I knew I was in Nigeria the moment the driver swerved to avoid a pothole and drove into a bigger one.
“Ndo Sir” Sorry Sir, the driver apologized as if it was his fault that the pothole was there.
“They started working on this road last week but when the rain started they stopped” he continued as he swerved to another side successfully avoiding the pothole,from the mirror I could see a grin on his face making me smile.
I stared out of the window as the car zoomed past tall trees,nothing had changed. The welcome to Abia state was still the same,it hadn’t even been re-painted, the pothole my Aunty had hit when she was dropping me off at the airport 5 years ago was still there but deeper I observed. Nothing had changed,not even my hatred for the country who didn’t care about the health system and had let my parents die. The only thing I felt had changed was the coming of Bolt into the state capital.
The more the car swayed the more I cursed inside. I didn’t want to come back here, they could have asked Mutumba the Kenyan guy to go back to his country for the work but they wanted the giant of Africa. “Obynna” my boss had called me after her meeting “you will go down to Nigeria for us” and that was all it took and here I was swaying in a moving car after a long flight.
“Welcome Obinna” my aunty hugged me and all of a sudden I felt at peace, how long had it been since I heard my name pronounced right, even the security guy at the airport had been Yoruba, calling me “Obinna Okoro” pronouncing my names like the first O had been left behind in Canada.
“I missed you Aunty Chinwe” I said walking into the house. It all happened very fast,one minute I was standing in the very familiar parlour holding my bag and the next I had 3 people jumping on me and laughing.
“I missed you” chorused around me as I dropped my bag to accommodate them. Although they were identical I knew which of the 7 years old was Chikama,Adachika and Chiamaka. “I missed you people too, when I left,you people were tiny,I had to be careful not to step on your heads” I joked which got them laughing as I sat down.
“Hapu ya aka,” leave him alone my aunty hushed them
“Hope your journey was good” she asked pointing out for the children to leave.
“It was Aunty” I replied smiling at Chikama who was trying to unzip my bag.
“kwụsị, ị ga-emebi ya” Stop it you will spoil it, I tell her in a joking manner making her sulk.
“You still speak Igbo?” Aunty asked standing up and handing me a key.
“Because I hate the country does not mean I’m not a citizen” I said smiling. I never understand why everyone expects you to forget your language just because you traveled out.
“What’s the key for?” I asked jingling it.
“Your father’s house,Emeka cleaned it out yesterday and this morning for you so it’s neat” she said.
“Who is Emeka” I wanted to ask but that would lead to a story and I was too tired to listen.
“Thank you Ma” I said standing up.
” This is for you” I hand her a big bag,” clothes are for the three musketeers” I laugh as the girls rush their mum.
The door opened even before I inserted the key, stepping in it I heard a voice. At first I made to search for a weapon until I heard “The cellophane membranes are porous in nature. The outer surface of these membranes is bathed in the dialyzing fluid called dialysate” the voice paused as if it had noticed someone but after few seconds it continued but this time lower.
“Hello?” I interrupt, making him stand in fear
“I’m sorry Sir” he apologized dropping the book and making for the door but I was quick to block him.
“What where you reading?” I asked
“I’m very sorry sir,I didn’t mean to pry” he apologized. The word pry caught my attention. Looking at him,he didn’t look a day older than 19.
“What’s your name,my friend?” I intentionally used the word “my friend” to calm him down and when he looked up at me,I knew it had worked.
“Emeka Sir” he answered and I ushered him to sit.
“Stand” I told him as he sat on the floor,”sit on the sofa” I told him dropping my bag on the table.
“What were you reading?” I asked, forgetting how exhausted I was and how much I needed sleep.
“Essential physiology by k Sembulingam and Prema Sembulingam” he replied with his head bent.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of my friend,look up when you are talking inugo?”-Do you hear? I encouraged him.
I looked at the book shelf and memories came rushing back.All the books had belonged to my father,Dr of Physiology and a good medical doctor at that,he had lived his life researching on my mum’s kidney failure only to die in an accident few days after Mum passed.
“Where you understanding that?” I asked standing up and picking up the book.
“Yes sir,it’s simple The whole stuff deals with removal of waste materials and toxic substances to restore normal volume and composition of the body fluid in severe renal failure.It is also called hemodialysis” he said with a smile ”
“Eeh?” I asked making him laugh,
“It’s in Chapter 58,it’s saying that the machine used in this process is called artificial kidney and used to treat acute and chronic renal failures.
It acts as an artificial filter to remove unwanted materials from the kidney eg urea,creatinine and phosphate.
This method uses diffusion of solutes from area of high conc to area of low conc through a semi permeable membrane…” The more he talked the more I was interested. I didn’t understand what he was saying but as his hand gestures moved up and down it was all over his face that he not only understood it,he also enjoyed reading it.
“Which school do you attend?” I asked cutting him off. He went numb before shaking his head.
“I don’t go to school Sir” he said.
“Why?” I asked him suddenly getting angry at whoever his parents were.
“My Dad is very sick,he had to quit his roadside job when it got worse,Mum wasn’t earning much ,I had to stop school in Ss2 3years ago then last year during the pandemic Mum left us ” his words were like needles,they pierced my heart bit by bit. As he talked,his eyes were filled with hope and dreams,his pain wasn’t reflecting in his eyes.
“What do you want to be in life?” I asked immediately before I could stop myself.
“Anything Sir,I want to get money to take care of my father” he said “I wash clothes,incase you need someone’s help”.
And that was the beginning of my friendship with Emeka,the two weeks I dreaded went on peacefully. We grew from “My friend to Emi” from “Sir to Bro Obinna”. He was there every morning with my ironed clothes and in the evening with a basket to take my dirty clothes and on Friday evening, we played a game of whot where I had no mercy beating him. The more I spent time with him,the more I learnt how intelligent he actually was,he was good at practically everything.
“What do you want to be in future?” I asked him again as he loaded my things in the car.
“I want to be a medical doctor Brother,I want to help people like my father” he answered boldly shutting the truck of the Uber.
“And that you will be.” I said smiling at him.
“I have given Aunty Chinwe money to start up a laundry shop for you here”I pointed at the space near the house “and she will register your for jamb and Waec,once you get into the university let me know inugo?”
He was shocked at first,I watched as his eyes traveled to my aunt’s face which was filled with smiles and back to mine and immediately he dropped to the ground thanking me.
“No need to” I told him “you are My Emi” I told him smiling. He was still kneeling and thanking me when the car drove off.
On my way to the airport It felt good,I didn’t notice how the car swayed neither did I notice the colour of the ‘Goodbye from Abia State’, all that was on my mind was how I was going to make Emeka great. I made a mental note to thank my boss for sending me home,not only had I achieved what I was to do,I had achieved more than I could ever say. Remembering Emeka’s face the very first time he talked about Artificial Kidney made me smile,I had made the right decision after all
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Vera Sorochi David