This happened a while back, I’m no tough
guy now but when I was younger I was even more likely to avoid
confrontation by any means. Around this Tayoe I was unemployed so I used
to move from one office to the other submitting applications. From
Apapa to VI to Ajah, you name it.
After going up and down one particular
Wednesday, I boarded a bus going back home to Sango-otta from oshodi in
the evening. On this particular day I had short sleeves on.
I sat towards back of the bus. The bus filled up quickly, soon only a few seats remained. About 12 or so stops from my house, a guy in a agbada gets on and sits directly next to me. It was awkward because our seats had those hand bars going down either side, which made us seem especially IGose to each other. He reeked of ogogoro and cigarettes.
He immediately asked me where I was coming from, so I answered truthfully that I was job hunting. “do you have any money on you?” He growled at me. “What?” I said in disbelief. It was at that moment I knew I was in trouble.
“I need money.” He repeated. “Don’t make me go in your pockets. It’s hot outside, why you think say I wear this agbada?” He said as he patted a bulging region of his agbada to show a pistol.
“no make me pull am out oga.” He warned.
At this point I’m searching for a friendly face amongst the other
passengers, anybody who might potentially intervene or at least look
like they give a fuck. Nothing. Dude across from me has a tunnel vision
stare straight between Mr. Agbada and I, and everyone else nearby
refuses to make eye contact with me.
“I go soon reach my bustop in a few stops. Either make you give me what you got or I can take it from you.” He said inches away from my face. I thought about swinging on him but I decided against it. What if the gun was real? A knife? What if he was just violent as fuck? Sure seemed like it.
I gave him the N1,200 remaining in my wallet. It wasn’t worth a physical altercation with this psycho. Part of me felt like a little bitch. I became noticeably enraged as the bus pulled up to Mr. Agbada’s bus stop.
“You mad? You look mad! You want to get off with me and shoot the fair one?”
“Just leave me alone. Why are you doing this?”
I don’t remember his response but he got off the bus along with a bunch of other people shortly after. I was pretty pissed nobody even acknowledged what had happened but you can’t expect a stranger to intervene in a situation like that. If he really did have a gun on him who knows to what extent things could have escalated. He was obviously drunk, irrational, and bold enough to rob somebody on a packed bus.
Don’t know what I could have done differently besides maybe not having my arm exposed. Then again, he might have chosen me as his target regardless. So yeah, being in public won’t save you….remember that
I sat towards back of the bus. The bus filled up quickly, soon only a few seats remained. About 12 or so stops from my house, a guy in a agbada gets on and sits directly next to me. It was awkward because our seats had those hand bars going down either side, which made us seem especially IGose to each other. He reeked of ogogoro and cigarettes.
He immediately asked me where I was coming from, so I answered truthfully that I was job hunting. “do you have any money on you?” He growled at me. “What?” I said in disbelief. It was at that moment I knew I was in trouble.
“I need money.” He repeated. “Don’t make me go in your pockets. It’s hot outside, why you think say I wear this agbada?” He said as he patted a bulging region of his agbada to show a pistol.
“no make me pull am out oga.” He warned.
“I go soon reach my bustop in a few stops. Either make you give me what you got or I can take it from you.” He said inches away from my face. I thought about swinging on him but I decided against it. What if the gun was real? A knife? What if he was just violent as fuck? Sure seemed like it.
I gave him the N1,200 remaining in my wallet. It wasn’t worth a physical altercation with this psycho. Part of me felt like a little bitch. I became noticeably enraged as the bus pulled up to Mr. Agbada’s bus stop.
“Just leave me alone. Why are you doing this?”
I don’t remember his response but he got off the bus along with a bunch of other people shortly after. I was pretty pissed nobody even acknowledged what had happened but you can’t expect a stranger to intervene in a situation like that. If he really did have a gun on him who knows to what extent things could have escalated. He was obviously drunk, irrational, and bold enough to rob somebody on a packed bus.
Don’t know what I could have done differently besides maybe not having my arm exposed. Then again, he might have chosen me as his target regardless. So yeah, being in public won’t save you….remember that
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