Mr. Nwaba was always thinking of profit and loss and doing sums in his mind. One day Chike greeted him with “Good morning, sir.” He replied, “Five pounds.”
His full name was Mr. Peter Nwaba. He was well known in the town and went to church regularly. Every Sunday morning he put on his gorgeous agbada and went with his family to the nearby church, and every Friday he went to the Bible class. Chike always wondered how such a cruel man could pay so much attention to religion.
Sometimes Mr. Nwaba left his room very late at night and would not come back till the following day. People said he belonged to a secret society which met only at night.
One night Chike had an upset stomach after eating unwashed mangoes. At about four o’clock in the morning he got up to go to the latrine. As he opened the door he heard footsteps outside. He held the door nearly closed and peeped out. It was Mr. Nwaba and another strange man returning from somewhere. They stood outside and talked for a while. Then the stranger went away and Mr. Nwaba retired to his room.
Chike did not give much thought to this incident at the time. But he was to remember it later.
13 Chike’s Dream Comes True
Chike’s chance came suddenly. It happened on a public holiday. His uncle had gone to Umuofia for the holiday and was not expected back until the next day. Chike ate his lunch quickly and went down to the riverside without saying a word to Michael. Since he had no money he did not think of crossing the river. All he wanted to do was to watch the boats.
When he got to the bank he found many cars and lorries waiting to be ferried. Then he saw three boys with buckets of water washing some of the cars. He saw also that when they had finished the owners gave them some money. Why did I not think of this before? he asked himself. He raced back home and took a bucket and a piece of rag and ran all the way back. To his utter disappointment the boat had gone and there were no more cars around, only lorries. But soon other cars began to arrive and Chike’s hopes revived. So far three had arrived. But they were all very small cars. Chike thought it would be better to go for a big one with a wealthy owner. Soon an enormously long car pulled up. Chike immediately approached it.
The owner looked like a very important person. Perhaps he was a minister. Then Chike lost his boldness. He stood by the car wondering what to say. But while he hesitated one of the other boys marched up to the man and said, “May I wash your car, sir?”
At first the man ignored him but he did not give up. He spoke again, “Oga, your car dorty plenty. I fit wash am fine.”
This time the man looked at him and nodded. The boy smiled and set to work. Chike bit his lips. He said to himself, If this boy can do it so can I.
Then one small car arrived. Chike, no longer choosy, wasted no time at all. He went up to the owner and said in good English, “May I wash your car, sir? It is very dirty and you are going to Lagos.”
The man smiled and said, “Go ahead.”
Chike filled his bucket with water from a nearby tap and set to work.
When he had finished he told the owner. But the man was busy talking to his friend and paid little attention to Chike. He said “Thank you” without looking at Chike and continued talking. Chike stood there, shifting from one foot to the other. Eventually the man looked at him again and put his hand into his pocket. Chike’s heart beat faster. He brought out a handful of coins and gave one to Chike.
“Thank you, sir,” said Chike. Then he looked at the coin and saw that it was one shilling. In his joy he said again, “Thank you, sir.” The man did not reply; he was talking to his friend again, with a cigarette in his mouth.
14 Chike on the Boat
Chike’s dream had come true; at last he could go to Asaba. He jumped up and down several times and sang “One More River to Cross.” It was one of the songs he had learnt at the C.M.S. Central School, Umuofia.
He joined the queue of other passengers. When his turn came he gave the shilling to the cashier who gave him a ticket and sixpence change. His heart was aglow with happiness. After today he would be able to say to his friends, “I too have been to Asaba. There only remains Lagos.”
The next ferry was a long time coming. Chike became very impatient. He walked up and down, whistling:
Leave your wife and join the Army
One more river to cross;
One more river, one more river,
One more river to cross.
At last the ferryboat was coming. It looked very small in the distance. Chike’s heart beat like a hammer. He sat down on one of the long wooden seats, then stood up again. He turned away from the approaching boat in the hope that when he looked again it would be much nearer. He shut his eyes and counted up to two hundred. He did everything he could think of to make the time pass more quickly.
At long last the boat arrived. Passengers from Asaba began to stream out, some of them carrying head-loads. After the passengers, the cars and lorries came out one by one.
Many of the cars were covered with brown dust from their long journey. So there was dust on the Lagos road, thought Chike. He had not expected that. Such a great road should be free from dust, he thought.
When the vehicles from Asaba had all left the ferry the vehicles from Onitsha began to drive on. Sometimes it looked as if a car or lorry would fall into the river. But none did. Chike saw the car he had washed enter the boat. It looked very clean and new. He had already memorized its number, PC 7379.
The last car to go in had a radio blaring out at full volume. Its owner was not there and so the chauffeur was having fun. He was even offering to take passengers to Lagos at a moderate charge. When this last car had boarded the boat a marine official in a white-and-blue uniform waved the passengers on. Immediately there was a big rush for the deck. Chike was in the forefront of this rush.
The ferry’s engine started. The siren sounded above. Then a bell rang in the engine room. It sounded like a giant bicycle bell. The boat began to move backward. When it was clear of the ground the bell rang again and the engine increased its sound. Then the boat swung round and began its journey to Asaba.
It was all like a dream. Chike wondered whether it was actually happening. So this is me, he thought. Chike Anene, alias Chiks the Boy, of Umuofia, Mbaino District, Onitsha Province, Eastern Nigeria, Nigeria, West Africa, Africa, World, Universe. This was how he wrote his name in his new reader. It was one of the things he had learnt from his friend Samuel, alias S.M.O.G.
During the journey Chike felt as proud as Mungo Park when he finally reached the Niger. Here at last was the great River Niger. Chike stuck out his chest as though he owned the river, and drew a deep breath. The air smelt clean and fresh. He remembered another song he had learnt at Umuofia and began to whistle it:
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
When he became tired of whistling he began to think of Lagos. He wondered what Carter Bridge looked like. He had heard it described on the radio. He also knew of Tinubu Square, the marina, Tafawa Balewa Square, Bar Beach, Yaba, Apapa, statehouse, and so on. But the place he wanted to see most of all was the City Stadium where all those football matches were played. Chike liked nothing more than a football commentary broadcast by the N.B.C. Whenever there was a match some of the neighbors would come to listen on his uncle’s radio. They all admired the commentator. When he cried, “It’s a goal!” everyone shouted, “It’s a goal!” Some would even jump to their feet and shake hands with their friends. Of course they only did so when their favorite team scored.