I worked for the travel site for a few years. Jetting all over the country, sometimes even the world. Along the way, I fell for a beautiful young lady that shared my passion for travel and could keep up with my sometimes insatiable thirst for new experiences.
I suppose at the point of meeting her, I was craving some type of normalcy. It seems with me my life is predicated on phases. I was exhausted from all the traveling and constant upheavals my current job as a photojournalist provided me. I needed something to hold me down and Shiree was it. I don't want to sound selfish by saying the only reason I married her was because I needed an anchor. I love her with all my heart and would never want anyone else besides me when this world goes to blazes, but yet as I write what could be my last memoir, I have to deal with these facts and be candid with myself.
I believe a man will play around for as long as he likes, but then he gets to a certain age and realizes there are certain things he needs to complete himself. For me, marriage was one of such things. The birth of my daughter being the other. Of course doing what I love as I have explained earlier is another component, but these other two factors brought another dimension to my life. Suddenly I was picking up fewer assignments to spend time with my new family. I started taking on less risky jobs (at least for a short while) to avoid placing myself in any type of danger. They were my priority and being there in their lives was essential.
I had turned into a pretty reliable photographer, with some of my works getting awards and such. Normalcy was pretty nice for as long as it lasted. Only to be shattered by the arrival of the Trespasser.
That day will forever be etched in my mind. My little angel was playing with my hair as I watched CNN. When the breaking news alert popped up on screen with a grainy shot of the first Kaiju, I thought it was some prank. We have been so conditioned to call B.S. on any and everything that looks paranormal, that our first reaction when one of these things is right at our doorstep is disbelief. Moments later as calls flooded in, some from editors of publications trying to figure out how they could get me in on the action, I realized what I was looking at was for real.
The carnage was unbelievable as this thing mowed through San Francisco the same way my little one took so much joy in running through her mother's well-tended petunia garden. I cannot begin to imagine how many lives were lost in those first few hours of the trespasser's arrival. How does one prepare for such?
We as a race have been so concerned with ourselves as threats that we never took time to look beyond that. My family all gathered by the TV, watched as armies battled this one creature without making a single dent. For days we watched as it eviscerated any and all in its part, thwarting mankind's most sophisticated weaponry.
I feared for my family's lives without voicing it out. I knew they looking at me for support but truth be told, even I was scared shitless. Who wouldn't be? Godzilla was now a reality, rampaging through San Francisco headed for God knows where next. We could be on its path of destruction, granted I was miles away in Lagos, Nigeria but knowing this thing came from the ocean, who knew if there were more coming after it? So far no one had any type of idea to curb this thing or what its mission was. Pundits and analysts were going crazy with all sorts of hypotheses, pretty much doing their best to rile up the populace. This mess was bad and from my vantage point was going to get worse the more this thing was on the loose.
As I watched history unfurl right before my very eyes, something was stirring within me. A familiar feeling that I dreaded would only continue to grow unless I addressed it. Shiree I sensed, knew this and constantly lectured me about not risking my life during these dangerous times and how much the family needed me. She had noticed how in the past few months, normalcy had worn out its welcome with me and I was itching for a new challenge. My plan prior to Kaiju showing up, was to get back to work once my vacation was over. I had already lined up an exposé with a coworker to take some photos of some of the most dangerous gangs and neighborhoods in Chicago. Shiree was not thrilled at all but by now she knew nothing could stop me once my mind was made up. With the appearance of Trespasser, my adrenaline was pumping wildly.
I yearned to be out there taking pictures of this thing but I had to respect my family's wishes. After the nuclear missiles were dropped in San Francisco, I knew I had to go. I had to see for myself what could cause so much destruction that the U.S. government would nuke its own land.
With much promise that I would keep myself safe, Shiree and my parents gave me their blessings. A day after I left Nigeria, I was in California, taking pictures of the remains of the San Francisco landscape and the charred body of the creature responsible for it.