Monday, December 24, 2012

A Christmas Eve To Remember


Had an appointment with a jewellry maker today and he tutored me on how to make a specific design. Spent hours there and took my leave, after paying, when i believed i had gotten the laydown of it. Off i went into the bustle of the lagos island market that was filled up with frantic people trying to make last minute purchases for trhe upcoming christmas. W ith the scorching sun burning my skin i felt glad that i brought my specs with me . Atleast i wont have to squint my eyes every milisecond. Took a whole lot of standing under the sun , pushing through the crowd , and frustration and agility to get a bus that was headed to my destination. The frustration didnt seem to abate cos later i got to know that the fare had been inflated a day ago and serendipity would have it, it was the exact amount i had on me. But the problem was my tummy and the growling sounds it kept making, i was hungry.
Couple of minutes later the bus was full and all that was left was the lady who was loading her wares in the boot of the bus.  Which was when  i heard a familiar voice calling my name. It was a friend of mine who was also heading in my direction too. So i had to, really had to make space for her cos i didnt want her to go through the hell i just went through and we were set to go on a smooth journey or so we thought.
Halfway across , we, the passengers, heard a loud popping sound and i for one had nio idea what it was until the bus started swerving in another direction and tyhe driver trying to regain control. Then it dawned on me that it was that the back right tyre had busted while we were in the third lane and at exactly that moment the screaming started. Passengers yelping out pleas to God, which i too found myself doing, other screaming out their children/family’s name and then there was my friend who was wierdly calm and was trying to control the situation by shouting; “Calm down!!! This is what  causes accidents !! keep quiet”. I barely remeber  her face then, but her voice was calm while i was dreading that moment. But i do remember the lady seated behind me who kept screaming , “Open the door oh!!!!”. It was crazy and frightful i didnt know what to do. Should i open it or not?
 One way or the other the driver got the bus to stop at the very edgeof the bridge above the sea. Even before it stopped in motion people were jumping out and i did too also i called to my friend who was hesitant at first. Crazy Gal. At that  moment my heart was in my oesophagus and we were all so reliefed to be alive even the passersby were probably thanking saving God for our lives. I went to check the extent of the damage and i was shocked to see that the tyre rubber was splatttered o the ground like it had been melted with fire. The driver tried to regain control oif the situation by telling us to be calm and he’ll change tyres and we’ll be on our way. But who was gonna take chances , we all got our bags and got to waving for a lift. Some bunch of good samaritans came to our rescue and some totally turned a blind eye, i hope they will never find themselves in the predicament we were in at that time cos then they’ll know ‘”Karma’s a bitch”.
I and my friend got into a fed.high court bnus and alighted somewhere close then we trekked home. All in all i know am safe and i have found a better way to spend my christmas than just sitting in and watching movies all day long.
I WILL KEEP THANKING THE LORD FOR HIS MERCIES ON ME TILL DATE. AND GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE THAT IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME. I hope people have a rethinkof what this season means to them. I will also use this oppourtunity to wish you all A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE.

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