Ugly Dejavu

                                      I awoke amidst the heavy sounds of thunders and wild breeze threatening to shatter my windows. It was about to rain and it seems like it was going to be a heavy one. I quickly closed my windows, drew my curtains securely , switched off the standing fan and crawled back into bed covering myself with my heavy blanket. It was already getting chilly and the thought of a sweet sleep made me smile. A quick glance to my handset made me realize that I hadn't much time to enjoy my sleep, I had less than ninety minutes before I start preparing for service by 7am.

The loud knock on my door made me scurry to check who the caller was and before me was kunle my neighbour who came to call me for church. He had a surprise look on his face when he registered my unkempt state and knew I hadn't taken my bath.

“do you know what the time is” kunle asked me
“I guess its six already” I replied yawning and stretching at the same time.

The frown on kunle’s face deepened as he told me it was already past seven. We weren't going to make it for the first service anymore. 

Damn it!!! I overslept, it wasn’t my fault either, the whether had been so cool and I had slept so deep. I wouldn’t have been up by now if not for kunle.
Kunle left me pissed and murmuring, if he knew how to drive, I knew he would have left me at home. He just got his car and hadn't completed his driving lessons and since I knew how to drive and we both attended the same church, he didn’t have an option but to wait for me.

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The rain must have been heavy as I assessed the scenery before me – drainages overflowing with dirt, ladies lifting up their skirts to wade into the pool our street transformed to, a little boy scooping water out of the compound opposite ours, a parade of different shades and sizes of umbrella. Geez, thank God we were using a car, I couldn’t begin to imagine how we would scale through the mess without ruining our Sunday attire.

Approaching brown bus-stop, we saw a woman partly drenched by the rain trying to stop a cab to no avail, so many taxis zoomed past her and I concluded they must have occupants. We got closer and I heard her her shout CDC to the next taxi approaching her which didn’t stop either. She was heading for Calvary Dominion Church, the same place we were headed to.

“Lets help that woman, I heard her say CDC, she is definitely a member” Kunle said

I slowed down, unwind the glass to get a clearer view of her. I saw a relieved expression on her face as our eyes met, a look of hope. 

“Three is a crowd” I said to Kunle as I zoomed past her with speed splashing muddy rain water on her body.

“What the hell was that for, are you crazy”” Kunle shouted with a stunned look on his face. He kept glancing back to the woman and saying lot of things. 

I honestly didn’t know why I did that, it was the second time I am pissing my kunle off this Sunday morning. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to be out today, may be…….

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David Emegha, I heard my name being called. It was my turn to face the interview panel. It was a bright Wednesday morning and I had prepared well. My outstanding CV, power suit, confident strides was gonna get me the job I thought. I knew I was qualified for the position of the Risk Manager. My life was going to turn around in a very short while, with the fat check, bonuses and allowances, it was only going to get better.

I was answering the questions being thrown by the panel and it was going so well. I noticed a woman walk into the room from the adjoining door. I didn’t pay much attention to her as I was facing a panel who was throwing questions at me from several angle. I saw her sit down, taking a copy of my CV and assessing it. She began staring at me and looking at my CV between intervals. Her eye movement unnerved me as I kept wondering what was going through her mind. Then, our eyes met and the moment of realization hit me so hard. The room spun round me, time stood still, my mouth became dry and I suddenly broke out with sweat despite the fully air-conditioned room. She looked at me and smiled and at that moment, I knew within myself that I had lost the job. My bladder became heavy all of a sudden and I had a strong desire to pee.

“David Emegha” she called me still smiling “do you remember me”?

I opened my mouth to speak, but words failed me. I just stared at her blankly, what could I have said.

“Well, Mr David, it seems fate has brought us together again” she said still smiling her eyes fixed to mine.

I was really panicking now, what was the smile for? I prayed the ground would open and swallow me up

“Oh! Let me introduce myself properly” she said with a voice filled with humour

“I am Mrs Melinda Ogudu, the Branch Manager of Xerox group of Companies, Zulu Branch”

“Well looking at your CV and your credentials, you are very qualified for the post”

She looked at her colleague over the table and said “This young man here helped me to church on Sunday morning while it was raining”

“My car suddenly developed a problem on Sunday morning and I needed to be in church. Standing on Brown’s Bus-stop partly drenched and waiting for a cab, this young man suddenly stopped and helped me”

“Now fate has brought him here to our company. What a small world, she concluded” she concluded looking at me with that smile.
And then, I did it. I peed on myself. I looked at the happy faces of the panelist and the congratulations being offered and I felt very faint.

Mrs Melinda got up and offered me her outstretched hand “congratulation” she said “you have the job”
I dragged myself from the chair and gave her a weak handshake and was dismissed form the panel.

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One week later and I didn’t hear from Xerox. I felt like committing suicide whenever I replayed her voice laced with sarcasm in my head. I became depressed and no amount of pleas from Kunle could make me divulge the reason for my depression. May be I shouldn’t have gone out that Sunday morning, may be I should have helped, may be I shouldn’t have stopped in the first place, may be…, may be……. So many may be’s

Two weeks later, my phone beeped as I received as SMS from Xerox. I rushed to Kunle’s room, told him everything and asked him to help me read the text as I couldn’t open it. I rushed to my room, laid down and closed my eyes. Whatever the outcome was I have learnt a lesson.