Creative Nonfiction ~The Transformation in the Clean Up.

It was on the 14th of January that I got my apartment which has been an issue for me since I got to the city for my service. Getting an apartment can be a daunting task as you would start moving from one street to another, from one location to the other with the caption "Please, is there a vacancy?" I have never done this before and it was my first. I was the one who would get the apartment, so, I needed to take up the task and start searching for one and ready for what was ahead of me. I sent to different whatsapp groups in the state if there was any vacancy and I kept getting feedback that it would be till the end of this month to get one.

I became devastated at a point because I was already getting tired of the whole thing. I became someone who would keep tracking different agents as they told me it was a "first come first serve" thing and the person who pays first would take the apartment, hence the tracking so I don't miss out on the search.

---

Finally, I got one on the 14th which was on my birthday and after liaising with the man in charge, who is also a Pastor, he said I could move in anytime since I already told him about my plan to move in that week. I was taken to the flat to check if it was to my taste.

"Are you okay with it, corper Busayo?" The man I was staying with asked just to confirm if I liked it.

"Yes, sir, it's something I wanted for my privacy." I replied.

"What about how the place is? I mean you may be lonely, perhaps you can have someone to pair with." He said this out of pity as I could see through his eyes and he thought I might want to change my mind.

"No, it's okay by me. I don't need anybody to pair with. I love staying alone and enjoying my solitude." I smiled at him while scanning through the whole place.

"Alright then, Pastor said you can move in anytime while he talked to the caretaker on the payment but you should get ready #50-70k for the year"

"Thank you very much for your help so far." I sincerely appreciated him.

---

I picked a date to come and do some clean up which was on the 16th after I returned from work. There was no one to help me, so I decided to do the cleaning on two different days, so I wouldn't feel too weak because it is a big place that needed a thorough cleaning as the whole place was dusty and the ground wasn't tiled too. I bought a sponge and soap and I began taking away the unwanted items and removing the cobwebs, dusting the whole room; bedroom, kitchen, toilet and bathroom including the verandah where I can be spreading my clothes. I just loved how the flat was built in a way that I do not need anyone to distract me. I stay upstairs and when I want to wash, will do that in the bathroom and spread at the verandah. It was exactly a perfect place for my privacy.

---

To tell you the truth, the whole cleaning took me hours to finish up on the first day, that was when I knew relocating to a new apartment was not easy especially having to do the whole clean up by yourself, and then going through the rigorous task of packing your loads and moving from your previous place to another. It got to a point, where I had some injuries on my hands and legs due to cuts from window glasses and taking out some hard equipment which was abandoned by the previous tenant. I felt pissed at first for my injuries as I never wanted, not even a scratch on any part of my body. But it didn't stop me from continuing the work until I was done with everything on the second day.

---

While I was doing the cleaning, I listened to music which made the whole task fun for me and it gave me that relief when I finally finished the whole clean up. I then proceeded to get foodstuffs and carpet at the market and arranged everything to their rightful place. Afterwards, I travelled down to the state I finished the university from to pack my belongings and returned on the 20th which was on a Saturday. At the end of everything, I felt so satisfied with how the whole place was looking nice and tidy.

_{All images are mine}