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, to the baggage claim area. They had four bags each weighing exactly the maximum allowed by the airline. Evelyn had packed with precision, tact and skill. If she’d 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