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MR. KOLA ~
I believed it had finally come for me when I saw those hands in the dark waving above a head beside the wayside. I assumed it was time, that it had arrived before the deadline. I squinted at my watch, which read 10:18 p.m. I only had a few hours to discover the one who could save my soul.
As I got closer and my full light showed brightly in the darkness, I noticed it was only a young lady signalling me to stop. My racing heart slowed just as quickly as I reduced the speed of the car when I stepped on the brake. I came up alongside her and noticed how young and innocent she looked. She looked tired as well. I was curious as to how she landed out alone on this dark roadway at this hour. I stared at the clock again, as if I hadn't just done so: 10:20 p.m.
She spoke almost quickly after I slid down the passenger window. “Please, sir. I’m g…”
“Just come in, young lady. It’s not safe around here.”
She got in the car and I drove on.
“Thank you, sir.”
“You are welcome. But how did a young girl like you end up on this kind of road at this hour? This is a very dangerous route. Aren’t even you scared at all?”
“It was our bus o. It broke down along this road some and I decided to just walk down if I can see another bus to lift me. But only a few cars have passed so far and they didn’t even stop for me. It was only you. Thank you so much, sir.”
Don’t thank me just yet, it would be you worthy of all the thanks at the end of this journey.
She had no idea how important she may be to me. She may be my life's saviour and the rebirth of my destiny. That reminded me of the words of an old friend, Samuel: "all things work together for good." Those words made no sense to me until he died. Samuel had a girlfriend that anyone would want - she was attractive, loving, and sensual.
But Samuel couldn't keep his head in one place, and he cheated on Toyin multiple times before I told him to stop. He, however, did not. I stopped his breathing when I realized he wouldn't stop cheating. It happened on an evening no one would suspect. Later, he was discovered dead and stinky in his room, and they were unable to determine the cause of his death. I sympathized with his family after his death, but it wasn't long before I gravitated toward Toyin. We came to love each other and eventually married. All things work together for good.
“Oh. I think I passed the bus before I met you. But all on your own, walking down this road, aren’t you scared? Where are you even heading to?” I asked the young lady.
“Lagos, sir. I’m going home to celebrate Christmas with my family,” she said.
“Oh. Okay. But please, be careful next time. I’m actually heading to Lagos too,” I lied.
“How lucky am I? You must be an angel, sir.” She smiled.
Lucky. Angel. That should have been my line. It would only take a few drives for her to understand she was the angel in our encounter and I was not. She was more useful to me than she imagined I was to her. In truth, I was useless to her. Perhaps she would have been better off taking the dark path I assisted her with. But all things still work out for good. In this case, for my good.
“People tell me that a lot, that I am an angel.” I laughed at my own lie. “You know, you remind me of my niece. She is just as calm and respectful as you are.” I lied once more. I don't have any nieces or nephews. I just wanted to talk to her and distract her long enough before I act.
