It was my first time in Ikorodu, one big city in Lagos, and I didn't have any plans other than to party and rest for the weekend after a long week at work. My boss was celebrating her birthday that weekend, and she insisted I be there because I had failed to attend the previous year.
My initial plan was to go home first, but if I did, the chances of attending the birthday party would be slim, considering the long hours I would spend on the road and the cost of transportation.
After thinking about it thoroughly, I asked if I could go to Ikorodu with her and she was happy about it.
"Why not? It won't be a boring ride back home and I have somewhere you can stay throughout the weekend. We can return together here on Monday," She replied.
We left Agbara in Ogun state in the evening and I was in her vehicle as she drove through the Lagos traffic. We had a chat about life randomly, and like every other day, I was comfortable speaking to her because we were very close. She treated me like a sibling from the first day I joined her team and our relationship grew pretty fast.
"Why didn't you return to school? It's good to have the certificate even if you don't need it for work," She said to me after a brief silence while she switched to the moving lane.
"I am trying but haven't saved enough for it," I replied.
My mood changed immediately because only a few people know how eager I was to continue my education. It seems like I wasn't making any effort.
"That's good but I want you to know that waiting until you have enough money might take forever," She replied, her hands firm on the steering and eyes on the road.
I was thrown into deep thought and went silent, thinking about what she said. The honking of vehicles and noise from night hawkers interrupted my thoughts several times so I had to put the thoughts aside and start another discussion with my boss.
We arrived in Ikorodu garage after 3-hour drive, and the nightlife there was different from my place. The garage was buzzing with so much energy and I really loved it.
"We are going to Ita oluwo from here," She said and I started laughing.
"Where do I know?" I asked still laughing.
"Oh, that's true. But Ikorodu is very easy to navigate," She replied, taking a left turn at the garage.
I called my mom immediately to inform her and my boss greeted her too. It wasn't their first time speaking so they asked about family and work.
The call ended and I focused on the road again. There were so many roadside bars and it clearly explained why people refer to ikorodu as the fun city.
I noticed some bright lights ahead as we climbed a hill and focused on them. There was a long fence from the first light pole, and before I could ask what was happening in there, my boss said, "That's the Lagos State Polytechnic."
"Oh, okay," I stuttered, and we finally passed the school gate.
"I attended here too and it's not bad," She said to me and started persuading me to give the school a try.
"I can give you accommodation for free, so that would be deducted from your expenses," She added.
"Really? Thanks ma," I was so happy, but accommodation wasn't the only thing I needed.
She shared her school experience with me and it just made me dream about furthering my education. Like, I really wanted it but the resources weren't there.
We arrived at her place and she took me to a mini flat where I would stay for the weekend. I was served dinner and spent the rest of the night dreaming. I reached for my diary and replanned several times, trying to see the easiest way of bringing that one dream to reality as soon as possible.
I didn't conclude on anything before sleeping off due to the stress I went through that week. I woke up at midnight and continued brainstorming until I figured out something.
The weekend passed very quickly but I enjoyed myself very well. As we travelled back to work on Monday morning, my eyes were fixed on the school when we passed the gate. I pictured myself walking through the school gate and started working towards my admission immediately.
I doubled my efforts at work to make and save more money, and I started reading for exams because it's been four years since I left secondary school.
I took the exams some months later and told my boss about it. She was very happy for me and fulfilled her promise with the accommodation even before I got the admission, she was so confident it would work out for me.
A few weeks passed and I checked the admissions portal. My heart raced as I stared at the laptop screen while the admission status was loading.
The status popped up and I couldn't hold back tears. I had to let it flow because I was gradually losing hope before coming to Ikorodu with my boss.
I shared the news with my family and, most especially, my boss; everyone was happy. I started looking forward to doing my documentation and like I pictured, walking through the school gate was everything for me.
Different emotions flooded my mind as I greeted the security officers at the gate. On that day, I was too happy to cry, and my eyes held the tears perfectly until I completed my registration.
After the whole procedure, I went under one of the trees in the school to let my emotions flow. I laughed and cried at the same time knowing that I was experiencing what used to be a dream.