Keke Love is the first in the December Short Stories.  The Keke referred to here, is of course, a tricycle, also known as Keke Maruwa or Keke NAPEP, which is a popular mode of public transportation in Lagos.  In parts of Lagos where okada (motorcycles) have been banned, people use kekes to get around.

This is the story of two people whose love story began at the back seat of a Keke.

Enjoy!

Keke Love: A Lagos Tricycle Romance

Lande looked at her wristwatch.

8:56 a.m.

Groan!  She hated being late for interviews, but at this rate, it was unavoidable.

“Better late than never,” she thought as she examined herself one last time in the mirror.  Her gray skirt suit, and white shirt was the typical ensemble she wore to interviews.  It had followed her to all sorts of places, had witnessed her hopes rise, and get crushed whenever the rejection letter, or in some cases, the rejection call arrived.

But today, she felt different.  Something about today was different.  She could feel it in her bones.

“Dear Lord, please grant me favor,” she whispered before dashing through the front door.

After a short trek to the junction of her street and two bumpy bus rides, she arrived at Ikeja.  Although her interview was in Ikeja, it was quite a distance from the bus-stop.  She had the option of walking there, but the thought of arriving late and sweating like a Christmas goat, did not appeal to her.

So, she decided that based on the amount of money in her wallet, her best bet was either hop aboard an okada or try a keke.  The Keke Maruwa or Keke NAPEP was a tricycle, which had grown in popularity over the years, and had become as ubiquitous as its two-wheeled counterpart, the okada.  The added advantage of a Keke Maruwa was that people like Lande who were averse to motorcycles, still had a safe, fuel-efficient, inexpensive means of traveling in Lagos.

Besides, Lande reasoned, once she climbed atop the okada, her skirt would ride higher than it should.  She could picture the newspaper headlines after mounting the okada:

LANDE’S BRIDE PRICE PLUMMETS!

OKADA TO BLAME

To avoid this, she chose the other option: to board a keke.

After asking a man selling handkerchiefs where she could board a keke, the man told her:

“If you stand for that junction there, you go see them well well.  Dem plenty.”

She thanked him and went to the spot he had indicated.

Read the Full story on:

Okadabooks

Bambooks

Read Story # 2: Okada Love, A Lagos Motorcycle Romance

Don’t miss these short stories:

August Fiction Series

Unfriending Mama

Hotel Surprise

An Understanding Woman

At the End of a Long, Loose Braid

September Short Stories

A Bouquet of Promises

Mr. Perfect Shoes

Considering Mr. Wrong

To the Man I Once Loved