We Were in the Clouds

 

April, the 2nd, 2026. That's the date today. 

The day Harley-Rain came into this world, only to be snatched by life on that same date three years later. 
Today marks two years since Harley's been gone. 

Harley-Rain was my baby, my best friend, my daughter, my lover, my confidant... she was not just a German Shephard. She was the one I spoke to when I hid away from the world tucked away in the comfort of my home... of my bed... she was the one who gave me the fire to work harder, because it meant I could care for her better. She was becoming a big girl; I had to be better for her and for me. She was my drive. When I cried silently into my pillow as I've done for many years, hiding my tears, she was the one who crawled in next to me. 

She brought me so much laughter and joy. Harley was full of life; she loved to chase after stray cats and rats and steal my aunt and cousins' food. She loved to ransack the bin even though she knew better. She loved to tease; she was very sly and cunning. Sometimes it was almost like she was daring you or making a joke of you. I found it funny when I wasn't on the receiving end. 

She loved kids; she grew up around them. She was super protective of me and so full of love. Anytime my sister and I argued, she would stay on two feet, pushing on my sister with her two front legs and using her teeth (not aggressively at all) to pull her away to de-escalate. She wouldn't want to openly pick sides, but she would want my sister to leave me alone. Then when I went inside, she would go and lick my sister, apologizing. She did it every time. It was like she was performing for me, acting mean. But she wasn't all bark and no bite when it came to anyone that wasn't us. She switches up immediately; I do.

She used to snitch as well. If my sister goes into my room or anyone at all, she comes to check for me if I'm aware of what is happening. She leads me there literally. Not under Harley's nose could Yele, my sister, sneak something out of my room.   

Today is Harley-Rain's birthday. It is also the second anniversary of the day I lost her. And when I think of her, I always come back to a mountain in Obudu.

The Dare of Leaving

Andi called me on this day; the date has slipped my mind. He mentioned going on a road trip with his friends to Obudu Cattle Ranch in Calabar, and I could come with my sister and Harley-Rain. I was a little hesitant, seeing as I was out of my purse with nothing in my account. I solely earned from ghostwriting for people then, and I hadn't gotten a project yet. 

But he said not to worry; all was sorted, and all we had to do was come and have fun on the trip. We had been hanging out a lot then, so it wasn't a big deal. 

My ears had perked, knowing I could bring my baby with me. Jibril was just Andi's friend at the time; it was his family's place on the ranch we were going to, and he was taking his Lhasa, Peanut, as well. I was super excited about that.

My sister, who loves trips, was very excited to go. So we packed our bags ahead of time. 
Imagine that, with zero naira in my account, I am heading out on a road trip from the West to the South. I was so spontaneous, free-thinking, and fearless. What was the worst that could happen, I thought? I just had no belief that I could be stranded. 

This journey had sold itself to me the instant they told me Harley was invited. My uncle tried to convince me to leave her behind,, but I refused. If my angel can go, my angel is going. That was my one-track mind. 

 The Road Has Teeth

As we left the West, into the East, we encountered a ridiculous number of checkpoints not up to one or two minutes past the other. We came across thirty before we reached the east. There were close to forty checkpoints we encountered in total, if I remember correctly.  

At each of these checkpoints, we were cash drained for nothing. The alternative was getting over ten minutes of delay. which we of course faced when we ran out of cash. 

There was this checkpoint of soldiers; they were a lot more aggressive than the others were. Harley and I were sitting in front; he came to the window, and Harley, of course, got protective of me, but she wasn't growling or barking; she just sat upright to show she was there. She was genuinely unothered, more like curious. 

The soldier turned his irrational fear of dogs into false bravado and pointed the gun at Harley's head. The switch in my head went off as I got furious and asked him what the problem was. 

He asked why we had dogs in the car, that we were hiding someting and we all needed to come down. He'd blow Harley's head off, and they would enjoy her as soup. He didn't give a damn. He went on with more outrageous statements, and my sister told me to maintain my calm. 

He threatened her with the gun again, and I locked his eyes. I didn't say anything; I was sad and angry at the same time, but I was scared he was going to pull it, but I held his gaze despite the fear. He joked it off after he was tipped, and we went our way. 

                                             
We made a stop at Enugu; we went into the mall to relieve ourselves and get food to eat. The KFC we had there tasted like salvation. It was so much better than whatever they cook for us here in Lagos. It was so good. I walked Harley,, and Yele walked Peanut. Harley loves to tug on her leash; it was a bad habit she picked because she loved to play tug of war growing up. So she automatically gets into tug mode once she sees the leash. She was so headstrong. It became our thing. Playing tug of war with the leash, she's trying to jerk it so I lose balance. It was fun. 

After several missed turns, Google Maps malfunctioned, and after asking for directions from locals, we finally reached Calabar at night. But it was not the best experience. Policemen with bloodshot eyes refused to let us through because it was past midnight; we had to turn back and wait till morning or pay a certain amount, a ridiculously high amount because they were judging based on the car Jibril was driving. 

They pointed guns at the vehicle, all four of them, like we were robbers or something. Which was ironically funny, because on the way, the locals had told us there was a robbery going on in front, and they wouldn't advise us continuing our travel, but we had nowhere else to go, and we were close now. 

So, seeing the intoxicated trigger-happy officials at a checkpoint was nauseating to say the least. her hearts were in our throats as they refused to let us through if we couldn't pay the amount. Jibril and Ayo got down to negotiate with them till they agreed on an amount and let us through. 

I was hugging Harley all through that, I was also trying to not let her get agitated. because we were all panicking in the car. Imagine headlights on and four armed officials are pointing AKs at once. It felt unreal, all of a sudden, all the headlines on the police brutality and misconduct started flashing through my mind. 

 Up the Mountain in the Dark

We were all anxious and worn out, the dogs were sleeping, Harley was in my arms, Jibril was the only one who could drive... well, Ayo could, but no one trusted him with the directions or even the police officials. He had a short fuse. 

Anyway, Jibril was starting to fall asleep but fighting it off; the road wasn't helping. We were covered by a blanket of fog, making it hard to see our sides and what was in front. The road was silent, and it was pitch black save for our headlights and a few lights from the villages on the opposite side. Harley was scared, stiff in my arms, but I put her back to sleep and helped Jibril negotiate through the potholes while doing my best not to look to the side at the heavy trees and vegetation pressing in. I have always had a certain fear of heavy trees while on motion or walking past them, I always feel like something is lurking in there watching me. It's just spine-chilling, creepy. 

The air was icy, ahead I could see the mountain and the fog above it. It was beautiful but scary knowing we had to reach there. We were already defying gravity; we could feel it in the car. How much higher did we have to go before we were pushing our luck? And the bad road? It was too much. My sister and I were overthinking it and anxious already. We were asking if we could continue the journey in the morning, but it was kind of too late. The only way now was up. 

We finally reached our destination, and the gate was locked, not surprisingly, but to our dismay, there was no security to let us in. We were relieved to be at our destination, but still shaken to be out in the open with robbers on the prowl in the area. We came down to stretch our legs, and so the dogs could relieve themselves. 

Jibril called his caretaker to help us get in. It took a few minutes, but we finally got in. 

I don't know what I was expecting, but I sure was as hell was shocked to see civilisation on a mountain. People, tech, lifestyle. It was like a fantasy world appearing out of nowhere. All of that fear, irritation, and annoyance melted in a blink. 

The night here was so cool, we packed ourselves up like overstuffed burritos. I had to dig out a shirt for Harley because she had sniffles and was obviously cold. It felt kind of nice to see her in my shirt, all warm and cozy. 

The next morning, I was on the balcony; the air was chilly, and I could see smoke coming out of my mouth. My nose wasn't stuffed, but I was sniffing. The cloud passed my face. Every time it passed me, my vision got hazy, and I got chills, or it just kind of felt like rain, like cold steam, if that helps. 

The housekeeper cooked breakfast, and the tour guide came to get us to show us around.

                                                              

We went on a hike, and there was this canopy walk that triggered all sorts of phobias in me that I didn't know I could muster.  My anxiety was at its peak level. The dogs couldn't come with us on the canopy walk, so we parked them at the entrance of it. I kept stealing glances down after I finally started the journey up. Some missing steps and monkeys were swinging overhead, hiding, and natural sounds came from inside the jungle. I could hear Harley crying and barking like a maniac. I was scared she would get free and run on the bridge, and we all fall down just like Humpty Dumpty. But no, that didn't happen. Peanut was chiming in ad-libs for Harley-Rain. 

My sister and I had fun calling back to them so they could hear us. We didn't stay long there, because we didn't want the monkeys to go and piss them off. They said there was a high possibility of it happening. 

We also went to the President's Villa there, and it had such a nice view and a good hangout spot. 

We went to the little waterfall first. Harley and Peanut couldn't reach this point. 



However, the next day, we went to the peak of the mountain, and we were really touching the clouds. There was a bigger waterfall on the other mountain across the valley, but it was too far to reach, and we were leaving the next morning. 

Being up there in the clouds just felt right, naturally, I was inclined to pray within me, and I felt heard. 

Harley was running and playing a lot and spiking my... yes, you guessed it... my anxiety. The ground was sloppy. I was so scared to stand, being the clumsy person I am, I could trip over my own feet and roll down the hill faster than Jack and Jill. I could see Harley chasing after me, dumbly, and joining my dreadful fate. 

Shivers

We didn't get to see the gorillas; they were deeper in the jungle, and it was a day's hike. The gorilla's base was dead close to the Cameroonian border as well. 

Later that night, we went to the bonfire that was put together by the villagers for the tourists. My sister was picked to enter a dance competition. There were some notable judges, and there were cash prizes. She brought home that cash for second place. Although she shared most of it amongst the villagers. 

I also had an unplanned performance. The villagers came to dance with me, and it was really fun.

RIP Harley-Rain and Peanut

You remain forever in our hearts pookie. 💜💋

xoxo, 
Mama Adeniran 💞