The Chronicles of My Daily Commute: Ep. 1

Welcome to the very first episode of this series!

Of course, I am a 9-5er that has to commute to and from my workplace. Every day, mostly mornings, I encounter and see different things—from the keke riders to the bike riders, to the fellow passengers and passersby. Some of these encounters make me laugh, some make me pissed, and some make me speechless—yes, you read that right—speechless. 

My creative writing side thought to put my encounters (or rants, so to speak) into stories that will engage you, make you laugh, or even teach you something. I’ll do my best in these episodes as they come, so stay tuned! Once again, welcome!

I always wonder how time flies every day. I hear many people say, “24 hours is not enough,” and though I don’t completely agree, it really does feel true sometimes.

It’s Tuesday, and after peacefully enjoying a public holiday on Monday, it was time to return to the world of my 9-5. Luckily, I woke up with a good feeling today—no struggle to wake up, which is always a win!

I thought, “I should be able to leave the house by 7 am and get to work by 7:40 am at most.” So, I managed to leave the house by 7:05 am—not too bad, right?

The Commute

I got to my junction to take keke 1 of 3—yes, you read that right. One of three! I was happy to get a keke quickly, and in no time, it was filled, and we set out to Williams Garage. 

But of course, the keke rider stopped at a petrol station just a few meters from where he picked me up. These are the issues. It’s something you just have to get used to in this part of the world. I thought to myself, “Keep calm, Juliana. There’s still time. We left at 7:05, remember?”

But this stop wasted my time and affected my goal of getting to work by 7:40.

I don't remember the exact time we got to Williams Garage, but I immediately scurried across the road to get keke 2 of 3. For the first time in a long while, there were no kekes at the bus stop—just one that was already filled. I had to wait for another to come by.

When one finally arrived, I quickly jumped in before it got rushed and filled up. I asked a fellow passenger, “What’s the time?” She answered, “7:27.” So once more, I reassured myself, “There’s still time!”

By 7:35 am, I reached junction 3 of 3. Instead of taking keke 3 of 3, I decided to carpool and wait for any senior colleague that might give me a ride to work. Suddenly, an old okada rider beckoned to me. It’s common for okada riders to ask where you’re going, but this encounter was different.

The way he beckoned wasn’t the usual. He didn’t ask me where I was going; instead, he told me he was coming back to carry me, as if we’d already made an arrangement!

I looked at him in disbelief, shook my head, and continued looking out for any car going my way. But a few moments later, he showed up in front of me again and said, “Oya je ka lo.”

I immediately told him, “But I didn’t call you.” He responded that he knew, but I should pay 150. 150? How desperate! I told him, “You don’t even know where I’m going, or you wouldn’t have said 150.”

Then he asked where I was going. When I told him, he said I should pay 300, which was the usual fare. Now he was making sense. I replied, “But Baba, I didn’t call you.” He acknowledged this and said I could pay 200.

At that moment, I quickly did some mental calculations and thought, “For this situation of persuasion (which was not from my end), 200 naira seems fair.” So, I decided to hop onto his old bike, and we began our journey.

The Ride: Slow and Steady

This wasn’t one of those bikes that races like Usain Bolt. I immediately understood why he was so persistent and willing to accept a low fare. I realized that things were different for this old man compared to the rest of the okada riders. People would usually choose others over him, but he made up for it by offering lower prices.

I got to work by 7:49 am—9 minutes late, but still fair.

The manner in which he cajoled me, the words exchanged, and how I eventually gave in were definitely today’s highlights.

I hope to write more episodes like this soon. Thanks for reading!