The Search For Home

Chapter Seven: Foreign Land

Abuja, Nigeria
10th July, 2010

The almost thirteen hour flight descended, and Leah Siddiqa's heart raced with anticipation as she looked out the window at the sprawling landscape of Nigeria below. It was a journey she hadn't thoroughly planned, but one she felt she had to make. She needed to be on that land to breathe again.

As the flight landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Leah disembarked, her mind filled with questions. She had no idea where to begin and no contact information for anyone in Nigeria. This journey was going to be the beginning of her solo adventures, which also made it the first one. Not that she had traveled extensively in her life, this was a remarkable first in her life. Without her family, this moment held a unique significance, and an eerie sensation coursed through her veins. It was that unmistakable feeling, deep within her bones, that signaled the realization that she was truly on her own.

Standing in the midst of an unfamiliar airport environment, Leah took a deep breath and began to analyze her surroundings. Her only guide was the tourist guide flyer that Bilal had given her, ironically titled "Port Harcourt Tourist Guide," even though she knew she was nowhere near Port Harcourt, as she gazed at the pamphlet and sighed.

Leah's journey to Nigeria had been impulsive, a search for something she couldn't quite put into words. She hadn't known a single person in this vast country, and the uncertainty weighed on her. Her thoughts wandered to her parents, who had never mentioned anyone from their Nigerian family. It was a puzzle, a piece of her identity she was determined to uncover.

Though it had almost slipped from her mind, Leah couldn't help but think that her mother's journal might prove to be a valuable resource. She recalled her mother mentioning a friend in this very place, with whom she would occasionally converse. Inwardly, Leah offered her heartfelt gratitude to Allah for guiding her to include her mother's journal in her bag.

Leah held a sincere hope that the journal would indeed provide solace in this unfamiliar territory, as she had refrained from opening it while in Cardiff. Her fear had been rooted in the possibility of stumbling upon something within its pages that might deter her from pursuing this adventure.

Taking another deep breath, Leah Siddiqa confidently hailed a cab, well aware that she might appear foreign to the cab driver. However, she was greeted with a warm smile as the driver said, "Welcome to Nigeria, ma'am!" Leah's apprehensions began to dissipate.

"Thank you sir! Well, I am going here," She said, smiling brightly a s handed him a hotel address from one of the pamphlet she had  received at the airport.

"Alright, ma'am!" The cab driver courteously stepped out of the car and expertly arranged Leah's two pieces of luggage in the trunk of his taxi. His helpful demeanor put Leah at ease, and she couldn't help but appreciate the hospitality she was encountering in this new place. With her belongings securely stowed away, she climbed into the cab.

The ride to the hotel stretched on in hushed solitude, much like her previous grueling thirteen-hour journey to this foreign land. As the landscape blurred past her window, she couldn't help but wonder if the stillness surrounding her would only intensify, leaving her alone in her thoughts, with nothing but the gentle hum of the engine to break the silence.

"Miss, we're here!" the driver said, pulling Leah from her reverie, "this is the hotel." He added, pointing at the big glass door of the hotel, with smile on his face.

"It was pretty much close to the airport." She replied, matching his enthusiast.

"Yes, it's one of the many hotels located around here. I believe it's so convenient after a long journey."