look. For a minute, he could not feel his feet.
Uncle Jide sighed. “That’s great news. That means Danny will be starting school as a freshman next year in August. Much time and opportunity to prepare.”
“Danny leaves tomorrow night,” said Evelyn.
“Tomorrow night?” Danny said.
“Actually, you are leaving with me and Chief immediately for VI. We need to pack and get ready. Go and get your stuff, we are waiting.”
“How is this possible?” Uncle Jide said. “Danny will still have to apply for a visa and this could take couple of weeks”.
“He already has a visa,” Evelyn said. Everyone was puzzled.
“I must be dreaming,” Danny muttered.
Danny could care less what he packed. He was excited beyond himself. He gave lots of hugs to his cousins and Aunt Kemi. Danny hated saying goodbye. He was going to miss his notoriety with the people of Fola-Agoro, especially the ladies. As he left with Evelyn and Chief, he felt himself getting teary-eyed.
They arrived late. It was around eleven o’clock. Evelyn had explained to Uncle Jide and Aunt Kemi the mystery of the United States visa and the sudden need to travel.
Two weeks ago, Evelyn had been cleaning up the bedroom and doing the laundry. The house had been in disarray because Christy had had a sleep over. She had been bugging Evelyn and the General for weeks to host her friends. This was a bold request that Danny and his siblings could not have dared to make when they were her age. As Evelyn rumbled through the drawers next to the bed, she stumbled on Danny’s passport. She wondered why it was in the drawer instead of the family’s safe where she kept all the important documents. She breezed through the pages and saw a U.S. B2 Visiting Visa for Danny that was valid for six months.
The nine o’clock news had just come on when Evelyn stormed into the living room and stood between the TV screen and the General.
“What is this? Can you explain how you got this?” She waved the passport in the General’s face. Evelyn’s posture was quite militant and determined. The General knew better than to aggravate her further. He sat up and explained.
For six weeks, a sect called Yan Tatsine had been terrorizing the residents of Kaduna State. The sect’s actions were based on an Islamic extremist ideology. The group had attacked the U.S. Consulate in Kaduna and besieged the compound inhabited by the diplomats and the foreign service employees and their families. The General had been the Chief of General Staff at the 1st Mechanized Infantry Division in Kaduna. He had received the call to mobilize reinforcement to support the Nigerian Police and crush the rebellion. The operation was swift and successful. A couple of days later, the General received the U.S Consular-General and some high-ranking officials at the military headquarters. They were impressed and wanted to show their appreciation.
As the visiting delegation departed the headquarters, the Consular asked the General, if there was anything they could do for him personally? The General had to think fast and all he could think of was Danny. “Well, my son would like to go to the United States,” he said. “Oh! That’s not a problem, send his passport over to my office at the consulate and we will take care of that.”
Two days later, Danny’s passport was hand delivered to the General with a visa inside. By the time he arrived at the family home in Lagos for a weekend furlough, he’d begun to second-guess the idea. He locked the passport by the bedside drawer, lay down and dozed off thinking of his victory in Kaduna and what it might mean for his career.
Chapter 5
DANNY WOKE UP THE NEXT DAY IN HIS OLD BED, still reeling from the events of the day before. This has to be a dream, he thought. Evelyn came into his room to help him finish packing. Danny had never been to the U.S. All he knew about it was from the Hollywood movies and music videos. Though Evelyn had taken Danny and his siblings to Europe for vacation when they were younger, he knew the U.S. was totally different. Americans were very direct, which was his preferred style of communication. Danny was excited.
Nobody knew Danny was back in the estate. When they’d arrived, he’d wanted to share the good news with his friends. However, he couldn’t shake from his mind the reason for his abrupt travel. Evelyn had been concerned about Danny telling his friends and getting into trouble. It wouldn’t be the first time. He needed to play it cool and stay calm. He felt like he was being smuggled out of the country.
The flight was scheduled to depart from Muritala Mohammed Airport at 11:45pm and arrive at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York at 5:45am. Winter had just started on the East coast.
Evelyn had a three-piece suit dry cleaned for Danny. She wanted him looking sharp and responsible. Evelyn was putting her make-up on when the General arrived. He had been conveniently absent from the house through out the day. If he’d had his way, Danny would not be going to the U.S. Danny was immature and had the potential to get into trouble. But Evelyn had insisted that this kind of opportunity only comes once. She was convinced, especially now that Danny had passed his exams, that he would be okay. Eventually, the General gave up.
When the time came to go to the airport, Chief Ladi was sitting next to the General watching the news. He had come over to provide support for Evelyn and to be a mediator in case the General changed his mind. Danny could hear the horn of the car downstairs. Uncle Boss was being impatient and Danny was ready to get on with it. He went back to say goodbye to the General and Chief Ladi.
“Good bye, sir.”
“Good bye,” said General. “Watch out. Lots of people with HIV over there.”
“The girls over there are very fair-skinned,” Chief Ladi added with a grin. “You are going to like them.”
“Thank you, sir.” Danny took one last look at his home and ran out of the house before Uncle Boss took off without him.
THE AIRPORT WAS ROWDY AND CROWDED. Uncle Boss dropped them off at the departure lounge and drove off abruptly. Danny couldn’t figure why Uncle Boss was in such a hurry to get back home. Maybe because he will finally have the room to himself again.
It took Evelyn and Danny over an hour to get to the check-in counter and go through security. Danny could see the plane from the lounge and got exited all over again. It was a Boeing 747. He’d only seen them in movies. Suddenly, an interruption by the voice from the overhead speakers.
“This is an announcement for passengers on Nigerian Airways, flight 334 departing for New York. Please proceed to gate D for boarding.”
Evelyn got up and Danny followed. Thirty minutes later, the plane taxied to the runway for take-off. Danny was glued to the window looking at the homes next to the airport and a large billboard that read “Good-Bye to Nigeria”. Danny muttered “good-bye”. Twenty minutes later, it was pitch black outside and Danny was snoring.
DANNY’S EYES WERE STILL IRRITATED BY THE COLD when he got off the plane. He had never felt anything like it before. The coldest he’d ever been was in boarding school in Kaduna during the Harmattan season. A north-east trade wind blew dry and dusty particles from the Sahara Desert. Danny could remember how chapped his lips got and how his feet cracked open. He had learnt that Vaseline petroleum jelly could be a man’s best friend.
“At least the heating system is working,” said Danny. Evelyn ignored him and walked hastily through the airport lounge,
