I try to be in tune with my ancestors-who were in tune with nature, by looking at the sky, like they would have, to predict the weather. The sky, blue, scudding with light clouds, seem to hold promise of a hot day. I later learned that a clear blue sky in Lagos can betray you, and your ancestors. Of all the times to start raining, it was when I was almost at my bus stop the rain started. If I didn’t know any better I would have said it was stalking me, waiting for me to come out since I had been indoors for about two weeks. The rain started pelting the bus, its windshield, sliding down its window, hitting the ground and coming up in splashes, people were running for shelter, feet splashing water; I saw a girl with a tray of groundnut on her head holding it with her two hands, running, I wondered if the groundnut would taste different after the rained soaked it. I looked at them in their rush to avoid getting wet; the blue sky had fooled everyone.
I alighted at my bus stop, and ran into a filling station I saw close by. Under the forecourt were others taking shelter from the rain. There were four fuel attendants standing by each pump. One of the attendant looked at us like we were a nuisance; may be if she could help it she would have told us not to come under the forecourt and go somewhere else. May be she blamed us more and the rain less for not yet meeting her quota for the day. I imagined if she were in our shoes, it could have been her running under the rain looking for cover. Here I was, disappointed by the rain, I had actually stepped in a puddle of water and anytime I moved my feet, my sneakers squelched water; my body was dripping wet, and what struck me the most was the look on the attendant. A sport utility vehicle drove into the fuel station, and the attendant with the mean look waved and waved her hand to draw the attention of the driver but the car went towards another fuel pump. She looked at us again, eyeing us; eyes saying “make this rain do finish make una commot for here, una just de make person de lose customers.
The rain subsided and I stepped out from under the forecourt. And I took a left turn unto Commercial Avenue. At the beginning of the street were yellow buses parked. A conductor, with unbuttoned shirt, ebony stomach was screaming the destinations of the buses.There were puddles on different parts of the street. Despite the wetness, the street was busy; It definitely was a Commercial Avenue: People were lined on either side of the road. There were people selling stuff in trays, wheelbarrows, kiosks and buckets; others buying the merchandise, others walking past me and other just sitting or standing outside enjoying watching people or the scene. The last group, immobile, stared at passersby like virtual people stepping out of a television screen, an invasive, almost daring look, as if to question your realness. One staring at me, got an equally rude look were I squeezed my nose looking at him like filth. I kept turning back to see if he would come and punch me.
This clustered street, with plastic bags and container, littered Stagnant slimy green water in the gutter, which was filled and channeling unto the road. Foul stench. The brown roofs on old houses with paints peeling, and windows that had torn mosquito nets and missing louvers surrounded by fences with broken bottles in them. I looked around. This did not seem like a place a cinema would be located. I looked at my phone again. I knew it; wrong street. I made my way back, retracing my steps like someone who lost a key. I was back at the junction with the Filling Station to my right. I walked straight, crossing the intersection unto the other side, this time checking my phone constantly to be sure. Now, I didn’t need the map anymore I could see the billboard of the Ozone cinema. It was the street directly opposite the one I was just coming from. This street was well spaced and clean with tall corporate buildings behind well structured and painted fences and occasionally flowers, and trees. I had won the movie ticket which I had in my pockets, by answering some questions about history on the radio. I won a movie ticket to watch the Crazy Rich Asians.
The movie was interesting. It was one of those romance movies, which after watching you wish you were a billionaire in love. I and Sheler had been fighting for a while now. Threw her phone at me....

Full Story: https://akukom.com/a-walk-in-lagos/

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