Having been born and bred in the serene and calm environment of the east, I swore I would never have anything to do with the city of Lagos; the traffic and chaos that obtain…but here I am, lying on my bed, awake, juggling between writing my thoughts and the workload I have cut out for me tomorrow at the office!
How did I get myself in this in the first place? Yeah I remember, six months of staying at home and the high unemployment rate made it all the harder to pass the job offer. I am here now and deadlocked into the madness of waking up by 5a.m daily, to join thousands of other robots driving to work, and arriving home by 8p.m. I do not quite know about job satisfaction but I know about putting food on the table and meeting my needs so I am not complaining. And one of those needs is being in a healthy and stable relationship which in Lagos seems confusing to me.
How does one go about meeting a sane single guy with ample time to spare? And if one does find the guy, how does one keep the fire in the relationship burning bright enough when you only get to see in the darkness of the nights and dawns? How does one keep the fingers of desperate older unmarried women off the guy? As a damsel (my opinion :D), I was quite used to being the center of attention when I walked out every morning and there was always this hope that prince charming was, through all odds, painstakingly riding his horse towards me.
Having been in Lagos for over a month, I am beginning to wonder if he missed his way or perhaps was waylaid by some armed desperate women or hoodlums. How come I do not even go out on Saturdays and Sundays but spend the weekends washing clothes, sleeping and preparing for yet another week? How come washing the car and cooking have become luxuries?
Too many questions to ask and yet no one seems to have the answers: why are the majority of working ladies not married? Why does the only form of happiness depend on lavish spending to acquire material things? Why is there a frozen and wrinkled frown on everyone’s face? Why can’t people see the stars in the sky and not the bumpers in front of them while driving? Why is there a market thriving enough for one to comfortably purchase cooking utensils, a settee and a standing fan in a traffic jam?! Oh the questions I have for Lagos!
I look forward to the day prince charming finally finds me; I look forward to our first date. I look forward to a Friday night not spent sprawled on my bed. Most especially, I look forward to the day I will finally leave Lagos for good. Till that day comes, I will adapt to survive by finding the answers to all my questions. Should I conquer, I will live another day to tell my stories. Permit me now to close my eyes for a little while before 5a.m.
Sweet dreams.
Written by @ijayXL
www.ijayslaw.com
