Episode 4: The Unfortunate Debut

THE UNFORTUNATE DEBUT

Showdown with death!

It’s Monday. The D-Day. The day I’ll be making my first debut in the prestigious University.

I was already on my way to school. I’d jerked off my bed so abruptly when I realized the time was 6:45am. And the first class for the day was slated for 7:00am.

I went off my bed, into the shower, off the shower, back in the room, put fire on my stove, and warmed my soup. I was so agitated at the thought of going to school late on my first day. “Too bad, man, too bad. I told myself.”

Within 10 minutes I was done, picked up my bag, and off I went. The good thing about this whole thing was that I’d ironed my clothes the previous night, and so I was looking sharp. White shirt, black tapered trouser, and a black leather shoe – the shoe I bought at plaza with James the previous night.

Obviously, the rain makers had agreed during their previous stakeholders meeting that the moment I stepped out of my one room apartment, there should be a great deluge, such as was in the days of Noah. Well, there really was a heavy downpour.

My shirt was all soaked. But my mind was set. There was no turning back. This was going to be my first day in school and nothing, not even the rain, was going to ruin it for me.

These words were what kept me going. But after some kilometers, I decided to stop by a kiosk, which from my brief glance was occupied by about three men, a kid and a family of birds consisting of the mother hen and her chicks.

The owner of the kiosk had not arrived yet. I guess he must have gotten a tip from the rain makers the previous night, because that rain was too sudden to have been predicted.

As I ran hunched into the little but bearable shelter of the kiosk, I decided to display a little bit of home training. And so, I greeted my fellow occupants, including the kid, and the bird family.

How awkward!

With my handkerchief, I was trying to make my shirt as less sticky as possible when I felt something vibrate on the left part of my back pocket. At first, it felt really soothing. Then the thought of what could be so generous, with such out-of-the-world dexterity as to give me such rare pleasure and ‘yanchfull’ caress led to my sudden realization that I had my Android phone in my back pocket.

All this rain!

All this time!

Oh Lord!

I swiftly dipped my left hand into my pocket, not minding how wet and slippery my fingers were. My mission as of the moment, should I choose to accept it -which I did- was to pull out my phone as fast as possible. And as a cowboy🤠 from the Wild West pulling his revolver from the holster strapped by his waist, I brought out my phone, which in the same motion slipped effortlessly from my fingers, and straight into the gutter, with a little splash.

Immediately I was overwhelmed with immense fear, and before I could fathom what was happening around me, I had dived head first, into the gutter. Not minding the risk of hurting myself really bad, or being carried away by the water. I was unaware of the current of the water, the possibility of drowning, and allowing all my parent’s investments come to ‘nought’.

My phone!

My precious phone!

I could virtually hear the device calling for help but unfortunately I couldn’t make visual contact with it. I felt like crying. I kept searching. Suddenly I grabbed something.

Not minding what it was, I brought it out and behold, it was some strange stuff in a black polyethylene bag. It had a very pungent scent and it felt soft. I quickly flung it as far away from me as possible. I tried to fight the temptation of guessing what must have been the content of the bag.

I heard some voices shouting that I should get out of the water. Some guys came close and were even scolding me. But I paid deaf ears to their shouts and taunts.

Then suddenly, the current added up, I slipped, and fell backwards into the water. My whole body drift with the current. I tried to wrestle my way out, but my arms felt weak, dirty water was constantly splashing on my face, blocking my nostrils, while some made their way through my mouth as I fought for oxygen. I could see death staring at me. I could feel it’s cold fingers clutching my very soul. I could feel my energy ebb away continuously.

Was this how I was going to end? Why was I so senseless as to dive into a gutter with speedily moving water?

Then the unbelievable happened!