A SHORT STORY 3

It had rained cats and dogs all through the previous day, thankfully it was my day off so I had no qualms with the rain, instead I laid in bed for most of the day sipping hot tea at different intervals and watching movies. Several times I caught myself sleeping but could care less. It was my day off and I am going to make the best out of it, rain or no rain.

Checking the weather forecast for the following day, it was going to be a little warmer but will still have light showers. After spending hours perusing my phone, I dropped it on the table beside the bed, turned to my now aching side, stretched like a cat and slept.

“What time is it?”, I asked no one in particular. I lived alone but it wasn’t strange to see me talking to myself, it was one weird trait I exhibited and I had always gotten heat from my mom who kept telling me, “Alex, go and get yourself a good woman and marry, so that you would have who to converse with”. “Mama, when the time is right, I would settle down”. This was my default line whenever she broached the topic.

“Maybe if I leave the house at noon, the traffic would have subsided and I won’t have to struggle with anyone and jump buses” I thought to myself. “I will be coming in late today”, I told my assistant over the phone. “Hold the fort till I arrive”, I concluded and dropped the call. It wasn’t unusual for me to call in late but it wasn’t often. After lazying about the house for hours, I eventually left at about past noon.

Getting to my first bus stop the queue I saw made me question the efficiency of my gadgets, probably they had synced together to deceive me this beautiful, warm Friday afternoon because how is there still queue at 12:45pm? Taking my place behind a girl who looked like she was going to cry, I weighed talking to her or minding my business. I chose the later and waited for the bus.

“Ah ah! Oga you can not come and chance me na, you met me here. Shey me that I’ve been standing on this queue for over 30 minutes do not have sense ni?” The girl in my front was saying to a man who suddenly appeared from nowhere and wanted to take her spot. He looked her over once and said “you no fit fight me aunty” and faced his front. “So you no even get respect, you see me stand here with my woman, you still come dey clear her”, I said to him with cold eyes. “Bros no vex” he said almost prostrating while leaving the queue. Slowly turning to me, she muttered, “Thank you”, unable to look me in the eyes.

Maybe it was the way she shied away from looking into my eyes or the way she felt really helpless with that bully, but I know something happened on that queue that did me in and made my strong heart soften. We got into the bus and as she tried rearranging her file, I got a glimpse of her name, “Zoey Umeh”.

If you missed the part 1 https://updates.2709brands.com.ng/a-short-story/ and the part 2 https://updates.2709brands.com.ng/a-short-story-2/