Surely you know who the Nigerians are around here

I was minding my own business outside the house when a man walked into my yard a couple of days ago.  I had not seen him before. As I was taking notice of him, he mumbled something like ‘Hi, Afternoon,’ and then he was silent.

He pulled the phone from his pocket and fixed his eyes on it. Then he turned round as if to check if he was at the right place. Then he placed the phone on his ear. I suppose he was making a phone call. Meanwhile, I am taken aback by this. I am wondering if I should ask him 'can I help you?' But then my Blackness tells me it might be rude for me to say so; I should let him do his business. Then he paces back to the exit, stops abruptly, turns towards me (I am holding a 22 month old in my arms; and I am thinking maybe I should rush the boy into the house and deal with the brother on my own.) As I turn towards the door to effect the precaution I have just thought about, brother paces back towards me.

Now I am caught between showing my back to him much longer than I feel comfortable to because I am trying to perch my son inside the house. At the same time I need adequate time – and possibly empty hands - to face the stranger who's doing weird things in my yard, but then facing him right now means I am placing a child between me and the guy.

He is closing in. Cupping a baby in my arms means that I cannot react swiftly should the guy take the physical challenge at me. At that moment I’m thinking, God I can’t even flee. Before I could say ‘can I help you?’ he looks into his phone again, presses it briefly, carries on at me, and then finally he says, ‘ehm... eh, what number is this house?’ By that time I am thinking, ‘broer, you are looking at the number.’ (It is the first thing you will notice coming in).

Then he says, ‘oh sorry, I’m uh... I’m looking for the Nigerians.’ Before I could say, ‘sorry?’  he said, ‘the Nigerian guys; where do they live?’ I am thinking to myself, How am I supposed to know the Nigerians you are looking for? But instead I say to him, ‘Did the Nigerians give you their address?’ Without looking at me but at the house in the opposite direction he says, “No, they didn’t. But they are Nigerians, you should know them.” I was speechless.