The trip that never was

Image is mine

I have this friend that I haven't seen in over a decade, and last year we had planned to meet for the holidays. I was to go to Abuja and then fly over to Lagos for a family get-together. We already had everything planned. As I fly to Lagos with my daughter, she'll be going over to her village with her sister for the festivities coming up. Unfortunately, our plans were ruined because my aunt's birthday happened to be on Christmas Day, and we were to spend Christmas with my friend before going over to my aunt plus extended family for the remainder of the holidays.

I had still thought, ok, since our plans were ruined by the turn of events, after the holidays, before I resumed my office duties, we'd take a week off and go over to Abuja. Unfortunately, my daughter resumed school the first week of January, and my colleague was on my neck for resumption that same week. It would seem that the universe was aligning to thwart all the plans I had of seeing my friend. It was heartbreaking because she had her doubts about me making it for the trip due to my busy schedule, but I had assured her.

Seeing how I failed her twice in a row, I kept whatever plans I had of visiting private until I was sure it was happening.

Recently, I was informed by my mother of a religious seminar coming up in Abuja in a few months. She had questioned if I wouldn't be going with my daughter to attend the seminar and also to see my friend. I thought about it, and it seemed like a great plan to kill two birds with one stone.

I get to escape from work briefly with an opportunity to see my friend and also attend a religious seminar which is usually enlightening and fun-packed. Not just that but it is also another great opportunity for our long overdue mother-and-daughter holiday.

In my previous employment, I was always on trips to various states in Nigeria courtesy of the job, and my daughter was always tagging along. She never fails to tell me that the job was one of her favourites, lol. I still haven't told her of our trip yet; I haven't told anyone, and it's just me and my mother who knows. I'm keeping it private in case of any eventualities. I won't have to disappoint anyone. But I have stylishly asked my friend about her plan for the coming months, and we've discussed it. I'm rest assured that at her end, she will be available to host us. I just need to plan well so the trip can become a reality.

The sweet part of this travel is that I won't be spending any money on accommodation for the religious seminar since I will be staying at my friend's. I also won't be spending on food too. The only expense I would be incurring is transportation for the duration of the seminar, and of course, on our outings on the extra days, we will be with my friend after the seminar. There are a lot of places I would want my daughter to visit. Most importantly, we would be visiting a farm so she could ride a pony, as she's been on my neck about it. We'd also be going to an amusement park for a rollercoaster ride and, of course, a fancy restaurant for me.

I still do not know the means of transportation we'd be going with, but I'm looking at the road because of the adventure. Although flying will be quicker, I'm still weighing my options in terms of cost, finance, and value.

I had wanted to use this travel as an opportunity to embark on a train ride, but quite unfortunately, I had asked around, and the train review was not encouraging. The scariest one I heard was when the train broke down in the middle of nowhere and the management had to deploy the military to guard them till dawn. They had no food to eat and no water to drink. Plus the convenience was messed up; they had to go in the bushes. As much as I look forward to a first-time experience on the train, I wouldn't want to encounter such unfortunate situations, so I'm leaving my options at just road and air.

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