11 9

"I understand that this should be a window of ideas for me to always appreciate what I have while it lasts.

But that thought doesn't come to my mind often."

F.A.B

Fine, this is a market place, but why can't it be made a bit neater? I mean cemented floors, neater shops rather than counters, and proper gutters to stop these women from always pouring water on the path, and yes, specific walkways for pedestrians and roads for vehicular users, what sort of backward government do we have in this country?

I made my way to the woman I get all my stuff from, surely she understands that I do not talk much so she just asks for my list, which I give to her with the quantity I need written next to each item.

"Thank you ma," I thanked the woman as I collected my goods and left her stall, I just need some toiletries and I'm out of this place, one problem with leaving here is that I'd have to board a taxi back which could be annoying because it's not everytime you get a taxi.

I should have brought my car.

The agony of girlhood, the multiple toiletry products we need to purchase, I think it'd be better if I just go to the mall to get those, I can't forget the time I bought a cream here and it was expired, I didn't know how to react when I saw it, and I was already home, I couldn't return to the person that sold it, she'd have refused of course, and since receipts aren't issued, that money was a waste...I'll never make that mistake again, so I always purchase my toiletries at the mall, I'd have been glad if food stuffs like those you get at a market place could be got at the mall, I just keep forgetting we're in Nigeria, but I do think that it is the same case in other parts of the world.

I bought few toiletries and started to leave the market, I'll go to the mall later, maybe next week or later in the month. I walked a little distance and it started to drizzle.

Great, just great.

I'll be stuck here longer than planned, when will I get to eat? I went to a shed to stay away from the rain and watch the passers by as they scurried away trying not to get drenched by the rain, within minutes the shed was occupied with people and I just went to squeeze myself against a pole, it wasn't too far from the rain, but I was away from people who would engage in conversations, conversations that may cut across my traumatic past, I needed to avoid that as much as possible.

Leaning against the pole I tuned out everyone's chatter and stared at the sky for a bit before looking at the stalls that have covered goods in front of them, then the messy dirt path, my sneakers will suffer today.

Then I saw a woman walking rather too fast for her own good, she could slip and fall, and if she does, she's going to have her clothes messed up, she doesn't look like she's going to stay under the shed anytime soon. I watched her feet and looked at the ground ahead of her, she's definitely going to slip, and she wasn't looking down, she was looking up ahead, her eyes not even close to the floor level.

She's going to slip.

Without thinking twice, I hurriedly pocketed my phone and dashed out to help her, she has a lot of bags on her and she could fall really bad, I ran, and as soon as I got to her, she slipped and so did I.

Shit.