"Fine girl! Welcome back to Nigeria," a young man greeted her. He had a smile on his face. Mia couldn't help but notice his sweat soaked T-shirt. "Let me drop you off at your destination. My car has air conditioning and you will enjoy the ride." He reached for her baggage as he spoke but Mia hesitated and tightened her grip on the handle of her suitcase.
"Thank you very much but I already booked a ride and he will be here soon."
The young man nodded. Just as he walked away, a blue Toyota Corolla pulled up in front of Mia. The door opened and the driver stepped out. "Ms Mia Johnson?" He inquired.
"Yes please!" She answered and handed her suitcase to the driver who carefully placed it in the trunk of the car.
Mia couldn't wait to leave the scorching sun as she risks having her brain fried like an egg on the pavement from the blinding heat. She had forgotten how hot Nigeria could get in February.
After six years of studying abroad, she couldn't wait to be back in the arms of her mother. She missed her warm teasing smile and the comforts of her home. She confirmed her luggage was safe in the trunk of the car and settled herself in the backseat of the car.
The driver got in and started the car. Mia heard the engine roar to life and let out a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and thought of all the letters she had sent home but never got a reply.
"Where are we going?" The driver asked.
"Agbor village," she replied with her eyes still closed.
As the journey started, Mia brought out her favourite book and immersed herself in it. The taxi driver tried to strike up a conversation but she was too absorbed in her book to respond. After several unsuccessful attempts, he gave up and switched on the radio.
On the radio, there was news about an epidemic which has taken over some villages in the east and how it was deteriorating. The driver was not interested in the news and flipped to a music channel where he sang along with his off key voice. They approached the outskirts of Agbor village and were met with roadblocks lined with guards and a stark, red banner stretched across the road which read: KEEP OUT - QUARANTINE ZONE.
The driver stopped some kilometers away from the roadblock and turned off the engine of the car.
"Ms Johnson, I don't think it's safe for you to enter this village today. Let me take you back to the last village we passed. There you can spend the night and figure out your next steps," the driver suggested
"I don't understand. I need to get into this village today. I didn't fly for 16 hours and endure two hours of your off key singing to end up in a nearby village." Mia responded.
"Ma'am, I really can't go any further. Please, your fare is $100. If you would be kind enough to pay me so I can start heading back."
Mia opened her mouth but no words came out. She couldn't believe the driver was about to leave her alone on that eerie quiet road. She took a deep breath to collect herself and reached for her purse. A few minutes later, she was standing alone with her luggage beside her and a persistent drone of a loudspeaker repeating quarantine instructions echoing around her.
Mia found a tree nearby and sat under it. She was determined to reach her mother no matter the obstacles. She waited under the tree, sipping from her water bottle periodically until it was nightfall. Darkness was the perfect cover she needed to sneak into the village through the farmer's path that skirted the cliffs by the sea. It was very unlikely that guards would be there.
Once darkness settled, Mia carried her luggage and walked through the path that had been overgrown with bushes. She walked gently, stopping at intervals to take a rest because of the heavy luggage before continuing. It was a long walk under the moonlit sky. Her heart raced as she got closer to the village. She was anxious and filled with a deep seated fear of the unknown.
Mia arrived at the village after a long walk. She chose to pass through the local grocery shop which was the shortest route to her house and very unlikely to have guards around. She found the grocery shop windows shattered and the shelves stripped bare. Her heart ached as she tried to absorb what has become of her once lovely village.
She sighted her home and a smile dressed her lips in anticipation. As she got closer, she discovered that the garden was wild and untamed and the door to the house was slightly ajar. A cold shiver ran up her legs and they felt suddenly too heavy to lift. With her heart in her mouth, she pushed the door wide open.
"Mom?" She called. Her voice trembling and barely a whisper. She was greeted by silence. She dropped her bag and reached for her flashlight and turned it on. With the light guiding her path, she walked down the long corridor leading to her mother's room. Photographs still lined the wall just as she remembers it although covered in dust. She could still hear the echoes of her laughter as her mother chased her down this same hallway as a kid.
She reached the room and let herself inside the empty space. Her mother's bed was not laid which was very unusual. She looked around the room, everything was in their right position except for a stack of letters on her mother's reading table. She walked warily to the table and picked up the stack of letters. All the letters were addressed to her. With shaking hands, she flipped through them one by one.
Her mother had written a letter to her every month since she'd been gone.The letters spoke of love, loneliness, fear, illness and none failed to end with hopes for her return. Tears blurred Mia's vision as she read the last letter which was dated three months ago. It spoke of the worsening condition of the epidemic and a final wish for her to stay safe.
With the letter still in hand, Mia fell into a heap. As the realisation hit her that she might never see her mother again, tears erupted like a thunderstorm, drenching her cheek and leaving her gasping for breath. Each drop carried the weight of a thousand unspoken emotions. She let herself cry on as fond memories of what used to be her home flooded her mind. With nowhere to go, she crawled onto her mother's bed. She clutched her mother's pillow tightly and sniffed it for any lingering trace of her smell. There she remained, sobbing until sleep overwhelmed her.
The next morning, Mia was found during the government routine sweep through homes. She was found on her mother's bed, feverish and delirious and still clutching the pillow. One of the quarantine doctors that accompanied the team assessed her and informed others that she was manifesting early stage symptoms of the mysterious illness and needed to be taken to the quarantine centre nearby. Mia was taken to the quarantine centre alongside her luggage and stack of letters as she refused to let them go.
At the quarantine center, Mia met her mother's best friend who was a survivor. She showed her the stack of letters and wondered why they never got sent. The mother's friend informed Mia of her mother's accident which claimed one of her legs shortly after she had travelled. After the accident, she barely left her home or entertained visitors. The nearest post office was three villages away and Mia's mother did not wish to burden anyone and so never asked for help. She had spent the rest of her days writing and hoping for her return.
Mia was surprised her mother never mentioned it in any of the letters. She thought of all the pain and agony her mother must had gone through while she was away. She spent every waking moment at the quarantine centre reading through the letters. The letters were the closest memory she has of her mother. Sometimes it made her smile and other days, it brought her to tears.
After weeks of treatment, Mia recovered from the ailment but not from the shock of her great loss. Once she was certified healthy and no longer contagious, she picked up her luggage and letters and travelled back to the country she had come from. Mia devoted the rest of her life advocating for disease prevention and community safety.