GETTING A LIFT FROM A STRANGER

Getting A Lift From A Stranger!

My lift getting days were legendary, in the year 2015. I lived this lifestyle for a year. Was it risky? YES. Was it fun? YES.

What brought back these memories? I was on my way home last week while walking towards the estate gate, someone parked and said ‘hop in, let me give you a lift‘. I turned to look at the person with a smile on my face and different thoughts running through my mind. ‘No, thank you, I said, I am just going to the gate’.

Mind you, it was drizzling and I should be eternally grateful for the offer. I had no umbrella and was just recuperating from stress and malaria. Then a God-sent came, hold that thought, human-sent offered to help. He said, ‘it is no stress’, no thank you, I repeated. ‘I am harmless(Red alert! The moment someone says I am a Christian, I won’t cheat you, just be ready for heavenly cheating), I just want to help. I rolled my eyes. (Oga, you are speaking plenty English now, abi it is by force to enter your car)’. I just turned my head, talked to my legs and refused to give him a response. Truth be told, I needed that lift but my instincts told me otherwise. When it comes to flagging down cars and getting a lift, I use to be a pro during my ‘sango-ode’ (heyday)days. LOL.

They did not kuku born flagging down cars’ with me, it is the society I found myself. I got a job on the island, I was happy. I will turn Island babe, I did not think about the pros and cons, transportation, feeding etc. and if the salary was worth it. No guys, the salary was juicy, salary 70k, food and accommodation, bonus, and tips. That offer was juicy for a lady that just finished NYSC. What else do I want from life? We even had a staff bus, mind you, we were not paying for it like some of you do. I heard staffs contribute money to buy a staff bus and fuel it, companies need to do better!

On our way home on the staff bus, we debate about people ‘flagging down cars’. I am always of the opinion that they are either prostitutes or thieves devising new means of luring unsuspected victims.

Then life hit me within a month or two. Management changed hands and
As God will have it, I joined the bandwagon of those who wait for ‘lifts’. To think that was just the tip of the iceberg, my salary got slashed, staff bus ended and most people got sacked. To think I felt lucky, I still had a job. That was how my flagging down cars journey started. The previous month, I had used all my money to buy clothes and shoes at Yaba. As an Island babe wey I be, you have to dress and look the look, you know.*winks

When you remove transportation fee, feeding fee, that food is very important in my life. You see if you want to eat good food, you need N1000 and above. The cheapest restaurant was Bukka hut, but their food makes me nauseous and if you buy from road vendors ah, just be prepared for food poisoning. The first time I had food poisoning, I purged my life out! At the end of the day, you realize you are just working for the company.

Nobody even told me before I joined the queue on Ikoyi bridge. I told my friend and colleague, we have to cut cost on all expenses. Transportation became a major problem. My friend was sceptical and gave me all the bad news, obviously, she had watched too many Nollywood movies. My heart was hardened, ‘babe I can’t afford public transport ooo. We are two, they cannot kidnap us both. We are covered with the blood of Jesus.’

It was very easy for us to get lifts cos we were beautiful. I am slim and she is endowed so we complemented one another. If you do not like the slim one, you will sha like the chubby one. Trust me Nigerian men did not fail us.

Our 9-5 shifts had to be changed to morning afternoon and night shifts. We started working different shifts and had to go home separately. My friend returned to Lekki gate to board public transport. It is Ikoyi bridge for me, dear. I had started enjoying the comfort the free rides brought. I met the mad, quiet, shy, repulsive, outspoken, aggressive flirt.

There was this car I flagged, the man stopped for me to enter. The guy that was standing beside me wanted to enter, the man just locked his doors and murmured something about getting his filthy hands off his car. I knew I had entered one chance, the randy old man did not even allow us get to the toll gate before …See ehn this gist is for another day, it is a full post in itself.

Another guy, chief adviser, when I told him I worked in a hotel. You need to go to university, you are a lady with prospects, you need to further your education. I kuku allowed him to talk, he chose my University, the course I will study, in fact, guy man mapped out my schooling plan. He said all this from Ikoyi bridge to Ikeja Underbridge. When he now finally asked for my opinion. I said masters is not in my plan yet, it is money I am looking for. He said ‘well, that’s good’ in a stammering manner. I want to get down sir chief-planner.

There was even one that drove me from Ikoyi bridge to Ishaga, mind you Ishaga is in Ogun state. Guyman now called the next day. I did not save his number. I now asked who it was? Biggest mistake. What do you mean, so you did not save my number blah blah blah…after all his explanation failed and I still could not place the person. ‘Anyways I am the one that picked you from Lekki and dropped you at Ishaga’.Ah, it’s you, I am so sorry, he just cut the call while I was still speaking. E shock you, e shock me too, lol

For the women drivers, God will bless them. They never want anything in return, one even told us about her company. The mistake we made was that we did not collect her number but I submitted my CV in her company sha. Whenever a woman picks me I am always saying God when I buy my car, I will always give strangers a lift. Some of these strangers became my very good friends while some we just did not connect.

Then I moved to the mainland and someone offered me a lift. I told my friend and she said Ah Yetunde, this is mainland ooo, if they offer you lift don’t enter ooo, they are ritualists. This one entered my head.

If you ask me now, would you accept a lift from a stranger, the answer is NO. I had my fair share for a year.

Were you ever in a position where you had to give or get a lift from a stranger? Were you scared, do you have any crazy lift moments?