Just My Luck

Minutes ago, I was limping towards the Rumola flyover barefooted with my pair of sandals in one hand, a left leg that refused to stop bleeding and a toe that seemed to be growing in size and redness. I should have been mad at the world, and maybe even God if I really wanted to be dramatic, but there I was laughing at myself and watching people try to draw my attention to the blood on my leg. I wanted to shout, 'I know! It hurts like the devil!' but I swallowed my words and kept walking. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the mentally unstable man that watched me pitifully as he walked in the opposite direction. I would have also stared at anyone I saw in such a situation too, but all I wanted was for them to pretend that I was invisible. Did I mention that I was dripping wet too? Yes it was the stupid rain and the gutter that I could not quite jump over, that got me into this messy situation, but who has the right to blame nature or call her stupid?

Back to my series of unfortunate events, one of the bystanders finally proved himself useful by pointing towards a shoe mender that sat under the bridge. At least that was going to solve the 'barefoot' issue, I thought as I half-walked, half-limped towards him. I could deal with the throbbing toe and the blood later. Guess what the highlight of my day was?  While I waited for my turn to mend my sandals, the man with whom I stood decided to take a little portion of my misery by paying for my mending. It was a miserly N40 naira, but when I thought of the pain and embarrassment (and sardonic humour) it had caused, I was very grateful; grateful that someone was that thoughtful; grateful that he had provided me with the win I needed; grateful that there were still good men in the world.

Blood totally forgotten, I limped to a nearby taxi and sat quietly in it, typing and waiting for karma to complete her work by sending someone to grab my phone through the window. I'm still sitting in the taxi in agony, wondering how my series of unfortunate events started  and why I chose today (of all the days in the year) to take a trip into town. All I wanted was a charger. A charger! Life can be so funny sometimes.

Tomorrow, I will probably forget the nice man that saved the day, but as far as today is concerned, he is my hero. He actually put a real smile on my face without even trying.

PS: I know the normal girl reaction to this is crying (and I was really close), but today I have promised not to shed a tear until I have my first baby. Not even when I finally take a bow from this choking medical school or when prince charming (whoever that is) pops the question.
PS: The onion-cutting tears do not count.

Comments

  1. Unknown7 June 2017 at 09:31

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown7 June 2017 at 09:35

    Niiicccceeeee! I hope you shed a tear for medical school though! It deserves one, arrrggghhh!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown7 June 2017 at 10:44

    😂😂😂.. I'm trying so hard to imagine the pitiful look of the mentally unstable man

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown21 June 2017 at 04:34

    Strong independent black woman who don't need no man but can't jump gutter... Wehdone!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hustle

Image
"Good morning Ma." It is the fourth time that I am greeting, and I already know there will be no reply. Mama has been staring at the wall since last night. I sit beside her on the ragged foam and attempt to find the object of her attention. The wall is not painted like the rest of the house. There are cracks that run from end to end adding some finesse to the uneven patches of brown dust on the wall. "Mama won't you eat something?" I ask her as I tear my eyes away from the wall. She does not flinch. Since she has chosen to ignore me, I decide that it is best to take my leave. I walk into the kitchen in search of anything. Even water. I find a little water in the storage bucket at the corner and pour it into a pot. It is another garri and palm oil day. It has been for a week now. Unbothered by the mundane routine we have acquired, I search for the box of matches and try to light the wick. First strike. Second strike. I raise the burner to
Read more

Till This Day

Image
He was sleeping.  He had that silly smile on his face too. You know that smile that made me listen to him when he walked up to me at my sister's wedding? Yes that one. He wore it through our relationship and to the wedding too. I remembered smiling right back while he repeated those stereotyped vows that the priest made him say. I remembered letting him take off my gown that night and swearing that we would do nothing else if he did not read his real vows first as he had promised. I had my vows written too and the paper was safely tucked in my phone pouch, but I wanted him to go first. He had his in his left pocket and as he pulled it out carelessly, I watched him. He had never been a writer and I was honestly ready to accept anything he had written. To be fair, I had been celibate for years and I was too horny to care about perfect words. Nevertheless, curiosity had gotten the best of me and I needed to know what he had written down. Four years had passed, but I s
Read more

Musings: Confessions of an Ex-Church Girl

Image
Once upon a lifetime, I was God's very own. It was almost like I did not need to go to church to have a conversation  with God. I could just start one while walking, no matter how silly,  but it was a great time of my life. I had never been the pray-before-you-rise or pray-before-bed kind of girl. I was just the girl that talked to God when I was brushing,  having a bath, in-between classes,  etc. Still I showed up in church whenever I could. It was my peaceful place...my escape  from all the madness. I used to call myself lucky and unlucky at the same time. I have to be the clumsiest person  I know (even today). No one else makes tea and spills the beverage/milk/hot water every time. No one has tripped more times than me. No one makes more mistakes or bad decisions than I do.  But on the other hand, I've had the craziest luck too. I fell sick last year for about three days, but before then, my last sickness was menstrual cramps and occasionally catarrh and I am dating
Read more