I had thought he was a potential suitor until he opened his mouth to talk. “Hello, pretty lady.”
The odor oozing from his mouth could send a sick man to his early grave. “Bro, whatever you do, please don’t move an inch closer to me,” I said, taking two steps back. “Haba fine girl, don’t say that,” he said moving towards me.
“Oga better stop before I scream kidnapper here, don’t you ever brush your teeth? Why is your mouth smelling like soak away, please don’t let me transfer aggression on you?!” I said. “I don’t know if I should answer your question or just make my request?” he asked. “What request?” I asked.
He continued, “my name is Emmanuel, I am a student of the University of Ibadan, I need about one thousand naira to enter the bus back to Ibadan.”
“Eyah sorry, they just suspended me from my place of work, I also don’t have a lot on me, maybe manage this,” I said, extending a two hundred naira note to him.
“Nawa o, so as beautiful as you are, you don’t have one thousand naira to dash out,” he said, laughing sarcastically, “oh, no worry, I said, squeezing the money into my wallet but he grabbed the money from me and ran away.
“God will punish you!” I said, as a bus stopped right in front of me and I entered. “Enter with your change o,” the conductor warned, “auntie are you sure you have change?” he asked.
“Oga what is it now, please move this bus,” a passenger lamented.
The bus started to move, and when we got to a particular junction, the conductor asked for my money, I dipped my hand in my wallet only to find wads of one thousand naira notes that I had withdrawn that morning in it.
“Oh my goodness!” I screamed subtly to avoid unnecessary attention.
“Hope no be say you wan use scam tell me say you no get money to pay, because me I go seize your phone sharp-sharp o,” the impatient conductor responded.