I looked up into my husband's eyes and I could not contain my joy, it had been five years since we had been married but it still feels like it was just yesterday that I had taken my wedding vows with him. It still feels like I am dreaming. I felt an ample amount of joy just by staring at his face.
I remember ten years ago when we met. We were both freshers in the university. I was walking drowsed in the rain. It was pouring oceans from the heavens and the city's drainage had already been filled with water. I felt so frustrated at that moment. My keys had fallen into one of the drainages, I had wanted to reach deeper to fetch the sinking keys but the water currents were so forceful and continuing the search would have been foolish. I was still outside and the rain droplets were beating the drums on my skin. It was almost as if heavenly beings from above were sending down small pebbles my way. I had to look for a safe haven.
As I approached a shop with a covering[shade] near my house, I saw a man sitting down on a long bench that was provided for customers, I sat down on the same bench and I looked in his direction. He was staring blankly into space, his eyes were colorless, his face was so pale, I could use a transparent pen to make a visible mark. His body posture was like bags of water stacked carelessly one top of the another. He started muttering to himself, I shifted away from him a bit. The thought of him being a mad person was what made me increase the distance between us.
A strong wind blew harshly and the effect of the wind made me shiver and shudder. My clothes were still wet. There was a table in front of me with a jacket on it. In front, it appeared clean so, I grabbed it and covered my body with it.
My attention returned to the man who I was on the same bench with. I looked at him again, I took a very good look at[studied] this man's attire. He was dressed opulently, His his haircut was nice; an afro to be precise. He was wearing Oxford shoes. My eyes went to the Rolex on his wrist. He didn't look like a person who was deranged. I thought to myself…
"Would a mad person look this way?"
I answered my question.
"Maybe he recently became mad."
What would make a person so sad and morose?
While I was pondering these questions], the man began to cry.
I felt hurt, I could feel what he was feeling even without getting to know why. His tears felt hot to my own cheek. He muffled his voice but his shaking eyebrows seemed to speak louder.
I found myself speaking.
"Excuse me sir, what is wrong?"
He looked in my direction[towards me]. It was like he was just being informed of my presence. He looked at me, his eyes empty, and then threw his head down to its initial position.
"I lost my younger sister and now all I have is my grandma. Why do good things happen to bad people and bad to good people?" he seemed so hurt, he whimpered and sobbed in between words.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he screamed like a woman in labor, as the snot from his nose dripped into his mouth, he burst out and tears poured out like they were being forced from within. I held my chest, I don't know why I could feel his pain with such intensity. The idea of losing any family member was excruciating to think about. Saying that I felt his pain at that moment would be an understatement because I would be a liar. My heartbeat increased with each of his incessant wails.
I was about to stand up and come closer, my feet moved phlegmatically.
But just then, he got up and his eyes was focused at an open sewage pit that had a sign board in red which read Under Construction. I didn't want to imagine how steep it was and how many construction rods were in. He smiled to the eyes as if there was an invisible screen at the hole where he could watch a slap stick comedy from. And within a twinkle of an eye, he sprinted like a snake that had sighted a game entering the hole and charged towards the suck away hole which had been filled with water from the rain.
Now if he sprinted like a snake, I took off with the wings of a humming bird, I never knew I could run that way, I was certain that it was the spirit of might that helped me at that very moment. I hugged him from behind, clenched my fist and fastened my grip at his upper torso. He was just a step away from the hole.
He struggled and I fastened my grip and pulled him closer, I lost my balance and we fell to the ground.
Fortunately, we didn't fall into the drainage hole. I heaved a sigh of relief as there were no sharp objects that would have made the fall gruesome, the rain intensified and I closed my eyes as the raindrops got into my eyes.