The Fire brigade

The wind performed a rhythmic dance, hurriedly traversing fences and effortlessly surmounting any obstacles in its path. In the distance, the muezzin's call echoed, adding a hauntingly beautiful layer to the symphony of sounds. It was the harmattan season and not very many people would want to be out in the cold.

A bus pulled over from the expressway and passengers began to alight. The driver of the bus opened the booth and started offloading the passengers' luggage. 'Alhamdulillah, wanna sanyi baze keshe ni ba kwua? (Will this cold not kill me) one passenger who was shivering said in Hausa and everyone laughed as they picked up their laugage. It was 5:06 am in Bumpai Kano state northern Nigeria. 'Raheem picked up his black backpack from among the laugage and started walking in the opposite direction from whence the bus had been coming.

He looks back after a few minutes only to find that the passengers they had traveled together had emptied away. He could see the driver shutting bus to the just before driving off. A handful of cars drive past him intermittently. He pauses and brings out his phone from his pocket to make a call.

"Hello!"

A male voice heavily accented in Hausa responded.

"I'm almost there my friend. I'm about 2 minutes away. Please hold on".

Raheem puts the phone back into his pocket and drops the backpack just in front of him. A scrubs his palms together in an attempt to generate friction to ward off the cold. He could see a car approaching with the full light of the car flushing at him. A 1998 model Honda Accord car pulls over in front of him without shutting the engine. A female voice can be heard on the radio in the car singing in Hausa.

"Raheem?"

A bald black man who seemed to have on more than 3 clothing asked him from inside the car.

"Yes. And you must be Musa correct?" as he picked up his backpack from the ground in front of him.

"I am Musa Abdulaziz. Please come inside and let us go". The man opens the car door to the passenger front seat and 'Raheem' enters as they drive off.

"It's so cold out here. This year's hamarttan is the worst I've ever witnessed all my life. Musa said before offering Raheem to pick from a pack of cigarettes. Raheem declined "I'm sorry but I don't smoke. Not anymore. I gave up smoking long ago. I don't wanna die young". Both men laugh as Musa continues to focus on the road. "In this line of our work my friend, what guarantees that you will grow old?" Musa said again to Raheem. Raheem smiled as both men gave each other a warm look at each other.

The car makes a turn to enter another road away from the highway. Both Musa is singing along with the song coming from the car radio. They seem to have entered a business district. Several buildings that looked like office complexes were all over the place. He looks at Raheem and smiles.

"So my friend, why did the agency send you to Kano? Of all places in the world? You must have offended some powerful people, didn't you? Musa asked Raheem politely.

"Well, let's just say… I'm the guy that goes into a building when it's on fire. Raheem replied. "Like fire brigade you mean?" Musa

Asked again. "Yes. Fire brigade" and both men laugh.

Musa pulls over over in front of a building that seems to be a hotel. " we are here my friend. This is where you'll be staying for now."

A young man that seemed to be a security guard and in his late 20s approached him. "Salami alaikum Mai gida. An Zo lafia. The young man said and Musa responded.

"Lafia kaloo. My friend here is lodging in this hotel for the time being. Please open the gate.

Please open you car trunk lets see what you have in there. And Musa responded, it's opened Musa responded. The young man inspects the truck just before closing it and signalling another man to open the gate.

"Don't mind this young boys. They just want you to give them money. Not that they care about your safety.Musa said as they both chuckles.

"Room 404 has been reserved for you already. Here's the key." Musa hands a key holder with room 404 written on it.

"I'll be here by 10 am to pick you up tomorrow morning. The station director has a briefing by 10:30 am. If you need anything, call me.

Raheem opens the door and alights from the car. "Thank you, Musa."

It's nothing, my friend. Welcome to Kano. I hope you like the city. By the way, if you need room service, I'm the one to call. Musa said to him as both men laughed. " by the way, what is your name again" Musa asked as he closed the door to the car. Raheem answered and said, " My name is Raheem. Abdulraheem Abubakar".

"I mean your real name, my friend. You and I both know that is not your real name" Musa responded with a smack on his face.

Raheem smiles at him. Musa shook his head in amusement as he drove away. Raheem watches him drive off for a while before turning to enter the hotel building.

Raheem enters into the building. A young slim beautiful lady with her hair covered with a black scarf beacons on him to come to the reception as Raheem approached her.

"You're welcome to hotel 17th Sir. My name is Aisha and I'm the receptionist on duty. Do you want to make a reservation or…? "I already have a reservation Ma'am. Raheem interrupted. "Oh that's fine. Just give me your name and your room number so I can register you in Aisha said and Raheem answered and said "I a am Abdulraheem Abubakar."

Aisha flips through the pages of a hardcover note book just before stopping to speak. "404 Sir?" correct raheem responded. Your reservation was made last night by Mr Musa. I see you already have the keys to the room? Yes I do. Raheem brings out the key and show it to her. Your room is on the 3rd flood by the end of the hallway. Thank you very much madam as he attempts to make for the stairs with his backpack on his hand. " my name is Aisha Sir. Not ma'am. Have a wonder stay Sir. The lady replied with a smile. Raheem smiles back in return as he began to climb the stairs.

He walks up to the 3rd floor to find room 404 just opposite room room 403. I opens the door and enters into the room. To his surprise, the air conditioner in the room was very much on. He quickly went for the plug and unplugged it from the wall. He was already coming from an icing cold from the bus and wouldn't want to die frozen in the room. He dropped his backpack on the couch in the room, fell to the bed on his back, with his feet on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. He seems to be very tired. It had been a long journey from Lagos down to Kano.

He saw the old wall clock that was in the room and his mind went back to when he was a child growing up in Lagelu in Ibadan. His father and beaten the hell out of him because he had accidentally broken the wall clock while playing with his friends in the living room. He was 12 years old and he was expected to know better not to play around with perishable items.

He sat up on the bed, took off his shoes, and left his socks on. He climbed properly into the bed and covered himself with the duvet.

His mind went back to the receptionist lady. A small eyes and mouth, is moderately breasted, and her a slim figure. Her teeth were nicely arranged in her mouth, with great dentition, and with an incurable smile. He tried to remember her name but struggled.

He thought about the last time he was with Jessica. Before she moved on with another man. They had been having sex in his room one night in Lagos when Jessica had asked him when he was going to be ready to marry her. He had told her to shrug off the idea of marriage from her mind which caused a misunderstanding that night. The next day, she had gone before he woke up from his sleep.

He had called her phone to find out how she was doing after the fight but to no avail. At first he had taught she was still angry only to find out two weeks after that she had gotten married to a rich man from Edo State and they had both moved to the UK.

He remembered the sheer emptiness he had felt then. 'Everything is nothing' he had said back then. It was exactly around this time last year. He wondered if Jessica had always had another option besides him all along and he never knew. He never told Jessica what he did for a living and she was okay with that.

He was already feeling dizzy but he was still hanging on to his thoughts. He hadn't had any sleep all through the journey from Lagos.

As he perused his thoughts, he thought about the receptionist again and this time, in an erotic way. He wished that she could just walk up into his room naked. With her breast dangling on her chest. He had imagined this before when he first set eyes on the Lady and had smiled in his heart.

He tried to remember her name again. It was just a while ago when she had told him her name and now he's too tired to remember. Just as he was about to give up, he remembered. Aisha. That's her name. Aisha. He smiled just before falling asleep.