Picture is mine
In the heart of the kitchen in my home on Christmas day, chaos reigned supreme as pots bubbled and pans sizzled on the stove. Mum was whipping up her holiday feast, a special fit for a king. It was a whirlwind of flour and spices, and the aroma was bustling about; her apron was proof of culinary chaos. The air was thick with the scent and drops of simmering stew, jellof rice, frying meat, and a tantalising promise of the feast to come after. Amidst the flurry of activity, the clock on the wall was ticking away, but no one noticed the passing of time as laughter echoed in the sitting room as my brother and I helped with the salad. Our hands were a blur of chopping and stirring.
We were expecting a VIP guest.
However, mom's plans hit a snag when she discovered that we were out of wine. With our VIP guest expected to arrive in no time and no time to spare, she turned to me, her eldest son at home at that moment, with a plea to fetch the missing ingredient.
"Marriott, darling, we need wine, and we need it now. I just remembered I ran out of cash before I could get any yesterday," she urged, her hands flour-dusted and an apron askew.
"Wine? I'm not too good with that; why not ask dad to get some on his way home?" I advised. Dad had gone to get our guest from the airport.
"With our guest with him, I know your dad won't like the idea. Just be a man and go get me that wine." Mom said again, handing me her ATM card. "You can go with your brother, so you two can put heads together and get a nice one."
Without hesitation again, I grabbed my younger brother, Chidi. "Come on, Chidi, we have to hurry," I urged and dashed out to the car. The sun was setting, but the harmattan breeze over the bustling street made everywhere hazy. But I did my best to weave through the traffic, with the mission clear in our minds.
Hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as we navigated through the fleet of cars. Of course, it was a Nigerian street pulsed with life and chaos. Usually, the rush hour on Christmas day on Nigerian roads is an explosion of energy. It's a symphony of honking horns and curses from different drivers. It was in this whirlwind of activity that my story began.
As we approached a particularly congested intersection, disaster struck. I really didn't understand what happened, but all I could tell was the light turned green. I hit the gas, I'd almost gotten past the intersection, I heard a screech of tyres and a sickening lurch from the car, then the car spun out of control, sending us spinning towards a curb. Our hearts pounded in our chests as I fought with the steering, struggling to regain control, but it was too late.
CRASH!
Airbags to our faces, the sound of shattering glass to our ears, then the car came to a halt, smoke billowing from the engine and people gathering.
"Chidi, are you okay?" Was the first thing I asked before I checked myself for any injuries.
Chidi didn't reply at first. I guess he was still shocked.
"Look at me, bro," i said, slapping his cheeks. "ARE YOU OKAY?" I asked again.
He nodded. "Yes, yes, bro!. I'm fine!"
Miraculously, neither Chidi nor I were harmed, but the front of the car was a mangled mess of twisted metal and broken headlights.
"What just happened?" Chidi exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock as he surveyed the damage. I guess he couldn't even explain what happened or how it happened at that moment. It was all so quick.
I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of confusion that clouded my mind. "I... I don't know, bro. It happened so fast." I unbuckled his seatbelt. "Come on, get down."
"We have to tell Mom," Chidi said, his voice tinged with worry.
"Sure, we will," I nodded. I wasn't planning on hiding it.
"But we have not accomplished the mission," I reminded him.
The supermarket was just in sight. We walked the remaining road to the supermarket and got the wine. Since I didn't leave the house with any cash, we made the long trek back home, the weight of our failure pressing down on us with each step.
When we finally arrived, Mum's face fell as we explained what had happened, then her expression softened, and she enveloped us in a warm embrace.
"I'm just glad you're both safe," she said, her voice tinged with relief. "I'll get a mechanic to pick up the car.".
Mum told Dad later at night, and he made me promise not to drive for a few months. He wasn't ready to lose anyone.
Traffic accidents can be very serious, fortunately they were unharmed from that hard blow. The only victim of the accident was the car.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Good day.
Thank you for reading.
Life is the most important.
Happy there was no loss of life.
Accident experience is what one would never pray for.
Terrible experience I must say. But we thank God for life.
Whaoo
That was a narrow escape. Even if the car is a write off, so long you both are save your mom can never be angry at you. Sorry about that bro
It's all good. Thank God for life.
Thank you for reading 😊
You’re welcome
I can imagine the disappointment but in moments like this, the love our parents have for us become palpable and you are assured that you are highly valued, far above material wealth.
Ofcourse. They do love us and they get to show it at any little chance they get.
Thank you for reading 😊
I am so glad nothing happened to you too, that was a miracle, I was never involved in a car accident before, but I know that experience isn't nice. You mom is an understanding mother, if it were others the first thing they would have asked about would have been the car🤣
Thank you for this story where the smells in the kitchen abound, which makes us enjoy the scenery and the excitement of the road. We look forward to learning more about this beautiful family.
Thank God no one was injured. I hope you kept the promise you made to your dad?🙂