My first breath of freedom. A short story.

Travelling alone as a teenager was a type of freedom which was on an entirely different level. Were you ever allowed as a teenager to move around within your city without adult supervision? It's rare. Now imagine travelling out of your city to another state alone. Well,it sounds like fun. It did sound like fun to me too when I had to travel from Lagos state to Delta state when I was 16.

It all happened like an impossible joke. I had applied for JAMB exams the wrong way and was very close to missing the exam that year. Fortunately for me, I was able to apply on the last day and the closest and most convenient centres available were in Delta state and Edo state. I had to choose Delta state because I had relatives there who could harbour me for the three days I would spend there. On my way from the JAMB accreditation centre,my heart was leaping with joy because I would finally have some freedom. My parents considered asking my older brother to accompany me on the journey, but luckily for me, they couldn't afford to send the both of us there,so it was an established fact that I was travelling alone.

Well, I continued reading because my exam date was fast approaching and I had to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything academically. I had to travel to Delta state two days before my exam, so the night before I went on the trip,I packed a few clothes in a small bag with several other things I needed to be comfortable while away from home. The next morning, my mum and dad called me to the sitting room to pray for me. Apparently, my mum had a scary dream and was terrified by it. It was a Sunday, so we drove to church and our pastor prayed for me.

My dad and mum drove me to a park at Ojota. There I boarded a bus going to Delta state. It was a really long wait, we had to wait for the bus to get filled with passengers and also wait for the driver to settle his normal hassle with some passengers over some really huge luggage. My dad chose a sit for me right behind the driver. That was the worst decision my dad ever took for me. I'd explain why as I proceed. 

I met a beautiful Delta lady and we sat together in the bus. She was really friendly, he offered me branded sausages at some point and was also pointing out some places at Ikorodu and telling me about her experiences there. She made the journey worth it, I must confess.

As the bus proceeded on it's journey to Delta state, the engine beneath my feet was heating up. I never knew buses had their engines at the back of the driver's sit, I'd have never agreed to sit there. My feet were literally burning and Delta state was still a long way ahead.

Occasionally, the driver stopped at some points to pick up passengers which was time wasting. Some passengers murmured and complained about this but the driver wasn't disturbed at all. He was a Delta man and typically stubborn. It was 12pm already and we were still at Ikorodu. I was pissed already. I was checking my phone occasionally to see if the battery would last the whole journey. I even had to copy my host's contact out on a paper should in case my phone left me stranded.

It was a really interesting journey as some of the passengers were lively people. They made several jokes about people and vehicles that passed. I remember a guy described a petrol tanker as a python.

We got to Ore and got down to stretch our legs and get things to eat. I got groundnuts and chin chin. I also got bread for my host(this is an unwritten tradition). We got back into our bus after a while and continued the journey to Delta state. It became a smooth journey at this point. When we got to Delta state, some people began alighting and the passengers in the bus were becoming fewer. We got to Ebedei Uno and two guys stopped our bus,they were going to Abraka. They were friendly guys too; they were returning from church. I was occasionally reminding the driver to not forget to drop me at Obiaruku because I was new in the state. The guys told me we were still far from my destination and I should be calm because they would make sure I don't pass my bus stop.

I felt comfortable talking to them because they were friendly and funny too. They literally made everyone in the bus laugh till I got to Amai junction, Obiaruku. We exchanged contacts and I got off the bus. I called my mom's friend and in no time,she was there with her bike to pick me up. I called my dad too to inform him that I had arrived safely.

Did I forget to add that that was my first time visiting my state? It was an exciting experience.

It was a really interesting and stressful journey indeed.