ONE CHANCE
The story of “one chance” used to be an ordinary story to me until I almost fell victim today. Well, that is what I was made to believe. And boy, was I scared! A friend once told me about his “one chance” experience which left him penniless, phoneless and black eyed- for a few weeks.
Well, he said one day he was going home from his friend’s and he heard this conductor screaming for one more passenger in the bus that was actually going his way. It was quite logical that he boarded the bus since he was equally in a hurry. A few minutes drive from where he was picked up, the conductor and the driver turned to another route and phew! That was how his trouble began. First, he and a few others in the bus were ripped of their valuables and a little struggle on their part gave them a black eye. It was a really bad experience but thank God he lived to tell the story.
For me, well, I didn’t have any screaming bus conductor calling for “one chance passenger” in any bus. I literary stopped a cab to take me from one stop at Ahmadu Bello way in V/I to another. The cab stopped quite alright, as I was about to enter, this lady matched up to me and brushed me off the cab. I was dazed as I watched the lady walk off as quickly as she had come. Immediately I noticed the cab speeding off. Now the first thing I did was to check myself, and I noticed everything was still intact. After which I hurried after the lady to ask what the problem was.
“Hmm. Don’t just enter any cab you see only two people inside, most of them are kidnappers posing as drivers.” She said. I thanked her and went my way. “An angel in disguise” I thought.. But I couldn’t also help but wonder if we are not really over reacting to this issue of “one chance”. Anyway, I am grateful to God for sparing me that gory experience of falling into a “one chance” cab. This would have probably been a different story you know.
We must really be careful when we enter public transport. Say no to empty cabs, especially unpainted ones (normal Lagos cabs are painted Yellow and black). And most importantly, risk access any area you visit before wandering off alone. Experience they say is the best teacher, but I know this is one of the few cases we can learn from other people’s experience. Stay safe.
The story of “one chance” used to be an ordinary story to me until I almost fell victim today. Well, that is what I was made to believe. And boy, was I scared! A friend once told me about his “one chance” experience which left him penniless, phoneless and black eyed- for a few weeks.
Well, he said one day he was going home from his friend’s and he heard this conductor screaming for one more passenger in the bus that was actually going his way. It was quite logical that he boarded the bus since he was equally in a hurry. A few minutes drive from where he was picked up, the conductor and the driver turned to another route and phew! That was how his trouble began. First, he and a few others in the bus were ripped of their valuables and a little struggle on their part gave them a black eye. It was a really bad experience but thank God he lived to tell the story.
For me, well, I didn’t have any screaming bus conductor calling for “one chance passenger” in any bus. I literary stopped a cab to take me from one stop at Ahmadu Bello way in V/I to another. The cab stopped quite alright, as I was about to enter, this lady matched up to me and brushed me off the cab. I was dazed as I watched the lady walk off as quickly as she had come. Immediately I noticed the cab speeding off. Now the first thing I did was to check myself, and I noticed everything was still intact. After which I hurried after the lady to ask what the problem was.
“Hmm. Don’t just enter any cab you see only two people inside, most of them are kidnappers posing as drivers.” She said. I thanked her and went my way. “An angel in disguise” I thought.. But I couldn’t also help but wonder if we are not really over reacting to this issue of “one chance”. Anyway, I am grateful to God for sparing me that gory experience of falling into a “one chance” cab. This would have probably been a different story you know.
We must really be careful when we enter public transport. Say no to empty cabs, especially unpainted ones (normal Lagos cabs are painted Yellow and black). And most importantly, risk access any area you visit before wandering off alone. Experience they say is the best teacher, but I know this is one of the few cases we can learn from other people’s experience. Stay safe.
1 comment:
Jennifer,
I enjoyed your show and poetry on Blogtalkradio. It's exciting to hear you speak.
Best,
Alan Levy
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