When
I got my car earlier this year, I had gotten a lot of exhortations
during dedications which stare at me, sometimes knock my head any time I
try to misbehave behind the wheels: speed kills, easy does it, it is
he who arrive home safe that knows how to drive (the Yoruba version
is richer), see every other driver as insane, blah blah.
It
has made me a better driver, or say an extremely cautious one. I only
do my 160 when I'm in the mood (occasionally), I try my best to banter
only the over-aged, and I fell in love with my mirrors, as pupsy always
suggested.
All
these instructions and one more little thought were in my head as I hit
the road this weekend for Ibadan. I wanted to arrive home safe, be as
careful as I've always been, but I also wished to drive all the way and
have no one overtake me. Crazy huh? It was just a wish...I have always
had it but I seldom see it through.
So,
the party begun, slow and steady, then faster and a little faster as I
let my leg hit the gas pedal. Good music coming from the radio, oye
pumping from its vents, it is just matter of time before I get to Ibadan. I started taking on the buses, cars and trucks one after the
other. Some fought back, some too overloaded to notice me breeze off
right before their eyes.
This
was becoming fun until something terrific happened. Calm down, it
wasn't an accident, just an oldie approaching on top speed from nowhere.
I first saw the headlight through the mirror. It was far away I
thought, so I drove on unperturbed. The next time I checked my mirror I
saw nothing and was smiling to myself thinking I had lost him when he
honked, right beside me and overtook me. Some old pile of wtf*! How on
earth did that happen? I thought I was invincible.
"O
kere," I whispered, as I started my comeback. I can take it when young
Sequilla 2009 or a younger 2010 Toyota Camry overtakes me and leaves me
behind. I am not always hurt even when my age mates mess with me on the road,
but for this old ragged Carina God-knows-what-model to just come and dazzle like it has got
Lewis Hamilton behind the wheels? Impossible! The production of your
clan has even been discontinued. I accelerated hard, heard clearly as the car
transmitted automatically and entered top speed, but my oga-at-the-top
as I later found out had other plans. he had discovered what I was up
to, and he was willing to give me a run for my money. He drove on in
full speed too.
People
we drove by could tell there was a race on. "Maybe his speedometer doesn't even work," I cursed, as I
discovered I was doing 140+. I gently hit the brake as we approached 2
trucks dulling off their destinies. One was trying to overtake the other
and you could tell it was gonna take eternity before that happens.
We've got to overtake them both before the space chokes.
Carina
E did as I expected, overtook the latter truck and I watched him
sashay away as the truck blared the horn and closed the gap. I jumped
in my seat and beat myself as one truck snail-ly overtook the other. By
the time they were done crawling, I only saw 2 red tail-lights far
away.
* * *
The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong...Eccl 9:11
Most
times, we humans see life as a competition. I've got to do it better, be
more famous, be richer, wear it better. We compete with people whose
destinations differ from ours. people whose purpose in life are world's
apart when compared with ours. Just go ahead and do your thing your own way. Don't make other people's life your yardstick for success. The learning point is to "drive" and make sure you arrive home safe.
You
are not limited by age, skin color or anything. Don't look down on
yourself. you can achieve anything. The content matters as much as the
container. The driver of that supposed old car did not feel inferior. He knows what he's got and what he is capable of. It takes a good driver to win the race, not just a good car.
Speed still kills. That was my consolation as I drove on silently on a night I had to settle for being the second best. Now that you have picked the "tori", this festive period and beyond, I take God beg you, please let's not be like that oga who was over-speeding o. God go dey keep us o. Compliments.
