I think it's around 2006 or 2007. One morning, I was brushing my teeth outside which is a norm is a lot of Nigerian homes, especially in ghettos or suburbs. And the way our house was then, there was a gutter just in front, about 5 metres from our front gate. While I was brushing, a relative of mine that had travelled for months arrived just at the front of our house where I was with a vehicle. In excitement that they had returned I was running to go and embrace them without minding where I was. The next thing I realised was that I was sitting almost comfortably in the narrow gutter. You needed to hear how the place erupted with laughter. Of course they confirmed if I was okay before they let out the laughter.
When it happened I wasn't sure how I felt. But after a while I too started laugh at myself, and I still do even as an adult.
Another time just came to mind now. Let me share it. Though it's similar to the previous one. But this time it was a much bigger gutter and the components were much more serious.
One Monday morning, I was dressed for school with my new sandals and very white "computer" socks. I was ready to show them off to my primary school class mates. Then my grandma gave me money to go and buy bread that I would eat before going to school. Me feeling fly about my new foot accessories, I wasn't paying too much attention to where I stepped. Our house was the second on our street, and there was a much bigger gutter that rounded the corner leading to our street. The place I was supposed to buy the bread was in the other street, so I had to take the bend. Upon crossing the slab that was placed across the big gutter, I didn't realise that I had not completely crossed the slab, I took a sharp right turn and the next thing I saw was that my right leg was inside the gutter. And the road was busy. I immediately lost my appetite and just turned and went back home to wash my leg. That was how I had to go to school that day with an empty stomach and old socks.
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