Lagos is not a real place (PT 2) - by Love, Jay!❤️

By the third day, Amara had learned three things about Lagos.One: people were always in a hurry.Two: nobody seemed to have enough change.Three: electricity was apparently a visitor.She discovered the third one at 7:13 p.m.The entire house went dark. Amara froze.She was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to unpack the last of her clothes.“What’s happening?”Her cousin didn’t look up.“NEPA.”“NEPA did what?”“Light went.”Amara waited.“So they’ll bring it back?”Her cousin laughed.Amara frowned.“What’s funny?”“Nothing.”She turned on her phone’s flashlight.“So when are they bringing it?”Her cousin shrugged.“Maybe later.”“Later tonight?”“Maybe.”“Maybe when?”“I don’t know.”Amara stared at her.“So you people just sit in darkness?”“Sometimes.”“Sometimes?”“Welcome to Lagos.”Amara sighed.That sentence was beginning to irritate her.The next morning, she woke up because someone was banging on the door.Bang! Bang! Bang!“Who is that?”“Water!”Amara sat up.“Water?”“Yes!”She looked at her cousin.“Who is shouting?”“Go and open the door.”“Why?”“Because she brought water.”Amara opened the door. A woman stood outside with a bucket.“Madam, your water.”Amara looked at the bucket.Then at the woman. Then back at the bucket.“You brought water?”The woman frowned.“Yes.”“But we have a tap.”The woman stared at her. Her cousin appeared behind her.“Don’t mind her. She’s new.”The woman nodded like that explained everything.“Tell her to learn quickly.”Then she walked away. Amara closed the door.“Why did she say that?”Her cousin laughed.“You’ll understand.”“I don’t think I will.”“You will.”By the end of the week, Amara understood.She understood that water could disappear. She understood that light could disappear. She understood that your phone battery could become your biggest enemy. She understood that a generator could suddenly become the most beautiful sound in the world. And she understood that Lagos people had a strange relationship with money.One afternoon, she went to buy bread.“How much is bread?”“One thousand two hundred.”Amara almost dropped her money.“One thousand two hundred?”“Yes.”“For bread?”The woman nodded.Amara stared at the bread.It looked completely ordinary. It wasn’t decorated. It wasn’t glowing. It didn’t have gold inside it.“Why is it so expensive?”The woman shrugged.“Na Lagos.”Amara took the bread.She was beginning to suspect that “na Lagos” was the official explanation for everything.On her way back, she stopped at a roadside food stand.The smell of fried chicken filled the air.She swallowed.“How much is this?”“Two thousand.”“For one piece?”“Yes.”She stared at the chicken.Then at the woman.Then at the chicken again.“Madam.”“Hmm?”“Is the chicken also paying rent?”The woman burst out laughing. Even the man beside her laughed.Amara didn’t understand what was funny. She simply walked away.That evening, she called her mother.“How are you, my child?”“I’m fine.”“How is Lagos?”Amara was <a class="tc-blue" href="https://quiet.She" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">quiet.She </a> looked around the room.Her cousin was struggling with a mosquito.The fan wasn’t working because there was no light. Someone downstairs was arguing loudly. A generator was roaring somewhere nearby. And from the next compound, music was playing as if someone was hosting a concert.“Mummy?”“Yes?”“I think Lagos people are not normal.”Her mother laughed.“Why?”“Everything here is stressful.”“You’re just getting used to it.”“No. I don’t think this is something a person gets used to.”“Give it time.”Amara smiled.“Okay.”They talked for a few more minutes.Before they ended the call, her mother said,“Take care of yourself, okay?”“I will.”She hung up.For a moment, the room became quiet.Amara looked at her small Ghana-Must-Go bag in the corner.She had come to Lagos because she wanted something different.A job.A future.A chance.She knew it wouldn’t be easy.She just didn’t know Lagos would make sure she understood that every single day.She smiled to herself.“Fine.”She picked up her phone.“If you want to fight, Lagos…”She shook her head.“I’m ready.”A loud generator started outside.Amara jumped. She stared at the window.Then sighed.“Okay.”She wasn’t ready. Not even close.

Other insights from Love, Jay!❤️

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons