There are many experiences in life which are said to be life
changing, some are large events which everyone can see and point to, for me
like the death of my father 20years ago, some other events seem so
inconsequential that without deep thought it is lost in time, like a smile
received from a stranger on a day when everything has indeed gone wrong….. Well for me one of such events which can be
lost in time was my visit to Abuja last weekend…..it was simply
Fantastic…..going to Abuja on a weekend is cool, the city is asleep when you
imagine that this is the same city where El Rufai rules and Rubadu is king,
where tables are tossed and chairs are flung , when you imagine that GMG, isn’t
a car , but the road to unimagined wealth…..hmm the city is simply asleep and kai !, you can get a cozy room in some
cozy hotel at 50% the price, if you know your way around, the room comes with
added incentives, well forget that gist , but the visit to Abuja was kind of
timely, my chinco boss imagined I needed training so off to Abuja I went , a
whole weekend not bothered whether a site burnt, sank or the network simply
went buhaha…..and trust me, I got a room at half price, along with the added
incentives and close to a club….Please close your eyes and imagine the trill , training
over and I go gaga, I had serious issues on my mind , so this was simply an opportunity to let myself lose, I
threw myself into the chill winds of Abuja and grooved till the break of dawn,
listened to wonderful high life music at
blakes …….hung out at the @#$%, let your imagination wonder , but funnily the
high point of my visit wasn’t the grove
, the large cozy hotel room , the feeling of not being bothered about work ,
nope it was meeting an old friend that reminded me of what life meant and where
one was coming from ….
When I knew her she was a unmarried and past the 30yr old mark, she worked in
some clinic where basically people with kidney problems were treated, the place
was so close to metro park and Sandra’s bar in GRA Ikeja, My 1st
visit to this place marked the end of my visits to these joints, I never got
over the fact that close to this places where I played my heart out ,people
laid dying , if only I was older…anyway
I visited her there, her salary was meager, and she was also
in a bad shape herself, she had an ulcer
and a bad back, product of a bad accident which almost claimed her life, ooh
gees , she had a wonderful voice, she
sang alto, and of course at her age what did you expect she was mature and
lacked the complexity , arrogance, etc associated with younger women, we often talkd about very many issues, ….that was one and half years ago….time passed
and hmmm …..
So finally after all the night groves , the bad English from
my chinco facilitators, I finally made it to see my dear old friend , it was a funny meeting, I glance at
her and gosh , she had put on some loads of weight….I looked down at her......And looked at her closely, hey her stomach now larger
than mine….oops, my friend has been busy I thought....and as usual I listened to her story.
…the last time we talked must have been about a year and a half ago …I
listened!!!!
She told her story of how a year ago, she didn’t know she
was going to get a job with a multinational, and go on an all expense paid
training to the united states, get married, and become an expectant mum, all in
one year, prior to this her prayers was to get a teaching job, go for her PhD,
and well marriage was so so ..but in one sweep God ordered her life, we
went shopping together and my friend who previously had scare resource, could
afford to buy all she wanted in that expensive shop in Abuja….hmmm , my people
I watched her and her life , and life simply took on a new image,life it took me down memory
lane…20 years ago, some armed bandits walked into our home and wreaked
their havoc , in cold blood , helpless my mum watched her husband die, that was
all she had in life , she was one of those women who despite her parents
antagonism, chose to love , after the death of my dad, all they had both worked
for was taken from her, up to her panties!!…she started again from scratch, she
picked up the broken pieces of her life and begun again…….I sat down listening
to my friend as she spoke and saw my life and all that I have become flash
before me….and quietly I said a prayer of thanksgiving to God,….we talked about
the falls of Jesus on his way to cavalry, and tried to imagine how often and
how much he had to struggle to get up after each fall, we talked about the fall
of peter and how he also struggled and how he also picked up the pieces of his
life again , when he fell so hard, we talked about God and the ways he
interferes in the affairs of man, we talked about the woman with the issue of
blood, and we both came to a compromise that the surest way to happiness is not
to try play God with our lives, cos there is very little we all can do about
our tomorrows !!....I listened and night fell, ….
On my way to Kaduna, to begin work in earnest, to
beseech my sites again, hear the
complains of my clients , walk into my haven of lonesomeness ,I gazed up into
the skies , stuck my head out of the window , allowed the wind blow my head ,
and said thank God , for I knew that despite all my short comings, the many
troubles , the uncertainties, the fears , the weakness, the pain, the
loneliness, the many battles, he was there watching me and begging me to allow him
take control of my life….20years ago, it should have ended, last year ,
it should have ended, last month it should have ended, but here I am still telling
my stories…why ?, because God has allowed it…and he sure has been faithful….many
us have fallen, do fall and will fall often times and hard too, but believe me,
he is there, that voice in the
wilderness of our worries, that gentle wind that blows across our rough seas of
life , that angel that whispers peace, sweet peace and calms all our nerves!!! My people in all
this chaos he is there…… .
It’s me,
The Lagos
traveler still
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