Overload

Driver won’t be emotionally blackmailed, not today.

Conductor is scratching his armpit and humming to whatever song that is playing on his earphones.

Aunty is busy begging and at the same time trying to win over people’s emotions.

“How you wan take carry 5 shidren come pay for one seat? Abeg, carry all of dem for your lap or come down from my motor,” ‘Oga pilot’ as his conductor calls him is not bulging.

Oga driver refuses to fall for all the “You are wicked” and “You no get heart?” remarks by other passengers.

“I no get pikin” and “no be me give you belle” are some of the simple rebuttals made by Oga pilot.

Some passengers are throwing abuses the way of the driver while others are simply refreshing their Instagram feeds. One is snoring heavily at the backseat as saliva rolls down towards his neck.

The woman with many kids continues to ask the driver if he has no human sympathy. She is involved in some form of forceful begging.

Her kids look confused and helpless as she struggles to gather all of them on her laps.

I begin to wonder if the woman has money but chooses to play pranks and take in all the insults.

Could it be that she genuinely can’t afford it?

Was life always this hard for her but she and her partner still decided to have  these number of kids?

Or did things move from good to bad and then worse for her after she had given birth to all these beautiful kids?

Could it be that she and her husband do not believe in contraceptives because of some religious dogmas?

Does she possibly believe that “God wey give me pikin, go take care of them”?

Will this be the fate of the next passenger in a few years or is there really hope for a better life?

Am I just probably overthinking things or simply not minding my business?