Biafra: Time Travel 101: The Vacation

Biafra: Time Travel 101: The Vacation

■ Author : Chimaobim Nnanna
■ Twitter: @Umuchiukwu_writ
■ 06, July,  2019

It is said that life is sweet and beautiful, but that is when you have a lot of things to enjoy and a lot of fun to catch. To me, it's pretty tough and a big threat to happiness when you have to work all day, maybe from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday to Saturday. It only leaves you about a couple of hours of free time to do whatever you please.

To somebody like me, it's not really enough. It's not even enough to spend some time alone and have a deep thought, for that is always when I get most of my inspirations, not to even talk of going out to watch the sky creatures doing their aerobatic stunts.

Also watching the clouds in the midst of the deep blue gradually take new beautiful and different forms is really captivating and something I haven't done for a very long time. I missed walking in the woods and listening to different creatures make their sounds and breaking up the noise my head makes in the silence of the lonely day. Yes, I really do.

I really missed picking up beautiful flowers along the way and wondering who I should give it to. But in a while, I knew I would have all the time I wanted, all the time I ever longed for and the beautiful days I deserve, as I was going to have two weeks off from work in a couple of days.

I was the happiest person I know. I made phone calls to relatives and friends. Friends who I've never seen for a long time. Who's memories are getting covered with the dust of time. For the sparkling moments we shared together has become blunt, Cobwebs covers its dusty path. I wondered if they will ever recognize me. But what's more beautiful than trying?

Luckily, I got a very good old friend of mine, hooked up on the phone. I've never seen him for many years. So getting to speak with him was really wonderful. He used to live outside the country but I was amazed when he told me he moved back about 5 years ago. We used to walk the streets of Aba together those dark years past. And now learning that he now resides in Igweọcha, a Harbour city very close to Aba, I was overjoyed, and I knew that I have just found a place to spend my vacation.

To me, hours became very long, and days to me was as long as a month. But what's more hope-giving than waiting? I've heard about how beautiful the city has become through the years. Its dockyards I heard are one of the most beautiful and busiest in Africa.

 There are always big ships coming in and going out of the harbor from all over the world. But it's relatively noisy for a place to visit on a vacation. So I thought of another tourist place like one of the sandy beaches of Igweọcha, along the Bight of Biafra. Or maybe one of the amusement parks close to the beach. On second thought, I thought of going to Enugu. I had seen many beautiful pictures of the highlands and valleys. There is one of my favorite pictures of the town, which was taken standing on top of the hill, capturing the hill stretch as it joins the city buildings.

The night photographs of Enugu were one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. But I already told Chike that I will be coming over to Igweọcha on Friday evening. So there's no point changing the plans.

I waited for the whole day to happily head for the airport. I didn't even think I paid any attention to the office this last day as I was always thinking about this vacation.

I took a taxi to the airport. I preferred using the Kanụ international Airport in downtown Aba metropolis, as the name alone represents a very important part of our history as a people. Not even to talk about the looks and architectural designs. In fact, it was one of the most beautiful airports I've seen.

It will normally take about 30 minutes to drive to Igweọcha from my home in Aba, but I preferred using a flight to make it quicker. Thereby, giving my car a holiday too. And besides, I love the Arial view of the city sky kisser buildings. The cityscape from above is one beautiful thing to behold, especially at nights. But besides the beauty, I chose flying in at a later hour because day and working hours are always very busy. You have people flying in and out for tourism and business. But in the night, there's always much less busy ports.

It was 9:39 pm when our flight touched the ground. And there, waiting already was Chike. He looks much huge and big, unlike the last time I saw him. He used to be skinny and looks very hungry and tattered. 

But then, who wouldn't huge up when they live in the comfort of a beautiful ancestral sweet home where you wouldn't have to hide from the police and immigration because of an expired passport and visa?

He took me in his car. I thought at first it was a Toyota made new model car, but he mentioned buying from one of the new Biafran automobile companies. It was quite a mobile home.

We drove into the city. It was quite a sight to see. I thought Aba was the most beautiful place in the whole Biafra until then. The city has such a unique and glowy night look. There were warm, tungsten overhead lights everywhere and a white armored glass coated light on the floors every 15 feet distance. Where walls are nearby there are always dim different colored lights that spice the rest of the lights up. In fact, one can pay his last savings just to spend a night in this city.

We got to the building where he has an apartment. It was a 65 story smart looking government-sponsored community building, and he lives on the 25th floor. The car park was underground and so there were no such cars parked here and there. The streets were very clean and beautifully colorful. Before every two poles were street cameras for monitoring every movement and for security purposes. Close to this house is a beautifully arranged straight lined umbrella tree garden. Maybe I should call it a garden though it's not. Because there were very beautiful flowers finely arranged and planted at every perfect corner.

Under the trees were seats for relaxation and maybe for waiting too. The floor of this city was made with locks of beautiful stones and marbles. The colorful night lights made it glitter as if they were polished. And most beautiful of them all is the tricolor Biafran flags hanging on every two or three buildings in a straight line.

I almost didn't even close an eyelid all through the night as I stared at this night beauty and remembering how it used to be.
Day breaks and sunlight pierced through the windows to find me on this very comfortable huge bed. The lights never go off as it used to during the dark years, and the room temperature was always in regulation. It was always moderate. For the modern Biafran architectural designs have made a very unique type of building homes that room temperatures are being regulated from inside the hollowed walls.

It reminded me of a song by Keith Urban titled GOOD MORNING BEAUTIFUL DAY. I was happy that our world had to turn to this after many years of darkness and death. I was all smiles and bright. Then I hurriedly knelt down to pray and thank the Creator for such a beautiful day like this and for to guide our paths and take us to where we'll have the most beautiful moments of our lives this beautiful FIRST DAY OF MY TWO WEEKS VACATION.

TIME TRAVEL 101

I thought of encouraging our people both at home and abroad to keep up the fight. I thought I can really entice them and make them see with me that this sweet ancestral home of ours can be built to become like or even sweeter than those beautiful cities in foreign lands they built. It's a fiction based story made up of our normal lives and the beauty of the civilized world.

Edited By Ezekwereogu John
Published By Nwaiwu Chiukwuebuka
For Umuchiukwu writers.