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Image source: Photo by René Ranisch on Unsplash
Today, I went on a date with Phillip Ajiboye. I met him a few months ago at the popular Iya Yusuf Restaurant in Ilorin on my way to get the first-hand experience of her meals and to satiate my hunger a few days after I attended my friend- Bunmi’s wedding that was held in her hometown.
Phillip seemed like a nice gentleman and a charmer with a great sense of humour; he related to almost all the stories I shared with him. It wasn’t hard to befriend him and we ended up exploring some nice places in the city.
In summary, we exchanged contacts and communicated via texts and voice calls since I am not a social media person.
He had teased me several times about joining any social media platform and I had told him I would soon. I wake up to his texts, and his voice is almost the last sound I hear before having a shut-eye.
One time, we had planned on meeting after work at a bar on the island but we cancelled. So, today, we decided that no matter what, we would hang out and we did. I was excited to my core to see him and I would like to think he was happy to see me too. The night was young and we had small talks from family, friends, work and every other thing there was to talk about over a bottle of fine wine and a delicious meal. Again, he was his charming self until we hit the road and we found the traffic was worse than we imagined.
To keep us company, we listened to a talk show on the radio about female circumcision and ways to stop it. I was jolted from dreamland when I heard a crashing sound.
Phillip and I turned to stare at each other briefly before alighting to find out what had happened and to assess the extent of the damage. Accidentally, a bus in front of us reversed and hit his car causing the front bumper to fall off and the headlights damaged. I was stunned.
As if a switch had gone off, his mood and countenance changed dramatically. The driver from the other vehicle alighted as well as the few passengers on the bus. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the scene that unfolded before my eyes.
He’d gone from the charming gentleman to full time raging angry bird! No doubt, the bus driver wasn’t ready to acknowledge his fault and apologize and that infuriated him the more. I couldn’t blame the driver because accepting blame which is the right thing meant paying for repairs that by my estimation could cost over thirty grand.
Phillip roared and hit his fist on the car window severally in a king kong manner, erupting all form of obscenities from his mouth while I tried to calm him down. He ignored me and rushed towards the bus to get the driver’s car key. The passengers ran for their dear life while I stood stunned. Never have I seen such display of anger before.
As if that wasn’t enough, he hit the boot of the driver’s bus and pushed me so hard I fell on my butts and twisted my ankle. He blamed me for the accident and continued uttering all sorts of obscenities that shook me. Turning to face the physically frightened driver, he grabbed him by the collar and kept threatening him. Some of the passengers rushed to my side to help me up while the others pleaded for mercy on behalf of the driver.
All I wanted to do was leave the scene immediately so that I could nurse my emotions and my twisted ankle in peace. I just couldn’t wait to the end, not with my twisted ankle. I limped to get my purse from Phillip’s car and ordered a cab to the hospital and then home.
