Too Late To Claim

Episode 6

The next day I woke up feeling alright.

I searched and found the money mother had saved.

It wasn’t much but will be able to substain me for the next few weeks or so.

I gathered the remaining fufu in the tray and headed to the market.

I was determined to make a change in my life no matter the condition.

It hurt to the bone that my only companion was gone forever but life goes on.

Just like she had told me,I will never gave up nor allow circumstances to pull me down and shatter my hopes.

I believed that the best is yet to come and I must make sure I live my dream life in reality.

As I walked to the market,I sang to myself.

More tears poured but I didn’t bother to wipe them.

It hurted,but I believed with time I will be perfectly fine.

I was lost in thought that I didn’t hear the horn of a car approaching me,i ran into it and was knocked down,surpisely, nothing happened to me.

A lady got down from the car and walked towarded me.

I took the time to look at her while I was still on the ground.

I could tell that she is a lady of class from her appearance.

Her dress and shoes were that of the rich.

Her face appeared so smooth and milky.

Her body glitters like gold and she shone brightly like the sun.

She didn’t look like someone that stays in the village.

As she approached me,the scent of her perfume filled my nostril and I inhaled it deeply.

“What is wrong with you?” she asked me in an angered tone.

“What were you thinking about that you didn’t hear me honked?”

“I am sorry ma” I said with tears in my eyes and a shaken voice.

“Gosh!! Do you want to put me in trouble,why will your parents even allowed you to hawk, don’t they know that they are endangering your life?”

“I am sorry ma” i said again.

She calmed down and helped me to stand up
“I hope you are not hurt” she asked in a caring tone.

I looked at myself,I wasn’t hurt but my entire goods were damaged.

Some had rolled into the gutter and others were covered with red sand.

I started crying.

What a bad day for me.

She looked at the goods,shocked her head and headed to her car, opened the door, brought her bag out, removed some money and walked back to me.

“Here,have it” she said stretching the money to me.

I looked at the money.

I could tell it was much, even more than the amount of fufu I had in the tray.

I was about collecting it when I remembered mother had warned me never to allow someone pay for anything damaged especially if it wasn’t intentional.

“I am sorry,I can’t accept it ma”I said to her.

She looked at me in shock and asked
“Why won’t you,look, your goods are destroyed, won’t will you tell your parents and you know that they will be so mad at you?”

“It wasn’t your fault ma” I replied her ” I wasn’t paying attention while walking, please don’t worry.i will tell my mother the truth”

With that I picked up my tray, dusted myself with the back of my hands and walked away leaving her with her money.

I cried as I walked along.

Those goods would have carried me through for the next few days but now they were destroyed.

How will I manage for now?
Why is life so unfair towards me?