A man got in and tried to get me to move inside so that he could sit at the edge. The death stare I gave him made him go inside without another word. Why didn't he get to the garage early if he knew he wanted a specific seat in the bus? As if I was going to give up my only chance of getting some air. There was no way I was moving.
A few minutes later, a "pure water" hawker came over to the bus, but no one paid her any attention. A man came over to my side of the bus, with a bag full of DVDs. He rattled off titles of the various movies he had for sale. It took all the strength in me not to yell at him. No one was interested in buying his silly movies. I guess most of us prefer to download these movies for free. He soon figured that out and walked away, towards another bus.
Just when I thought I was finally safe from all the noise, a man hurried over. He held a book in one hand and a few others were tucked under his arm. Apparently, the book contained various codes that could be utilized for telephone calls. The man talked about how to make cheap calls on the MTN network. He mentioned several other codes and their uses. People remained unattentive, or at least, they pretended not to be interested.
At what I considered to be a desperate attempt to sell his books, the man read out a code he claimed could be used to tap into one's boyfriend's phone. "Repeat the code again", a lady screamed from the back of the bus. Her enthusiasm was all the man needed. "Madam, just buy the book. Na only 300 Naira”. The lady tried to convince the man to sell the book to her for 150 naira, but the man wouldn't budge. He showed her the price that was printed on the book, it was 300 Naira. When the lady maintained she would pay 150 Naira, the man left her and went to the other side of the bus.
The lady turned to the man beside her. They had been conversing before the book seller showed up. "I really want to buy this book just to listen to his conversation." It appeared the two had been talking about the lady's boyfriend. After the bus conductor collected the fare from the last passenger, he started to shut the door. The lady at the back yelled out to the book seller, " Oya, bring one."
With excitement written all over her face, the lady turned over to the first page of the book. What a shame, I thought as I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't understand why one would want to eavesdrop on another's conversation. More importantly, I couldn't understand why anyone would be with someone they don't trust? Even if the lady eventually finds out that her boyfriend was cheating on her, would she really end their relationship? Most girls wouldn't. Instead, they'd make excuses for their boyfriends. Statements like, "All men cheat" and "The devil you know is better than the angel you don't." Yeah, sure. If that were the case, why stress over whether or not he is cheating?
I believe in doing whatever is necessary to remain sane. That includes staying away from my man's phone. Well, that's just me. So, what do you think ladies and gents? Is one's boyfriend's/girlfriend's conversation worth listening to?
