THE JOURNEY

Melissa Effiong was on the verge of anger, seeing all the distant relatives at the reading of her mother's will. They were never there when her mum was struggling with the intense chemotherapy due to the advanced stage of her ovarian cancer. Was she in the position of questioning how her uncles, aunties, cousins, and numerous relatives were never there for her mum? She didn't exactly have a smooth relationship with her, but she was at least there for her during the advanced stage of her sickness. Or was she not? Of course, she was there, she insisted on her hiring a full-time qualified nurse. She could remember the pain in mother's eyes as she made her final decision. She wasn't going to leave her job in order to stay with her mum; the befitting job her mum insisted on her having. Her mum's expensive cologne mixed with the scent of death still lingered in Melissa's mind.

  She was astonished after the will was read, making her the successor of her mother's multimillion naira real estate company, with millions of naira in her late mother's bank accounts. Or should we talk about the numerous expensive vehicles and vacation homes? She came to the will reading just to fulfill her obligations and make sure she knew whoever or which nonprofit organization was going to inherit all her mother's wealth. After signing the necessary documents and meeting with her mother's accountants, she drove to her favorite steak restaurant and ordered sirloin steak with garlic butter. She chewed silently as the heavy weight of responsibility crushed on her. 

  Anyone would have killed for what she's just got, but Melissa Effiong wasn't anyone. She has always been interested in photography and traveling during her high school days, winning different awards and entering numerous competitions. She wasn't able to pursue her career in photography because of her mother's opinion of it. Her life's decisions have always been guided by her mum's laid down rules. Instead of photography, she pursued a career in insurance and got a job in a prestigious insurance company, her mum's decision of course. Now that her mother is dead, she still managed to tie her down! Anger, grief and emptiness washed over her as she looked around the restaurant. Does everyone have problems they are battling with? Are the smiles fake or genuine? She stood up and drank the last drop of white wine from the glass cup and walked to her 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan. She double parked in front of her 8-bedroom villa, sighed and got down from her vehicle and made her way to her door and walked in. She didn't need to make use of a key, because her boyfriend was inside. She almost fell as a hand scooped her up.

  "Jeez! Mark put me down for God's sake." Melissa screamed. Mark rushed forward and twirled on a spot, then he finally dropped her on a sofa. 

  "Welcome home Meli. You look tired and I know what's going to set your mood straight." Mark said and chuckled. Mark has been her boyfriend for over 6 years and he's been unemployed. Recently, she's been giving her relationship with him a second thought. It wasn't because of his unemployment status, she just realized she doesn't need him in her life anymore. She wanted to explore the world and all its natural habitats. She knew she couldn't do that with her computer game fanatic boyfriend. She admired him and loved the way he cared about her, always leaving his own comfort to attend to her. But she needed a change, everything and everybody she knew was suffocating her. She seriously needed a change of environment!

  "I don't need anything, thanks." She replied and got up, walked to her room and sat on the bed. She didn't know how long she sat there before she heard her boyfriend's voice.

  "Are you okay?" Mark asked and walked slowly to her, he knelt in front of her and frowned.

  "The will was read today." Melissa replied.

  "Yeah, I know. I thought we've discussed it yesterday. Don't you like the person that inherited your mum's properties? Tell me what to do, I don't like you being so worried." Mark said and sat beside her.

  "I inherited everything." Melissa responded and sighed.

  "WHAT! Everything? That's great! I believe that's not the reason you are upset." Mark said.

  "Why won't I be upset because of that? Don't you understand? I don't want all these! All I want is just to do what I like not to inherit millions of naira!" Melissa shouted. All the inbuilt emotions from the past months began to spill out. Mark stared at her in shock.

  "I've been transferred by my boss to another branch. I'll start packing and will move out next week." Melissa said, she needed to tell a lie. She's not about to tell her boyfriend that she's going to India to explore the lives of wildlife. That has been her secret goal since elementary school, she thought it was time to embark on the thrilling journey.

  "Don't you think that's too sudden, with your mum's death?" Mark asked

  "It's my mum okay? I know what's good for me!" Melissa screamed.

  "Okay, I agree it's your mum. I'm sorry for being insensitive. I'll do whatever you want me to do. I'm sorry Meli." Mark said and moved to hug her. Melissa shifted away.

  "That's just the problem! You are always too eager to do whatever I ask for. Don't you have something you want to focus your life on? I need space to breathe." Melissa said and sighed.

  "But you're still breathing, sweetheart." Mark said and laughed nervously.

  "This isn't funny! What I've been trying to say is that I want us to put an end to this relationship." Melissa said with an underlying tone of frustration.

  "Is this a joke?" Mark asked 

  "No, it's not." Melissa responded. Mark nodded and tilted his head as if he was making an attempt to understand what Melissa was saying.

  "I'm not in the mood to talk to you. I want to rest." Melissa said and rolled over her bed.

  The new week came and Melissa was filled with joy because of her upcoming adventure, though she was heartbroken due to her sudden breakup with Mark. He was so dejected by the broke up which almost led her to reverse her decision. She couldn't deny the fact that she loved him. She hurriedly flagged down a taxi and settled into the back seat. She had sent a short notice quitting letter to her boss and he's been bombarding her with calls and emails. She was among the best stands in her office. She wasn't going to go back to the company, not when she was on her way to the airport. 

"India, here I come!" Melissa exclaimed as she settled into one of the first-class seats in the airplane. As she got off the airplane, he was waiting for her, holding a placard with her name scribbled on it. She was on her way to the five-star hotel she booked for her stay in the country. The hotel management had kindly sent a driver.

"Good afternoon, welcome to India!" The driver said and smiled; his English heavily laced with accent.

"Good afternoon. Thank you." Melissa said. The long distance from the airport to the hotel was enough to make a newcomer restless, not to talk of the summer heat in Delhi Melissa wasn't restless, she was having a deep conversation with the friendly driver, who was too eager to share with anybody, the richness of the country. After getting to the hotel, she had a cold bath and ate chicken mahkani ( butter chicken) at the hotel's restaurant. She went ahead to relax in her suite, getting ready for the next day's adventures. She had booked a tour with one of the country's best touring company. She tried to take her mind off work and her ex boyfriend. Her phone rang and her heartbeat quickened.

"Hi, Meli. Just want to know whether you've arrived safely." Mark said.

"Yeah, I've lodged into a hotel." Melissa

"I met Sandra at your villa when I was trying to pack my stuffs and I had a long discussion with her. She told me you quit your job and wasn't transferred to another branch. She said you didn't tell her where you're headed to, I hope you're fine there." Mark said. Sandra was Melissa's best friend and coworker. She had given her the key to her apartment and other things, in order for her to care of them before she came back.

"Yeah, I'm good here. Thanks for calling, and you don't have to move out of the house now. You can stay there for a while." Melissa said.

"No, it's alright. I've got a place to stay in. I know you don't want to tell me what you're up to." Mark said.

"Yeah, but you'll find out later. Bye." Melissa said and hung up. She wasn't going to think about anything! She needed this sudden vacation, in order to clear her mind before thinking about her mother's company; at least it's still being run by qualified directors. Let them deal with the stress and boring activities while she accomplishes her goal in India!

The following days were some of the happiest days in Melissa's life. She got the chance to visit Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary was located towards the southern edge of Delhi. The place sheltered about 193 species of birds, 80 species of butterflies and other varieties of animals. She visited Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, which was founded in 1986. It has a wild variety of animals such as leopard, cheetah, hyena and wild cats. Being a nature lover, Melissa was overwhelmed by the beauty of wild animals and their habitats. She had a great time taking photographs of wild animals and the locals. After spending more than 3weeks exploring wildlife, she knew it was time to get to work. She couldn't run away from her responsibilities forever.

Getting into the plane gave her a nostalgia feeling. Did she really miss home? She smiled as she remembered her days in India and how she made friends with the locals, she even learnt how to greet in Hindi. Some of the friends she made encouraged her to enter a photography contest. She was going to do that! Fulfilling her goals of 19years at the age of 27 sent an exciting tinge down her spine.

Melissa breathed in as the hostesses issued out safety instructions, as the plane was about to touch down.

"Home, sweet home! Welcome to Nigeria!" Melissa said and smiled.