The Journey Home

Begrudgingly, I got up from bed. I wasn't prepared to travel, even at four hours to leave, yet I had to gather my senses and then grab a flashlight to begin packing.

Who packs for travel at 2 AM? The unexcited guy about travel. It's always such a daunting challenge to prepare and then spend hours in uncomfortable transit and then have a change of environment.

"Damn. It isn't even charged." I said to myself and returned the flashlight. Only my phone's flashlight could do the job, so I sighed and turned it on, knowing that I was further going to drain the little battery I had left.

"Three shirts and two pairs of jean trousers should do for two weeks." I had to travel light. And then I picked a pair of dress shoes and a pair of sneakers. Just for the necessary occasions during the festive season.

There's no place I'd travel to without faithful gadgets—my phone accessories and PC. I put them all with clothes in two bags, just because the bigger one isn't as strong anymore. All that took me less than 30 minutes to decide on.

Finally, after a couple of hours of preparation and some chores to keep the room intact, I was set to leave at 6 a.m. It was still dark, but I got out regardless, only to find that I was the only soul around.

"Why are you people over here, unlike people in Lagos?" I wondered in frustration about how seemingly nonchalantly people did their things around here. I could leave at 5 AM in Lagos and get transport to certain places because there'd be a couple hundred people ready for business at that time, especially commuters.

I went back for thirty minutes and returned to still have to wait long to get a motorcycle to the park. There weren't vehicles for my destination around yet, so I thought to break the journey and travel to a nearby state to board the final vehicle home. Warri is definitely way busier than where I stay in Rivers State, so it felt like a plan.

The bus to Lagos, my destination, finally came around. Considering that it would cost more to break the journey like I was going to, I quickly switched vehicles and picked a spot far from the engine—it gets hot around there—yet adjacent to a window for direct contact with the wind.

Funds for travel showed up late, and the day before was an unlucky day to make withdrawals, so I took the opportunity that the bus wasn't loaded up to make the withdrawal to pay the fare and eat breakfast. Again, I had to search wide and far to find places for both. I couldn't get any angrier.

It was a big risk to eat out, especially in these times when I have had episodes of excruciating belly aches, but I surely wouldn't travel for 12 hours with an empty belly. I had to be very picky with the food I ate. I didn't want to be the guy who would stop the vehicle intermittently to do number two.

Upon return, I started to realise just how the journey would turn out when I found out that the driver was going to fill the spaces around the passenger seats with luggage in a manner that would be very inconvenient for everyone. Yet again, dear reader, sardine type of travel. And what would ensue in such occurrences is the aggravation of certain passengers owing to their discomfort.

Most commercial drivers, like the one I was with, never consider the comfort of their passengers or the fact that it's a paid ride and not a lift offered. And then they just respond rudely. Thankfully for me, I managed to find my space fairly convenient.

After three hours of drama between the driver, the park managers, and the passengers, we finally took off. Jeez. So much for moving early to avoid travelling at night. There was no circumventing this, so I rested my case and handed it to my maker—the one that brought me thus far.

Hold up. After travelling for a while, it happened that our driver forgot something. So we had to restart the damn journey. Damn it.

Rather than watch a myriad of films or binge-watch a TV show, I chose to read a book instead. How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere by Larry King had been around at home for as long as I can remember, so I took it to Rivers State in hopes of reading it someday. I chose today to be that day.

I had been awake since 2 a.m., so I kept jumping in and out of sleep mode as I read through the pages of the book. At this point in my writing, I had just finished with chapter two. So far, so good. I've learned solid things, like "To be interesting, be interested." Something from Dale Carnegie, with reference to How to Win Friends and Influence People. I grinned when I found this part.

Before I continue, would you be so kind as to remind me to take along my nose mask, sunshades, and tissues the next time I'll go on such long trips? You can imagine the dust I've had to try to evade, the amount of disturbingly bright sunlight in my eyes, and the mess I have from oily foods.

With Pretty Little Fears by 6lack in my ears, I think I'll jump back in the book for a while before I fall asleep yet again. I should really ensure that I rest well before long travels.

A few hours later

Phew! That was quite a chapter. It was lengthy, yet very insightful. I had quite a laugh in some parts, particularly the last sentence, and I had deep enlightenment.

One takeaway from that chapter is that most celebrities really want to be talked with as normal people, and it can be disastrous to be intimidated by fame in conversations. Another is that, just as one shouldn't be a monologuist in conversations, neither should they be an interrogator.

Moving on. There's just about two hours left until I get home. We made a stop, finally. And I got to let my butt breathe oxygen yet again and also stretch my frozen legs. Now, to think that I would have to go through all this again in two weeks is daunting, but it appears that I am getting the hang of it—or maybe not, because I still don't like to travel.

Anyway. Let's see what this film, Shutter Island, is really about. Some friends have brought it up in some conversations, and I think I'd like to be in the know next time. I'll need to keep an eye out for my stop so I don't start cussing at the realisation that I may have passed it. That'll cost me more money.

A few moments later

Shoot! I just found that I have to be conservative with my phone's battery. There's only 7% left. I thought I had some juice in my power bank, but the darn thing's faulty—it doesn't hold much charge anymore. So, peace out for now. I wouldn't want to be stranded in case of an emergency. Ultra power-saving mode ON.

A couple of hours later

I am now home, safe and sound. Thankfully, I didn't need my phone for anything serious for the rest of the journey, and it was all smooth.

Sitting here in front of my monitor with my keyboard paired with my PC, I feel very glad to be at home. Not for that alone, though. I am most excited to see my family, the smiles they had on their faces, and the big hugs I received. I had missed them way more than I realised.