The academic session had just ended, and I was returning home from school. Two hours into the five-hour journey, the bus that I was traveling in started to jerk.
It was not unexpected. I almost didn't board the bus when I arrived at the park. The body is faded and the interior tattered. When the driver turned on the ignition, the exhaust pipe brought out smoke like a chimney. I boarded the bus against all these unpleasant signs.
After jerking for a few minutes, the bus broke down totally. Luckily for us, the bus broke down in a village along the expressway. The driver went inside the village and called for the service of a motor mechanic.
The mechanic came with his tools to fix the car. He went underneath the bus to assess it. He moved from underneath to the gear compartment beside the driver's seat many times. At a point, he asked the driver to turn on the car engine. A very thick smoke came out of the exhaust.
"Oga, this bus can't be fixed today. We need to change many things inside. We will have to tow it to my workshop for further work on it," the mechanic told the driver.
The driver called other passengers and me and refunded a little of our transportation fare to us. Individual was left to find his or her way to his or her destination. I picked up my bag and left the scene.
My stomach was empty. I had yawn repeatedly. I checked my watch, and the time was getting late for me. The road was notoriously known for armed robbery.
"I have to eat before anything else," I told myself.
I walked into a restaurant to eat before continuing the journey. It was a small restaurant with two benches and a table in between to attend to customers. On a higher table were three big food flasks, each carrying rice, beans, and stew, respectively.
I sat down and got served. I descended on the food like a hungry lion.
A few minutes on, an elderly man came inside and sat on the bench opposite mine. He ordered for his food. The man's attention was on me more than the food that he was eating. Each time I looked in his direction, my eyes intersected with his. It got to a point that I wasn't feeling comfortable.
I stood up after finishing my food and reached for my wallet in my pocket. I paid for my food, and as I was heading out of the restaurant, the man called me back.
"Please, are you the son of Adeku, the driver?" The man, after looking at me closely once again, asked me.
My father is Adeku by name, and at the same time he was a driver. However, I wanted more information before responding to him. While contemplating whether or not to answer him in affirmative, he called the other popular name of my father.
"I mean Asajeun."
"Yes, Sir. I am the son of Asajeun."
The man came to me and gave me a warm hug.
"How are you doing? How are your parents doing? You have such a striking resemblance to your father."
"My father is late, and my mom is doing fine." I responded to him.
He bowed his head soberly.
"This is heartbroken. I wish I set my eyes on Asajeun again. He was my mate when we were learning to drive. We worked under the same boss for years before your dad got married and relocated to another town. We lost touch since that time. Where are you going to?"
"I am going to Ekiti."
"The road is bad, and it is getting late. I advise you to stay over at my place and continue your journey tomorrow. It will be the pleasure of my wife to host Adeku Junior," said the man
I insisted on continuing with my journey. I wasn't convinced to trust the man that quick to the point of spending my night at his place.
"Give me your mother's phone number," he requested from me.
Instead of giving him the phone number, I called my mom and gave the man the phone after putting the phone on speaker.
The man introduced himself to my mom. I heard my mom scream from the other side of the phone. They talked for as long as my air time took them.
My mom called back immediately and asked me to spend the night there before continuing my journey the next day.
The reception I got was like that of a visiting king.
"Your father was my childhood friend. I hope you are as kind as your father. He is an epitome of kindness and love," said the man.
The following morning, I was given a huge amount of money by the man for my transportation fare.
The experience I had with the family remains one of the best I ever had while being hosted by someone outside my family members. The man reignited his friendship with my father in his absence. He asks after my mom, siblings, and I always and goes as far as rendering financial assistance to us often.
I remain grateful to the man for showing concern for our well-being.
