His smile made her feel at home till he began to speak a language unknown to her. Vernacular, was it? She had seen a lot of people speak it on her Instagram reels but could she comprehend it? No!
"Wetin you wan do for here?" He asked and Angel turned to Marie for help.
Unfortunately, Marie was just as confused as she was. Then almost immediately she heard someone speak up for her, "She bin look like 100lvl… e be like say na clearance she wan do," the divine helper said on her behalf.
She looked up and her eyes fell on a tall light skinned young man. He was dressed in corporate wear and had rings on all his fingers. His hair was also a well-kept buzz cut.
Her eyes softened in appreciation at him and he flashed a friendly at her. Her cheeks immediately turned red.
The owner of the shop nodded, "You can't understand pidgin young lady?" He asked and she nodded.
He smiled at her and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "I'm sorry," he apologized.
Marie took it from her, "We are here to have her passport taken and will be most grateful if it can be taken care of as soon as possible" she said in a single breath.
The man smiled as he motioned to one of his boys to bring a red cloth and his camera. The boy immediately obeyed and appeared with a red cloth and his boss's camera.
The red cloth was arranged on some nails in front of the shop, "Stand in front," he said as he spat on the ground.
Angel sighed and did as she was told.
Click! Click!! Click!!!
The camera took her pictures and the man stared at it in satisfaction. He eyed Chioma for a while before shifting his gaze to Angel.
He smacked his lips twice before finally asking, "When do you need the pictures".
Angel smiled, "Can we get it later today?" she asked politely.
He nodded and all three ladies left. It was after they had gone the man realized that he hadn't asked for their details.
"They'll be back soon," he said and continued with his work.
Chioma kept complaining about the condition of the stall. About how the man was speaking in a vulgar manner–
She kept ranting till they got to Nadia's Bakery. Angel didn't mind her, that was her mother anyway.
She kept herself busy by listening to Taylor Swift's latest album '1989'. It was trending on Spotify so she decided to check it out.
"We are here," Chioma announced as she parked the car in the parking lot.
Marie flashed a smile at Angel who smiled back. "Let's go, baby girl".
Chioma claimed their reservation and ordered the meals. Since they weren't used to Nigerian cuisine, she got Yorkshire Pudding for them which is a continental dish.
"Eat up babies," she said immediately as the food was served to their table. "I have a runway by noon and I can't be late. Chop chop".
Sooner than later they were all done. "Mom, I think I'll go back to get my passport," Angel said as she placed her dishes on top of each other.
Marie had instilled in her proper etiquette from a very young age. "I will follow your mom so she doesn't get distracted by the Nigerian sites," she said as she looked at Angel with concerned eyes, "Are you sure you won't come along with us," she asked.
Angel smiled, "I'll be fine Marie. There's no cause for alarm. I'm almost sixteen and if you're worried about how I'll get home do keep in mind that I can order a Bolt back home," she argued.
Chioma tapped Marie on the shoulder and leaned towards her. She whispered, "Let's have some faith in our little girl. She can take care of herself. Do you think she can't order a ride by herself,"
"I'm not comfortable with the Bolt ride. I feel she can use the Uber rides," she argued.
Chioma giggled. Angel watched as they conversed about her. She was happy her mom was standing up for her.
Maybe, it was because she's originally from Nigeria. That's why she's not as worried as she should be.
Then Marie asked, "What about Sir Makoto? If he hears about this will he be happy?" She asked in sheer concern.
Chioma winced her face before smiling at Angel, "How's he going to know if nobody tells him," she said as Angel sighed.
This was her mother's wild side. The side that her father presumptuously fell in love with. The crazy side. The pure Nigerian side.
Marie knew that she had lost this battle. She sighed and patted Angel's head lovingly, "If you're in any situation that feels weird. Just know that you're a call away from safety," she said as Chioma ordered an Uber.
The two older women left and Angel waved at them. She had made up her mind to visit three places in Uniben before she went home.
But foremost, she had to make sure that she got her passports. In her mother's words she went, 'How are they gonna know if nobody tells them', she grinned sheepishly and crossed the bridge inviting her to the alluring sights of Uniben.
She took a deep breath and walked to the shop where she had done her passports. The man recognized her. "They're ready," he said and handed her a little white envelope.
She bowed her head, "Thank you very much, Sir," she said in appreciation. Outside the shop, she took a look at one of the pictures in the envelope.
She stifled her laughter. She looked so weird. She wondered if everyone's passport looked as weird as hers. It was as if when they had taken the shot she had been forced to eat a spoonful of broccoli porridge.
It was hilarious–
She smiled and continued walking down the sidewalk. The statues took half of her attention, she didn't notice when she had gotten to the end and reached a bend.
In front of her stood the Great Auditorium. She smiled and pulled out her phone. She took tons of pictures and passersby thought she was a tourist.
If only they knew she was a student like some of them. She crossed the road and walked to the gate and saw it was locked.
What a disappointment.
This meant she had to keep her sightseeing here till a later date. Well, she could still go to the auditorium.
She checked her phone for the time. 12:42 pm.
She still had time. Her next stop was going to be the famed basement.
A girl passed and she tapped her shoulder, "Please do you know how I can get to the basement," she asked.
The girl smiled at her and directed her with a calm tone.
Angel nodded when she understood and was soon on her way to the basement.
Her Airpods were still playing bangers so she just 'vibed' to the beats all the way there.
Soon she arrived and her jaw dropped. The building was huge. Very very huge. She ran into the driveway and almost got hit by a car. But, she was fine.
She apologized to the driver who was raining curses on her but she was too excited to hear the word he was saying.
Finally, she stood on the elevated stairs and felt proud. She was going to be– she was already a bona fide student of Uniben.
And she was in the basement.