PRAY FOR ME

Kwali! the driver announced. A sleepy Akanbi jolted "oh oga driver we don reach Abuja"

Driver: "Na Abuja territory we dey so oya start to call ya people to know ya bus stop oh abi na park you dey go direct"? 

Even though the question wasn't rhetorical, Akanbi ignored the question. "People indeed! na hustle i come hustle" he thought to himself. His wife or rather baby mama or whatever you may call a lady who has two unplanned children for you (blame a broken condom that allowed the fastest sperm to fertilize 2 ovaries at a time) expects nothing besides golden sliced bread wrapped in Dolce and Gabana foil, His twin girls needed to be catered for, He also had his mother whose cough has refused to subside over the years to cater for.

"Ehen oga, i dey ask where you wan stop because after zuba na park straight ooo"  the driver's words brought Akanbi back from his galaxy of thoughts.
 
Akanbi stared at him and replied, "oga driver, na my cousin i come see oh him dey stay kubwa  na bhyazhin across precisely".

Driver: "oooo  na im be say na Zuba you go stop be that which one be byhazhin across again?", he laughed exposing his kolanut tainted teeth.

Akanbi was deep in thought, he had not even heard what question the driver had asked he was stuck remembering the last time he had a conversation with his cousin Rafiu, Rafiu had called him and asked why he was still in Ibadan.

"Egbon Akanbi, shey this village nor dey tire you ni? come Abuja work plenty for ground like sand, if you nor see all those una office work, na to follow me go workshop go do mechanic naaa" he had said.

Akanbi replied Rafiu, ah "i cant stoop low to becoming an ordinary mechanic now i have a B.sc in Accounting and i am in the institute of chartered accountants all i need is...

"Rafiu cutting him short said, "Egbon, nor be by all those grammar when you dey blow o,  me wen dey do mechanic i dey stay federal capital you when go big school, na this Ibadan you dey no better work to help yourself, nothing at all"as if that salt wasn't enough, he had reminded him of Titi (His baby mama) and his obligations to her. 

"We don reach zuba ooo" the driver announced. 

Heaving a sigh of relief, Akanbi picked up his backpack from the empty seat beside him; alighting from the vehicle, he heard different drivers chanting various destinations, he went for one of the taxis headed for kubwa and took the last available seat. Ten minutes into the journey to kubwa, he remembered he had not called Rafiu! what a silly mistake he thought to himself. Taking his phone from his waist purse he dialed his cousin's number,... a busy tone.... he dialed again, another busy tone! Akanbi hissed loudly.
 
The driver who was a Fulani man asked him in Hausa "shi ne duk abin nana" 

Akanbi shot him a quick glance the driver understood and replied, "i was asking if everything was alright" just as he was about to reply, his phone rang it was Rafiu he picked up the call 

"Good heavens i have been trying to call you Raf nibolo wa? mo ti de Abuja o am even on my way to kubwa now

Rafiu: "There is no network here i had to walk a distance so i could get network reception mabinu egbon. Please tell the driver to stop you at kubwa village then, take an okada to byhazhin tell the okada man you will be stopping at total filling station am headed for the filling station now"

"Rafiu, hope its not the end of the earth you stay oooo" akanbi spat

"Joor shaa mabo"... Rafiu hung up

Akanbi reminded the driver he'd be stopping at kubwa village, the driver nodding said, "na there we dey so"

Akanbi, observed the environment, and said loudly, so this is Abuja, noisy and dirty. He shook his head one would think there's gold everywhere the way Rafiu talks about this place   he said to himself he hailed a bike, and got to the place he was told to stop. Luck had shone on him as shortly as he had arrived the spot, Rafiu was also arriving they hugged and greeted each other Rafiu taking the lead, took him past several corners until  they finally got to a bushy part with few houses in sight. Akanbi swallowed hard, he had wanted to ask him if he lived in the jungle with wild animals they finally got to a small cubicle called a house

"this is where you live"? Akanbi asked with eyes wide open

Rafiu ignoring the question, said "come in egbon"

It took him less than 50 seconds to scan through the room a foam on the floor, one side hanger with a few shirts hanging on it, a wooden box by the corner which he took as his kitchen as there was a pot and several cooking items in it.

So this is your "i am living comfortably abi"? federal capital syndrome he hissed.

Rafiu chuckled "egbon,this room cost me a whooping sum of N150,000, from here, i send money to my child, my mother, my 2 younger ones and i also give you money too sometimes so it doesn't matter where i lay my head as far as i can send money home and meet my basic needs, that's it".

Akanbi sighed he had hoped to at least start off on a good note, now he had to work twice as hard as he thought he should

"Rafiu please, where can i find a business center around here, i need to get my CV updated" Akanbi asked.

 "Okay its on the other side of kubwa i will take you there. 

Bewildered, Akanbi asked; "oh there is another part of this place called kubwa? i actually thought this was all of it"

Rafiu laughed and said, "this na tiny place for kubwa before i forget, your pikin mama call oo have you spoken to her"? 

Before Akanbi could answer, his phone rang it was Titi, he couldn't bring himself to pick up the phone how would he tell her he had no hopes from what he was seeing, that he didn't know what tomorrow held, that he wasn't too sure if she and the twin girls could join him soon he knew she wanted to ask so many questions the ones he didn't have answers to right away all he could mutter while he allowed the phone ring on was, pray for me

to be continued on Thursday.....