7.25 am
Dara glanced at his watch impatiently, tapping on his car steering wheel. He had been queuing at the fuel station in Victoria Island since 5 AM; there was no fuel for the umpteenth time this month. “Baba how far nah?”, he asked the station attendant loudly. He had the interview of a lifetime after years and years of being unemployed. Nigeria wanted to show him pepper again; he could not miss this shot, the interview was scheduled for 8 AM.
7.45 AM
Twenty minutes in and
Dara was almost there. He could see the fuel pump clearly from his car window,
soon and very soon. All he needed to do was get to the…
From nowhere, a large
Toyota Land Cruiser came from the side of the queue, cutting the line and
brazenly “chancing” Dara and his KIA Picanto. “BABA! Ahhhh, welcome sir. Welcome!”
eagerly the attendants bustled to the Land Cruiser, kegs in hand with
prepackaged fuel for the obviously affluent driver.
“You cant see us
waiting in line here?!”, Dara shouted, the window wound down to reveal a small
man with tribal marks and a gap tooth. “My friend, get to the back of the line!
You deycrase?Because you are a big man you think you can do as you like abi?!”
As Dara screamed, raked and raved at the man, everyone watched in awe as the
small man gave a small smile, wound up and moved his car out of the way.
8.05 AM
Dara parked his
Picanto hurriedly by the side of the road. Not bothering to check if he had
locked it, he grabbed his laptop and portfolio, running into the office building.
He had to get this job, 3 years of unemployment?! He had to get this job!
He was told to wait
in the waiting room by the office secretary and wait for the MD as he was
running late. Five minutes in the office door swung open to reveal a little
man, with tribal marks and a gap tooth. It took a minute for Dara to gather his
senses and realise who he was looking at.
His mouth flew open
as the same man in the Land Cruiser stood at the door, smiling wider than he
had at the fuel station. Looking right in his eye, he beckoned to Dara, walking
slowly to his office.
