After dinner, Musa sat on the living room couch where he flipped through the channels. At eight o' clock, he tuned in to a local news channel for the latest headlines, whereas Rabi’a, like every other time, minded his business browsing on his smartphone at a corner. What got Musa’s attention were the latest updates on ongoing megaprojects in various parts of Lagos, from the blue railway line at Lagos Island to an oil refinery at the eastern corner of the state.

“Lagos keeps constantly changing,” he thought.

The year was 2009 when Lagos went through changes. In Victoria Island, for example, the city’s expressways underwent expansions, increasing each road from two lanes to three. This was not mentioning repairs to the drainage systems, or the new structures and renovations in both the public and private sectors. The only cost were car owners having to deal with long traffic jams due to closure of each lane, or perhaps it was because a road leading to a shopping mall had shared the same route before being permanently closed off, hence forcing shoppers to explore new routes. As for public transportation, danfo and mulwe were phased out in favor of new BRT buses, and okada drivers had to comply with new mandates to wear helmets. Like a phoenix, Lagos underwent its form of rebirth that had garnered the attention of international news media.

However, as the city moved on into the future, Musa felt as if he was still trying to figure out his purpose in life, and it would be among his list of struggles for years to come. Throughout the years, a handful of times, he was able to find work through his father's endeavors into transportation, but what he was able to make out of it paled in comparison to what his former schoolmates were able to achieve in life.

“How the hell did that happen?” Karim asked Musa one afternoon.

It was the first day of Eid Al-Fitr when Musa had a video chat with Karim via his smartphone. It was made by the same manufacturer as his very first cell phone during his schooling years, one of his key reasons for owning one.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Musa said to Karim. “I didn’t even know what had happened until I sat down for my networking exams.”

“Wait! Wait! So, let me get this straight,” Karim said dismissively. “One of your faculties took advantage of the IT center’s curriculum, and offered his own networking courses. Do the parents know about this?”

“I told my dad,” Musa said. “He was livid, and that was how he offered me a job at his transportation company years back.”

“I forgot why you weren’t able to finish your studies here, but I wish you came back to Lebanon when the Lira began to devalue; many were offering courses dirt cheap,” Karim said.

“My certification wasn’t recognized. Remember?” Musa lamented.

“Oh! Right,” Karim said. “And your dad shut down his business due to the pandemic, right?” Karim asked.

“Yeah,” Musa confirmed, then added, “But, business had been slow even before the pandemic. He’s been contemplating selling off all his trailers, so we can at least have some cash in our hands.”

“I see,” Karim said. After a minute of silence, he then said, “I read through some of your short stories online. I never knew you were so talented. I do freelance work with a client in Beirut. I mainly write lifestyle articles. Perhaps, you can help me take some load off, and make some money to support the family? Copywriting isn’t too hard.”

Musa hesitated as copywriting wasn’t a skill he had delved into prior. But, hadn’t been able to find work on his own, and with copywriting being amongst the most requested skills at the job markets, he decided to give it a chance. “Sure. Let me know when I start,” he said.

Mr. Shajareh liked the idea of his son doing freelance work with Karim, but he insisted that he didn’t need much financial support.

“Keep the money, son,” Mr. Shajareh said. “I’ll ask if we ever need the support.”

Thus, Musa used his earnings as part of his life savings. The money was not as much as he would have liked but, seeing how little he was making through Karim, he was okay with it. By evening, he had said all five prayers for the day, and proceeded to offer supplication. For the first time in a long time, life began to make more sense to him, even if only for a moment.