We got to Lagos in the early hours of the morning. The car started after hours of tinkering and fixing and stopped after every few kilometers for the leaking radiator to be filled with water. We used the water meant for the kidnapping operation to cool the car and by the time we got to Berger, the sun had announced it was coming.
Tolu drove and I sat with him in the front, and we had the responsibility of keeping the radiator filled. Maria sat with Eric in the back, and they sat like strangers in a taxi. Eric stared through the window; his face drawn up like the face of a chronic alcoholic. He stopped sobbing about five minutes after he started, but he had kept to himself and had not spoken a word to any of us since then.
Now I looked to the back; Maria had lost the battle to the sleep that had chased after her since the car started moving. She snored quietly, thank God, and her head leaned against the window. I turned my eyes on Tolu; the side of his face was swollen, and cake of blood smeared the front of his shirt.
'Where are you dropping us?' I asked.
'At Eric's place,' he said. 'Our challenge will be the traffic—especially on the Third Mainland Bridge.'
'Maybe you should drop us at Ojota,' I said. 'We will take a taxi from there.'
Tolu shook his head. 'I will take you guys home. Everybody is tired and discouraged…'
'Yeah,' I said.
Tolu turned the car and climbed the Third Mainland Bridge.
'At this rate,' Tolu said, 'we are bound to meet the Road Marshals. If they impound the car, it will be double jeopardy.'
We reached the tail of the traffic jam. Tolu shifted to the right lane, the slow lane, and stopped on the curb. He switched off the ignition.
I searched the dashboard. 'Is the temperature up?'
Tolu nodded. 'Yes; the water please.'
I came out of the car and walked to the back while Tolu walked to the hood. I could hear the remaining water bubbling like a hot spring in the radiator and the smell of burned water flowed in the air. I unhooked the boot and carried the last bag of pure water to the front. Tolu squatted in front of the car, hitting the dented part with his fist, trying to straighten it.
I leaned the bag of water to the side of the bumper.
'Want me to help?' I asked.
'No,' Tolu said. 'Just seeing what I can do. It's a panel beater's work.' He stood. 'The bumper has to be sprayed or my uncle will notice it.'
I nodded and looked at the traffic. More cars had joined the flow, each moving at a turtle's pace. I looked behind; Eric sat the way he had sat hours ago, but Maria's eyes were sealed in sleep.
'Do you have enough fuel to take you back?' I asked Tolu.
'Yeah; enough to get me to Ibadan and back.'
'Oh; the fuel system must be good.'
'It is. One of the best.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. It's one of the best.'
I shook my head. 'I don't like Peugeot. My father had one for twenty years. The 504. We drove it until we hated it. I had sworn never to buy a Peugeot as long as I live.'
'They make better ones now,' Tolu said, touching the surface of the radiator. He withdrew his hand in a quick jerk. 'They are also reliable.' He walked back to the car and got in.
I went to his door and leaned on it. 'How is the temperature?'
He turned the ignition. The temperature indicator moved and stopped close to the middle. 'It's coming down,' he said.
'Can I open the radiator now?'
'I think so,' he said, coming out of the car. 'But watch out; the water may still be hot.'
I clamped a rag on the radiator's cover and turned slowly. Steam shrieked and oozed out at the edges of the cover. I closed the cover back. Then I twisted and held, twisted and held. I did this again two more times and then I pulled the cover off, backing away. More steam whistled and spread out.
We waited for another five minutes before I added water into the radiator and locked it. I lowered the hood and drop it. I returned the remaining water and the wet rag back to the booth. Tolu had started the car by the time I took my seat; the temperature indicator had gone about five notches down.
'Do you think it will take us off the bridge before another refill?'
'I doubt it,' Tolu said. He edged the car into the expressway. 'This traffic won't allow that. We may have to park two or three times before we cross the bridge.'
We linked the other cars and crawled behind them. My eyes remained on the temperature gauge most of the way and we reached Ikoyi—thankfully—without a refill. We reached Lekki Phase One in another ten minutes and got to Alpha Beach a couple of minutes to nine that morning.
Eric jumped out of the car as soon as Tolu stopped in front of the house. He walked toward the house without turning back. Tolu and I stared after him until he got to the door and plucked the keys into the lock; he stepped into the room without turning back.
'Will he be alright?' Tolu asked.
'I don't know,' I said. 'He's devastated.'
'He took this affair as a matter of life or death.'
'Isn't it?' I asked. 'What's there to live for after this?'
We stared at the swinging door, moving slowly by now. I turned and opened the back door. Maria's snores had gone into overdrive. I shook her tick shoulder. 'Wake up, Maria. We are home.'
She grunted and pulled her shoulder away. I shook her arm again. 'Maria, we are home.'
She opened her eyes then and looked at me with the confusion that comes over a face whose sleep had been interrupted.
'We are home,' I said. 'Come out of the car.'
'Okay,' she said, and slowly closed her eyes.
I shook her harder this time. 'Wake up. We are home.'
The owl's eyes yanked opened again and stared at me, and this time I saw recognition in them.
She yawned. 'Are we in Alpha Beach?'
No, we are in Vancouver, I thought.
'Yes,' I said out loud.
'I must have slept.'
No, you didn't sleep, I thought again. You danced all the way.
'Come down,' I said. 'Tolu is going back.'
I walked to the booth and packed the drinks and sausages. Tolu joined me while Maria dragged her weight out of the car. We took the items toward the house.
'I left a bag of water,' I said to Tolu. 'Would that be enough?'
'It will do. Traffic will be light by the time I leave.'
We reached the door and Tolu parted the curtain and I walked into the room. Eric lay slouched on the settee, his right arm lined across his face.
'Eric, I am off,' Tolu said. 'Will call you guys later, okay?'
'Okay,' Eric said without taking his hand off his face.
'Okay, then,' Tolu said, hesitating. Then he moved toward the door. 'Take care.'
Eric got up and lay on the bed face down. Tolu gave me a look of concern before turning toward the door and bumped into Maria.
'Sorry,' he said and moved away from the door.
Maria nodded and walked into the room. 'Thanks for the ride,' she said. 'And sorry about the car; I hope you get the money to fix it.'
'Thanks,' Tolu said, getting out of the door. 'See you soon.'
We went out of the door. 'I will walk you to the car,' I said.
He nodded. 'Will he be okay? I fear he would do something crazy.'
'Like what?' I asked. 'Suicide?' I shook my head. 'No; he is not the type.'
'Every man has his limit, you know,' Tolu said and reached for the car's door. 'After that limit, even the toughest of spirits snaps.'
'I will be with him.'
'When are you going back to Jos?'
'As soon as possible,' I said.
Talatu came to my mind, and I felt another pain clutched my heart. I would be going back to Jos. No job and money to take her to Dubai.
Tolu entered the car and started it. 'I will call later in the day. Take care.'
'Okay, bye.'
He drove off and I walked back to the room. Eric had not changed his position and Maria was on the settee, her hands wrapped around the bag on her laps.
She lifted her eyes. 'I am hungry, and I don't want Fanta and sausages.'
But she ate the sausage and drank the Fanta ten minutes later when she saw that no one paid attention to her or her needs.