You know how public transporters can be very rude; no matter how hard you try to be nice to them they just find a way to make you very angry. How would you feel when they get punished? I met one who met his waterloo. Come on this journey with me. I had already had a long day and 8:45 PM was proof that the day was still young for a typical Lagosian but me.
I wanted to have a shower and call it a day; I alighted at Obalende and unceremoniously searched for my next bus which was to take me to Yaba. I found one that was almost full and searching for one more passenger, so I sat in it. Sitting close to your typical island girl I turned to mutter some greetings but it fell on deaf ears so I went on to observe my surrounding.
Just behind me, a young rough-looking guy kept on cursing and promising to deal with someone when he got to a particular bus stop. I got interested so I intensified my observation I soon realized every other person supported him and kept on gearing him up. The driver finally got to my side and asked for his money, he told him he did not have change and went on insulting me. I wasn’t ready to exchange words so I snatched my money from him and searched through my bag for the worst looking 200 naira note I could find. Eureka!! I stretched it to towards him and turned to the young guy now insulting the driver for being rude to me. In all of this, I was silent, and then the journey began.
The young man kept up his threats in fluent Yoruba and Pidgin-English when I realized he was actually talking to the driver, the driver also sent back his insults packed with curses. When the young man had his full he picked his small Nokia phone and began to make calls. His first call was to instruct a woman to find a particular man at his bus stop and hand over the phone to him. This time the driver also kept up his insults and curses in Yoruba, I was enjoying all of this.
The woman soon called back and the young man ordered the man to mobilize boys to the bus stop he would alight at, I noticed the driver stopped talking at this point. The young man went on to order the man to get planks and knives as he wanted them to deal with the driver of the bus he was in. He ended the call and politely asked the driver to prepare to meet his match. How cool right? The lady seated beside me soon felt pity and began to beg the unrepentant young man, while she was at it I seemingly told the driver to enjoy his beating as he was very rude and needed to learn how to treat people with some kindness. The driver turned towards me close to tears and asked why I was fueling his problem; he even asked why I wasn’t begging on his behalf.
Emi Ika I thought, I turned towards the window and minded my business. Surprisingly nobody was willing to beg on his behalf as he had been rude to everyone on the bus prior to my arrival. The young man’s phone rang again and he kept on assuring his agitating boys of a sure gang beating. The driver began to slow down in his speed and started begging people to beg on his behalf. He seemed to notice that the young man supported everything I said and turned to me to beg me calling me Aunty, madam and even started using respectful phases to address me. I had my full already so I turned to the young man and pleaded with him, the young man politely told me we would still have to deal with him. I told him not to beat him but deal with him in other ways.
To this, he picked his phone and told the boys they would be paid for the night by the driver. The driver soon began to announce the fact that he had two wives to feed and kids to cater for. I saved him from a beating but he still would have to pay for being so rude. I alighted at my bus stop and looked back to wave at the driver telling him to be good at all times.
AMY ERICK
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