THE PINK CLOUDS

chapter 24

In the night around 8 pm, Richard gathered all his clothes and put them in his traveling bag. He hurriedly walked out of the room so that his roommates wouldn't notice him. He walked to a cab close to his dormitory and boarded it.
"Where should I take you?" The driver asked after he started the engine of the car. Richard remained quiet for a moment, because he hadn't come up with a place to go.
"Excuse Mister, are you with me?" The cab driver asked, noticing Richard's silence.
"Just take me to the bus station," Richard uttered at last.

The driver drove out of the campus, and soon, they were driving on the highway. As the car was moving, Richard thought about Janet and the night they got into trouble at the club. He remembered how she happily talked to him and the love she showed him. She instantly started crying, unable to restrain himself. When the driver noticed Richard, he instantly stopped moving. "What is wrong with you?" Asked the driver sympathetically. Richard kept crying and couldn't utter a single word.
"Did something happen to you?" The driver inquired again.
"No, is nothing," Richard moved his lips finally. The driver continued to drive and drove for about 30 minutes before arriving at the bus station.

"How much should I pay?" Richard requested.
"500 Naira," He mentioned. Richard opened his wallet and paid the driver. He drove immediately after he was paid.Richard dragged his bag slowly as he walked into the bus station. The bus station was fenced with rough building blocks that seemed to be almost collapsing.

It has two openings, each of which is used for entering and exiting the station. Even though the openings were supposed to have gates or some sort of doors, they were empty. He began to think of where to go apart from home, because he won't dare show himself to his sister.

When he got into the bus station, he looked around and noticed how the buses were arranged in rows. Some of the buses were big, while some of them were small. There were several small restaurants and shops located at the extreme end of the bus station.

"Do you need to buy a bread?" Came a little voice behind Richard. When he turned, he noticed a little girl that was barely 6 years old selling loafs of bread. They were arranged on a big circular tray which she was carrying on her head. She was wearing a white dress that seemed to have lost its colour.

He looked around the bus station and noticed that there were similar kids of age Hawking all sorts of things.
"Aren't you too young to sell things on your own?" Richard asked the little girl.
"No I'm not," the little girl smiled, revealing the gaps in her teeth.

"Where are your shoes?" He asked after noticing that she was bare footed.
"I don't have any," she replied.
"Why don't you use the money you earn to buy yourself shoes?" He questioned.
"I don't really earn enough, and we use the money for food," the little answered.

At that moment, Richard remembered his  sister and appreciated how hard she worked so that they could live a better life. She had to give up school and get married so that he and his younger sister could get a place to live. She had to wake up early in the morning every day to go to her shop in the market that is about 3 kilometers away from where they live. She used the money she earned and paid for their school fees.
"Here, let me have a loaf please," Richard said, giving the girl one thousand Naira.

She brought down the tray she was carrying and handed him the loaf he requested.
"No, keep the change, buy yourself a shoe" he said when she tried to give him his change.
"Really?" The little asked super excitedly. Richard responded by nodding his head with a smile on his face.
"Thank you so much, sir," she happily said. She took the rest of the bread and left the bus station.

There was a sign board placed at the top of every bus indicating where the bus would travel to. Richard walked around the station trying to decide which bus to board. At last, he decided to go to Port Harcourt because he once heard his friends talking about how nice the place was.

He walked to the bus and found it to be empty. He walked to the driver's door and knocked at the window.
"How may I help you?" Asked the driver.
"I thought this bus was leaving for Port Harcourt," Richard replied.
"It is, but it usually departs at midnight," the bus driver informed.
"If you still have unfinished business, you can go and attend to them before it is time," he added.
"Is okay," Richard answered.

He tried to walk away with his bag when he told him that he can leave it there.
"Are you sure it's okay if I leave it here?" He asked.
"Yes, I will put it in the trunk," replied the driver. "You need not to worry,' he added. "Thank you," Richard replied.

He walked to one of the shops and bought a chilled bottled drink before going to the bus.
"Are you done already?" The driver asked.
"Yes, can I please sit in the bus? Because I'm so exhausted," Richard said.
"You can come in, the door is not locked," the bus driver replied. Richard walked into the bus and sat on the last seat. He brought out the bread he bought from the little girl and started eating it with the bottled drink. After he was done eating, he leaned his head against the window and started thinking about how messed his life was.

At some point, he felt terrified of the decision he made, feeling like running away to a place he never knew anyone was a huge mistake. But when he remembered about Janet and how people were angry at him, he decided it was the best thing to do. He remained in that condition until he finally fell asleep.

At about 11 pm, passengers to Port Harcourt started arriving. At about 11:45 pm, they got so loud that their noise woke Richard from his sleep. And by 12 am, the bus was already full. The driver's assistant went around the bus and collected the fee from each and every passenger. And some few minutes after midnight, they began their journey