chapter THREE

Taye was obviously hungry by the time the train hooted to herald its arrival at the Osogbo railway station. As soon as the engine and the coaches came to a final stop he joined the burstling crowd on the platform.

The fruit and food stalls bursting at the seams were neat and spacious. Taye made straight for the rice vendor and suddenly he stopped as if an invisible brick wall blocked his path. "That girl", a signal was flashing in his head. Yes, the girl Taye saw at Ibadan railway station was at the tap near the food vendors, fetching water into a green plastic container. She held a white plastic cup in the other hand.

Taye went to the tap abandoning his main aim of trying to buy something - to eat. He felt satisfied as if he had been overfed and stood directly at the girl's back with the hope that when her container was full and she turned round she would definitely meet his eyes. It seemed a decade before the girl's plastic was filled and as she turned to leave the tap, she looked directly into Taye's eyes. Taye saw recognition in her lovely eyes. He instantly knew she too had seen him before.

"Excusé moi modemosielle, can I use your cup? -----"Taye started in French but finished up in English, stretching out his right hand.

"Qui, of course", she too imitated Taye's pattern of question. She filled the cup from her container and handed it over to him. Taye did not immediately lift the cup to his mouth but instead opened up a chat with her. "by the way, my name is Taye----" letting it hang in the air and expecting her to fall for it but she was more experienced than that.

Taye quickly continued, ignoring the unmistakable frown on the girl's face. "....Taye Oluwole. We met at Ibadan station but you were  with your parents I guessed".  "Oh, they were there to see me off". She said with some pride. "You are damn lucky you know. My parents don't give a hoot whoever is traveling in the family especially when it is one of the boys", Taye said to flatter her further.

"Bet for me, I'm the only child" she chipped in, smiling broadly. The boys who occupied the seat with Taye in the coach came out of a food stall and walked towards to him.

"How are you boys? meet-----Bose, the girl added as Taye tried to introduce her. They shook hands in turn with her and continued their stroll. One of the boys looked back as they moved away and when his eyes caught Taye's he winked. Taye replied with a grin but Bose was not aware or if she knew she did not betray her knowledge of the exchange between Taye and the boy.

As soon as the boys were out of earshot, Taye resumed chatting with the girl.

"Bose, if that is what you want me to know and call you." She cut in "who told you that isn't my name?"

"Remember, I said we met at Ibadan. I saw your suitcase and your name was boldly written on it, you know", Taye submitted, making the 'we-met-at Ibadan' sound as if there was more to the meeting. "You-do-well but the portmanteau wasn't mine originally. I got it from the niece whose name was still on it. She added after a little pause, "Indelible ink, that's undoing, sure, ya, ya." By now Taye and Bose had strolled rather aimlessly to the end of the platform, and they stopped at the foot of the last electric pole. The discussion was waning and both knew that all that had gone before was the introduction to something else. The girl threw a sidelong glance which the boy saw, but felt momentary too timid to do something about. He would like to bring the conversation to more intimate matters but the girl's outspokenness dazed him. However, he resolved not to give up.

"But Bose, he began, how about you joining us in our coach, we have an extra seat, you know".

"Those boys are in your coach?" she asked looking into Taye's eyes. He nodded,

"How will I fit in there? I'II get in the way, can't you see that?" Bose responded raising her eyebrows.

"You got it wrong girl, there are some others like you in our coach and we have been having a great time", Taye said with all seriousness, adding, "come on let's go and bring that your red suitcase. What is your coach number?" Bose was going to respond to that when the train hooted. It hooted again. Everybody on the platform knew the train would continue the journey any moment. Taye helped Bose up to the nearest coach as the engine slowly began to pull away.

"From here, we will trace our way through the coaches until we reach ours", Taye explained to Bose as he began to lead her in the direction of his coach. They used the seats for support as the sway of the moving train hampered smooth movement.

They came into a coach, which housed the canteen. Here, Taye invited Bose to have a bottle of soft drink on him. She consented.

"Two bottles of minerals, ice-cold", Taye shouted his order across a counter because the rumbling of the train was particularly loud here.  'Mortuary cold you ought to say?", The sweaty bartender shouted back laughing heartily. He only stopped laughing momentarily to shout some more. "Hey, forty naira for your own and for your woman fifty naira a bottle".

He continued to laugh and his laughter became infectious as all joined in the joke.

Taye handed him a mint new  hundred naira note and waited for his changed before picking up the two moisture-beaded bottles from the counter.

He opened the bottles with his teeth and observed that Bose was now relaxed in his company and he seized the opportunity to further his aim.

Bose dear, what you did to me when I set eyes on you at Ibadan, You — know, at the Station"

Taye whispered to her ear and paused for her reaction.

"Bet, look, what did I do to you?". She like screamed setting her bottle on the table in their front with an embarrassing thud. Heads turned in their direction. A voice from the kitchen seized the peace created by the sudden silence to make an announcement.

"Meatpie don ready o. The announcer wore a white Apron on a white Jumper and on his head a cap which resemble the type women in spiritual churches wear to worship. 

"Give me two"

"I need three here"

"Only one for me"

"Supply us sir"

"Make my own two, take away"

Dutifully, the beefy chef, sweating profusely, came out of the kitchen into the canteen carrying a large tray of steaming meat pies. He went from table to table to supply the orders and collected cash. Taye and Bose had one each. Taye shouted across for two more bottles of minerals.

The chief exhausted the meat pies on his large tray and disappeared into the kitchen whistling as he went, the soiled breast-pocket of his apron bulging with money.

"Yes, I won't forget, what did you say I did for you?" Bose resumed where they left off.

"Well, nothing serious I must confess, you made me felt something or how do I put it, you made me feel somehow curious about you. You know the kind of feeling I'm talking about", Taye tried to explain himself narrowing one eye. Bose shrugged. "So, Bose I want you to reciprocate my love, you know", Taye sounded childish to himself and he felt slightly embarrassed.

Bose gulped down the rest of her drink and in an obvious haste she rose to her feet. "Shall we go now?". she queried. Taye tried to rush his drink but his throat was choked in the process. He set the bottle on the table and was supporting himself by the window of the train. He began to cough.

"Hold your nose and breathe in", she advised and Taye tried it and he was alright.

It was tedious passing through the overcrowded coaches. Sweating as they progressed, they crossed three coaches before they arrived at Taye's coach.

The boys sharing seat with Taye were saying something to the effect that Taye was lost with a beautiful girl when suddenly he reappeared with the girl.

"You are not a bastard", one of the boys said and they laughed. Taye too grinned broadly.

"Oh ya, I'm Chief J.T. Oluwole's true son. Well, let's cut out superstition and make a place for my darling Bose to sit". Taye ordered and his radiance and

enthusiasm amazed the boys.

As soon as they were seated, the boys for the first time introduced themselves to Taye and he too told them his name. "Jingolo", that was what the taller, more talkative boy said he would like to be called. His friend called himself Bobby. They were both from the same

school, Academy College, Lagos.

" Lagos boys", Bose rechristened them and it stuck for the rest of the journey that was what all and sundry called them.

Bose too introduced herself that she came from Atakunmosa Heights, Ilesa.

The introductions offered Taye the first opportunity to really look at them.

Jingolo, Taye found out, was thin, which accentuated his nearly six feet height. He wore a clean new white short-sleeved shirt upon a faded pair of jeans. EXPLOSIVE was written in red biro on the left knee of his 'wicked' jeans. He hid his eyes behind a pair of dark sun shade. Bobby on the other hand was stocky. Nothing about him to raise eye brows about. Taye noted however

that he probably did not talk much because he stammered a little, which was probably his contributions in discussions  are usually of a few syllable words.

The train rattled on ceaselessly as if it too was sharing in the fun Taye and his companions were having.

"Allah bamu sa------" some filthy beggars came into the coach from the direction of the tail of the train. Their song over-shadowed every discussion and so forced people to keep quiet. When they came to Taye's seat, a few coins were dropped into the calabash the lead beggar held forward. Taye too made a donation of a few coins. His main motive was to show his new-found lover that he was a kind-hearted guy. The beggars, two ragged, middle-age blind men led by an able-bodied teenager, expressed their gratitudes and showered blessings on their benefactors as they continued to the next coach, singing once again as they went.

Almost before they were beyond earshot, Jingolo queried Taye, "Tai, why did you choose to waste your money on those lazy folks?". Taye was still searching for an appropriate answer when the other passengers from the far corner of their coach interrupted. Many different views were being expressed at the same time that nobody was ready to listen to whatever the other fellow was saying. The coach turned into a market place. Some elderly group speaking from Islamic point of view argued that Allah, the creator of heaven and earth, created the rich and door, and that He commanded the wealthy to give alms regularly out of their riches to beggars and the poor.

"All well and good", shouted Jingolo in support of the Islamic doctrine.

"But Alhaji, does God the Almighty also command beggars to go about, in public transport as nuisance to passengers?" Jingolo received no reply and shifted attention from the direction of the muslims and finished his argument on a lower tone. He was now addressing his friends.

"My quarrel is not with begging, not at all. But it is absurd for

government to allow begging in the public. Don't they ever consider the danger a cripple or the blind wondering from coach to coach on a fast moving train is exposed?"

"Sure", Bobby agreed. Bose took off from where Jingolo left off. "Bet, me I know say there are fakes among them". She went ahead to narrate a story during a previous journey when a fake deaf and dumb was discovered. According to Bose, a lanky man entered their coach and went from seat distributing some complimentary cards. The message on the cards says, that the bearer is deaf and dumb from birth. The supposed deaf and dumb man later came back to collect his cards and of course the donations and gesticulated his appreciation. But as he was departing, a man who had misplaced his own card retrieved it from under his seat and shouted at the so-called deaf and dump man who by that time was on his way out of the coach. The deaf and dumb beggar turned back sharply collected his lost card and said, "Thank you sir, God bless you you---". The noise that greeted this story did not allow Bose to finish and so the debate ended abruptly as it began.

Taye seized the occasion to whisper to Bose again,

"Bose, let's go and collect your luggage and settle here once and for all".

"O.K". She agreed without hesitation.

"Excuse us boys', Taye shouted and got to his feet, "I wanna escort her to the next coach"'.

At Bose's coach, everybody was talking about the inconveniences the beggar caused passengers when they arrived there. Somebody was saying that some of those who appeared blind were not actually so but only glued their

eyes together with shea-butter. Bose and Taye collected what they came for and headed back.