In panic mode, I picked up my second iPhone to call my parents.
What happened?
I had just been robbed!
10 minutes after throwing up my graduation cap in excitement, screaming “great Nigerian student” in the University of Lagos main auditorium.
15 minutes after I had just purchased the final year handbook to see my name under the second class upper category.
20 minutes after I had just started the graduation day highlights on my WhatsApp and Instagram story.
Crying that my iPhone had just been stolen.
Why today of all days, who did I offend, I wasn’t even that careless, my village people have reached this place. I should have just been like Olive or Glory who could careless about the convocation and didn’t bother attending. But I decided to be the scapegoat so they could both live vicariously through my updates on WhatsApp and instagram stories. How would I pepper them like this.
Scurrying through the crowd of joyous graduates with tear-lidded eyes, running noses and palpitations I went to security to report what just happened. They immediately transported me to the the office at senate building. It was there I relaxed my nerves a bit and narrated my ordeal, calling everyone on my contact list.
At this point, I didn’t care that the makeup I woke up at 5 am to do was ruined or that my frontal wig had shifted to the side, no time to do slay mama😂.
My friends found me there and hugged me tightly begging me to stop crying. My other friend God bless his soul left his house in Ikoyi to help me track the stolen phone in Yaba.
What was I even doing with two iPhones you may ask, one was a personal phone the other a work phone. Thank goodness it was my phone they stole. What would I say to my work people?
I had finished writing my statement when some group of boys rough-handled a young man into the office, claiming he was caught stealing, my heart skipped, and at last, my precious phone will be found. Pulling out everything from his pocket, we found three phones and mine was not there, another wave of tears pulled down my eyes.
We would later find out that they had a group of thieves who came into schools on large occasions to cause pain and tears to unsuspecting victims like myself.
The story doesn’t end here.
From the Senate building we got referred to the alpha base, a pseudo police station in the University to drop out statements as they had also received news of the theft. Hoping to God that this will be my last resort I sprinted there looking like someone who just lost her husband. After the formalities, I was asked to take a seat and relax so that the phone will be found.
Mind you, my Ikoyi friend was already in Yaba moving frantically tracking the phone.
At the end of the day, we couldn’t find it and I had to bear the thought of losing my precious sidekick.
My day didn’t end there.
My parents had planned a little get-together to celebrate, Heaven knows I was no longer in the mood for any of that. All I wanted to do was go home and cry myself to sleep. Seeing my mom and dads happy faces when they came to pick me up from school melted every sadness, they got even more excited seeing my name on the brochure, nothing concerned them about the stolen phone, their first asset has finally graduated from the university, a prestigious one for that matter my father bragged.
Thanks to my graduation gown, the pictures we took didn’t show my scruffy look as much.
The days finally ended surrounded by mismatch tunes of congratulations songs, jokes and laughter from family and friends, party Jollof and turkey plus uninvited guests too.
As the Yoruba’s would say Ojo buruku, esu gbomi mu” a bad day of the devil drinking water. (Ignore my poor attempt at translating)
What started as a sad day ended in praise worship and prayers for a successful 6 years for a 4 year course.
A year later and it’s still fresh in my memory, good thing we all can laugh about it now. Plus baby girl has used two upgraded iPhones in the last one year.
However, if you’re led to bless me with a 1TB iPhone of either the 13 or 14 series, you’ll be my second favourite person for one month.
Have you ever had a bad-good day before? I’d love to hear your story.