DIARY OF AN OKADA RIDER.

JAJI in "Americana Wonder"
 Nothing compared to the scorching heat of the sun as it burned ferociously. It was just a few minutes past mid day. Though the winds blew,casting dry leaves from the trees,the unforgiving heat competed adamantly with the usual cold synonimous with the harmattan season.
 Jaji who was seated in "Mama Dockay Restaurant" swallowed the last lump of Eba and okra soup, licked his fingers noisily and chewed on the shaki meat.
"Extra Shaki! " Jaji called, beckoning on one of Mama Dockay's daughters.
" Extra Shaki dey go with extra Eba o! " She threw at him, wriggling her voluptuous backside past him.
" Unto wetin nah?! " Jaji's face broke into a scowl.
She stopped and turned to him, a small mischievous smile playing on her lower lip."Oga, E be like say you be new customer here. If everybody begin swallow meat without Eba or Akpu, wetin we go tek sell? So if you want extra shaki,i go give you extra Eba."
"So you wan force me swallow extra Eba when I no get extra space for my bele?" jaji's eyebrows quirked in slight annoyance. He reached for a match stick and made a tooth pick out of it.
"Na so our market be for hia!" She retaliated,her backside swaying past him again.
" I hear you! If you no give me extra shaki,no full payment ."
Jaji spoke quietly.
"Na mouth you dey,okada man!" She fiercely rounded on him.
"Hey,hey, mek una tek am easy for dia!" cut in the husky voice of Mama Dockay herself. "Wetin dey happen dia? Awilo,why jhu dey shat for my customer head?" she demanded, a spark of anger igniting her voice. Mama Dockay came to stand between them. With one hand she shoved her daughter away and moved nearer Jaji.
  "Mummy,I no shat for am o! Hin want extra meat when hin no wan wack extra Eba. I dey tell am say no be so, hin wan begin dey use me catch feelings." She grumbled.
Mama Dockay wouldn't buy the excuse. "No ever shat for my customer, jhu hia me?!" She touched him by the shoulder and flashed a set of tobacco stained teeth. " No
mind Awilo. Maybe she like you. Na so body dey do am jigi jigi if she like any of my customers! Yeye girl."
Jaji smile back, saying nothing. He sat back and waited as Awilo brought in a tray and served him. She wouldn't meet his eyes and he found that a bit amusing.
 When he was done, he paid her and made to leave when she hurriedly ran after him. "Sorry say I bin shat for jhu." She said quietly,her eyes on the floor.
" Issorite. I no vex."
"Talk true?" her eyes lit up.
" True true."
"So if I give you my number, u go call me?"
"Why not?"
"Oya tek. 0703274.... " She trailed off,grinning like one who just won a jackpot.
" Go on nah." he was already dialling on his phone.
" No. If you wan see me again, come back com collect am."
Before he could respond to that she pivoted on her heels and retreated. Jaji whistled under his breath. Damn, he felt so good all of a sudden. He got on his okada, turned the ignition and screeched off.
  The first person that flagged him was a man that appeared to be in his early thirties. As he reversed to negotiate, he noticed he was so stylishly dressed : He wore a dark blue denim fez cap turned backward jauntily, a poka dot denim shirt to match,a well tucked in light blue rugged denim shorts, and a black ankle length boot.
 Jaji's eyes wouldn't yet miss the thick gold chain that adorned his neck nor the gold colour sunshade that hung on the breast pocket of his shirt.
"Hi. I kinda miss ma way,men!"
"Where you dey go?" jaji detected a foreign accent right away. This must be a foreigner, he thought.
" Um.. you mean, where i'm heading?"
"Yes, where you dey go? You say you miss road."
"Men! I'm goin' o summit way, you know wha' I mean. Down summit way by the market Square. You feel me? One naughty nigga jus' dropped me off, din' know where I was
heading, I tried to talk to him, he kept staring like a buffoon! But I trust you know 'xactly where i'm heading,men! You know, yeah?"
"I sabi am. "Jaji nodded his head in the positive.
"Sabi what? Wha' you mean, "sabi? " You got the description, right?Cool men. I'm cool. C'mon, let's hit the road,nigga! "
 Jaji,sure he had sat comfortably, fired away..
" Jeez! It's so dusty here in Nigeria! In America,no dust men." The passenger bellowed from behind him. "I hate the dryness here,men, dammit!"
Americana, Jaji thought. So no dust in America?
"Oga,na harmattan we dey for here o, we still get other seasons."
"Crap, mehn, dammit! Cos it's harmattan we should literally be breathing dust? Hell no,mehn."
Jaji went silent. He concentrated on manoeuvring past a truck now.
" In America where I come from, yeah? The roads are good, life there's good,men. I just hate this mother f*ing country. If not for business, I wouldn't bring my arse her,men! "
Jaji thought again, " Na you sabi o. Mek you reach Summit mek you nack me my money o, Americana."
They rode for a few more minutes and finally arrived at Summit road. "Oga, oya o. Come down. We don reach."
 "O yeah? Tha' was pretty quick, you know. So what's the
fare like,men?" Americana was already off the okada, fingering his breast pocket.
"Na 200 naira, sir."
He slowly put his hand away and asked slowly" I mean, how much brou' me here."
"I no put put yam for mouth talk o, Oga. Na 200 naira."
"You can't be serious! "
" Hmm, I over serious o. Abeg, Oga, sofri pay me my money o."
"You wanna rip me cos I'm new in your country, yeah?Is that it? You all are just bunches of fools! Mean niggas. You don' know me, ama show you what a nigga like me can do!"  he
thundered.
"This na Americana Wonder o! " Jaji threw his head and gave a hearty laugh. The sound seemed to attract another okada rider who stopped to find out what was going on.
" See me see this Americana o -"
"Ha ha, Emeka, na you?" interjected the okada man as he drew closer.
Americana's eyes popped as he seemed to recognise him.
"No mind am o" The okada rider said to Jaji, "Na format be dis nah. Oya, Emeka, before I open my eye give dis man im money and mek you vamoose. If not, I go begin enter you here! Now now. "
 Quickly Americana dipped his hand into his breast pocket, didn't even realise it was a 500 naira note he got hold of and shoved it into Jaji's palm. He scurried away like a frightened rat,mingling into the crowd.
" Na 419 o. My neighbour for Ebonyi state before EFCC arrest am last two years. This one na new format o. Kai, Emmy no go ever change."
"Na wa o. Xmas don really reach ground. Everybody dey hustle." Jaji shook his head unbelievably.
"Oya Roger me from dat 5H now." he said, winking at him.
"You sef wan 419 me, abi?" jaji laughed, splitting the money. He gave him a hundred naira note.
"Correct guy! " He took it from him and went his way.
 Jaji smiled with the thoughts of the Americana far from his mind this time around.
 Awilo.
The name reverberated in his head as he rode on. The smile got broader.
Awilo.
 He thought of  her again and stepped harder on the accelerator.
..to be continued.
 Written by Osarhieme.

*You likey?  Let me get to hear from you,my dear readers. Honestly i've missed you guys silly. I'm sorry for the long break. I'm sure we can still do this, right?
 Kisses.