The story I am about to tell you might sound stupid, funny, or even deadly. It is very similar to stories that have ended badly and horribly for many, but don't be scared.
So I wouldn't say I am careless… or careful. But many times, I ask myself a question when I look back on actions I took — ‘Are you dumb?’
Like something, it just feels like my brain takes a nap and I throw caution to the wind. Sometimes the wind carries me gently to my destination, but sometimes it just flings, slams, and tosses me around.
One time, my cousin and I, after school on a Friday evening, were on our way home. Our last class was close to the school's main gate, so we strolled instead of entering a cab, even though we were tired and stressed out — we just felt it would be a waste of 300 naira to enter a cab.
We reached the main gate and I was relieved because we were going to take a bus from there, and if we walked any further, I believed I was going to lose my legs.
Just then, a flashy Lexus car drove by us and stopped just beside us. The windows rolled down and the guy inside spoke to my cousin.
He just said, “Hi,” with an awkward smile.
"Good evening,” my cousin greeted him as she moved closer to the car, and I followed behind.
"Where are you guys headed?” he asked.
Now, my cousin, I know, would have said "Somewhere,” and the conversation would be over, and the stranger would be on his way.
But I ended up being shocked.
“We are going back home, rumuokuta side,” she said, with a blank face.
I didn't know what was weirder — her saying where we were headed, or her face being emotionless. I knew we stood for the entire class, but her expression changed from tired to blank.
“Okay, I am passing that side. I can drop you guys,” the guy said.
As usual, I read her mind and thought her answer before she talked — “No thank you.”
“Okay, thank you,” she said, still with a blank face, and proceeded to enter the front seat.
And I, being the dumbest person on earth for that little moment, entered the back seat. I didn't say anything, didn't think — just went ahead to enter with my cousin into a stranger's car.
It was after the guy had already moved the car that I came to my senses and called myself a big fool!
My thoughts started running wild like they should in this situation:
“Why did I do that?”
“Did I feel rushed? Or pressurized?”
“Or was it because I trust my cousin to make better decisions than I?”
“And what was wrong with my cousin? She is normally more careful with strangers than me. Why is she so relaxed? Did he use a charm on her?”
“What if he is a bad person? A kidnapper or even a ritualist? She must know him from somewhere, right? Right?!”
"Can I defend myself?"
I held on to the nail cutter on my key.
I planned ten different escape scenes in my head, like a Nollywood actress. My heart was beating fast, and I was staring at the door handle. But I couldn't jump out of a moving car.
I watched my cousin and the guy closely, and they didn't say a thing to each other. They didn't even look at each other once. The windows were rolled up and the AC was on, but I felt hot and beads of sweat formed on my forehead because the car was eerily silent. I was scared for our lives.
Then, to make matters worse, he took an unfamiliar turn we never took anytime we used public transport. I felt my blood pressure rise. I never found myself in that kind of situation before.
Finally, my cousin broke the silence, “Why did you follow this side?"
“There is probably a holdup on that road, and this side is actually shorter?”
"Okay, but I think this route is actually longer. But no problem,” my cousin said.
Then, he started asking my cousin questions about school — with a calm and friendly voice.
My cousin answered casually.
Then he dropped the bomb and introduced himself to me — his name was Emmanuel, and they were close friends.
That's when it clicked. Emmanuel was a friend of hers she always told me about — he fitted the profile I built up in my head from the little she told me before. They have known each other for up to two years now, and the previous week, she told me they had a huge quarrel — which explained the entire awkward tension between them.
I thanked God because my own tension was about to reach hypertension. All the panic was in my own head.
I held in my laughter because I felt relieved — and silly, lol.
But that day was just another proof of how important it is not to jump into things too fast, or how our minds sometimes create fear where there’s none.
That day, I truly threw caution to the wind.
But next time, I’ll ask one or two questions first — just in case.
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