I'm just going to slide into this page as though I didn't leave it vacant over the past decade.
So, yesterday was a day I taught myself a life lesson... never act out on gist gotten from strangers... it could be your undoing.
I am sure we all know that having fuel up to half tank during this period is a bragging right stuff. Just seeing people driving with their windows all wound-up makes me feel dejected by my country.
In the past few days, I've had to drive in my shimmy or in my inner vest while I use my outer shirt to fan my self and wipe the sweat off my face and in my armpits simultaneously.
I'm not even going to form sef! And the traffic ehhh... tufiakwa.
My car air-conditioner had been turned off temporarily in past week in order to reduce fuel consumption.
Sooo, to my gist...
Yesterday...24/dec/2017... a date I thought I was just being a sharp Lagosian... SMH.
My fuel had just gotten to half tank and this kept me worried and agitated the previous night because, the degree of traffic I face to-n-fro work is hellish and it's obvious that this fuel scarcity was having no respite in next few days.
I made up my mind to go search for fuel early Sunday morning before going to work. I was using the logic that most Lagosians would have travelled to their villages for the holidays.
Sunday morning 7am, I left fuel hunting. Hmmm!
I got to Mobil station and got a fairly good spot close to the entrance. I didn't wind down oooh... yes cos I'm paranoid that one agbero will come and snatch my bag or demand my phone or keys or something. I just brought the window down a crack and was sweating inside ( no air conditioner of course!).
Brothers and sisters, I sat there for good 90mins at least. No problem.
In a little while, some keke napep guys joined and took one tight space by my car... speaking Yourba language which I don't understand.
I was on my own ohhhh. About 15mins later, another keke driver driving past shouted something. But the only thing I heard was " bleh bleh bleh COMMERCIAL ROAD bleh bleh FUEL". This sounded like interesting information because the two kekes by side quickly revved up, left the queue and hit the road.
I figured they were told there was fuel some where else!
As a sharp girl who cannot ever dull in this life not in the one to come, I started my car, did a 007 reverse and hit the road sharply racing after these keke guys.
Brothers and sisters, all these detective films you watch of car tailing , try and respect them. My gosh! I forgot about the traffic lights and other road users and was just wringing my neck to keep the kekes in sight.
I followed these guys ooo but lo and behold, we reached a traffic light and some traffic jam and before I knew it, other kekes joined my two kekes and I couldn't tell which kekes I was tailing. It was like a bad movie!
When the lights turned green, two kekes turned off left while the rest continued. Kai! Of course I went with the 2 kekes that turned off the major road! ERROR!
We went oooooo, until I saw a queue along the road and I felt "okay, this must be it". The kekes continued forward but I felt they were going up to the front as they won't queue up with cars.
Brothers and sisters, after staying in this queue for some minutes, but the line wasn't moving, I decided to shunt queue and go forward a bit.
You guys won't believe that these cars were parked! In front were some hustlers carrying baskets and showing me parking places in between the queue. I was then wondering, " these Lagos hustlers sef, which one is basket again? Are they putting jerry can of fuel inside basket"?
I almost took the parking space but I decided to go forward and see the petrol station and know the going rate per litre.
Brothers and sisters, lo and behold, I was in a Sunday market!!! No petrol station in sight. The baskets were for carrying turkey and other purchases! I followed the wrong kekes!!! I was devastated. And I had no idea where I was! I definitely wasn't around around any petrol station.
By now my fuel gauge had gone down one bar and I was lost and annoyed.
My Wi-Fi was down. So, couldn't Google my way out either!
Had to call the hubby. He had an idea of what petrol station the keke guys where talking about cos I mentioned the area I overhead. That was how I started retracing my steps.
I eventually found the station. Guess what? A longer queue, it wasn't moving cos there were lots a jerry can buyers and the cost was 170/litre!!!
Brothers and sisters, I didn't have energy and I had work to go to. Plus, I was already sweating and my previously perfectly drawn eyebrow was remaining half on one eye.
I gave up the search and went to work. Got there by past 10am and a fuel gauge 2bars down.
At least I gained one moral lesson that I'm sharing now; Do not eavesdrop and act on the gist.
Merry Christmas to you!!! And a great 2018!!!
Till some other time...tuddles.
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