The Arrival
FLIGHT
The nutty, smoky yet refreshing scent of coffee fills Morayo’s olfactory lobes. She pauses and sucks in the delightful aroma. She wonders if she just loves the smell of coffee or she is basking in the euphoria of what she called a new beginning. She is beginning to like this change as she is immersed in the spellbinding ambience around her, the serenity and calm around her was so soothing.
There are a couple of shops spread across the long-carpeted hall. She can faintly see the end of the hall. She always thought brown was a warm colour and this place was all shades of brown- tawny chairs, cedar walls, hickory carpet, mocha fixtures, walnut doors, chocolate lounge chairs, all in perfect symphony with the smell of coffee. There are people sitting in different sides of the hall, some working their phones playfully with their fingers, others flipping pages of magazine and books. She doesn’t see many uniformed officials prowling around with an intimidating gaze.
Memories
Many hours back, she was running around Muritala Mohammed Airport in a frenzy.
As they made their way through the crowded airport, a skreiching loud voice caught their attention.
“I will not give you a dime, you blinking and capulating idiot, beast of no gender, nkita! A middle-aged woman who was sitting on the floor with a huge bowl of peppered snails edged between her laps shouted with a mouthful of snails.
“Choke on it and miss your flight while you are it” a rotund uniformed custom official guffawed and watched her chew hurriedly.
“You think it is your pittance that will make me rich? I can delay you here until you miss your flight” he threatened angrily as he squinted and the skin on his fleshy forehead formed horizontal lines.
The snail woman was sweating profusely and her face was laced with beads of sweat all through and some rolled down her neck. She tucked the edges of her wavy wig behind her ears and wiped her face with a damp handkerchief.
“You don’t know who you are dealing with! The only thing that can make you keeo me here is this bowl of snails, once it is finished, so are you!” She countered while still chewing voraciously with her mouth open.
“My sisters, come and have some” she beckoned on Morayo and her mum
“These are farm grown snails that I promised to buy for my nephew but this thief is asking me for N30,000 to carry it. Biko, how much did I buy the snails. I begged him to take five thousand naira but he refused. Is money that easy to come by?” she swallowed and picked another snail.
“Eh yah! Thank you, my sister. We cannot join you, my daughter is almost late for her flight”
“Hey, congratulations my dear” she said cheerily
“I am almost late too but God forbid that I don’t finish this thing fast. I put a lot of habanero pepper so the spiciness is slowing me down” blinking intermittently, she curves her lips into a circle, pushing it out to suck some air in to douse the heat in her mouth. She wipes the clear water that is trickling down her nostrils.
“Madam, you will soon start crying because you missed your flight. Stay here and keep wasting your time over frivolous discussions with this uncouth woman” he barks at Morayo’s mum.
“Your wife and children at home are uncouth!” the woman screams, eyes lighting up with fury.
Morayo’s mum tries to mediate Morayo pulled her mum by the wrist, mumbles a few words to apologize and they start walking away. Her mother slyly evaded custom officials who wanted to check her bag for contrabands by claiming their bags are not complete and she would let the check once they have the complete luggage.
“Mummy, let them check. I have nothing to hide” Morayo chides
“Didn’t you see that other woman? You think they are interested in what you are carrying, once they start with you, they will make sure they find something and they will delay you until you pay a huge sum, what do you know?” Her mother retorts in a snarky tone and sucks her teeth. She kept walking briskly and didn’t bother to look back she they talked. She knew her mother was right about this because she parted ways with her mum who kept sobbing and praying till she had to hug her and remind her that she is neither going to war nor to a death sentence. She had to deal with the remaining uniformed officers herself. She ended up giving the officers at the boarding gate all the naira she intended to keep as a memento as they insisted on getting a “going away” celebration present. She wondered if there was a need to celebrate and why she had to be coerced into celebrating with them with her own resources. Her mother hustled her way into an unoccupied counter which was crowded with people to weigh her bags. When the confirmed the weight of her 2 bags, it was in excess of 23kg and her mum made her wear at least 5kg of clothing, layered one after the other and sealed with what she now realised is a raincoat, she has seen people wearing the real winter jacket. She knows she looks like a clown with all the layered clothing.
New Beginnings
She snapped out pf her musing and decided to keep looking forward while admiring the tranquility that enveloped her like a shield. She was guided through the airport with helpful signposts and arrows. She got cleared by CBSA and was directed to register for a social insurance number. She walked into the room and saw a few other people waiting in line. She joins the line and she feels the need to pinch herself. She opts for the option to go with the flow.
A petite lady with a freshly cut short spiky hair across the registration room smiles warmly at her.
“Next please”
She approaches the lady forcing a smile even though she is exhausted because she knows it will be rude not to smile back. Moreso, she doesn’t like to smile when she is not amused.
She provides all requested document and in about five minutes she had a social insurance number.
“Welcome to Canada, goodluck to you” the petite lady smiled and handed her a thick handbook. Morayo could not help grinning from ear to ear as she reached towards the slim lady’s fingers and well manicured nails to get her welcome pack. She felt a rush of mixed emotions, she was joyful to be starting over in a new country but she was also worried that it will be too much of a change but she decided to cling unto hope that she will find her way. She said her thanks and moved away from the counter.
She would have been blushing if not for the generous dose of melanin she is endowed with. As she dragged her box behind her and made her way out of the airport, the memories of the life she left behind loomed over her relentlessly like a shadow. The uncertainty that lay ahead of her shrouded her in a way that made her shoulders droop. Morayo looks around her and wonders if there are people like her around. She sees a black couple moving briskly, she cannot tell if they are Nigeria because they are not speaking. She decides against approaching them because she is not sure if the woman would like the idea of a strange lady approaching them. Morayo keeps her document in her backpack. Her sister had advised her to ditch the handbags because her hands belonged in her pocket in winter. Looking her social insurance slip, she forgets all her thoughts.
“This is really happening!” she starts walking towards the ARRIVAL signpost as she drags the huge box that contains everything she owns at the present day. She walks out of the airport and into her future pregnant with hope.
