Tales of a Keke Passenger From Opolo to Ekeki by Victor Oroyi – Episode 5 | A Generous Rider

Tales of a Keke Passenger From Opolo to Ekeki by Victor Oroyi - Episode 5 | A Generous Rider

Tales of a Keke Passenger From Opolo to Ekeki by Victor Oroyi – Episode 5 | A Generous Rider

A Generous Rider is the title of episode 5 of the online short story series Tales of a Keke Passenger From Opolo to Ekeki written by Victor Oroyi. Please, read and share with your friends.

An hour to noon, this Monday morning, and the passenger is ‘king’ at this time.

I was expecting to join an empty keke but the first rider that stopped, stretched out his neck to beckon where you dey go, without hesitation I stepped towards him.

Ekeki, not bothered about the price.

The rider holding the wheel, N150, and ignites the keke to speed off. I entered the back seat of the keke to meet three passengers. You must be wondering why three passengers; actually two passengers are occupying one seat at the backseat.

A loosely-dressed teenager is sitting on the laps of one of the passengers who looks more matured. They maybe friends, or relatives; nothing striking rather than both of them are fair in complexion, talking excessively which looks mannerless. While they chic-chat in their native tongue, they look at other passengers in the keke as in two occasions, our eyes meets and they laugh out. Their mannerism and dressing tells so much.

PREVIOUSLY ON TALES OF A KEKE PASSENGER FROM OPOLO TO EKEKI

How can this rider, allow his passenger lap this robust girl? wondering within myself.

With the high cost of fare and many economy struggles facing Nigerians, everybody tries to find ways of cutting down their expenses, making excuses for them in my mind. But do they deserve such with their untoward mannerism of poor public conduct. What is good public conduct sef, afterall na for keke we dey?

The keke approaches the Nembe Park, the teenage girl shouted out from the keke, Edward, she brings in her head and talks with the lady that is lapping her in their native dialect with such mockery smile and laughter. She takes it out and shouts again Edward ooo, in a quick succession. Edward is on the other side of the road with on-coming vehicle.

Amazingly, there are several parks at Opolo.  These two parks are directly opposite each other loading passengers to same destination, Nembe. On one side, it shares fence with the newly opened Chicken Republic while by this side, you will find an Epie-speaking woman roasting the popular Bayelsa delicacy ‘Bole’ with boiled beans. Her bole and roasted fish is quite appalling to the eyes.

The Nembe Parks is well organized, loading their passengers on daily basis without quarrels and fighting. The two parks, take turns to load their vehicles from Yenagoa to Ogbia and Nembe-speaking communities in the Bayelsa East Senatorial district. The park officials shouts out to each other to know when the loading car is full and the turn of the next car on the other side. The operations of the parks are quite intriguing.

But truly, as we ride pass the Nembe parks, I didn’t see anybody turn to her and wave, just as she didn’t wave at anybody. Maybe, Edward, did not hear because I am curious to see the person and wondering if it is possible for him to hear with the noise of vehicular movement. Is it wrong to shout out somebody’s name from the keke?

The kindness of this keke rider is generously commendable for allowing two matured passengers to carry each other in his keke. It cast my mind back to a particular incident in Akenfa area. On a keke ride from Akenfa, a mother with three children – between ages of 5 and 10 were going from Akenfa to Agudama-Epie, a very short distance and the rider refused carrying them. His manner of approach was dissatisfactory as he didn’t even wait for the woman to explain herself and zoomed off.

Still thinking on that issue, we reached the popular Saptex Junction, in Yenizue-epie community. Do you remember a bargaining passenger episode, where the story of a young man loss his life was told? The incident happened in this area. During the saga, majority of the burnt keke were found in this area.

Saptex Junction is popular along the Mbiama-Yenagoa Road. The junction is named after a very famous local motel opposite the street. Prior to that time, it served as a meeting point for different manner of persons. It hosts a drinking spot where people gather to watch critical football matches but today, I believe the property was sold out, and demolished. We find a glass company there. Adjacent of the former Saptex building are two edifices under construction opposite the junction.

The lady was sitting in between me and the two girls. She had a food plate tied in a black paper bag licking out oil. She taps the rider as we approach the Saptex Junction, the rider who had already seen another passenger at the junction was still on motion as he manoeuvers his way to pick the passenger, when she gave him another tap.

The rider could not reach the passenger before another keke ahead of him picked the passenger and the keke pulled out, he reached out to his rider dem dey road ooo, he gives out a warning; the passenger is seated in front with the rider. My rider would have done this for two reasons, either there are road safety officials on the road or for selfish reasons.

The lady alighted and dropped her fare of N150 on the pigeon hole of the keke rider; he turns to her, she is ready running and he shouts, come collect your money oo, the lady didn’t turn to look at him as she runs into the street between the uncompleted edifices wearing a faded black-leggings on a yellow free-flowing blouse with an unkempt hairdo.

If I know, I for no carry you sef, with the words on his lips, he fires his keke, when a young man coming from the opposite direction flagged him down.

Amarata, he said and enters the keke and rider zooms off.

He wanted to leave the N150 for her, why not me, I said to myself. It didn’t appear to me that they know each other since, they never had any form acquaintance or chic-chat from Opolo to Saptex Junction.

Unlike, a case where I witnessed a rider who knows the passenger very well. He picked the passenger at Nikton junction in Kpansia. They exchange several pleasantries and chat about old times; the rider concentrated on this passenger from there to Dimrose Junction in Biogbolo, when he alighted. The passenger made an attempt to walk away, he called the person by name and collected his fare. The passenger gave N200, and he refused to give the change of N100 to the person, and zooms. He was laughting and smiling; he turns once and again to look at the passengers in his keke.

Generosity is a way of life, it is not about the abundance but the willingness to make others smiles with the little one has or through the services, we render to them. Generosity is a lifestyle; a way of life to make others share in our good times. I peeped out to see the passenger, that the keke rider dropped, the passenger was upset. ‘No be every person who laugh with you be your friend’, the thought crossed my mind.

EPISODE 1 OF TALES OF A KEKE PASSENGER FROM OPOLO TO EKEKI

EPISODE 2 OF TALES OF A KEKE PASSENGER FROM OPOLO TO EKEKI

EPISODE 3 OF TALES OF A KEKE PASSENGER FROM OPOLO TO EKEKI

No matter what we have, let’s share with others to enjoy. Kudos to this generous rider, who allowed those two ladies lap themselves, and the lady who dropped her fare without him asking for it. He was invisibly angry and didn’t put the money in his pigeon hole. He placed it between a space above the windscreen in the keke.

Hope you enjoyed this episode 5 titled A Generous Rider on the online short story series Tales of a Keke Passenger From Opolo to Ekeki written by Victor Oroyi. Please, share with a friend.

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