At dawn, the bright sun displayed its radiance on vehicles and pedestrians scurrying on a highway, sparing neither from its scorching heat.
Different brands and types of vehicles fleeted by to and fro on this highway, and soon a white-colored bus stained with a bit of mud in its lower body passed.
The brownish color on its lower body is actually the mud that accumulated on it while on its journey. This also signifies that it had been on quite a long journey.
Within this bus, at a seat at the side edge of the bus, next to the window, a boy sat comfortably on this seat.
This boy in question stared at the sun directly through the window, as if exchanging gazes with it without caring for the rays invading his eyes.
" Look, look, that's James "
" Who, James, you mean the one who always walks around with his head low "
" Yes, of course, him "
" Woah, him, seriously. Teachers have continuously warned us that we mustn't be as dull as him ".
" Of course, who would want such a dull student, aren't they scared of catching the virus? "
" Yeah, yeah. Keep quiet before he hears you "
" Hey bro, isn't that the nerd of a boy called James? "
" What, that weirdo, where is he? "
" Look over there. I think he is the one walking like a person with no destination. "
" Hahahahaha, what a funny joke. Take down your voice so he doesn't hear you "
" And if he does, what would he do?"
" Come on, don't seek trouble, let's just leave. "
Memories upon memories of James past replayed in his thoughts.
" My name is James Gideon, a boy who, by virtue of luck, managed to get squeezed into the list of students who got admission into a college this year.
Alas, for me, it wasn't that simple.
Yes, I am a boy, and again, yes, I just got admission into a fairly good college. But for me, this event was more than just entry into college. It was far more than that. It was an escape.
Truthfully, I had made a mess of my life back at Lagos.
Messes that have led to severe consequences which, though never successfully brought me down, but always left me at the brink of a fall.
The consequences were the ire of the people around me, mostly at school. Now I have no choice but to avoid everyone like a plague, knowing I would only attract disdain from them.
I had typically become the object of a scape goat, with numerous parents and guardians using my name as a warning example to other children.
The shame and disgrace I had brought on my parents were too great.
But sincerely, I wasn't convinced. I had my resolve. I don't believe that, out of all my peers, I am the one who has messed up the most.
Everyone makes mistakes, though I make them a little more than normal. But they are definitely those who have made them far more than I have, with the only difference between us being that mine always seems to find its way to light for everyone to see.
You know, once upon a time, I was actually a favored one, with a lot of fans taking me as their role model, a good example.
If I were to view my past as a story, and decide to name it, I would likely name it grace to grass to sand.
I am like a guy with dual personalities, or should I say alter ego.
But that actually isn't true, it's only an illustration. I am just someone who sometimes starts acting foolish, as people call it.
It's like a nut goes loose in my head and I start acting like someone who doesn't reason before acting.
This was the cause of my name being dragged into the mud for all these years. Now, no matter what I say, or what excuse I give, it won't make any difference.
Thankfully, my country, Nigeria, is a vast one, with the city I previously lived in being only a city in Lagos state out of its numerous cities, and Lagos state itself being only a single state out of the thirty-six states in Nigeria.
This gave me a chance for a start over, and all I needed was an opportunity.
That's the unique factor of today. Today is that day, that day that I get to leave, to elope. To elope to a different city in a different state faraway from Lagos state.
This means that I am currently on my way to a place with no knowledge of myself, meaning that I get to create a new knowledge and impression of me to them. How great.
Now that I have gotten a second chance at life, a chance for a start over. A new beginning, I definitely don't plan on wast… "