The hospital eventually reported the case to the police as they were obliged to report such incidents and it wasn’t long before Ama was arrested and charged to court. Their son remained in Jordanna’s custody while Deji travelled to Nigeria for his interview.
It took a lot of strength for him to go ahead and attend the interview after everything that had happened, he wanted to request that the interview be postponed but his uncle advised against it, saying that due to the nature of the urgency for the position to be filled, making such a request would force the bank to move forward with other candidates and advise him to reapply when there was a new opening. Deji did not want to risk losing the opportunity, Jordanna encouraged him to go and assured him that she would take good care of his son while he was away.
He had been in tears all through his flight back to Nigeria as the last time he had been on a plane was when he was flying to London, his daughter had sat right beside him and had been so excited as it was her first time on a plane, he remembered how he had promised her that he would take her on many more plane trips and how she had been so excited about it, little did he know that it would be her last time on a plane. He vowed to himself that he was going to do his best to get the job so his daughter’s death would not be in vain. He promised he was going to give his only surviving son the best life possible.
He flashed back to the time when he had agreed to Ama’s demands and handed in his resignation letter and how his colleague had tried to warn him against taking his decision, if only he could turn back the hands of time, he would have done things differently, but it was too late, he was facing the consequences of his poor decisions.
When he arrived, he was welcomed by his uncle who made him feel at home and gave him proper coaching for the interview. He had made up his mind to stay back in Nigeria regardless of the outcome of the interview and work towards getting a good job and regaining financial stability.
On the day of the interview, he was nervous and under a lot of pressure as it felt like his future would be determined by the interview. He did his best, gave it his all, and was told he would get feedback before the week ran out. The next few days after the interview felt like the longest few days of his life as he waited anxiously by his phone every time, making sure his battery was always fully charged and carrying his phone everywhere he went so he wouldn’t miss any call or message. Finally, the golden email dropped and just as he had hoped, he was offered the job. The job came with an official car, a huge housing allowance that would enable him to rent a house in any of the most decent areas of the city, generous health benefits and much more.
He couldn’t believe his eyes, it was like he was dreaming, “Thank you God for giving a second chance” he whispered dropping to his knees and sobbing uncontrollably as he remembered all that he had been through in the last couple of months, receiving the job offer was a huge relief for him, it felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off his chest, he now had a clean slate to start over and rewrite his life’s story.
***
It was show time for Michael, the day for his trip had finally arrived. He had sold all his remaining property and lied to Chinedu and his parents that he received a scholarship from the USA government to study abroad. He could not confide in anyone about his encounter with the senator and the real reason he was travelling.
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A part of him was scared and worried about the uncertainty of his future and the fact that he could eventually end up behind bars if he was unlucky to get caught but another part of him was relieved that he was finally free from his debtors, his debt was so bad that his rent was overdue and his landlord had issued him a quit notice. He further consoled himself with the fact that if he didn’t get caught, he would be starting a new life in the USA.
Chinedu had been so envious of him and vowed that he would do everything possible to join him in the USA, meanwhile his parents were happy and rejoicing that their son was going abroad.
He had successfully swallowed several wraps of coke and had now begun to embark on his journey, Senator Austin had sent his Chauffeur along with one of his bodyguards to drop him at the airport. “Do not try to play smart with me” he had warned Michael, “the airport is fully surrounded. And remember, when you leave the shores of this country, if you get caught, you do not know me, we have never met” he added sternly.
Michael was very jittery all through check-in and security at the airport, he felt so guilty that he thought that just by looking at him the customs officials would discover that he was up to something. He tried his best to avoid eye contact with them.
Chief had assured him that his insiders had secured the airport in Nigeria and he would not get caught but that did not allay his fears.
Eventually, he successfully made it to the boarding gate and boarded the flight to Mexico. The flight was to make a stop at New York in the USA where he would have a 3 hour layover before catching a connecting flight to Mexico.
Shortly after his plane took off, he began to experience some discomfort and pain in his ear, sounds were becoming muffled and it felt like his ear was stuffy. Apparently, he was beginning to experience ear barotrauma which is popularly known as aeroplane ear.
Aeroplane ear happens when the middle ear is affected by sudden changes in air or water pressure. It can happen when you’re flying in an aeroplane, especially during take off and landing. It can also happen in an elevator or when you dive to the bottom of a pool. Air pressure changes during these situations are usually sudden and lead to symptoms similar to what Michael was experiencing. Aeroplane ear usually stops or goes away when the changes in air or water pressure stop. Swallowing, yawning, chewing gum or blowing your nose gently into a tissue during take off and landing can help to prevent aeroplane ear. Wearing earplugs can also help to regulate pressure in the ears and prevent symptoms.
It was a long and uncomfortable flight for Michael, he was avoiding eating or drinking because he did not want to feel the urge to use the toilet during the flight, so that he would not risk excreting wraps of coke on the flight or in transit.
Finally, the flight landed in New York as scheduled, he felt a slight sense of relief knowing that the first part of the journey had been successfully completed, “just one more flight to go and I will be free” he thought to himself.
As he disembarked from the plane, there were policemen with sniffer dogs waiting at the entrance to the arrivals area to sniff all passengers and their luggages to enable them to fish out passengers who were carrying illicit drugs.
Michael’s heart was beating very fast as he passed by the police and their dogs, he was afraid that the dogs would sniff him out and expose him. When he passed by, one of the dogs drew closer and sniffed his luggage for a few seconds, which felt like the longest few seconds of his life. His palms were becoming extremely sweaty and he thought he was going to faint out of fear. He was relieved when the dog didn’t bark and the policeman asked him to proceed as the dog moved to sniff the next passenger.
“I made it” he thought, heaving a huge sigh of relief as he went ahead to try to locate the boarding gate for his connecting flight. He was starving but had refused to eat or drink anything. “Just a few more hours and this will be over” he encouraged himself.
Less than an hour to his flight, he started to feel a little uneasy, but could not explain why. He felt his heart beating faster and he noticed he was breathing a little faster than usual but he tried to ignore it.
Finally, his flight was called for boarding and he stood up to join the queue to board the plane. He was one of the first few people to join the queue as he was anxious to get on the plane. It was almost his turn to show his passport and complete his boarding. There were only two people ahead of him in the queue, and suddenly his muscles began to twitch. A few seconds after, he fell to the ground and began to convulse. The people who stood near him on the queue jumped back in amazement as he continued to jerk uncontrollably on the floor. “Somebody call 911” a female passenger standing closeby screamed as the airline staff rushed to his side to see what was happening, one of them immediately brought out his phone and started dialling. “The ambulance will be here any moment” he announced as others tried to loosen Michael’s belt, undo his buttons and cushion his head while passengers stood by and watched in horror.
Find out what happens next in episode 28 #checkwithdoctoro
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God of Elijah