THE INTERNSHIP [DAY 2]
I got out of bed around 3:14a.m.; I had planned to wake up at 10 p.m. last night, but I guess I was exhausted, I slept early. "Can you turn off the light?" My immediate younger sister turned from her bed and asked, "Sorry, I actually want to use it," I responded. My hair was dry and shrunk, as is common for natural hair. I wet my hair with water and added olive oil to soften the texture. I combed my hair and began plaiting it; I didn’t want to pack my hair today, so I decided to twist it. I was halfway there when my mother knocked and instructed me to go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
I checked the time, 4:30 am. I had a lot of things to accomplish before leaving the house, which included plaiting my hair, packing my bag, and even reading some books. I raced to the kitchen to make breakfast, which consumed my time. They started family devotion while I was still in the kitchen, I joined them much later. After devotion, I had to pack my bag and proceed with my hairstyle. My mother and I discussed how much money she ought to give me for transit and living expenses. As for me, I had already considered money for data, airtime, and other indulgences, and the amount she was willing to give me wouldn’t cover it, so I got frustrated and stormed out.
I felt bad for reacting that way, I don’t like disturbing my parents for money; I wish I could be self-independent…, no, I mean independent. Yes…, yesterday, I was assuring my family that I would soon become self-independent. My brother eyed me and remarked, "What is this self-independence you’ve been preaching about?" “It’s not even self-independent” my mother had corrected; “it is independent.” My brother had chuckled and made silly faces at me, “whatever!”
By 6:30 a.m., my mother and youngest sister were ready to leave, No! I hadn’t even taken my bath; they’d leave me at home, which would incur additional transportation costs. It was almost 7 a.m. when I had my bath. I went to the kitchen and dished up a substantial portion of spaghetti. My immediate younger sister had looked at me and said, "But I thought you didn’t like spaghetti." I did not respond since I needed to fill my stomach after missing dinner last night, and I might not get the chance to eat my breakfast at the firm.
In addition, I cooked the spaghetti to my liking; it was red and peppery from the pepper and palm oil I used, neither undercooked nor overcooked and generously adorned with fish plus it was still hot. My father offered me more money for transit, “Mummy should learn kindness from Daddy” I told myself. My mother had given me the whole money in cash; who still carries that much cash at this age I reasoned within myself.
I ran out, determined to enter a straight bike due to time constraints. My brother assisted in carrying my overnight bag to the junction. I was in a hurry and didn’t want to miss getting to court. The bike man did not want to ride the lengthy distance, lazy man! the offer that would benefit both of us, I was willing to pay him extra just to save time. So I chose to take the typical route of about 5 stops.
In the second cab I got into, a little schoolboy got out and offered the cab driver 100 naira. He fired at the young lad, "Did I not say the transport fare is 200 naira?" Helpless, the young boy began taking out his pockets, eventually finding 150 naira in his second trouser pocket. The man extended his hand for the additional hundred naira. I could see the child was bewildered and calculating; it appears he misplaced his money or miscalculated the amount; I don’t blame him because the cost of transit has nearly doubled. The man seized the hundred naira from the youngster, and I saw panic in his eyes.
Just as he was about to go, “Wait!” I shouted. I reached into my crocheted purse, pulled out 100 naira and handed it to the boy. I asked him if it was enough, and he nodded. I wondered if the boy would have trekked to school or if that was his lunch money, but I was glad I could help him and smiled to myself. "These cab drivers can be cruel." I thought to myself, I glanced at the two women seated to my left and presumed they were mothers, they had no sympathy for the poor boy, even if they did not have the money, the least they could have done was to plead with the wicked cab man. I shook my head. How much is 100 naira? Before the cab pulled off, a passenger approached and stated that he was headed to Bus stop, a place around Gate. “Where they kill people? I am not going there,” the cab man remarked and zoomed away. Wait o, I was passing by the bus stop as well.
I looked at the other passengers in the cab, and they were unconcerned; I just hoped I misheard what the driver had just said because if not, I will turn back and go home in this instance. I took a cab from Gate to Roundabout. " Are you not going to roundabout?" I asked the cab driver expecting him to drop me at the filling station opposite us which also served as a garage. I didn’t want to stress myself with crossing the crowded traffic. “Yes, that’s it over there,” he pointed towards the filling station. As I tried to get down, a young man from another keke approached and used his hand to stop me. “Fool, take her to Roundabout now,” he instructed the keke driver, he had been listening to our conversation.
The driver gave a sheepish smile and crossed to the opposite side. So this man could have simply taken me to the roundabout, I thought to myself. He dropped me some distance away from the filling station, I didn’t want to walk back to the filling station, so I stayed there and waved at the next keke that came by. “I’m heading to Mokola,” I told him."Everywhere here is Mokola,” he said. Ah! I informed him of the name of the eatery opposite my destination, and he told me that it has branches in that neighbourhood, and which one was I heading to. I did not want to disclose the exact place I was going.
It suddenly dawned on me that I had no idea where the firm was located; all I knew was that it was close to Mokola. “Or this one doesn’t know where she’s going,” the keke man added, while I felt the prying eyes of his passengers on me. I walked away bewildered, but I knew I wasn’t lost. Another keke hooted for me and asked where I was heading; I didn’t say anything else. I walked up to some bikers and told them where I was going. One of them said he knew where I was going, and when I asked how much it was, he said 500 naira.
“Ah!” I exclaimed Kekes are usually cheaper than bikes; bike men, particularly Yoruba bike men, can be very proud, and I despise it when they abuse me. After acquiring the name of the firm’s location from one of the bike men who seemed reluctant, I took a Keke, arrived at my destination, and pleaded with the driver to collect 200 naira rather than the 300 naira he requested. As I handed him the 200naira, his grip tightened on my fingers and he muttered “Aunty, you are stingy” and chuckled. What is wrong with this man? I asked myself, wriggling my fingers out of his grasp.
Blood of Jesus! I prayed in my mind that whatever evil this man intended to accomplish through this physical touch would not come to fruition, because I had heard about charms and all, and I had not done my devotion yesterday plus I rushed out this morning. The time was 8:05, and I crossed to the other side to enter the law firm with my overnight bag. I was unsure whether to push or pull the front door, and I struggled with it for a few seconds before my co-intern came to my rescue. I greeted her and noticed that the third intern was present today; I’d also seen her at school, and both of them are in 400 level, while I’m in 300 level.
We were instructed to proceed to the library from the reception room. The third intern, I noticed, had been getting up a lot to leave the library. When she returned to the library, "I’m sure this receptionist will be looking at me with one kind of eyes, I am new here and have used the toilet around four times,” she said. I laughed and told her I did the same thing yesterday. I tried to read one of my textbooks. Later, the head of chambers came over and looked for textbooks for us; he apologised for our inability to attend court today.
He handed me a commercial transaction textbook, a course I would be taking at this level and gave my co-interns evidence textbooks. As he left the library, he added, "Read the books I gave you; I’ll return to ask what you’ve read." I continued to work on my phone. The third intern was busy reading the textbook, while I and the other intern were conducting our own work. After a while, the third intern looked at me and asked when I was going to read the textbook, which I said I would do shortly. According to the third intern, in some law offices, duties are assigned, and how successfully you complete them determines how long you will stay in the library.
At this, my other co-intern stopped her work and started reading, funny. I didn’t start reading the textbook right away, not that I didn’t want to leave the library, but I was so engrossed in the softcopy novel I was reading on my phone, but I did after a few minutes. I was about to go back to my phone after reading for a little over an hour when the head of chambers entered. “ Tell us what you read,” he beckoned to me, and I tried not to stutter despite having taken my time reading, but I am not much of an orator; I would rather write down what I have read than say it. I expressed what little I read, leaving out a lot of information; he added and explained certain things I didn’t understand, plus the things I skipped. Others also explained what they read.
I was quite hungry, but I decided to eat when I arrived at my host’s apartment. I had persuaded myself that time was passing too quickly. At 4 p.m., we left the firm. We just sat at the library and read today. We waited for a keke with three empty seats. "Some people are jealous of me," the keke man sang till he dropped us off at the roundabout. The first taxi we priced was 400 naira. My ears perked up; I had calculated my transportation fare at 300 naira; later, we learned they wouldn’t accept anything less, so the cab driver later considered 1000 naira for the three of us.
I was quite hungry and wished we could leave right away, but we were waiting for other passengers to fill the front seats in the Micra. The cab driver told me to come to the front because the last passenger was too tall for the front seat; I was already tired, so I stood up and sat in front; it was the other cab men around who called my attention to my crochet purse which had fallen; I thanked them, and they continued talking and jesting, telling me how important money is in this economy; "The time I misplaced 10,000 naira, I couldn’t get myself," one of the cab men said.
We drove away when the traffic eased. We arrived at our destination, Agbowo; my Cointerns had agreed to pay 350 each, while I paid 300. I was quite exhausted and hungry. I saw fresh-looking mangoes and wanted to buy them, but I remembered I wasn’t in my place and didn’t want to bother anyone. We waved to the third intern who was staying in school. I stopped at a supermarket to grab some supplies for the few days I’ll be staying with my cointern.
I did not see the brand of noodles I wanted ; Mimie noodles, they are budget-friendly and also taste nice. Indomie is for the wealthy, I laughed to myself when I saw the costs, I couldn’t find the cereals I wanted, so I got a small bowl of butter and left. My co-intern was nice to follow me. On the way, I bought sliced bread to spread the butter easier. We moved further into the street. We passed the area where I usually buy kerosene, and after stopping to buy some things, my co-intern and host stopped in front of a building. Her flat was really lovely and clean.
Ehh God, please don’t let me be a burden, I prayed. Remembering how my mother used to tell me how disorganised I could be. I was walking on eggshells, even though my cointern had told me to feel at home. After eating some of my bread, I took a broom and swept up the crumbs because I didn’t want to ruin the neatly swept floor.
My phone rang, I had expected my parents would be at our home fellowship; I had planned to call them later. My father greeted me cordially, and I could hear my mother’s voice in the background and remembered how naughty I was this morning. I greeted them separately, I apologised for my attitude that morning.
