When I was a kid, there were days when traveling was entertaining; most of the time, traveling in my daddy's tricycle (Keke Napep) was one of the best days of my life as a kid. You know the feeling of traveling in your dad's car now, right?
But on this faithful day, there was something that changed my mindset about traveling on rainy days. Which was,
Flooding
Before that day, we went to our grandma's village for a holiday in Ogun State, which is very far from our house. You know, we lived in Lagos at that time.
On that day, we left the place around 3:00. There was a very heavy cloud in the sky. My grandma told us to stay for a while or go the next day, but you know, there will be school and work the next day. The day was Sunday, so we just had to leave that day.
So we set out, passing through the roads in the forest to the main roads. The first part of the journey was interestingly smooth. By the time we reached Toll Gate (the midpoint between Ogun and Lagos), the rain started falling. Normally, we thought that the rain was some type that would fall for a short while and calm down. But on this particular day, it rained like hell. The heavy cloud that was in the sky was heavier than before.
When we reached Abule-Egba, we first encountered light traffic. We noticed that the flooding in the vicinity was considerably smaller compared to the one ahead. Seeing the whole situation and the traffic ahead made us all worried, but we accepted our fate and continued moving forward.
By the time we reached Abattoir (the center of the flooding), water was already entering our tricycle. It was like we were riding a canoe. This was the first time I encountered flooding. Another problem that day was that the cars heading from Lagos to Abeokuta ended in our lane. There was already heavy traffic in their lane. But when others saw this, they started using one-way and passing the opposite lane. So that was why they ended up in our lane. The traffic stood still for quite a long time; if I could estimate the time we used in that position, it would be more than 2 hours.
When people saw that we couldn't move anywhere without a proper direction, some people started coming down from their buses, summing up their courage, and directing the cars in that flood. "I respect those people who came out of their buses because the view of the flooding was very terrifying". After a little guidance, some cars were able to move aside, and we were able to move from there.
After we left the main road where the flooding occurred, there was a great sense of happiness that enveloped my heart. I was very happy.
We reached home around 7:00 in the evening (normally, the journey takes about 2 hours).
When we reached home, we were very stressed (due to mental and physical stress). We were not able to eat dinner. We just took our bath, prayed to God, and went to sleep.
One thing I could say about that day was that, after reaching home, there was this kind of irreplaceable relief and joy in our minds that we were able to reach home intact in the small tricycle (Keke Napep) that we used. On that day, some people with better cars were swept away by the flood. So being able to pass through that flooding was something I couldn't forget throughout my life and will still be in my memory.
I'll forever be grateful for that day.
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