After a very hectic and busy day at the airport shipping orders to abroad clients, Lola was so tired and drained. She boarded a bus to Bariga, while on the bus, there was a banter-word section going on between a passenger and the conductor on change but Lola could not be bothered by the noise as she was too exhausted to utter a word.
She stared out the window, watching the traffic on the other lane of the road and at the same time calling a bottle water seller to come over to her lane.
Alighting at her bus stop and letting out a loud yawn, she thought to herself that she might need to make rice when she gets home as she had no leftover soup from the night before.
Lola was trying to make her way through the walk-way of the road side market to buy vegetables for the rice when the hem of her dress pulled down a tray of dried smoked fish and they all landed on the ground.
The fish owner, a woman, exclaimed, Aah, Aah, Mogbe o.
This fish seller quickly held on tightly to Lola’s handbag hanging over her shoulders while screaming on top of her voice.
Stepping back, I’m so sorry Ma, Epele Ma, E ma binu mummy, please Ma, Lola said as market women had already gathered to ask what happened and some passersby came to see what was happening at the scene.
Bringing out her purse from her hand bag, ‘Please how much is it ma? I would like to pay Ma, Lola asked, but to Lola’s amazement, the fish seller asked Lola to go and not worry about it.
For a minute Lola wondered and asked herself why this fish seller would ask her to leave without paying a dime and not cursing her knowing this was probably her only means of livelihood after her initial reaction.
Wondering if she was safe, Lola brought out wads of one thousand Naira notes from her bag and handed the fish seller.
The fish seller was so thankful and started praying for Lola to prosper in all her endeavours.
While Lola departed the scene to buy her vegetables, She thought to her herself, “while there is evil in the world, there are still some good men and women, I’m not giving up on humanity.”
