SEC-S18W4 / My worst holiday travel memory

My worst travel memory happened seven years ago. I had just completed my one-year National Youth Service in Adamawa State, one of the northern states in my country.

It took us two days to travel from the Southeast to Adamawa State. Three months after finishing my service, I and my friend decided to visit our families in our various home state.

The day before our trip, I went to the market and bought a bag of onions, beans, honey, groundnut oil, kwuli kwuli (a spicy crunchy snack from the North), and dates to share with my family and friends.

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That evening, we went to Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, to book a bus that will take us to our states which is Imo State. We spent the night at the bus station with strangers, both men and women, to ensure we would meet the departure time, as the buses leave by 7 am dot.

It was a restless night due to the number of mosquitoes buzzing and biting. Their noise and bites made me uncomfortable, and the fear of sleeping among strangers, especially men, kept me awake until 12:15 am. One of the drivers noticed my discomfort and brought a mosquito coil, which he lit in the corner of the room. The coil's smell drove the mosquitoes away, allowing me to sleep for a few hours.

The driver woke us up at 4 am to prepare for the journey. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and wore blue jeans, a long shirt, a scarf, a hand gloves, a sweater, and socks because of the cold weather.

The buses from different companies departed at 7:00 sharp. We traveled in a convoy, passing through various cities and checkpoints. In Taraba State, one of the buses from another company broke down. All the buses had to stop to repair it because no bus can be left behind due to the high crime rates, including kidnapping and banditry, in the Northern states. The buses travel together with mechanics and escorts for safety. We waited for over two hours until a replacement bus arrived, and the passengers were transferred. We then continued our journey, passing through many Northern states, cities, and tribes. It was a smooth trip with passengers chatting, laughing, and singing.

The devil struck around 12: 30 am when we reached Enugu State which is also one of the states in the South East. We had a ghastly motor accident. Our bus collided head-on with a Mack trailer. The trailer driver, high on hard drugs, had fallen asleep at the wheel, veered into our lane, and hit our bus. Our bus somersaulted more than three times. We shouted, cried, and called out to Jesus to save us. When the bus finally stopped, people started jumping out through the windows.

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There was a lot of commotion. Many people sustained injuries, but a few were unharmed. I had a minor injury on my forehead. Good Samaritans stopped their cars to help and took some of the injured to nearby hospitals. Those of us with minor injuries had to find our own way. I and my friend stayed at the home of one of the good Samaritans, who gave us his phone to call our parents.

My dad was the only number I knew by heart, so I called him. He and my younger brother drove through the night till they reach Enugu State by 6:30 am. I was still in shock when they arrived.

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When we got home, my dad took me to the hospital for a thorough check-up to ensure I had no internal bleeding. The doctor performed an X-ray and some tests, confirming that I was fine. However, to be safe, my dad requested an injection for any undetected internal injuries.I went home after the injection, and my parents took great care of me, watching over me for days to ensure I was okay. The following week, we attended a Thanksgiving mass at our parish church in the village, giving praise to God for saving my life and others.

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I wish to invite my friends @sbamsoneu, @mandate and @divinelife to participate in this contest.