The Deeper Love the Shallower Hate

I've been walking

    through a world

        gone blind.

-

TJ sighed as his father sorted out their luggage at the baggage claim. The bustling noise and passengers in a haste held a cryptic message yet, he didn't care to find out why.

Murtala Mohammed airport was located in Ikeja, the central of the ever bustling city of Lagos. If Lagos were to be compared to a state in the united states, it would be New York city.

But that didn't make TJ feel at home, all that went through his mind was the reality of leaving the comfort of New York city to live in Nigeria. Unbelievably Nigeria!

Words couldn't explain all he felt at the moment. All he wanted to do was turn back to the pilot and order him to fly him back to New York City or better still, teleport there.

Last few weeks at NYC were unforgettable Nightmares to him. Saying goodbye to the guys and trying to get Ruby understand that, he was returning back to NYC after a year. Yet, all she did was walk out on him, that was, after spilling her cherry vodka on his shirt.

Every incident that followed suit were all out of his control. The plan to win homecoming King, of course with Ruby, which broke Ruby's heart, get himself a new wheel after working at Cool Bean... they all came crumbling down.

He felt the urge to punch something, anything to ease off the heaviness encumbering his heart. All that he planned for years came crumbling down, just to complete his high school in Nigeria. He couldn't even imagine himself having a life in Nigeria.

Well it was already too late.

He felt hands on his shoulder and turned, only to be met with his father's overexcited grin.

Tasie for a man in his late forties was quite fit and healthy. Tall with dark chocolate skin, lively dark eyes with the perfect set of dentals a man would want to own.

TJ rolled his eyes.

"Come on bud, cheer up! You are in your father Land Naija!" Tasie looked around, taking in their surrounding environment. "I can't believe a lot has changed in just a few years." 

He exclaimed, leading his son to a man smiling with open hands.

"Tasie! Tasie onye ego! The man." The smiling man hollered, bringing Tasie in for a bear hug when they met up with him.

TJ just stood, watching the old men exchange pleasantries, face in a staunch scowl.

All he wanted to do was speedup time. If he was to spend a year in the bright and sun scorching Nigeria, he better start it now.

"Good day." He greeted the bulky man who towered over him and his father when he finally noticed his presence.

The bulky man sent a cryptic stare to Tasie who cleared his throat.

"This is Africa TJ, you address an elder like one." He chastised.

TJ fought the urge to roll his eyes, but thought otherwise.

"Good day sir." He said instead, bowing slightly, a sick polite smile on his face.

The bulky man laughed immediately like nothing happened, grabbing his poor head to give it a squeeze.

"My boy. You have grown so well." Still laughing, he turned to Tasie.

"Tasie you remember when he was still crawling and how he played ball with Elo. Nna, rate umundia ji zi eto these days."

"Nna gwa gi nwannem. Lenu umu no n'ata aja yesterday." Tasie replied, while  both men cracked up again.

TJ walked awkwardly along with them, while they made jokes he couldn't understand, but was sure were about him.

They reached the bulky man's car, Who TJ found out was named Jide and a lanky man immediately came out of it, prostrating in greeting immediately he saw them.

"Eze ego, I need to run back to the office. Eze here will drive you back to my house. My wife is around, the kids too. Feel at home. Ama bata soon." Said Jide, giving Tasie one last side hug and TJ, a squeeze on the head before walking away to another vehicle.

Eze took their luggage, kept them in the safety of the car's trunk before opening the car's door for them.

"That man Dad, is he the one I'll be staying with?" TJ asked after they'd settled in and had hit the busy roads.

"Yeah, he has kids your age. They are actually twins. You'll like them."