.. Chapter 7..

"Oshodi, oshodi. Make una hold your change ooo, I no get change." The bus conductor shouted calling the name of the bus stop. Running out of Linda's house the first thing that came to my mind was to leave the Island immediately. If I leave, it'd take some time before people would suspect me. I don't even have money right now, I'm just thinking of ways to enter the bus and get down safely without the conductor embarrassing me.

"Madam these your load too much ooo, you sure say e go enter the booth." The conductor said while spit flew out of his mouth in different places. Unfortunately few landed on my face. Taking a look at him he was the exact description of an agbero. White torn singlet with a worn out jean matched with an old looking canvas. Overall he looked like he needed a bath urgently, I didn't blame him this is his only source of living since the government have decided to neglect the youths.

"Na your load wey I carry?, las las if I no fit carry am for my leg I go put am for your booth. Abeg no disturb me, shey you dey see how hot the sun dey. My body dey pepper me ooo." I replied him, these conductors if you don't put them in their place they'd surely try and intimidate you. The fact that I'm highly exposed doesn't mean that I don't know my roots. "Madam I just dey talk my own because me I no want wahala ooo. Abeg when passenger come just adjust." He said while getting back to his job.

I heaved a sigh of relief when he finally left. Sitting down in the bus I replayed the words that Linda said to me 'I slept with your husband not once or twice and I did it over and over again with no regrets'. Tears threatened to spill out my eyes but I refused to let them out. What she said really hurt me, I never expected my best friend to betray me like this. She just showed her true colours to me, if only I could turn back the hands of time I would never have made her my friend or married Ovie.

"Madam your money." The conductor asked while outstretching his hand. I had no money to give him at all, how am I going to escape from this bus safely. I looked around and I saw we were on third mainland bridge and we were hit with serious traffic. There's no way I can come down here, this place is notorious for robbery. I have to do something fast or else I'm going to be disgraced in front of everybody here.

"Wait ooo you mean say you no get money and you get mind enter my bus con dey drag words with me. Oya if you no wan make I beat you comot here. Come down from my bus." He said while making way for me to get down. "But oga pity me na, I no fit stop for this bridge. You sef know this place no safe." I pleaded with him. "Na now you know say I be oga. Ogbeni bo le jare. Na me you wan use run street." He shouted already looking like he wanted to attack me. I know if he had the chance he would surely call his other goons to beat me up.

I looked around in the bus silently praying that one of the passenger would come to my rescue but none did. They keep saying the country is bad while they themselves don't want to stand up and make it better. I swallowed me pride, stood up and came down from the bus. As I struggled to bring down my bags one of them mistakenly hit a woman's baby whom was strapped to her back. I immediately said sorry but it fell on deaf ears.

"Ahn ahn you wan kill my pikin nii, you no see say im dey small. You no get heart at all oo"she said while looking at me in disgust. Other passengers joined her to rain insults on me. I've never felt so unhappy in my life, it sincerely broke me into pieces. How would I kill an innocent child when I recently lost my own to the hands of death. I couldn't stay there any longer and listen to them. I rushed immediately to rails of the bridge and looked down at the water.

I made my choice at that moment, I was ready to die if it stops this pain and suffering that I'm experiencing. I'm tired of all these things that are happening to me, I've lost everyone that means a lot to me. My own parents are gone even my child isn't here with me. Today's event broke the camel's back and I lost control, I'm a terrible person, I deserve to die. How can I possibly spill innocent blood, I can't believe I killed my friend even if she wasn't a good one but she's still a human being.

"It isn't the end of the world aunty, you no suppose end your life like this." I turned around to see the owner of the voice talking to me. Who I saw wasn't whom I expected, it was my mother's distant cousin, Okechukwu. The last time I heard about him was when he was serving his sentence in prison at his state, Enugu because he was charged with attempted murder but unfortunately he claimed it was self defence. I was just a little child when I met him but I can still remember his face clearly.

"Uncle Okechukwu is that you? It's being years since I last saw you." "Wait oo na you be Ifeoma's daughter, Sylvia. You don grow oo, see as you don big." He's still the same person just with a little pot belly now. "Yes it's me Uncle Okechukwu when were you released from prison?" I said while adjusting my dress down because of the stupid ashawo breeze blowing. "Some few years back oo my dear, how your mama na? Wait first, hope say you no wan throw yourself comot this bridge, abeg no think am."

I couldn't hold it back anymore, I bursted out in tears uncontrollably. "I've lost everything Uncle, my parents, my husband and my precious child." "Come inside my car let me take you to my house, with the way things be I no say you no get place to stay. This place no be where we fit talk this kian matter."

Translations

Agbero - Tout

Ashawo breeze - Prostitute breeze( The breeze that embaresses girls when they are wearing gowns

Oshodi, oshodi make una hold your change oo, I no get change - Oshodi, oshodi you people should have change oo, I don't have change

Madam these your load too much oo, you sure say e go enter the booth - Madam these your load is too much oo, are you sure it will enter the booth

Na your load wey I carry, las las if I no fit carry am for my leg, I go put am for your booth - Is it your load I'm carrying, eventually if I can't carry it on my leg I would put it in your booth

Abeg no disturb me, shey you dey see how hot the sun dey. My body dey pepper me oo - Please don't disturb me, you are seeing how hot the sun is right. I'm feeling irritated oo

Madam I just dey talk my own because me I no want wahala. Abeg when passenger come just adjust - Madam I'm just saying my mind because I don't want trouble. Please when a passenger comes just make space

Wait ooo you mean say you no get money and you get mind enter my bus con dey drag words with me. Oya if you no want me I beat you comot here - Wait oo you mean that you don't have money and you had the audacity to enter my bus and banter words with me. See if you don't want me to beat you leave here

But oga pity me na I no fit stop for this bridge. You sef know this place no safe. - But sir/boss pity me na I can't stop at this bridge. You know this place isn't safe

Na now you know say I be oga - It is now you know I am sir/boss

Ogbeni bo le jare(language in yoruba tribe) - My friend come down

Na me you wan use run street - You want to be smart with me

Ahn ahn you wan kill my pikin nii, you no see say im dey small. You no get heart at all oo - Ahn ahn do you want to kill my child, can't you see he's small. You are not compassionate at all oo

You no suppose end your life like this - You aren't supposed to end your life like this

Wait oo na you be Ifeoma's daughter Sylvia. You don grow oo, see as you don big - Wait oo are you Ifeoma's daughter Sylvia. You have grown oo, look at how big you are

How your mama na? - How is your mother na?

Hope say you no wan throw yourself comot this bridge, abeg no think am - I hope you don't want to jump down this bridge, please don't think about it.

With the way things be I no say you no get place to stay. This place no be where we fit talk this kian matter - With the way things I'm sure you don't have a place to stay. This place is not where we can talk about this matter.