Arden decided—very foolishly—that he could survive Lagos on his own.
It started with confidence. The dangerous kind. The kind that came after surviving a day without being hit by a motorbike, roasted by pepper, or scammed by a vendor. He woke up that morning feeling bold, almost proud of himself.
Today, I won't embarrass myself, he thought.
That thought alone should have warned him.
He stepped out dressed casually this time—no tie, no stiff shoes. Ife had laughed the night before and told him, "If you dress like that again, Lagos will personally humble you." He wasn't sure what that meant, but he'd taken the advice seriously.
The street was already alive. Vendors setting up, buses honking, people shouting greetings across the road. Arden walked carefully, repeating Ife's rules in his head like a prayer.
Smile. Watch your pockets. Don't stare. Don't argue with danfo drivers.
Simple enough.
He made it halfway down the street before someone slapped his back.
"Hey, oyinbo!"
Arden jumped so hard his heart nearly escaped his chest. He turned to find a grinning man about his age, chewing something and looking far too amused.
"Good morning?" Arden said cautiously.
The man laughed. "You dey tense like NEPA wire. Relax!" He clapped Arden's shoulder again. "First time in Lagos?"
Arden hesitated. "Is it that obvious?"
The man laughed louder. "My brother, your face is shouting 'new here' without your permission."
Arden exhaled slowly. So much for blending in.
He was on his way to the café when he spotted Ife across the street, arguing animatedly with a fruit vendor. Her hands moved wildly, her voice confident, her face expressive. She looked completely in her element.
Before he could call out to her, a yellow danfo screeched to a stop in front of him.
"ENTER WITH CHANGE!" the conductor yelled.
Arden froze.
People pushed past him. Someone shoved a hand into his back. Suddenly, he was inside the bus, crushed between bodies, gripping a metal bar as if his life depended on it—which it probably did.
The bus jerked forward violently.
"Wait—this isn't—" Arden shouted.
Too late.
The danfo roared into traffic like it had a personal vendetta against the road. Arden nearly fell, earning him several annoyed looks.
"Abeg stand well!" a woman snapped.
"I—yes—sorry!" he said, clinging harder.
Five terrifying minutes later, the bus stopped just as violently as it had started. Arden stumbled out, dizzy, heart pounding, suit jacket twisted awkwardly.
And there she was.
Ife.
Standing by the roadside with her arms crossed and a look that said she'd been enjoying this far too much.
"…Did you just enter a danfo?" she asked slowly.
Arden straightened. "In my defense, I was attacked."
She burst out laughing. Not polite laughter. Full, bent-over, gasping-for-air laughter.
"I told you!" she managed between laughs. "I told you not to go anywhere alone!"
"I was doing fine," he protested. "Until the bus kidnapped me."
She wiped her eyes. "Lagos has claimed you. Congratulations."
They walked together toward the café, Ife still shaking her head in disbelief.
"You can't just stand by the road looking confused," she said. "That's how buses adopt you."
"That's not comforting."
She grinned. "You'll learn."
Inside the café, Arden noticed something odd. Two men sat near the corner, eyes following him a little too closely. One pretended to check his phone when Arden glanced over.
His smile faded.
"You okay?" Ife asked.
"Yeah," he said quickly, forcing a smile. "Just tired."
She studied him for a second, her teasing expression softening. "You don't have to pretend with me, you know."
The words hit harder than he expected.
"I know," he said quietly.
Outside, as they sat on the low steps watching the street, Ife nudged him with her shoulder.
"You're not as helpless as you act," she said. "But Lagos will still humble you. It humbles everyone."
He chuckled softly. "I'm starting to believe that."
She smiled at him then—not playful, not teasing. Just warm.
And for a moment, despite the noise, the danger, the chaos, Arden felt something settle inside him.
A sense of belonging.
But as he glanced down the street again, one of the men from the café stood up and walked away slowly, phone pressed to his ear.
Arden's chest tightened.
Lagos had welcomed him.
But something else had found him too.