By Eunice Owa
The social media phrase on "mind your
business and drink water" has really done us good by reducing the degree
of poke-nosing into someone's business or gossiping about someone, but I can't
help than looking at the other side of it, you could be falling into a ditch right
now and just because the person beside you want to mind his/her business would
just stand akimbo and watch you fall in.
I was faced with the highest form of humiliation on
a wonderful Saturday, you are wondering what is it that got me talking right?
It was 5 pm on a faithful Saturday after a stressful day from
work, it is a normal routine for me to take a Public Bus to go back home, I went to the nearest bus stop to my terminus and I realized that I didn't have the exact amount for the bus fee which was N50 rather what I had with me was N500.
knowing how these bus conductors can be so exasperating,
I told the bus conductor (which I will refer to as condor) who seems to have
a very chronic Hausa accent to his pidgin English, that “I no get change o” with a pique look,
he replied, kin ce mai in Hausa, meaning (what did you say?). I replied
him Na ce b ani da chanji, dari biyar da ni (I said I don’t have
change but I have N500). I was praying
silently that this man will have change because getting another bus is so hard
and it's getting dark. His voice brought me back, ba komi ki shiga (no problem
enter).
A few minutes later, the conductor started shouting
kudin ku a baya! (your money from
the back), I was sitting at the back so I majestically stretched forth melanin
hand only to be embarrassed with the Hausa tongued voice wait! At that moment
my mind started playing those soundtracks used for horror movies.
I was to alight at Taiwo road (those familiar with Kaduna state capital will know this particular place, the first junction to central market), then I said to the conductor zan soka(I will drop here), he rudely replied "no o muje Kano road (let's go to Kano road). I thought to myself Kano road is not bad after all I can get a bus there to my final Bus-top.
Fobi garage! Fobi garage (well that what it sounds like but I thought to myself it's before bridge garage). The driver stopped at Kano road, well it's time to pay and collect change. Tor ba Chanji fa(no change) said the conductor, disappointment curls into my stomach and I knew that there's about to be a war. I saw him withN450 in his hands and I told him condor bani Chanji na in tafi (give
me my change and let me go) then he said I shouldn't disturb him, after all, I
didn't tell him I was holding N500 and
I want to play on his intelligence, I laughed sarcastically because he had
collected my money already, well I was not ready to trek the remaining distance,
with confidence I looked into the bus and begged the driver "driver abeg
tell ur condor “make he give me my change" and he looked at
me in an absurd manner and said "e no concern me o, make una settle
am".
I was to alight at Taiwo road (those familiar with Kaduna state capital will know this particular place, the first junction to central market), then I said to the conductor zan soka(I will drop here), he rudely replied "no o muje Kano road (let's go to Kano road). I thought to myself Kano road is not bad after all I can get a bus there to my final Bus-top.
Fobi garage! Fobi garage (well that what it sounds like but I thought to myself it's before bridge garage). The driver stopped at Kano road, well it's time to pay and collect change. Tor ba Chanji fa(no change) said the conductor, disappointment curls into my stomach and I knew that there's about to be a war. I saw him with
Well, I thought to myself thank God these
passengers were around when I was talking, please help me o, I told this guy I
had N500 before entering and he said no
problem. To my utmost surprise, all the passengers kept a straight face. With a defeated look, I decided to act like an agbero
(a thug) since everyone is “minding their business” I looked for the
conductor because he has gone in search of passengers then I saw him.
Condor give my change o! which kind thing be dis
na, kin ce mai? dan Allah ka Bari bana so wahala (you say what? Please leave me
I don't want problem). At this point I was tired I just wanted to go home then I
heard swi swi... Sweet biscuit, immediately I asked the conductor to give me my
money and he said hahaha so make u go run away(so that you will run off)... I
laughed, see thief calling me thief, I knew he wanted to go away with my money. I bought biscuit, collected my change and gave
him his N50. It was 6 pm, another bus to Kakuri and I will be home, with a great lesson learned I held my N50 to avoid repetition.
If condor had made away with my money, I would have turned to a cooperate beggar or probably trekked home because his aim was to fill the remaining seats and zoom off.
Esteemed people, minding your business does not
mean you close your eyes and ears when you know just a word from you will save
an impending problem, if any of the passengers had talked in my favor, It would have saved my face from embarrassment and also save my time.
1 Comments
True talk
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