I exhaled air from my mouth into my palms and inhaled it through my nose, rolled my eyes inquisitively for thirty seconds before it hit me "Sniper!!"
So, sniper in Nigeria is a poisonous substance often used to kill rodents, insects like mosquitoes and reptiles.
My mum had sprayed it the previous night before going to bed and she had probably sprayed some on the centre table where the date fruit was placed, inside a while nylon bag.
I saw the date on the centre table and presumed my dad had kept it there the previous night and as a daddy's girl, what daddy eats, I'll munch on too (don't blame me).
I took the date without pre informing him as usual and tossed it in my mouth with the full faith that he had washed it before keeping it on the table and eating it.
Even though I had no knowledge of where it came from, I was certain it wouldn't be of any harm because he had eaten alot from it the previous night, slept fine, woke up healthy and even left the house in good shape without complaining of any smell on the fruit or any discomfort in his tummy.
I had heard how people used sniper to take their lives. It's like one of the weapons you use when you finally feel you've had enough of life and it's troubles. They say it's painless, but others who miraculously escaped death from food poisoning or attempted suicide say when it gets to your tummy, it's gives you a sensation like your intestines are being sliced slowly, bit by bit.
Just a spoonful and you're already chatting with the demons on your way to hell.
I quickly ran to the kitchen, opened a cabinet, took the bottle of palm oil and gulped it down twice.
I didn't know what next to do, then I began to pray and cry silently that I wouldn't die, stressing on the fact that I took it by mistake.
So when my dad and mum came back home, I decided to ask them if actually the scenario in my head was true. Mum then told me she had not sprayed it anywhere close to the stuff on the table. Apparently, she just sprayed the insecticide in the hidden areas of the room where the insects could be hiding and in a small quantity. After all the interrogation, I turned to my dad and he said in a quiet tone "I ate it hours before you did, and as you can see, I'm not dead"
