Another splash of water woke me up from my slumber. I had slept beside Obi - the young man that allowed me to sleep beside him on his carton.

"What the hell!!!" I screamed to see him standing right in front of me holding a bucket of water.

Is it a doctrine here to to use water in waking someone up?

"Well Mr sleepy head, it is 7:00am already, this place is not your father's house and it is time to vacate the bridge and look for something to do rather than sleeping" he replied while he dropped the bucket to bring out a dry - gin sachet from his back pocket that reads - Chelsea

"Take this, use it to wash your mouth and stay around while I look for money" he said stretching that horrible thing at me.

"Am very sure this doesn't look like a toothbrush or paste" I shrugged but he scoffed.

"Well this is better, you should be happy you have something to brush your teeth" he said and threw the sachet to me before urging me to get up for him to pack our sleeping carton and bucket to an unknown place.

Then I realized that we are both of the same height. Except that he has a thicker and darker skin. A deep scar ran across his shoulder which is very obvious since the only cloth he has been wearing is an armless Chelsea Polo and a short black jeans.

He must really like Chelsea

6fts tall, but he has a broader chest like someone who visit the gym constantly.

Speaking about clothes, I realized that I also have nothing to wear except the clothes I had wore from my house when my mom and I embarked on this journey.

Oh My Mom.

I curled back to the floor to begin another round of tears, they kept coming as the images of my mom being shot kept replaying in my brain.

"What are you doing?" I looked up to see Obi in front of me holding a face towel which he used to clean his slippers but he stopped when he noticed the tears from my eyes " what is wrong?" He asked and sat down beside me where I narrated all my ordeal to him but instead he smiled.

"Get over it soon before it takes you too" he said in a reassuring voice.

"It is not that easy, I've known her all my live. She has always been there for me after my dad died. She is the best mother I could ever have" I sniffed but he scoffed

"At least you can call her a mother and she loved you before she died, my own worse, i never knew my dad and my own mother hated me but she never ceased to show it. She was a prostitute and I was obviously disturbing her profession" he stopped to chuckle before he frowned. "when I was twelve, she couldn't bear it again and from Port Harcourt, she came to Lagos to drop me on the road and left without me"

"Are you kidding me?" I asked as I used the back of my hand to wipe my tears.

"I wish I was"

"That's so heartless of an human being talk less of a mother"

"Our people say there is nothing new under this sun so you see, I've accepted mine as fate. Everybody here also have their own story to tell but no one writes it on his or her head, we all have to shoulder our pain and move on. So my advice to you is that the sooner you get over it, the longer you live" he stood up and dust his butts "man must chop, am going out to work now. I gast to hustle" he announced like an engineer going to his site.

"Do you even have a CV?" I chuckled amidst tears

"Well I don't need a CV"

"How are you going to work"

"Big fussy is a driver and his conductor is not feeling to fine so I get to replace him" he said with a wink.

"Cool but what do I get to do"

"Anything but don't think of stealing or joining a gang, I'll be back at night" he said and turned to leave.

"Please don't leave like, let me get your contact" I said trying to find my phone in my pocket which appears not to be there.

"They don Fab am abi?" He asked in a more convinced way.

"It was in my pocket.. I was with me....before....I. before ...I.  I can't even remember" I said in a more confused way. Everything was confusing but one thing I was very sure of was the fact that it was with me before I ran out of the car.

I was thinking of calling my neighbors and family members from my mum side so I can at least find a better place to sleep rather than this slump.

"My guy, take heart. That one na welcome party" he said tapping my shoulders before leaving me in my confused state.

Going back to Ibadan doesn't seem like an option. Although I never liked the idea of coming to Lagos but How on Earth would I face my friends and even bimpe after announcing to them all about my departure?

How would I go back in this state?

What would they say about me?

"No no I can't go head to Ibadan" I shook my head..

"Oh God, if only I had my phone, if only some bastards hasn't stolen my phone, at least I'll call my mum sister at ogun state and stay with her, but if only I had always accepted to follow my mum whenever she's going out, at least I'll know some places beside Ibadan. How on Earth would I live in this godforsaken place now? Why is my life so fucked up like this? Are they following me from my father's side ni?"

A cardboard plastered on one of the pillars of the bridge caught my attention. It reads ' no man land '

This can't be the end. This can't be it. I'll make sure to stand straight and keep my head high. I'll make it and go through all this. I won't give up, No I won't let them see the end of me... Last last I go make am. Last last I go succeed.

I stood and glanced round my environment. It was a flyover of which location is unknown to me. The under looked almost empty and I guess most of the occupants have gone to hustle just like Obi. I looked at my back to see two hausa cobblers arguing, probably about which direction to go because of the way they stretched their hands to both north and south.

Not to be judgemental but I've always hated cobblers because I think they are always to dirty, rash and local for my liking but who cares now.

They are now my co - neigbours and even senior tenants

So what should I do?

What if I become a bus conductor?

That is not an option coz I know I'll be dead before we get to the nearest junction.

I stared back at the hausas who have finally decided to go west.

Or should I become a cobbler too?

No, I don't have the equipment or training

Why don't I just follow them and probably help them to carry their baskets of equipment, since we are neighbors, they should give me a tip

Stop this stupid, you won't last one mile walk.

I curled back down to the concrete floor, the flyover looks pretty nice and I hope it won't fall one day, hawkers already started their day when pangs of hunger hit me.

The worms in my stomach began their daily hymn, I stood up in pain and wonder what today would have been like if not for those theives. I would have settled comfortably in a home and probably be calling bimpe now but......

Well I've got to live like this? This is my own Lagos.

The sound of distant sirens caught my attention. that should be be police?

"Run run run, police dey come -police is coming" a man under the bridge announced and immediately everybody scattered even the hawkers selling to people picked up their wares and ran away, everybody including the passersby seems to be running here and there well except me.

I sat down comfortably waiting for the policemen, maybe I could speak to them and probably get my phone or contact someone.

The chaos was still going on and some people even stopped by to tell me to run but I remain adamant.

"Police is our friend and we should not run away from them" I thought aloud

"Hey you" I saw a police man from afar and I knew he was talking to me, almost every body was gone.

I stood smiling to approach the police man when I felt someone drag me by the hand and running, I couldn't stop because he was running so fast that I had no time to withdraw my hand from his full grip.

His hands clenched my wrist aggressively as we ran in a zig - zag manner therefore avoiding gunshots

James bond movies has always trilled me but I never knew I'll feature in one at my young age.

Running past the bridge and roads, we ran till we entered into the heart of a small bush where we stopped to catch our breath.

If only i had put all of these strength and efforts when I ran for my school during the 200 meters race, I'm sure I'd have taken the first position and brought honor to my school.

"What was that for? Why would you take me away from-" a strong fist hit my head and that was all I could remember before everywhere went blank and black.

I saw myself drowning into an ocean of no water.

Then the door was shut.

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