had her way, she would have brought more luggage, which would have been a major embarrassment for Danny. In the movies, Americans never had more than one bag. I’m going to act like an American, he thought. As they exited the terminal, all Danny could see was a sea of yellow taxis. Cars honked constantly. Pedestrians streamed along-side the cars. It was total chaos. This was just like Nigeria, except the officers and airport staff looked happy doing their jobs. Danny was accustomed to frowning at the airport in Lagos, to avoid unnecessary compliments and fake smiles from the officials expecting a tip.
“Can you take us to Penn Station?” Evelyn asked a taxi driver.
“Sure. Welcome to the United States,” he said as he struggled to lift the luggage into the trunk of the car.
The taxi pulled up at the station around eight o’clock. Danny could not believe all the people sleeping on cardboard boxes and begging for a dollar. He had never seen that in the movies.
“We need to hurry up and catch the 9:00 a.m. Amtrak train to New Carrolton, Maryland,” Evelyn said. Their final destination was a secret Evelyn kept until now.
“Isn’t that where Dele lives?” asked Danny.
“Yes. You will be staying with him and his guardian.”
Danny was excited. He had not seen Dele, Chief Ladi’s first son for over three years, since he’d graduated from high school. Dele and Danny had attended the same school and grown up in the estate together. Dele was a year ahead of Danny in school and was two years older. Despite their shared history, they were totally different people. Dele was an introvert and lacked Danny’s charisma, especially with the girls at school. Dele had arrived in the U.S. immediately after his graduation. He had been born in Washington D.C, when Chief Ladi was studying for his master’s degree. Danny’s stomach growled. There was a McDonald’s in the corner of the station. Danny glanced at it, then at Evelyn. Together they walked to the restaurant.
Chapter 6
IT’S ALMOST NOON WHEN THE TRAIN entered Prince Georges County. Danny had finished his double cheeseburger and large fries.
“Now it’s official. I have arrived in the United States,” said Danny. He had stayed up throughout the entire journey, enjoying the scenery. Danny saw huge stretch of farmlands and couple of horses grazing nearby. Most of the houses were beautiful with designs from the Victorian era. They reminded him of the colonial houses built by the British before Nigeria’s independence. Evelyn was tired. She had slept through the trip and woken up to the voice of the train conductor announcing New Carrolton Station. She and Danny looked out the window and saw a short stocky man standing on the platform next to the ticket office grinning and waving.
“Welcome to New Carrolton madam. My name is Chubi,” he said with a heavy Nigerian accent. “Chief Ladi gave me your itinerary and requested that I get here on time to meet you. How was your flight and the train ride?”
“Fine,” said Evelyn as she tried to warm her cold hands by rubbing them together.
“This must be Danny. Heard a lot about you. Are you excited to be in the U.S.?”
“Yes, sir.” Danny hoped whatever he had heard was good.
Together they walked to the parking lot. “Here we are,” Chubi said, pointing to an eighties model Chevy Caprice station wagon with D.C taxi cab signage painted on the driver’s side door. Danny jumped in the car. It was freezing. He could have cared less if it was a boat, so long it was warm.
The city felt quite different from the chaos in New York. Maryland had beautiful homes, lots of houses under construction in new residential developments. There were parks along the highway with kids playing on swings with young mothers pushing their strollers. It was a more relaxed and laid-back environment.
As Chubi pulled into the Heritage Square apartment complex, Danny heard a rattling noise on the window. It was Dele, making hand signals for Danny to open the door. Danny was glad to see him. He had not changed a bit, except for putting on a few pounds. That was expected, thought Danny as he remembered the McDonald’s burger he’d eaten on the train. A quick hug followed.
“Welcome ma,” said Dele to Evelyn as he slightly prostrated.
“How are you Dele? Wow, you are grown. Look, you have a mustache.”
Dele blushed and took two bags from Chubi, while Danny followed suit and entered the apartment.
Danny woke up the next day to the aroma of fried eggs and sausage, coming from the kitchen. He barely had the energy to keep his eyes open. Dele had gone to school. He was a sophomore at the University of District of Columbia and was majoring in Pre-Med. He would be going to work later for the afternoon shift at the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in the north east section of D.C. They had been up late into the night, reminiscing about old times at the high school they’d both attended. Dele wanted all the gossip on his former classmates back in Nigeria. He had lost contact with most of them.
It was ten o’clock when Danny walked into the dinning room for breakfast. Evelyn had been knocking on his bedroom door, asking him to get dressed and come out and say hi to Bunmi. Danny was meeting her for the first time.
“This is Chubi’s wife,” said Evelyn. “She’s had been working a double shift at Howard University Hospital in D.C.”
She was tall, feisty and a bit slender, thought Danny. Not what he’d expected, especially after meeting Chubi.
“How are you? I hope you like the breakfast I made for you. Would you like some tea, orange juice or coffee?“
“Tea. Thank you.”
As Danny munched on his last piece of toast, he could hear Chubi’s voice from the living room. It sounded like he was having a serious discussion with a stranger. Danny leaned towards the door to hear their conversation.
“This could work,” said the stranger. “The guy assured me at the Liberian consulate that the papers provided can be verified and are authentic.”
“Very well, said Chubi. I told Chief Ladi and the General I would take care of Danny, but I can’t discuss the details with his mum. She would freak out.”
“What about the kid? Does he have the balls to follow through”?
“Chief Ladi gave me a heads-up about the kid’s escapades back home in Nigeria. I can assure you, he’s not a saint.”
“Well, it’s their money. Just make sure I get the two grand as discussed.”
“I told you. I’ve got this.”
Danny heard someone walking towards the door. He sat down abruptly and took a gulp of tea. It tasted nasty and cold.
It had been four days since Chubi had called Danny aside to inform him of his plans. He had started the conversation by asking about Danny’s plans for after his mum returned to Nigeria. Chubi looked innocent as he spoke, and Danny went along with it.
“I don’t know. I will have to get a job as soon as possible”.
“How are you going to achieve that? I understand your parents hope you get permanent residency in the long-term.
However, they are
