It had gotten dark when my aunt finally showed up to fetch me. In fact, I was already half asleep when she called that she was around.

After hugging me and asking how my journey went, she thanked the young lady who had helped me profusely. I promised to call Gloria- that was the lady’s name- the next day.

On the ride home in my aunt’s car, thankfully, no more danfo for me that day, she told me that I should have been more careful.

“This is Lagos, there are very many people here whose work is to steal, nothing else. Like you, people flock into Lagos daily, and not all of them have a place to stay. Some come solely to steal from others. And you know the hustle and bustle, the crowd, the rush, makes it very easy to pick people’s pockets. So you have to be very careful in Lagos, otherwise, you won’t last long here”

I pondered on her words as we inched through the notorious Lagos traffic. In essence, the average Lagosian had to be watchful and vigilant at all times; otherwise, ‘sharper’ people would take advantage of him.

Na wa oh. It sounded like a lot of stress, especially to me who had grown up in a friendly town where everybody sort of looked out for one another. Well, it looked like I’d have to adjust somehow.

We finally pulled up into her street and I was shocked by the number of cars lined up on both sides of the street. It was an eyesore. After several maneuvers, she finally managed to squeeze the car into a very tiny space that wasn’t even big enough for a fat person to stand in. but by some miracle, she fit the car in.

As I stepped out of the car, I was almost deafened by roars that seemed to be coming from a million generators. There was noise and black fumes permeating the air and the black night was filled with disturbances.

The compound itself was not as cluttered as the street outside, but it was obvious that many families lived in it. For one, the building was three stories tall, and I guessed there were two or three apartments on each floor.

We got into the apartment and she sent me off to the room I’d be staying and the adjoining bathroom to wash the grime and dust off my body. I didn’t need to be told twice. I enjoyed my bath thoroughly and lay down on the soft, smooth bed with crisp sheets to rest my aching body.

I didn’t know when I drifted off into sleep.