Art Imitating Life: Stuck in the Mud

By Adesuwa
Someone hurried past Fola, she turned back and eyed the man scurrying away...

"See space every where yet he had to hit me! Mtchew" she rolled eyes, at his receding back. After a hard day at work and that market place known as 'CAC', even a leaf could succeed in pushing her down.

"Wuse! Berger!" A conductor bellowed right into her ears, so much she cringed. She gave him a hard stare and glanced at the rickety bus. The bus suffered from years of usage. Some parts of its body was rusting and it emitted smoke like its exhaust was totally out.

"Biko! if I enter this one I would surely choke, choking isn't the way I would die" she walked away irritated.

She decided to keep walking, and as she did Fola thought over events of the day. When it came to transactions at CAC, you never know what to expect. Most times, a slap felt appropriate for some unnecessary delays caused by inept officers! She shook her head and ... "Yeeee!" She shrieked

One minute she was on the road next minute she was in the gutter. She had just stepped on one of the slabs covering the gutters around Zone 5 and it gave way.

"Kai! What a way to end today" She glanced around her surroundings. Her shoes sank into thick mud and algae, that the gutter stank was an understatement. Every movement she made pasted mud, algae over her. She felt like screaming. Why is she in this mess? Should SON, COREN not be charged with the responsibility of making sure things like slabs, roads were of good quality? She stepped on a slab and it just gave way! Just like that. No wonder Nigerian roads did not last. "If small me stepping on this slab made me end up in this dump!"

"Sister sorry oh! " A man called into the gutter to her

"Kpele!" Another voice came

"Make we help am come out..she no go fit come out by herself o!" One lady said

Fola was surprised, people had gathered around the gutter, "thank GOD some Nigerians can still be of help" she muttered.

"Bring your hand make we help you!"

Who was she not to "bring her hand" ? She had already brought it before he asked.

As they drew her up, her laps dragged against the rough cemented sides of the gutter and soon she began to bleed profusely. She had tears gathered in her eyes and she now understood the pain her boss went through when she had ended up in a ditch like this sometime back.

As soon as she was brought out, she sat heavily on the ground and held onto her bag, a good samaritan offered to help her to a pharmacy. She had 3 deep lines drawn into her lap all bleeding, the pain was excruciating to say the least. She recognised one of the samritans who drew her up as the man who hurried past her before now.

As she was led away all she could say was "beware of Nigerian slabs...that's not how GOD wants you to end up".

Someone laughed, but isn't it true?

(Inspired by a true story)