Friday, 30th June
Road 24, Agip Estate.
I stepped out of the house to pay my utility bill while the sky was ablaze with the fire of the setting sun.
I was walking smartly along Road 24 and before I crossed to the other side of the road where I’d carry out the transaction, I heard two voices calling me and trying to buy my attention.
I looked back to find 3 roughnecked guys seated outside a bar with a table of drinks before them, puffing smoke into the air and obviously having a good time.
Because I was unsure about their intentions having scrutinised their outlook, I hesitantly gestured to them that I was coming to meet them soon.
I took my time to pay the bill and when I was done, crossed over to the road to see the “akpa men” or rather, the “ss3 boys” who sent for me.
After some handshakes with them which I dished out fearlessly one after the other, one of them asked, “You remember us?”
“No, I no sure say I remember this face.” I replied with sheer tenacity. Cos me no dey too deal with these men. So yes, I no sabi them. However, they all appeared different from how I judged them from afar, they all had very gentle smiles.
“But you been work for BMH abi?” the second guy whose eyes were bathed in pink asked.
“Yes, I been work there 2021,” I said with budding enthusiasm.
“I talk am. Na you na. Shebi na that BMH wey dey old GRA?” he further asked.
“Exactly, na him.” I replied like a cuffed criminal in an interrogation room.
“Na you been save our brother life one night wey we bring am come,” the second guy said assertively, “I recognise this your white hair.”
At that point, my whole life in 2021 flashed briefly before my eyes, trying to search and remember the scenario. I did that for close to two minutes, while they kept asking me to think. But to no avail.
“I no fit really remember baba,” I said like one who had just given up on a quest.
“No worry, na you. You really try that night. God bless you my brother. Just dey save lives dey go. Come join us drink nau.”
“No worry chairman. I really dey in a hurry. Thanks, una too much.”
The first dude legit dipped his hand into his Jean pocket and gave me some money. I was dumbstruck!
How could I accept a token of appreciation when I couldn’t remember specifically the reason for the appreciation.
What if it wasn’t me?
What if it was someone else they mistook for me?
It wouldn’t look so great accepting some one else’s reward.
All these flashed through my mind as I accepted the cash and buried it in my shoulder pouch. I left the scene to my house puzzled and confused. I found the cash to be ₦7,000.
Roughly 15 minutes after I arrived home, I was eating boiled corn when like a flood, the memory ravished my brain. It all become clear and started playing out like a Netflix movie on the screen of my mind.
“Eureka!”Like Archimedes shouted, “I found it.”
It all happened on the 29th October 2021, I was on (night) call duty in the Laboratory of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital where I worked as a Medical Laboratory Scientist (graduate intern).
2 men came to the blood bank unit confused and throughly worried. Their “brother” as they called him, had an emergency case and was losing a lot of blood.
They had earlier transfused 2 pints, 1 the night before and 1 that morning. The doctor had requested for another pint that night.
Their brother was blood group O negative and needed exactly another O negative blood donor. There was non available and no donor on ground and time was running out.
I had a talk with one of them and trust me, when a man is afraid, you’ll know and can feel it. We gisted and I cracked some jokes which we all laughed to in the midst of the chaos.
I saw and felt the urgency of the situation and the risk involved, so I told the staff I worked with that night, “I’m O negative, I’d like to donate for them.”
The staff didn’t question my offer to help because she was also aware of the situation on ground.
She screened me, my blood and as soon as I got a medical “all-clear” and eligibility to donate, a pint of blood was withdrawn from me and handed over to them after every necessary medical documentation.
“Oya make una take go give una brother,” she said. They were both confused and immediately began thanking her while worrying about how to pay later.
“No thank me. Thank this my fellow worker wey dey here,” she said while pointing to me where I was resting.
They thanked me briefly and hurried off. In less than 15 minutes, they were back. They approached me and showered words of gratitude to me and begged that they’ll pay me before their brother was discharged.
“Make una no worry. E don tay wey I donate sef. As the blood dey excess, I say make I give una.” I laughed while seeing them off.
What if I hadn’t donated?
What if they ran out of time?
What if, what if, what if?
Maybe their brother could’ve died.
Now I understood why they said I saved their brother’s life, indeed!
I smiled softly after I was done in memory lane and felt the urge to go back there to tell them, “I remember una now.”
But it wasn’t necessary.
Free 7k or maybe they paid me back 2 years after.