On The Streets Of Lagos

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'Na Ajepe, send me message.' 'Abeg, no rough handle me, comot your body.' Musings, as well as what could pass for laughter, went around the lot. I am a joke to them, God give me strength. So I acted like the man I am, gave Basira a hot slap that left my palm tingling. Now everyone had their eyes on me again; they knew I meant business.

'Oya, you sef talk wetin you know, e be like say this pikin don dey vex' someone in the front spoke up. No, he was wrong; the anger was not at its early stage; it felt as though it were at the peak. My insides were in chaos, and I felt like I could do anything at this moment.

By now, tears had pooled underneath Basira's badly made-up eyes. There was a full imprint of my fingers on her right cheek, and I felt no remorse.

"Ajepe bin say make I dey watch you, e say your mama send you message". "I ask am if your mama Sabi de arrangement, e say yes, say dey get something wey dey bin wan discuss and e better make you no dey around," she replied as the tears began to run free.

"Where my mama?" "You see, am as Ajepe dey follow you talk?" I quizzed further. My Mother will cringe at the sound of pidgin English coming out of my lips. I was quick to dispose of the thought; dear voices, let's do this later I concluded.  

"I, I, s-e--ee your ma—m--aa as she kon open do for am." "I be d—d--dey road for make I alert Ajepe as you dey come back."

"A—a—jepe dey raise voice, and your mama sef dey raise voice. You know say she sabi shout well well".

"Who be that dead body for there?"

"I no know, be like say...

"Na your Papa," answered the voice for which I had gone through all the trouble. There was my Mother. Sweaty and eye puffed up with tears, clothes torn. Her beautiful caramel skin now bore designs from jagged bottles. Blood was oozing out all over, who had done this to her?

 'Maa mi,' I managed to spill out the words before rushing to her side. She was breathless, tired and in need of quick medical attention.

She slowly leaned against the nearest wall and I allowed her weight to rest partially on me.

"Maami, who did this?"

 "Ajepe" was all she could mutter.


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