Segun hissed immediately he saw the location of his first delivery on that fateful day. He gently stamped his feet on the floor repeatedly while reading the delivery posting and wished he could reject the posting since it was the second time in that week the company had sent him to deliver packages to the remote area of Abeokuta, a 6-hour drive from Lagos due to the bad roads and heavy traffic.
"You'd better hit the road now so that you can return early," Arinze, Segun's colleague, advised while complaining about the problem he encountered the last time.
"So that's all you have to say?" Segun asked, throwing his pen at Arinze.
"I understand but someone has to do it. Think of the good side of the trip?" Arinze replied.
"What's good about the trip? Is it the countless police checkpoints or bad roads" Segun stuttered, picking up his van keys. He left the office immediately to pick up the package and started the trip after confirming that Mrs Okafor, the recipient was available for pickup.
As expected, he met the first police checkpoint 15 minutes from the company gate.
"Officer, you know this is a delivery van, and you see me every day. We don't have to always offload these packages," Segun tried convincing the officer not to start checking his van after confirming that the documents were complete.
"You can't teach me my job, and all these are for the citizens protection. You can skip the process if you know the right thing," The police officer replied, and Segun understood the officer wanted a tip, so he gave it to avoid being delayed.
Segun continued the trip and tipped at almost every checkpoint to avoid delay. He was very angry because he had to spend his money, the miscellaneous fund given to the delivery drivers isn't always enough.
He arrived in Abeokuta after over 5 hours of driving and immediately informed Mrs Okafor again. He turned on his Google Maps to navigate the road since he wasn't familiar with the route. Segun followed the maps, driving past landmarks and villages, only to arrive at a riverbank.
"What's happening? How can the Google map lead me here?" He stammered, staring at the map that indicated his destination was ahead.
He looked around in confusion. There was no sign of houses or settlements around, but there were a few people at the river who were also surprised to see a vehicle at the riverbank.
Segun alighted from the van to ask for directions and he was told that his destination was at the other end of the river. They advised him to return to a particular bus stop and take a different route.
He returned to the van, kicking the tires severely with frustration. He didn't believe he had just wasted gas and almost an hour driving in the wrong direction. Segun called to inform Mrs Okafor about the delay and she also gave him a detailed description.
He turned the vehicle around to follow the description given to him and after another 40 minutes on the road, he arrived at his destination.
The compound was quiet and big with a bungalow sitting at the centre of it. Segun loved the presence of tall trees surrounding the house, but he wondered why someone would build a house far from other settlements.
He called Mrs Okafor to be sure he was at the right place but she wasn't picking up the calls. Segun looked at the time, it was past three pm already.
"This woman shouldn't waste my time," He muttered, tapping the vehicle horn repeatedly.
He had waited for five minutes and there was nobody around the house. Segun thought of alighting from the van but he also thought it was a dangerous idea.
"What if they have dogs or someone attacked me," He sighed deeply and decided to remain in the van.
He contacted the company to inform them about the situation and he was advised to turn on his dash camera so that they can see everything at the office as well.
Segun did as instructed and waited for another five minutes, honking and dialling the recipient's number. He was about to leave when his phone rang, and it was Mrs Okafor.
"Madam, you can't just keep me waiting. I have to return to Lagos," Segun said, immediately after picking up the call.
"Please help me, my water just broke. I am inside the house," The woman's voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
"Water broke? Are you pregnant?" Segun stuttered.
"Yes, but I am not due until two months. I don't know what's happening and my husband won't return from work until evening. I can't even reach him," She replied faintly and Segun's anger turned into concern.
He became worried and informed the company immediately. They suggested calling the emergency unit was the best option and Segun made the call.
"Thanks for calling, we appreciate the help, but our vehicle won't be there for an hour. We would appreciate it if you could help her to the nearest hospital, and we will be there as soon as possible," The emergency unit agent replied to Segun.
Segun was troubled and needed to handle the situation to save a life.
"What if it's a lie to lure me into the house?" He paused and thought about it for a second.
He later alighted from the vehicle and approached the building. Segun knocked on the door before turning the knob. He gently opened the door, peeping into the living room, but it was empty.
"Hello, is anyone home?" His voice echoed.
He heard a faint response and went in the direction of the voice.
"Please, I can't walk. I can't feel my legs," She said to Segun immediately after he got to her.
"Oh sorry. Did you fall or something?" Segun asked as he helped her off the ground.
"I didn't, I was preparing my food and it happened after my water broke," She replied faintly.
Mrs Okafor looked tired and Segun lifted her rushing out of the house to his van. He helped her sit comfortably and zoom off to the hospital where she claimed to be a family hospital.
Upon arriving there Segun explained to the nurses what had happened and, they rushed the woman into the delivery ward. Segun was really scared and couldn't leave.
He was worried about the woman and every time the nurses passed, he would run after them to ask for an update.
About 25 minutes had passed and he went to sit in the van. He saw the woman's phone in the van and took it incase someone called. The emergency unit called too and Segun told them where they are.
He returned into hospital some minutes later and, the woman's phone rang. It was Mrs Okafor husband and he narrated the whole experience to him. He apologised for the inconvenience and arrived just when the doctor came to break the delivery news.
Segun felt relieved, jumping around to rejoice with the husband. It was then he dropped of the package in Mr Okafor's car and left the hospital late in the evening.
Immediately Segun drove out of Abeokuta, he sighed heavily and prayed the road was free. He felt happy to have made the trip because it could have been a different story for the family if Mrs Okafor didn't get help when she needed it.
"It wasn't a bad trip afterall," He chuckled, grinning for ear to ear.