Life is full of surprises, some good, some not so good.
                              — Pablo Escobor

Dora found herself on the same path but under different circumstances.

The happy chatter of her friend from the back seat was mildly irritating.

If she wasn't sitting next to the person who scalded her with his actions then she would have let out a frustrated yell.

The car jerked to a stop as Gerald veered the car into a filling station.

"Just a second!" He told them and slipped out of the car.

The car vibrated as the car door slammed shut, leaving the women in silence.

"Ahh, I can't believe you made me do this." Dora shook her head. "What was the need for him to give us a ride?"

"Duh, because he knows the place."

Dora rolled her eyes. "Oh please, if we had gone by ourselves we would find the place."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't want us to go alone. What if the place is dangerous?" Kemi whispered. "We would need someone to protect us."

"Pfft, stop being dramatic. We have God the ultimate protector so we don't have to worry about that."

"True! But still, God does his works through people; so maybe God sent Gerald to us." Kemi shrugged and grinned.

Dora shook her head in disbelief.

I highly doubt that.

"And besides, I won't let any opportunity pass without seeing two of you together." She sent Dora a wink and smirked.

"Oh please." Dora rolled her eyes, "don't start with that again," she said sternly. "We are not together and we will never be together."

Kemi snorted. "As I told you before, don't tempt fate."

Dora huffed and turned away. They went quiet as Gerald returned to the car.

The car swerved as he turned and headed back to the highway.

Kemi resumed singing the songs that played on the radio.

Dora yet again drained everything out. She pondered on what she would meet when they get to their destination. 

Father Lord, please let everything go well.

Her eyes drifted outside and she noticed that the buildings they passed had the same look. They were exotic and boasted of exquisite maintenance and care.

"Oh my, we are in the center of wealth," Kemi remarked.

"Yeah; this is the Government Residential Area," Gerald said.
"The house we are driving towards belongs to the minister of finance." 

Dora's eyes turned to the house as Gerald slowed down in front of it. Her eyes widened at the splendor it spouted. The bay windows glistened under the blazing sun. The lawns were trimmed to perfect symmetric.

Through the peeps in the silver metal gate, she spied various brands of expensive automobiles. 

"Oh my word!" Kemi gasped. "This is literally a fortress."

"True." Gerald gave a low chuckle.

"I am sure it is the country's money they squandered to construct it." Kemi tsked.

"Hmm, you are probably unto something," Gerald said. "They are using the money meant for infrastructure and for the citizens to build all these mansions for the public officials."

"Yeah, it is really sad!" Kemi's voice went low with gloom. "I hope one day we will get kind-hearted leaders."

"Yeah, I hope so too."

Dora remained silent throughout the conversation. Her eyes stopped on the other majestic houses the car flew passed.  Curiosity welled within her as Gerald mentioned the owners of the mansions.

After a while, the mansions faded behind them and changed to houses that housed middle-class families.

She did a mental comparison between the collection of mansions and the cluster of houses they slowly passed.

Where the lawns of the mansions boasted of trimmed lawns, the regular houses spoke of overgrown grasses in front of the buildings. While the mansions showed off walls that seem to get a new coat of paint every month, the regular box houses they traveled past spoke of peeling yellow paints that had browned from dirt.

Gerald turned the car onto an uneven road ridden with bumps and potholes.

Her eyes wrinkled as she realized where they were heading.

"Oooh, we are heading towards the outskirts of the state! That's nice."

"Yeah, the information I got says she lives in one of the villages on the outskirts," Gerald said and maneuvered the car over a pothole.

"Ahh, interesting!"

Dora's brows furrowed more.

That's weird!

Amara could never stand villages.

Her eyes clouded over as she tried to comprehend the information.

There is probably a mistake in the information.

The car shook and her body jostled as the car stumbled across a bump.

Her gaze traveled back to the layout that stood proudly before them. She eyed the buildings made from mud and covered with thatch roofs. Vegetable patches and sprouting food crops dotted the front yards of the houses. 

She watched as young women and children fetched buckets of water for the wells built around. The men sat under a huge tree laughing, chatting, and sipping on the local wine in wooden cups.

Amara despised the people that lived such a life.

What could have happened?

Unanswered questions flooded her head as they continued their journey. The car slowed down over another pothole and then they approached another village. A village similar to several of the ones they left behind.

Gerald turned the car onto a narrow road and continued for a few minutes before he announced, "There we go, we have arrived." He switched the engine off.

Dora scanned the area and her surprise heightened.

Gerald must have read her mind because he dropped another bomb.
"We have to walk."

"What?" Kemi exclaimed. Dora faced him with surprise shimmering in her eyes.

"Yeah, unfortunately, the road ahead is too steep and the car can't drive on it." He produced an apologetic smile.

"Ooh, okay, that makes sense. Let's go then," Kemi said in an uncertain voice.

Dora wordlessly slipped out of the car and waited for Kemi and Gerald to do the same.

Gerald took his place in front of the women and led them down a footpath.

Their shoes dug into the Sand. Grasses from the side of the path tickled their ankles.

Dora scanned the places and her amazement grew to greater heights.

They passed a dingy church that looked slightly bigger than a matchbox. A schoolhouse stood a few distances away. It was shielded with wooden doors and windows that had some missing panels.

Gerald pulled out his phone as they walked. His eyes skimmed around like they were searching for something.

"In a couple of minutes we will be there," he announced as they reached the end of the path. He instructed them to turn right.

Dora's forehead wrinkled as she tried to comprehend why Amara was in a village.

So lost in thoughts, she didn't notice a protruding root in her way.

"Careful!" Gerald exclaimed in a raised voice. 

She felt a hold on her arm and her body moved as Gerald maneuvered her away from the obstacle.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Gerald nodded and released her.

Kemi faced her with a cheeky grin and winked. Dora scowled in response and continued her trek.

Some minutes later, Gerald's words stopped her in her tracks.

"We have arrived!"

Her heart went into overdrive and pounded against her rib cage. Her eyes traveled ahead. 

What she saw next made her gasp and her eyes bulge open.

                           ★★★★

Cackles mischievously! 😂
I wonder what she saw 🤔

What do you think she saw? Let your imagination run wild.

Anyway, welcome to the month of April. I hope it will be full of good things for you and your family ❤

Our Question of the chapter is: Have you ever visited a village or countryside? Or have you visited something that resembles it? If you have, what was the experience like?

Yes, I have visited a village/countryside a couple of times. And it was a lovely new experience. One thing I enjoyed was that the food was fresher and delicious. And things were quite inexpensive.  So it was easy to buy things to come home 😁

Anyway, don't forget to 👇

Until next time, plan a trip to the countryside. It will be fun 😁