to one stage I had to hold my breasts and jog small o! They literally freaked me out with the race! I dived into a bus going towards Secretariat as that was along the route of my destination. I sat next to a nice looking girl who was panting, trying to catch her breath. "Ahn ahn, you are safe now naa, relax" I told her, she smiled at me and looked at my face and I smiled back. "I didn't know today is sanitation oo" she told me. I calmed her down as she was clearly freaking out. "You are safe now, it's usually at the main roads that the police arrest people. We laughed about the whole thing for a bit then we became silent and minded our individual businesses. I alighted before her but not before saying goodbye, nice human she was.
Show was LIT AF! (I Slay). Roland dropped me off and soon I got home. 'Ishi ewu' was on the menu and I happily wolfed it down, no time. It rained for some hours and I slept for a bit. Trina called my cell and we had this weird convo that had me laughing like a hyena. She told me she had missed me and I did too, my best friend is my lifeline, I tell her this every time. So I think that was how today went, humor me Diary, tell me how yours went.... Yeah I didn't think so, ha! #ByeFarrah.
Trina and Amy.
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