Looking Beyond That Commute By Ferry
The traffic in Lagos, also known as go-slow, is legendary and has dealt its remorseless rage on many a commuter in the city. One of the ways that the commuting nightmare has been somewhat eased is by the introduction of the ferry boats which are quick and inexpensive as the folks at Battabox share in this video:
Our protagonist in Iridescent Hope, the fourth story in Terra Cotta Beauty, also has an illuminating ferry commute. The original title of the story when I wrote it was ‘The Ferry Commute‘ but then I re-read it and I tried to put myself in the shoes of the commuter, trying to make those elusive ends meet and realized that there is more to the ferry ride than just a commute, it is a commute that is taking away a somewhat onerous commute by road, easing a traffic burden and taking the commuter to an unforeseen destiny:
From where she sat, she could see the murky ferry waters lick the base of the boat, and she caught a glimpse of the captain, who was now wearing a brass-rimmed pair of sunglasses. He steered the boat with one slow circular motion of his left hand easing it into the water while shouting a spontaneous phrase to a group of youth gathered on the quay, who responded with a singular gesticulation.
