Just about an hour ago, I was walking back to my apartment when I was called over by some police officers. They interrogated me and for a moment, I was scared that I was going to spend the night in a cell. Thankfully, Steemit came to my rescue. Here is my story
The Cause: Epileptic Power Supply
For the past 48 hours, the electricity power supply in my area has been nothing to write home about. Well, it wouldn't have mattered much to me except that I need electricity to be able to power up my laptop and charge my phone, the two devices necessary for me to connect to Steemit.
For the past four months, Steemit has been proving my meals. I used to be on Fiverr and Upwork but Steemit is a whole lot better. Not being able to post for two days means a lot for me. Plus, I needed to connect with my favourite writers and faithful readers.
There are very few alternatives for someone like me without a university degree. (Sometimes I feel like Ed Sheeran in that regard.) Anyway, to make up for the absence of power supply, I decided to leave my home to look for power to charge my gadgets.
The Quest For Electricity
In my quest for power, I (along with some friends) went round looking for where to charge my gadgets. Luckily, we found a gaming shop that ran on generator set. (A Bet Niaja Shop). I quickly plugged my gadgets and returned home to have breakfast/lunch - At about 1 pm. When I returned, the operators announced that they didn’t want folks to charge their laptops. They argued that it was draining too much power from the generator set. Well, beggars cant be choosers.
So I unplugged my laptop and clacked away on my keyboard as fast as I could and created my first post for the day which# is titled Perfect People Don’t Exist; But Happy People Do!. By the time I was done, my laptop battery was too low to sustain another typing session. I simply published the post and retuned home for another meal. Soon I was on the road again, looking for a place to charge.
Finally, Power Was Restored
Doing my rounds, I discovered that a friend had power at his place. I quickly hurried over and plugged my gadgets. At the same time, I was trying to brainstorm for my next post. I try to create quality posts regardless of what upvotes I might get. I had two contests I was trying to develop entries for. I kept on thinking until time was no more.
Soon, it was almost 11:00 pm and I needed to return home. I packed my gadgets into my bag, carried my bag and bid my friend goodnight. Someone mentioned that police officers were around the corner. However, after walking for a while with no signs of a police vehicle, I relaxed and walked majestically, hoping to reach my apartment in no time.
The Voice In The Dark: “Hey, Come here!”
I was jolted out of my sauntering by the searching rays of a flash-light. The voice bellowing the command was hoarse and unfriendly. I turned to look, saw the police and my heart skipped a beat. Allow me to explain.
My neighbourhood is filled with internet fraudsters. The kind that scam people on;line and take away their hard-earned money. They are known by many names but ‘G-Boys’ is their most common appellation.
Since most G-boys are within my age range, use laptops for their activities and are fond of both walking and working at night, I was a natural suspect. I didn’t have a strong alibi. I mean, who would believe me that I was charging my gadgets for over four hours. I knew I needed something desperately.
So I went over to the police officers. Immediately, I was asked to declare the contents of my bag. The officer speaking with me made sure I saw the AK 47 in his hands. I obliged at once and handed over my laptop and phone. He asked me to unlock my phone and turn on my laptop. Next, he asked what I was doing out so late in the night.
I don’t know what to say. I stammered as I tried to explain that I went to charge my gadgets. Thankfully, I was just checking my recent post on Steemit on my mobile phone. So when I unlocked the phone, he saw the page opened in my browser. I immediately used the opportunity to explain that I am a writer. He read the post and seemed convinced. After all, the post even had my name on it.
Next, we asked that I proved I was the owner of the laptop. If he couldn’t get me as a suspected G-Boy, perhaps he could get me for stealing or purchasing a stolen item. I explained to him that my apartment was still a walk away. He however demanded that I proved the laptop was mine. I only had to show him my name on my laptop and the draft of the published post which was on my laptop.
At that point, the police officer was fully convinced. He asked a few questions about my studentship, course of study and cleared me off. As I walked home, I couldn’t help but marvel at how Steemit just spared me the agony of spending the night in a police cell.
Right now, all I can think about is getting a good night rest.
I wish this experience would stop me from walking at night; but I know it won’t. I am a night crawler.
Steemit, thanks a million.
Blessings.
[image source 1 Flickr]
[image source 2 Pxhere]
[image source 3 Wikipedia Commons]