Offer someone a split second

 

 

I offered someone a split second of my time

It was very emotional today at a “Lagos street” of one popular Flemish city. People might wonder the whereabouts of a “Lagos street” in Flanders. It’s a name I coined after the typical stylish life of Lagos in Nigeria. 

I’m sure that you’re spell bound now with several questions racing randomly in your medular oblangata. A typical life on a Lagos street is where people move very quickly without paying attention to what others are doing or even looking at them.

Having set the background, I came across a woman, of African decent, who was dressed in a weird manner. Today is 1st June 2023, Sunny day, with an environmental temperature of 23 degrees centigrade. One can confidently claim that it’s a summer’s day. 

And this black woman was dressed in white hand gloves and blue face mask even though the last covid-19 restrictions have been lifted since more than a year ago. She was also walking through the “Lagos street” with two heavy tattered bags - one on her left hand and the other hanging over her shoulder and kept in balance by her right hand. 

The black woman approached me with such a supersonic speed that I almost ignored her. She muttered few words in French. A spirit in me, compelled me to stop and I did. I responded to the woman if she understood Dutch. She said yes, and, translated her meaning in Dutch half haphazardly coupled with a few hand gestures. Her situation was not immediately clear but I concluded that she could be mentally challenged. 

Essentially the woman communicated that she was direly thirsty and asked if I could buy her a drink from a nearby shop. I responded that it was a great pleasure to offer her some drinks to assuage her thirst. Guess what? We both entered the shop, the lady went straight to the refrigerator and picked just one bottle of Coca Cola and nothing else. 

Friends, I expected the woman to ask for additional things, which may include, but limited to bread, snacks or even cooked foods but she didn’t. She was simply happy with a bottle of Coca Cola. I thought that she needed more than a split second. At this time, I put it to her that she would definitely need the other things she didn’t request. So, I asked to shop to give her some cash to leave in her pocket should she eventually need something else during her journey. 

The woman of African decent was so happy, she collected the cash and we bade farewell. A lot of things began to run through my mind. I realised how much pains people are going through in their daily lives. Folks, please, give people a split second of your time today, and listen to their stories. We are all humans living in human society for one another. 

Thanks for reading !!