I've been walking

    through a world

        gone blind.

-

TJ sighed as his father sorted out their luggage at the baggage claim. The bustling noise and passengers in a haste held a cryptic message yet, he didn't care to find out why.

Murtala Mohammed airport was located in Ikeja, the central of the ever bustling city of Lagos. If Lagos were to be compared to a state in the united states, it would be New York city.

But that didn't make TJ feel at home, all that went through his mind was the reality of leaving the comfort of New York city to live in Nigeria. Unbelievably Nigeria!

Words couldn't explain all he felt at the moment. All he wanted to do was turn back to the pilot and order him to fly him back to New York City or better still, teleport there.

Last few weeks at NYC were unforgettable Nightmares to him. Saying goodbye to the guys and trying to get Ruby understand that, he was returning back to NYC after a year. Yet, all she did was walk out on him, that was, after spilling her cherry vodka on his shirt.

Every incident that followed suit were all out of his control. The plan to win homecoming King, of course with Ruby, which broke Ruby's heart, get himself a new wheel after working at Cool Bean... they all came crumbling down.

He felt the urge to punch something, anything to ease off the heaviness encumbering his heart. All that he planned for years came crumbling down, just to complete his high school in Nigeria. He couldn't even imagine himself having a life in Nigeria.

Well it was already too late.

He felt hands on his shoulder and turned, only to be met with his father's overexcited grin.

Tasie for a man in his late forties was quite fit and healthy. Tall with dark chocolate skin, lively dark eyes with the perfect set of dentals a man would want to own.

TJ rolled his eyes.

"Come on bud, cheer up! You are in your father Land Naija!" Tasie looked around, taking in their surrounding environment. "I can't believe a lot has changed in just a few years." 

He exclaimed, leading his son to a man smiling with open hands.

"Tasie! Tasie onye ego! The man." The smiling man hollered, bringing Tasie in for a bear hug when they met up with him.

TJ just stood, watching the old men exchange pleasantries, face in a staunch scowl.

All he wanted to do was speedup time. If he was to spend a year in the bright and sun scorching Nigeria, he better start it now.

"Good day." He greeted the bulky man who towered over him and his father when he finally noticed his presence.

The bulky man sent a cryptic stare to Tasie who cleared his throat.

"This is Africa TJ, you address an elder like one." He chastised.

TJ fought the urge to roll his eyes, but thought otherwise.

"Good day sir." He said instead, bowing slightly, a sick polite smile on his face.

The bulky man laughed immediately like nothing happened, grabbing his poor head to give it a squeeze.

"My boy. You have grown so well." Still laughing, he turned to Tasie.

"Tasie you remember when he was still crawling and how he played ball with Elo. Nna, rate umundia ji zi eto these days."

"Nna gwa gi nwannem. Lenu umu no n'ata aja yesterday." Tasie replied, while  both men cracked up again.

TJ walked awkwardly along with them, while they made jokes he couldn't understand, but was sure were about him.

They reached the bulky man's car, Who TJ found out was named Jide and a lanky man immediately came out of it, prostrating in greeting immediately he saw them.

"Eze ego, I need to run back to the office. Eze here will drive you back to my house. My wife is around, the kids too. Feel at home. Ama bata soon." Said Jide, giving Tasie one last side hug and TJ, a squeeze on the head before walking away to another vehicle.

Eze took their luggage, kept them in the safety of the car's trunk before opening the car's door for them.

"That man Dad, is he the one I'll be staying with?" TJ asked after they'd settled in and had hit the busy roads.

"Yeah, he has kids your age. They are actually twins. You'll like them."

TJ scoffed. Kids his age? Like he needed playmates.

Tasie noticed his son's expression. "Look bud, Jide is like a brother to me, which makes him your uncle or more, a Father figure. We go way back to highschool and University. I thought we've had this discussion before." Tasie felt uncomfortable.

He wanted his son to have the best experience as an African child. His son was deprived of having a normal African childhood as a kid, due to situations he couldn't handle, now he got the perfect opportunity, he wasn't going to let it go to waste.

But TJ's reaction wasn't what he anticipated, he expected a bucket load of teen drama and rebellion, but not such cold attitude. TJ hasn't stared him in the face and neither has he engaged in a normal conversation with him ever since he dropped the bomb of returning to Nigeria.

"Dad I... You don't just expect me to really chill in a strange country with a hyperactive guardian and kids I know nothing about..." He quipped, a brow up. "I don't even know how kids in school act and how they'll treat me. And this is senior year Dad, senior year! Who gets to be the new kid senior year? I swear I'm gonna be that kid in a strange country."

"Come on. Nigeria is not strange at all, it's got everything a black child dreams of. It's your home. Where your roots lie."

TJ snorted. "Dad my home is NYC not this-" he looked out the window, to a bustling Lagos city, captivated but couldn't give in yet. "Place."

"You'll like it here trust me. Naija is fun and this is Lagos. You will never get tired TJ.  Hey look," his gaze was directed outside the window.  "This is where I met your mum." Tasie said, excitement and pain lurking his voice.

TJ looked out, staring at the old but strong Lagos bridge, with it's hustling habitants. Everyone seemed to be working nonstop, diligently and content.

"You miss her don't you?" TJ asked in a soft voice, still facing the bridge.

"Yeah."

His mom of Nigerian decent too had died of leukemia five years ago. She was of the past, both men had mourned her, moved on, but she was still in their hearts. TJ still remembered the story of how his parents met on the infamous Lagos bridge. It was a hilarious story, one that brought a smile to his lips.

He felt his lips twitch and saw his father smile too. Both reminiscing -- till something, someone caught his attention.

He felt his heart thud in his chest, like it were making it's way to his stomach.

The tiny figure climbed on the rails of the bridge, no one paid her any attention.

God no! Were people that ignorant here? he thought.

He wasn't about to watch someone die on his face day, in a strange ass country. Suddenly, he watched the girl turn, a can of coke in her hand.



So strange.

She stretched out her hand, fingers showing a peace sign, before a camera light flashed.

Holy Lord! Teenage girls take everything as a Joke these days.

He sighed out in relief.

"You Okay?" Tasie, who was blabbing about his homeland and all that asked.

"No biggie. I just... I don't know Dad, I feel unnerved." He voiced, rubbing his head, trying to even his breathing. He was overreacting and he knew it.

"Son, you're going to do just fine, trust me." Tasie assured, patting his back.

TJ sighed again. If doing just fine was almost having a cardiac arrest by watching teen girls strike dangerous poses just for a selfie, then he was as well as damned.

--

Glossary.

"Tasie onye ego" Tasie the wealthy/affluenced...

"Nna rate umundia ji zi eto these days" The fast rate these kids grow these days.

" nna agwa gi nwannem. Lenu umu no n'ata aja yesterday." Am telling you. Kids that eat sand are now grown.

"Eze Ego" King of money

"Ama bata soon" i'll be back soon.