Sophocles Writes

0500hr: The alarm blared from the mobile phone I dropped sometimes during the night. “it’s five o’clock in the morning, when conversation got boring…….”. I found the snooze button and lazily pressed it. “I can’t come and kill myself, I will still beat traffic if I am smart about it” the thought surfaced as I plunged back into the crevice of sleep.

0510hr: “it’s five o’clock in the morning, when conversation got boring…….” Snooze button? Found. Pressed.

0520hr: “it’s five o’clock in the morning, when conversation got boring…….” The alarm blared again. I stood up after another three minutes of rolling around. My knee found the bedside stool and I groaned. “Alhamdulilah al-ladi…..” I continued on my way to the bathroom. I brought out the buckets in the bathroom and went outside to fetch water.

0545hr: Fully dressed and heading to the nearest mosque to pray fajr (pre-dawn prayer) before heading out. The town was already waking up by the time I left my apartment. “Yi pada, ijoba orun ku de de (repent now, tomorrow may be too late” An evangelist announced. The announcement colliding with several adhan (call to prayer) from mosques around.

0610hr: I left the mosque and I hailed the first motorcycle rider I saw. “where to?” he asked. “Na park I de go” I answered. “Na two hundred naira o” he replied. “ha ha! Na one and fifty naira I go pay” I exclaimed. “na because na early morning o, make we de go” he finished.

0625hr: I dropped from the motorcycle. Paid the man and entered the park. Immediately I stepped into the park, I was harassed from left and right. “guy! Where you de go? Na Benin? Warri? Ughelli? Asaba” came from various angles. “I’m going to Benin” I replied. “Ha na now one Benin bus comot, but nor worry, this park de quick full” another man admonished me. “I shouldn’t have pressed the snooze button twice” I thought.

0700hr: I was still the only passenger in the car. The driver came around to meet me and told me not to worry. “na only just six passengers remain” he advised. “But this is Monday sir, I need to be in Benin before 2pm” I told him. He laughed and said “don’t worry, I’m called a pilot around here because my car is an aeroplane”.

0730hr: A couple walked down to the park and were directed to the Benin axis. A smiled blossomed on my face. “four passengers to go” I thought.

0900hr: I was frustrated and angry at this point but a part of me was happy the car is finally filled up. I resolved never to oversleep again (I have always made this resolution). The conductors collected the transport fare from the passengers. And after the usual shenanigans, the car eased out of the park.

0910hr: “Let us close our eyes and pray to the Lord” a passenger announced. “In the mighty name…..” the prayer started and continued for a while.

0930hr: “In the name of the Lord I pray!” and thus the prayer ended. Almost immediately another passenger started “Good morning my fellow commuters. I am an herbal doctor with proven success in diseases such as gonorrhea, malaria, thyphoid, headache, influenza…..” . The herbal doctor continued for a while. “Any disease at all, this herbal ointment will cure it. And it is just two hundred naira for a bottle” He concluded. After the man finished, the driver turned on the music and sped on. “kaiparimarichupakpo….” issued from the speakers.

1030hr: We left Oyo State behind and entered Osun State. The water from Asejire Dam looked as beautiful as ever. “Driver abeg I wan make call” a woman announced. Without taking his eyes off the road, the driver reduced the volume of the music.
“Hello” the woman said into her phone. “E Kaaro (good morning) .. a ku ti xenophobia yii o, Olorun a ko way o (greetings for the ongoing xenophobia, the lord will save us”. The shocked expression on the faces of the other passengers resulted in a cacophony of laughter in the car. “My people and greetings” I thought.

0011hr: True to his words, the driver was indeed a “pilot”. He sped on with little or no regards for potholes and speed bumps which were ever present on Nigerian roads. Even though I knew I should caution him by virtue of sitting at the front with him, I spurred him on. Mt appointment in Benin was the only thing on my mind. “is a pilot there” I exclaimed. “You sure say you nor go audition for Fast and Furious movie?” I joked. “see this guy, na because I too good na why dem nor pick me” he replied. And at that point, we made the mistakes of our lives. The “high-fived .

8888hr: It happened so fast. One moment my hand connected with the drivers hand and the next, my skull connected with the dashboard with the force of Ronaldo”s drilled shot. The world changed suddenly. I heard screams from everywhere. My brained screamed. My mouth wailed. “Subhannallah” came from somewhere. “blood of Jesus” reverberated from another. Like a toy car launched angrily, the car rolled on the road continuously before colliding with a solid mass. Tree? Another car? A house? My eyes couldn’t make it out.

Time is only functional when you are safe, sound and sane. Time makes sense when blood is flowing in your brain and around your body not outside. The accident could have lasted for a few seconds or hours, but we had no way to tell. We were not humans at that point, but animals hoping to survive, fighting for oxygen. Gasping for one more breadth. Appointments, dates, profit and all other worldly benefits are just on the peripheral. Life matters. But what do we do when time has ran out.

Like rag dolls in a playhouse. The passengers were mangled together. I had no way of knowing if the next person is alive. Survival was the only prayer. The last thing I remembered was the feeling of being dragged, and the sound of a metal drill being operated. The world went dark.


The only time we have is now.

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Dear Love,

The kind of feelings I have for you is not just love. Love is overrated. Ordinary love wears aways over time. And most times, the only thing that holds such relationships together is condition hitherto agreed to (for better or for worse). The kind of feelings I have for you can not be caged (funny right? Considering you are in a cage).

What I feel for you transcends love. I am obsessed with you. I need you to be available to me all year round. Every hour, every minute and every second. You do not need any friends or family, I will be your one and all.

You do not have to worry about the financial consequences. I promise to carry the burden fully. I will always provide your needs (you will have to tell me though!).

You will find a toilet and bathroom behind the red door. And a fitness center behind the green door (you have to keep your shape for me love). I will be bringing food at the appropriate times myself. And if you need anything, just write it on the notepad hanging behind your bed.

I know your parents and siblings will miss you. And they will mourn your disappearance for days, but no one can stand in the way of our love. You don’t need them anymore. I am all you need. Take a pill if you feel a headache, I had to hit you hard for you to pass out.

Note: to protect the both of us, I will be covering my face when I come to fulfill my duties as your husband. Never despair love.

Yours’ sincerely,

Phoenix

This is the first part of the story. Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please do like and share. Thanks