HOW AN ORDINARY DAY WENT TO HELL

in #story6 years ago (edited)

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Photo by Manuel Sardo on Unsplash.

Sometimes random events will link together and take you to places you had never guessed you will be, places you had thought you will be able to avoid because of the kind of person you think you are and the belief you have of yourself importance. But you see, the fates do not really give a fuck about you. They sit at their loom, weaving a tapestry that has nothing whatsoever to do with your beliefs, your dreams, and your impressions about who you think you are.


I was in Benin at one time when the fates came visiting. I was working as an account manager (the titles they give us to enslave us, gosh…) for an online advertising company out of Lagos. I was basically a glorified sales rep with extra functions that went beyond my salary and commission. Due to the rigorousness of my job, I sometimes found the need to relax with friends before going home after a day hustling car dealers.

My job involved me moving around with a mini laptop, a digital camera, some forms, and complimentary cards, so I always had a bag with me. On this fateful day, just as I was rounding up for the day, my homeboy @ikonigbins called me and we agreed to rendezvous at a bar in another part of town. The bar was popular for its cheap beer as well as the girls that loitered in the bar area like furniture, window dressing of sorts.To get to the bar, I had to pass Ring Road, which is the center of town, before getting to Ugbowo where the bar is located. All the roads in Benin City lead to that center because close to it is the Oba’s palace and indeed the Oba’s Market

I got there at about 5pm that evening and met my friend with some other guys that I know from previous hangouts plus a girl I did not know. I sat down and gulped a chill bottle before saying hi to everyone, moaned about how terrible my job was, then listened to others join their moans to mine, before I was introduced to the lady. She was not someone I would be caught with on a normal day but the guy she was with seem to like her; who am I to judge right?

So we got down to drinking hard, the way Nigerian men know how to and by 7:30pm, the tension had fled my limbs and I was relaxed enough to look at the lady and find beauty in her. After some few minutes, we decided to close for the day and go home. Unfortunately, one of the guys needed assistance. The girl could not find her way to her sister’s place where she was to spend the night as she was a stranger to Benin City. Since I was going towards the same direction as she was, I was nominated to take her there.

You can see how subtle, the fates can be? She was going to my direction so it was no issue, right? I am a gentleman, sometimes, most times maybe, so I could not say no to a damsel in distress, no matter how she looked, or what weird thoughts she expressed. So I parted from my friends and boarded a bus with the lady. We got to the place, located her sister’s house and I left for home. Well...

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Photo by Igor Ovsyannykov on Unsplash.

The lady said that she should show me appreciation with a bottle of beer. I should have said no, I should have thanked her and be on my way but no… the moon was high, my lips were dry, and the music was really good. So I thought what the heck, bring the bottle. She brought the bottles, one for her and one for me. We drank, we talked, the moon grew bigger and brighter, the breeze ruffled the stars and I thought I could live forever.

At about 9pm it occurred to me that it was late and time to go home. I left the lady and walked down, thinking to get a bus or a taxi to my part of town. I stood by my lonesome waiting and waiting but no tire rolled by. Finally by 9:30pm, a taxi rolled by, a taxi headed back to where I had left several hours ago, Ring Road. I therefore joined the taxi because I thought I would get a bus from Ring road that was headed towards my direction. The moment the taxi dropped me at my stop, my skein in the loom of the fates warped and all the different choices I had made that day converged into one event. As I crossed the road, still perceiving the fumes of petrol and smoke peeling off the fast retreating car, a voice commanded me to stop.

It was the police. A police station stood almost opposite the Oba’s Market and I had forgotten all about it. The policeman who had stopped me was an old man with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. His lips and teeth were rusted with cigarette smoke and his uniform hung limp and loose on his spare frame. He beckoned me to him, holding an old Ak-47 gun that had faced as much wear and tear as he had. I walked to him and he asked me where I was returning from. I told him that I had just closed from work and was heading home. He asked to my ID card but I informed him that I had misplaced it sometime ago and my office was yet to reissue another one. Unsatisfied with my story, he asked to see the contents of my bag. I willingly opened the bag for him and on seeing the laptop, he asked for a receipt.

The laptop was owned by the company I worked with, I explained to the old policeman, they would not leave the receipt to their property with me. The policeman insisted that I bring proof that the laptop is mine. I told him that I did not have that and then he said that I would leave the laptop with him at the police station while I return the next day with some sort of proof. I told him that he would have to keep me with the laptop as there was no way I would leave the laptop with him. He agreed and welcomed me into the police station.

The police station was a rowdy mess. Little girls strolled in and out, cursing laughing, pleading with policemen as they went about their nocturnal activities. The policeman led me to an office and he informed the man he met there of what had transpired and my response when he said I should leave the laptop behind. The police officer looked at me and told me that I'll have to bring 5,000 naira before I can be freed and allowed to go home. I had just 200 naira in my pocket. I was going to spend the night in a cell for the first time in my life.


TO BE CONTINUED...


Hey folks, this is Oskilo's blog and he would love to read your suggestions on how to make this blog better serve you. He would like to know what you, his reader, think of the content so do not forget to leave a comment; you just might have something he needs.

Peace.

©warpedpoetic, 2018.


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Oh no - not a good end to an evening!!! I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends :)

Oh it's out. You can go check it out. 😂

@warpedpoetic this looks too real to be fiction.

I was pessimistic when the guy accepted the drink from the lady.
I thought they would end up having sex. But I was wrong.

Concerning the police aspect, have had people with such an encounter. I wish something can be done about it in our country especially extorting money from someone that didn't commit any crime..

I can't wait for the next part, Pleaseeee.
You just got me hooked up.

Oh it's quite real. It something I experienced about 4 years ago

You really have a story to tell us oo..😁

Such an amazing cliffhanger. I want to know what happens at the police station. Eagerly waiting for the sequel. :)

You won't have to wait too long. It's definitely coming out today. Thanks for reading.

What an enjoyable read. Upvoted with pleasure! (And since its 3am here on the east coast, I should be going to bed. Maybe one more story and some Netflix first, lol!)

Not a bad idea my friend @evernoticethat. It's early morning over here. I am still on my bed, replying messages and updating myself. Will be writing soon. A new day has indeed began

Your post has been upvoted by the @steemiansarenacommunity trail. Our goal is to support minnows on steemit to help them grow.

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