If I could board that same bus whenever I had to return from the city of Port Harcourt, I would gladly do that. I took my luggage from the kind gentleman who sat beside me and as I made to go, he pulled me back.
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“Ahnahn fine girl. You're going like that?” I raised a brow at him knowing very well that he wanted us to keep in touch. I didn't blame him, it had been an amazing time together after all.
I boarded the bus from Port Harcourt City to Uyo at about 8 am the morning. I didn't like early morning journeys because I felt they would be more boring and less eventful than the usual traveling experience but I had no choice. My older sister's family whom I had gone to visit at Port Harcourt had left for Abuja that early morning so I had to leave too.
I was fully equipped with a bowl of hot rice packed up in a disposable plate with a bottle of chilled soft drink.
The bus was designed to carry 13 people but since only 8 boarded, the driver decided to move without waiting for complete passengers.
There were 3 people seated in front of me in the middle row and 2 in the front row while one man sat next to the driver.
There was also a young man seated next to me who had his head buried in Chimamanda Adichie’s ‘The Yellow Sun’.
Immediately the driver kicked off the engine, the middle-aged man seated just in front of me began to say rapid prayers aloud, covering the journey in the blood of Jesus and destroying blood-sucking demons on the road. We all chorused “Amen” when he was done and I decided to dig into my plate of rice which had now become warm.
The minute I opened my plate of food, almost everyone began craning their necks to see where that nice aroma was coming in from. I instantly felt like hiding under one of the chairs so I wouldn't be caught but everyone who turned saw my cheeks bulging.
It wasn't my first time eating on a bus but I felt really embarrassed because of the reactions from other passengers on the bus.
Just behind the driver, a large woman was seated with her child. The baby had been sleeping when she first boarded the bus with him so people hardly knew there was a child in the bus but the minute he woke up, he was all we could listen to.
The child began wailing almost uncontrollably, causing his large-sized mother to start searching her numerous hand luggage for stuff. As he wailed, he was climbing his mother's body, trying to put his hands in her mouth and eyes and at the same time, hitting his weight against her.
I wondered what my sister would have done if any of her children embarrassed her like that in public.
Eventually, the woman found the nylon of buns she was looking for and handed it to him. The wailing stopped momentarily.
By this time I was done with my plate of food so I took out my bottle of soft drink and the next thing I heard was, “Mummy I want Fanta”. The large woman turned around to look at who had planted such a seed in her son's mind. When our eyes collided, I could read anger in hers.
This child began to wail again, hitting himself on his mother's body while repeating the words “I want Fanta!” at the top of his voice. I had to return my drink to my hand luggage because I was feeling too guilty to continue drinking it.
The young man seated beside me chuckled.
“After causing commotion you're now retreating eh?”
I didn't expect him to speak to me so I was quite taken aback but eventually, I just offered him a smile. He went back to his book and I was about to pick up my phone to read ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’ by JK Rowling when I suddenly heard something that made me bite my lower lip in order to prevent myself from bursting into hysterical laughter.
It was the middle-aged man in front of me.
“My brother this thing you're doing is bad. Woman, you're not married to, you're touching her and her body is touching you? It's bad!’
The other 2 people seated next to him were a couple, the lady had her head on the guy's shoulder the entire time and when she transferred her head to his lap, the man couldn't simply ignore it.
The lady in question didn't say a word.
“Please sir, kindly mind your business” the young man replied. There was an edge to his voice.
“This love that you're doing, will it take you people to heaven? You think Jesus is happy with you?...”
The young man didn't allow him to complete whatever he had to say, “Mr man, I'm warning you like the gentleman that I am, if you talk to me again, I will throw you out of this vehicle!”
Then an argument laced with “Do you know who I am?” And “Who are you?” erupted between the 2 men.
The guy beside me and I bent our heads and nearly laughed our stomachs out.
That was the most eventful journey I ever had. I wasn't a fan of traveling by bus, especially during long distances, I preferred doing so by boat. But this day I realized I would have been bored traveling around the world without that particular set of people.
I flashed a smile at the young man who was asking for my contact and told him I would give it to him when next we sat together on a bus, then picked up my luggage and walked away.
Bad girl. So, you left without giving that gentleman your contact. I feel so sorry for him. Maybe he had thought if asking you all along the journey and possibly he doesn't have enough liver to ask.
Travelling in a public bus could be fun. I can imagine the love story and the rude interruption of the Holier than thou man.
And for that baby crying for fanta, he just exhibited long-throat. If I were you, I would continue drinking and if the mother stare at me with a bad look, I'd give it back to her wella.
Hahaha... You are very funny 😂😂
I wanted to do it ooo but fear of God no gree me 🤣🤣
Lol... Or maybe he thought the peacher man will come for his head 😆😆😆
It was really fun 😊😊
Fear of God kwa?
Anyways, sometimes we need to know to allow punches fly over us.
The trip was really entertaining and I can see why you would want to continue such a trip around the world. Nothing like pure drama to keep you entertained 😁
All that drama made the trip interesting my darling. It was just perfect 😆😆😆
Hahaha 😆 the trip was indeed an eventful one. If I was there, I would have enjoyed it more. But wait, why would you return your soft drink? I won't oo. It's none of my business that the child is crying na. And also, that man, why couldn't he mind his business? What was his own with those people? That was so funny actually 🤣 😂 but I know you had so much fun on the bus.
At times, it's best to have dramatic passengers when traveling long distance. There was a time I travelled long distance, there was this couple that kept on laughing every now and then. Even when 90 percent of the passengers were sleeping, they were awake and you could hear their giggles. At times, it can be annoying, at times it could be fun.
You wrote the story beautifully that I could literally picture it. I liked it💕
So many incredible things can happen in the random encounter that occurs on public transportation! This is a fun story, full of anecdotes!
Many occurrences happen when a group of people with their different personalities meet in a space. Buses are a generator of funny and intense social situations.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Good day.