Sekinat: Muted Voices

Chapter 4

Mallam Rabiu patiently waited for his passengers to board and settle down, while he slightly inclined his head out of the small opening on the driver's side. He stuck a length of wood in his mouth, chewing on it methodically and then using the chewed head to scrub his teeth in a top to bottom, circular motion then let out a dark sludge of gunky spittle, clearing his throat hoarsely with the effort as he did so. He did this a few times before he fished out a small plastic container from underneath his seat and drank a little of the water inside. He gargled a few times and then spit the contents out on the road. Then proceeded to wipe his nose and mouth with a soiled handkerchief, he had brought out of the front pocket of his bulbous jalabia. The man cleared his throat once again then twisted his neck to observe his passengers settling in at the back, without saying a word. 

As the handful of passengers shuffled into the truck, grabbing seats on the pre arranged wooden benches. They settled in without a word as few stragglers quickly ran to the back of the lorry breathless and quickly jumped in after them. As they hastily settled in, squeezing into available seats, some of the passengers exchanged pleasantries and light gossips. Even before the truck began its journey many of the passengers had paired themselves and huddled together in animated gossips and exchange of useful information regarding harvest, price of produce and other useful tit bits of information. Young Dogo shouted at Mallam Rabiu,raising his right hand in a pre-arranged signal.

-Oga make we dey go as he did so he hit the body of the lorry and settled himself in his corner of the lorry, and leaned back motionless.

The truck jerked forward and began to roll forth, amidst deafening screech of metal gear levers grinding against each other. The truck lurched over eroded cracks of hard packed earth and pot holes permeating surface of the public thoroughfare. No one paid attention to the discomfort as most of the passengers dutifully lapsed into a muted silence and held on to any support while some continued in their animated discussion. Mallam Rabiu drove along whistling tunelessly alongside a song on the small transistor radio which took pride of place in the middle of his dashboard. Sweat poured down his neck and back as he wrestled the steering wheel this way and that, navigating through the man made craters on the public thoroughfare.