It was the year 1999. It was hmm, I think, the month of March. It was a Saturday morning and yes, it was me, Kome Edomero, behind the wheels of the metallic grey Honda Accord saloon. I was travelling from Benin to my village in Iyede for the final stage of my grandfather’s funeral rites. This stage involved the in-law’s greeting. All the men who had married my grandfather’s daughters attended this ceremony with members of their extended families to celebrate the life of the man who had been their father-in-law. It was usually a lavish affair as the in-laws used it to showcase their affluence and influence. I was looking forward to it as I made my way out of Benin.
It was the first time I would drive outside Benin, and I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. I had my younger sister Keme in the front passenger seat and my Aunt Zuazo in the back seat. Keme did nothing to help my apprehension. She did everything to heighten it, and there were countless moments I wished she was not in the car. I put some music on hoping that would calm her down. And it did but now and then she would glance at the speedometer, look at me and then look away.
As we left Benin and hit the express road, my driving became steadier and everyone seemed to calm down and get lost in their thoughts, thankfully. Then the unexpected happened. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was, but I heard a loud bang and then it was almost as if I had lost control of the steering wheel. It no longer felt the same in my hands, and I wasn’t sure why. I stepped on my brakes gradually to reduce my speed but even that felt a little strange. Finally, the car came to a halt by the side of the road. Immediately, I looked at Keme and then my aunt. They looked shaken but fine. I took off my seat belt, climbed out of the car and went around it to see what the issue was. Then I realised what had happened. The shaft had come off.
“Oh my God!” I groaned.
“What is it?” Keme sounded every bit as alarmed as she looked as she struggled to get out of the car.
As she saw what I had seen, her eyes widened.
“My goodness!” she exclaimed and looked at me. “What are we going to do?”
Before I could answer, Aunty Zuazo had joined us.
“Hmm,” she grunted. “We won’t leave here today.”
I rolled my eyes. Did she always have to be so negative? I wondered.
I examined the broken shaft. My head was spinning as I wondered what the next line of action would be. We had just left Sapele but had not quite reached the next major town, Warri when this unfortunate incident took place. No doubt we required a mechanic to fix this shaft. But where would we find one without making a trip to Warri or Sapele? And how would we get a ride to either Warri or Sapele from this point? We were in the middle of nowhere. There was no help in sight. Trying to stop a vehicle from here to get to either Warri or Sapele was pointless as no one would stop. Everyone was afraid for their lives so when people travelled, they did not stop on the road to help anyone for fear of being attacked and robbed or even killed. I sighed and ran one hand through my braided hair. This situation was a lot more serious than I realised when I first jumped out of the car.
“What do we do now?” Aunt Zuazo asked me.
I did not reply but shook my head to indicate that I had no idea what to do. Even if I decided to tow the vehicle back to Benin for repairs, I would still need to leave this spot to go into the nearest town to find a tow truck. And so far, leaving this spot was looking more and more impossible.
I sighed and looked up to heaven. I knew God answered prayers. He had answered me many times before and given me a miracle when I needed it most. Well, I certainly needed one now. I said a silent prayer. I was a little confused and not sure what I needed so I didn’t get specific. I just asked him to send an angel to help me.
He heard and answered without delay because as soon as I was done praying in my heart, a Mercedes Benz 200 V-boot saloon pulled up in front of us. The car had gone past us on top speed, then it pulled off the road made a U-turn came to where we stood and stopped.
Three men got out of the car. There were three of them but at that instant, my eyes saw only one man. He was the angel. I was certain of it. Don’t ask me how. He was tall, and yes, he was dark and handsome. He looked Hausa and had on a white brocade kaftan with a matching cap. From the moment he got out our eyes met and held. He walked towards me his hand stretched out to shake mine.
“Hi,” he greeted. “I am Hamza. I am here to help.”
I heaved a sigh of relief that was so deep it didn’t go unnoticed. Hamza laughed, revealing perfect white teeth.
“As I drove by, I couldn’t help but notice three women in distress standing by a broken-down vehicle. You looked so helpless I had to come back. And I am glad I did.” At this point, he took his eyes off mine for a moment and looked at Keme and Aunt Zuazo. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” Aunty Zuazo greeted with a lot of enthusiasm, drowning Keme’s greeting in the process. I could not help but roll my eyes. “We are so glad to see you,” Aunt Zuazo continued. “We had no idea what to do next. Thank you very much for coming to our aid.”
“Not a problem at all, Madam. It’s my pleasure.”
Hamza remembered his companions just then and made the necessary introductions. Then, without much ado, he got back in his vehicle and drove to the nearest town to fetch a mechanic. He went with one friend while the other friend waited with us. He was Umar. He didn’t talk very much to me or Aunt Zuazo but spent a great deal of time chatting with Keme. Hamza soon returned with a mechanic who thoroughly examined the vehicle before going back with Hamza to get the parts required to fix the broken shaft.
Hamza was God sent to us. He not only went out of his way to get a mechanic, but he also picked up the entire bill. I tried to insist it was not necessary and it wasn’t as I had money on me to foot the bill. But my arguments fell on deaf ears, and I realised one moment before Aunt Zuazo pinched me hard that I was starting to sound like an ingrate. So, I smiled sweetly, and said, thank you.
And oh, lest I forget, he bought us lunch.
-The End-
© Eturuvie Erebor. All Rights Reserved
This is a powerful story to reassure us that God never leaves his children stranded ,he always sends us help.