"Ahhh." I sighed. Life in Naija just keeps getting harder. Especially with our newly sworn president, mid this 2023. Nowadays, even to eat is a problem. It had been two days now, the only thing I'd been eating, was bread and water.
Ahh, how I wish one fateful day, I'd be on my own, just minding my own business, then I'd suddenly witness some area boys trying to rob some beautiful girl. I'd then beat them, and save the girl. Then, later, I'd come to learn that the girl is the only child of one billionaire.
Then the girl would say, I'm the only one she loves, and I'm the only one she'd marry. Ahhhh, everything would just change, my life would undergo a stellar transformation.
"Michael, you've entered your daydreaming mode again abi?" It was then that my boss's voice broke me from my sweet delusions.
"Ah, oga, it's not daydreaming oh." I replied. "It's my future I'm imagining."
"That one concerns only you. Oya, come and change engine oil for this car." My boss gestured to the luxury car that just drove into our garage.
Yes, you heard right. I work in a garage.
I who studied mechanical engineering in the university, who was supposed to be working in some factory, or some big company, but the reverse was the case, I work ina garage instead.
It was.when I was nine years old, that an unfortunate accident led to me being taken to an orphanage home here in Lagos. I finished the remainder of my primary school, and my entire secondary school there. It was when I was sixteen, that I moved out, and went to the university. Ahh, I hustled during my university years. . But I still endured, until I finished my engineering course.
It was last year only at the end of last year, that I finished my university at twenty-one years old. Ever since that time, I'd been looking for a job, but hadn't been able to find one. Even a house where I could spend the night, I didn't posses. It was what led me to this garage.
And this boss of mine, was the unscrupulous kind. If I were to describe him in layman terms, I would say; His stinginess knows no bounds.
But that aside, this is my current life. Everyday after work, my stingy boss would give me two thousand naira. He said and I quote; " You sleep in the garage, so you have to pay rent for that." See wahala ooh.
Anyway, I stood up, and went to meet the car that just pulled over. The girl who owned the car had already stepped out.
I only took one glance at her, 'Omo, this girl fine ooh.' I silently thought. But I had had to admit that she was very beautiful. She didn't look any older than I was. In fact, it felt like she was my age. 'Ahh, all this rich man children, would just be carrying big cars around.' I thought as I examined the GLE she has just stepped away from.
"Madam, good afternoon." I said with a small smile.
"Afternoon." she smiled back. "I needed an oil change, and I'm in a hurry, so I'm hoping you could do it with haste. I have already talked with your boss about it when I passed by this place, about fifteen minutes ago." she said.
Assuming I couldn't speak fluent english now, this girl would have turned me off with the grammar she spoke, and in the accent in which she said it.
"Ah, don't worry madam, I will do it sharp sharp." So I started to work, and by the twentieth minute, I was already done.
"Wow, so fast?" I could tell with the expression on her face, that she was surprised I had finished that early.
"Madam, that's how we do things here." I laughed.
"Okay, let me give you some bonus." she said as she began to open her purse.
"Ah, madam thank you ooh." I started to thank her.
My eyes were fixed at her, or more specifically, at her purse. I watched as she counted ten thousand naira, and handed it over to me. I collected the money with haste.
Then she smiled, and said; "Hope I see you next time I come here."
That was when my face suddenly changed.
"What do you mean by 'you hope you see me next time'?" I frowned.
"What happened?" she look me in surprise.
"Did someone tell you I want to spend my entire life here? you hope to see me here next time, which kind of bad prayer is that?" Not gonna lie, what she said tapped at my wounds.
"Okay, I'm sorry if what I said sounded bad to you." she said. "But that is no reason to be angry with me."
Her accent sounded like all those Nigerian children who grew up abroad, most likely in the UK, or more specifically, london. Which made me wonder, what even brought her to this shitty garage in the first place? Or perhaps, she truly was in a hurry like she said.
"Just don't say that kind nonsense of again." I said.
"Michael, what is happening there? Is it a customer you are talking to like that?!" I heard my boss's furious voice. "I will send you away from this place now."
"There would no need for that sir, I was just leaving." The girl quickly said, ashe hastily entered her car, and drove off.
The moment she left, my boss left what he was doing, and came to meet me.. "I have warned not to be speaking to customers like that, but it is like you have a thick skull abi?"
I didn't answer.
"How much she give you, sef?" he asked again.
"It is ten thousand naira." I replied.
"Oya, bring it" he stretched his hand, demanding for the money.
"Aa, oga, what do you mean I should bring it? Didn't she pay you for the oil change? This one is a bonus that she gave me." I put the money in my pocket.
"Is this not my garage? The bonus is for the garage, it is not for you." He said.
"Ah, oga, I am not going to give you this money ooh." It seemed like there was something wrong with this man's head. How would I just take the entire ten thousand naira and give him?
"You won't give me? Oya, pack your things, and my leave my garage, I don't want to see you in this place again." He started to push me.
"Oga..." I wanted to talk, but he refused to hear me out.
"I said leave! I don't want to see you again!" he pushed me hard this time.
The last push just got me angry, I pushed him back. By this time people were coming to meet us to determine what was happening.
"Chike, Michael, what is happening like this?" A woman sold soft drinks opposite our garage cross the road and came.
My boss didn't say anything, he just continued shouting, that I should leave his garage. So I agreed, but as I started to make my way to the small room I had been spending my nights, he suddenly held my shirt.
"Where are you going?!" he shouted.
I removed his hand from my shirt. "What?" I glared. "I should not carry my bag again?"
I entered the room, carried my small bag, and my remaining clothes, then went back outside.
"Michael, Chike doesn't want to tell us what is happening, and you too, you are just going to go like that?" A man who was called Baba sodiq in the area, asked.
"Baba sodiq, he is not going to tell you, he knows it is his fault, so why would we tell you?" After that, I just walked away, leaving all of them standing there.
To be honest, I have been looking for another place to work for some time. And I had even seen one restaurant that was doing a vacancy, maybe I should try my luck there.
But as I was now like this, I didn't even have a place where I would stay for the night. As I thought about that, something suddenly talked in my head, and another thing appeared before my eyes.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Sign–in system. Would you like to activate the system?]
As I looked at the letters floating before my vision, only one thing came to mind.
"Omo... which kind of jazz is this?"
##########
A/N: Like it was written in the synopsis, don't take this too seriously. it's written for fun only. I saw another novel quite with this setting, made by my fellow country man, but it didn't quite sit right with me.
Especially with the dialogues that sounded way too cringe for Nigerians to actually say. So In my humble opinion, here's how people in Nigeria actually talk. If you like it, let me know.