'Is there a secret in the family?' he shook his head, denying it when he remembered the ordinary building made of what could be considered basic in this world— cement, zinc and metal.
Cement for the walls, Zinc as roof and the metal for doors.
'What could be extraordinary in such an ordinary place?' he laughed at his imaginations turning around to another destination.
Above in the sky the sun tirelessly working cast down unbearable rays on the humans.
With his handkerchief Jidenna wiped away the dripping sweat, cursing inwardly.
He squinted at the workers who were busy moving out the properties from his room and the enthusiastic neighbors who helped out.
Jidenna's brow twitched in irritation as he watched another child almost trip over carrying his mini basket of hair and skin care products worth tens of thousands.
Jidenna walked forward before pausing barely stopping himself from storming over.
His shoulders slumped in defeat, 'they are just too enthusiastic' for a moment Jidenna wondered if their help was a kind of shield, covering a deeper intention, 'do my neighbors want me gone so bad?' but when he glimpsed the wide smiles that looked so genuine. He shook his head dismissing his thoughts.
A dark plump woman walked up to him joking, "Jidenna! You want to leave us?"
She was his neighbor living on the 3rd floor.
"No Ma" he replied smiling sheepishly honestly Jidenna did not know how else to reply to her words.
As though seeing his embarrassment she concluded, "Have a safe journey, okay?" Moving to her friend's shop to have another chat
'No amount of books can prepare me for some conversations' he gave a wry smile before shifting his thoughts.
After talking with his mother he changed plans.
There were only two days left till he leaves for school. Instead of spending those two days in a hotel lazing about, he would spend them with his parents.
At the request of his parents.
Originally he planned for his properties to remain in the building until his parents come for them but since he would be traveling to the village to see them, it would be better if he takes his properties along with him to the village.
He had already contacted the landlord. Jidenna pursed his lips remembering the hassle he went through to get back his balance.
As it is done here, the Original owner had paid for the rent of this apartment for 1 full year but it was only late August.
Even though it was troublesome he was able to snatch back his balance from the grumbling man.
That balance was what he had used to pay the moving company, the company will help him transport his properties safely from Lagos back to his village.
'With that out of the way, I'm ready to go home' his lips curved into a smile at the thought of home.
A while after the men were done packing, Jidenna got into the shotgun seat and slammed the door, waving and thanking the acquaintances who helped him pack as the van took off. Without their help it would have taken much longer.
'I have to say I'm surprised, people I didn't know abandoned the other things they could have been doing to help me pack.'
Because of their actions, for the first time Jidenna felt a warmth in his heart, the unconscious walls he had built around himself began to crumble.
Watching the receding building, the house he had woken up in confused, disoriented and almost died grew smaller until it faded away from his sight Jidenna felt like he was about to enter into a new phase of his life.
Removing his sight, he hid the complicated feeling he had Jidenna felt a bit reluctant to part from the house. It bore too much significance to him but he had to.
Not long after, the van parked at a filling station to Jidenna's bafflement.
The driver had grumbled something about "needing fuel" which left him doubting the initial "reliable" judgment he plastered to them.
Unfortunately, there was a line of cars already waiting to fill, Jidenna impatiently fiddled with his airpods when the pictures and grave words on the TV caught his attention.
On the television was a middle aged man dressed in a formal solemn attire, Jidenna felt the man looked straight at him from the television in a grieving tone but the authority behind it was unmistakable.
"We have experienced a great loss as the people Lagos" he gave a pause, giving everyone time to drink in his words before continuing, "Around midnight just earlier this week a sudden and catastrophic event resulted in a significant damage to the area around…" the governor called out the affected area including where Jidenna lived before.
Jidenna sat up from the seat hearing the familiar name.
"… two-story building, causing loss of life and injury to several individuals.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those affected. We understand the severity of the situation and are committed to supporting those in need.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation, and we are working tirelessly to determine the circumstances surrounding this tragedy. We urge everyone to remain calm and to rely on official channels for accurate information.
We will provide updates as more information becomes available. For now, we ask that you join us in mourning the lives lost and offering support to those affected.
At the end of the governor's speech images of damaged buildings with a black ribbon were placed on the screen.
In shock Jidenna jumped up, banging his head on the roof of the van and almost falling to the floor but even the pain did little to distract the shocked Jidenna.
"That building" he pointed to the still displayed image stammering, his fingers
shaking, his dark eyes wide with disbelief.
That building was familiar, he knew it, in fact both him and the original owner had been in that building.