Nneka died on a Monday morning.
It rained heavily that morning, thunder and lightning had the skies to themselves, and they made the most of it. The driver had crossed himself several times as he washed the car, and his mutterings could scarcely be heard over the noise. Etim, the cook, had made three breakfasts already that morning, all before 6:30, and Nneka had refused them all. In the end, she ate her last container of Greek yogurt. The container was perched on the corner of the smallest coffee table in the house, and Bola knew better than to remove the container until Nneka left.
The driver was driving slowly because he could barely see what was in front. Just headlights, floodwater, and windscreen wipers. Nneka was seated in the back, enunciating very slowly, " I do not pay you to drive like a hangover snail. I need to be in the office in exactly nine minutes. If that is not possible, get the fuck out of my car and I'll find a new driver."
The driver apologized profusely for his ineptitude and stepped on the accelerator. Off they went, spearing through the traffic amid honks and screams from pedestrians. Sorry, the driver thought, but my madam the dragon will show me hell if she doesn't get to her office in the next seven minutes. He saw the sign too late and tried to swerve to the other lane, merging into the oncoming traffic, but he failed. Nneka was screaming at him, even as the vehicle tumbled and tumbled and tumbled over the guard rail and into the lagoon.
Sam, the driver was a new father. His first child was born three months ago and his wife was a stay-at-home mom. Etim and Bola cried buckets at his funeral, while his wife sat in a daze, holding their baby. Nobody marries a woman whose husband died in a car accident, and it is bad luck to lose your husband when you're no older than twenty-five.
Nneka was buried by the state because no one came to claim her body. Not even her best friend, Susannah.
Woooo!
How did I do?
I'm learning new stuff and trying them out here, and so I'd love for you to tell me:
What kind of person do you think Nneka was?
Did you feel any sort of empathy for Sam?
And the description of the car accident, was it vivid enough?
Your feedback is very important to me.
So please, drop your feedback.
Thank you.
P.S. Photo by Amir Esrafili from Pexels
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