I was excited when Adeshina, my best friend told me about his grandpa's burial happening in Badagry town.
It was barely three months after we graduated from secondary school, and I was looking forward to spending some time away from home but whenever I brought up the discussion about traveling, my mom would always kick against it and even tease about being too young to go on trips myself.
Before then, I have never traveled outside Lagos without my mom, and going to Badagry felt like an answered prayer by God because if it didn't involve someone who had a close relationship with us, mom would never allow me to go on that trip.
It wasn't like mom wouldn't attend the event, but she wasn't coming until the day of the ceremony while I was going two days before with my friend and his family.
I packed my things a night before the trip and was really happy to finally spend time away from home all by myself.
I went to bed thinking about everything I intended to do in Badagry and had numerous short dreams about the trip. One of my dreams had to do with me not going on the trip because I woke up late. Going back to sleep after the nightmare was just impossible because I didn't want to miss the trip.
I was to join the Adeshina family at home by 8 a.m., so I started preparing as early as 5 a.m.
"I think we should just go together on Saturday," my mom said to me immediately she woke up, and my mood was ruined instantly.
I didn't even know what response to give and just sat on the old couch in the living room. She sat there with me, and I felt like crying because it was becoming abnormal for me.
"Why wouldn't she want me to leave her premises?" I thought about it, and my eyes eventually gave way to tears.
"You always find it difficult to cope when you are not home, and I don't want you to feel lonely there." Mom tried comforting me.
"But I was fine when we went to Ibadan for camp," I muttered.
"That's because we were there," Mom replied.
"That's not home and I coped. I am just tired of being at home everyday after graduation," I replied, and mom just sighed heavily.
"Go and get dressed," Mom replied and I felt like she was going to miss me.
I hugged her and just rushed to the bathroom immediately. While bathing, I thought about what she said and smiled.
"Mom thinks I am still a kid at 14," I muttered, but that wasn't the case because a year before my final year in secondary school, I wrote an exam somewhere in Ogun State, and mom only took me there once while I went there alone for a whole month.
On my way to Adeshina's house, my heart leapt with joy, and I couldn't wait to be on the road. Upon arriving there, they weren't ready, and I had to wait for over an hour.
We finally left their house, and the adventure started in my head even before we left Lagos. I and Adeshina started gisting in the vehicle, and his dad told us stories about his teenage days in Badagry.
We stopped at different spots to get some things on the road, and the trip eventually became tiring after 3 hours.
"Are we close, sir?" I asked Adeshina's dad.
"We should be there in an hour, but we still make a stopover to pick up some souvenirs," he replied.
For the rest of the trip, I couldn't chat anymore and wished we had arrived in Badagry town already.
We finally arrived there after over an hour, and somehow, nothing felt special about the trip anymore. I greeted everyone at Adeshina's grandfather's residence as we walked in and they responded to me like a stranger, which didn't make me feel any good.
I informed my mom that we had gotten there, and she emphasized staying safe in Badagry town before ending the call.
Adeshina's took me to the male grandchildren's room, and the place was filled to the brim because of the burial ceremony. I tried blending in with the boys there, but that wouldn't happen as the introvert in me kicked in.
My friend tried cheering me up immediately he noticed my mood swing, he took me everywhere he went but that didn't change anything. As night came, the feeling grew worse, and I wished I had listened to my mom.
There was so much noise in the building, and it was my first time sharing a room with about eight people. I found it really difficult to sleep and had to sleep in a mosque inside Grandpa's compound that was jam-packed with family members as well.
That night was horrible, and I missed home so much that I would have traded a year of my life to return home that night.
The next day was nothing to write home about because even Adeshina didn't have my time as he got too busy running errands. I couldn't have a decent meal and had to spend my pocket money on junks plus more family members arrived and everywhere became filled up.
As I sat in the crowded room, the noise and unfamiliar faces made me feel like an outsider.
I thought back to mom's words when she said the reason I could cope at the camp always was because my family was there. I missed my family at moment and realized that their presence would have made anywhere feel like home.
Although we spoke on the phone from time to time, but it wasn't like having them around, and I couldn't tell mom how I was feeling there.
I was looking forward to my mom's arrival on Saturday morning, and immediately after she informed me that she had arrived at the venue, my mood changed. I rushed to welcome her and was stuck hugging her for over a minute.
She knew I was emotional but didn't know why until I narrated everything that happened. I finally had a reason to be happy, and I quickly freshened up to prepare for the party as well.
As I left Adeshina's grandpa's residence, I carried my bag and told my friend's parents that I would be returning with my mom, which was contrary to the former plan, which was to return 3 days after the burial. Adeshina wasn't happy about me leaving earlier and his efforts to make mes stay was futile.
They teased me about being mom's pet, but that was okay with me. Immediately after the event, we returned to Lagos, and I felt happy reuniting with my siblings. They wanted to hear stories about Badagry town, but I had nothing to share.
Understanding that my family is really my home helped me mentally prepare for another event I had to travel for when I was 18, and it was a lot better than the trip to Badagry town.
