The rain was coming down fast and hard with fists of watery fury on the family size umbrella that shielded Bella and her father, but even this was not enough to protect them. Gusty winds sprayed them with rainwater from the sides, even as the umbrella was under constant threat of being yanked from her father’s hand.
“Why today of all days?” thought Bella as she stood at the bus stop with her father. Her school uniform, which her mum had carefully ironed with love, was gradually becoming damp, and looking down at her shoes, she could see that a few more minutes in this rain, and her feet would be all wet. They needed to get a bus, and fast! Cars whizzed past them to their respective destinations, their windows wound shut; and for the few buses that did stop, there was always a mad struggle for the limited seats available.
The rain continued hard and fast, the Earth continued to spin on its axis, and the wait for a bus stretched on for what seemed like eternity. Her dad pulled her closer to himself, tilted the umbrella more in her direction, and kept his warm, strong hand around her shoulders. Bless him. He was beginning to worry.
Seemingly out of the blue, a nice-looking black sedan with a yellow TAXI sign on its roof pulled right in front of them. Through the passenger’s side window, she could see their reflection long enough before it wound down to the voice of the driver asking for their destination.
“Christ the Redeemer College, Onikan” came her father’s reply.
“₦5,000” said the driver.
“₦2,000” came her father’s counter-bargain.
The driver seemed to contemplate for a few seconds before he added “Add ₦500 to that. You know how flooded Lagos roads can get after a heavy rain; besides, you wouldn’t want your daughter to catch a cold from prolonged exposure.”
She felt her dad’s hand relax around her shoulders even before he said OK. The taxi driver was a sly fox alright, he certainly knew the right buttons to push. They were soon settled on the plush seats of the taxi, and embraced in the glorious warmth seeping through its vents – after having stood in the cold for minutes on end, this felt like heaven and she was glad to have been allowed through its doors!
As the journey progressed, so did her observance of her new surroundings. The cab was clean and the seats were super comfy – not too hard and not too soft, with an adjustable head rest and plenty of leg room. The driver was an elderly gentleman – older than her own father even – and when he spoke, his words seemed to march out of his mouth like neat, orderly little soldiers, as they did when he said:
“The fare comes with an on-board entertainment feature…”
And even before the last syllable of the word feature had been pronounced, the roof padding opened, whirring sounds made by some mechanism followed, and out descended a screen that was rightly positioned between herself and her father. What wonders! Her eyes seemed to say to her dad, this certainly was a cab like none other!
“The programmes come pre-installed. Swipe the screen to see them all, and tap to choose which you prefer” continued nicely-spoken-elderly-gentleman-taxi-driver. “And they are all child-friendly” he seemed to add that for her father’s benefit.
“Thank you sir” came her father’s reply. And smiling at her, her father said “Go ahead, make your choice.” But his smile was a weak and distracted one, and the reason behind that smile made her feel sad. How quickly she had forgotten why she was resuming on Monday when she should have left on Saturday!
Mother’s difficult birth of her baby brother and payment for her uncle’s travel abroad – her father’s only sibling – had messed up the family’s finances and made her unable to resume with her peers. Besides, because her school had a Boarding-Only and Fee Before Admittance policy, Dad was following her to school to see if they could allow her be a day student until her boarding fees could be paid. He really hated anything that interfered with her education, hence the weak smile.
Suddenly, she lost interest in the entertainment provided and placed the headset in its hook. She possibly couldn’t, not when her father was worried. Noticing this, her father nudged her shoulder to bring her attention back from gazing out the window, and when their eyes connected, he made a very silly face – the face he always made to make her smile and remind her that all was not bad with the world.
“OK. Let’s do this” he started, as he scooched closer to her on the seat. “Let’s choose the best movie that will leave us in stitches all through the duration of this journey. Deal?” he asked. “Double deal!” Bella answered, as was her custom.
They were so engrossed in it, and laughing all through that they didn’t notice when the cab driver pulled in front of a bank branch on Broad Street, and his repeated calls of “Mister” “Mister”. He had to automatically switch off the sound to get their attention!
“I’m sorry sir, but because of the construction ahead, I am afraid I will not be able to go any further. Well, except you want me to turn around and try to enter through…” said the elderly gentleman
“Oh, not to worry. We are just a few blocks away from the school. It won’t take up to 5 minutes, we will just walk. It’s better than seating in traffic for much longer” cuts in, Bella’s father.
Reaching into his trousers pocket, he brought out his wallet to pay him the agreed fare, and as he handed the money to the taxi driver, he shook his head saying:
“You paid me already. You and your daughter filled my cab with laughter and happiness despite the circumstances. That’s all the payment I will receive.”
“What circum…” Bella’s father was in the process of saying. “Do not worry. Just have a good life, you and your family” came the reply.
Though still flustered, her father thanked the man profusely, with Bella too chiming in her “Thank you very much sir.”
Grabbing all their gear, they climbed out of the car; and as Bella’s dad made to return his wallet to his pocket, he felt an obstruction, which turned out to be a brown envelope with his name written in fine script on it. With a befuddled look shared with his daughter, he opened it to see a cheque written to the exact amount needed for Bella’s boarding fees, to be cashed at the same bank in whose entrance they now stood! Golly Gosh! This couldn’t possibly be happening, it had to be a dream!!
Accompanying the cheque was a note containing all the required information that would be needed to make the transaction, and written were these words in script:
This was never mine to keep; for it was always yours to receive. But one thing, do not forget to pay this kindness forward.
Scanning the street for the taxi, it was nowhere to be found. That was when the penny dropped for Bella’s father, and crouching down to his daughter’s level with tears in his eyes, he showed her everything and told her:
“The Universe has come through for us. We have been the recipient of such kindness when we needed it the most. And you must remember this and pay it forward no matter how little.”
Nodding her head, Bella showed that she understood, even as her eyes filled with tears. She was her father’s daughter after all, two peas in a pod, as her mom would teasingly say. Straightening to his full height, he took her hands into his as they walked towards the revolving doors of the bank; and looking to the sky, the rain had stopped, the sun had begun to come up, and once again it seemed like everything was right with the world.