100 naira. 💰🤍

​Do you ever look at that 100 naira in your purse and wonder about it’s history? Do you look at it and wonder where exactly it’s been? What paths it had crossed before it got to your hands?

Was it shuffled in the breasts of Aduke, Iya Oni Amala? The woman who loved to get up at early hours of the morning to stir heaps of yam flour into a smooth delicacy everyone in the neighborhood seemed to love?

 

Did she add it to the stacks of cash she gave her drunk husband, every day and did she go down on her knees again, begging him to stop hitting her and handing the money to his lean frame? 

Did she cry after handing the money to him? Did she consider how the life she lived, wasn’t a future her younger self envisioned? Did she consider how beautiful their love was in the beginning? Did she sob? Did she weep? 

 

Did he crumble the 100 naira note, stuff it into his pockets with other naira notes? Did he smile when he received the money? Did he consider what exactly he was going to use it for? 

It was just 100 naira, Would he use it to buy a sachet of Chelsea gin? Or would he use it to take a bike to his favorite beer parlor? Or even better, would he spray it along with bundles he never really worked hard for?  Would he spray it on Uloma, the beautiful girl who came to serve them drinks? 

 

Would Uloma smile and accept the money when it’s been sprayed on her? Would she scoff when she retreated into her room and found out they were just 100 and 50 naira bills? Would she mutter something out of annoyance? Would she count the money and stuff them into her purse? Would she hope it was something bigger, like a stack of 1000 naira notes so she could  finally pay her landlord? Would she be grateful for the 100 naira in her palm though? Would she mutter something along the lines of ‘Better a little than nothing’? Would she give it to Adio, the greedy keke man on her way to school the next day?

 

Would she argue, try to bargain lower when he said the trip was 500? Would she look into his greedy eyes and scoff? Would she try to walk away, watching him with her side view, checking if he would call her back? Would he call her back? Would he hiss and watch her slender frame come back to him because he knew he was the only keke man going her way? 

 

Would Uloma take out 5 pieces of 100 naira cash, including the one, currently in your palm, and hand them to him? Would he suppress a small smile and kick start his vehicle? Would he continue to extort other passengers of his the same way he did to Uloma?

 

Would the 100 naira note travel?

 

From Adio, 

 

To Faith, the Intern who realizes she’s late and hurriedly grabs her change from the fingers of the keke man, 

 

And then to Halimat, the salesperson who has to deliver the news about the increase in the price of Jam doughnuts, Faith so badly craved. 

Would Halimat smile whilst informing her of the price increase to 600 naira, not 500 naira? Would Faith grumble while reaching into her leather purse to grab the same 100 naira in your palm? Would Halimat accept it smiling? Or would she angrily collect the money from Faith, whilst considering snapping her head into two? Would she pick up the jam doughnut carefully? Or would her fingers shake, remembering her boyfriend telling Faith she was pretty, the other day?

 

Would she look at the 100 naira  and say to it it’s as ugly as the owner?

Would she be right or would it be out of plain jealousy? 

Would it rip out of the shear force of her hands?

Would she place it with care, in the drawer, waiting for the end of day when her fat boss, Motunrayo would count the money collated and hoping she would give her money for transport?

Would she consider stealing part of the money for her transport, just because she knew how selfish her boss was?

Would she actually steal the money?

Or would she shake her head, muttering ‘Shaytan be gone’ in her tiny little voice?

 

Would Motunrayo count the money with care? Would she use saliva-soaked fingers to touch the hem of the 100 naira whilst muttering ‘47’?

Would she shove all the notes she considered ‘change’ in her bag? Would the 100 naira be grouped with other smaller dominations, all with different histories of their own?

 

Would she dismiss her workers, as she lifts the bag? Would she manage to place 1000 notes in their hands when they whined? Or would she simply walk away, daring anybody to actually speak up or speak to her, in a way she didn’t appreciate.

 

Would she place the bag in the passenger seat of her car, whilst driving around the bumpy roads of Lagos? Would she hurl insults at the drivers, the korope drivers, the touts or even the pedestrians? Would she scream promises of violence as she took a right turn? Would she actually get down to fight a motorcyclist or would she drive past, a scowl permanently edged on her face?

 

Would the next time the 100 naira note got any physical touch be 24 hours later? Would it be held by the hands of a child, shouting ‘mummy mummy I’ve taken 100 naira from your bag o’? Would it be Motunrayo’s child, giggling while placing the 100 naira note by the side of her school bag? 

 

Would Motunrayo’s child hand the note to the puff puff seller located behind her school’s premises? Would the puff puff seller hurriedly place the money in her apron pocket, giving the child the puff puff in a rush? Would she sell out all her puff puff that day?

 

Would you be one of her customers? Would you waltz to her small corner, knowing you were her favorite customer and ask for puff puff of 400 naira? Would you hand her a 500 naira note, demanding change? 

 

Would she place the hundred naira note in your palm, smiling and repeating “My customer, My customer” over and over again? 

 

Would you ever sit down one day, check your purse, come across the 100 naira note and wonder about it’s history? 

 

Would you?

Hello there. 

Firstly, did you miss me? 

See, your answer BETTER be yes! 

Because i missed you guys sooo much 🤭❤️. 

And I know i can’t just render an apology like always. I mean, I disappeared after our 2 years ! Who does that? 

This time, I put in a little more work 🥹. 

I asked my friends to send me a video of 100 naira, collated it and edited it. 🥹. 

So I’m sorry, my dear reader. 

Kindly forgive me for ghosting & interact with this video. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@khienna_/video/7298061748840451334?_r=1&u_code=d5haal932l9ig4&preview_pb=0&sharer_language=en&_d=e3hk9a4368jh6b&share_item_id=7298061748840451334&source=h5_m&timestamp=1699212425&ug_btm=b2001,b2863&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAkTGhpYIq30z47xMilzW2qv19_CmAW5g6XXB1WSc0-q3j_jN6XRfymLouSxprQbG1&utm_source=copy&social_share_type=0&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&tt_from=copy&user_id=6678677545494561798&share_link_id=947B23E1-95A5-4AA7-93C4-F64DC45BDE0A&share_app_id=1233

Thank you ❤️

Love always! 🤍

- Your baby girl. 🤍