While returning from the hospital yesterday, I booked an Uber because it was a very hot day and I did not think I had the energy to navigate through it, but I also booked a co-share, which allowed the driver to pick up one more person. I did this to save money, but the guy I was riding with had no idea that was the option he chose in his Uber app.
He was very talkative, and he was having a wild conversation with the driver, which I could not help but notice. It was not the type of conversation I wanted to hear, but there was no way I could avoid hearing it because he was right in front of me. I did not mind that I did not have privacy, even though I did not like the conversation he was having with the driver.
I was preoccupied with my entire hospital experience, but it was still appropriate to listen to someone speak; it distracted me. I liked that someone was talking, but I did not particularly enjoy the type of conversation.
People Do "Sex Talk" Almost Anywhere
It was mostly about sex, spending lavishly, living large, and all the other aspects of extravagant living. The driver enjoyed the conversation; he appeared to be the type of guy (the driver) who could relate to the lifestyle of the passenger in front. This particular driver was talkative. I have been using Uber for a long time, and some drivers are naturally chatty, while others prefer to maintain their privacy, do their business, and simply drop you off. I am not the type to blend in with strangers on first impressions.
One thing I noticed about this passenger was that he mentioned governors and where he was from. He appeared to know a lot about the corruption in the system, and the way he talked about it gave the impression that he was speaking from firsthand experience, before he went on to say that he was a politician. He was a wild talker. The type who enjoys talking for fun. I see him as someone who could easily reveal secrets while conversing with regular people. Why not? He enjoyed it. However, I noticed a strange thing.
He was dressed rather unusually. For someone who spoke influentially, his attire did not match the influence he spoke of; at first, I assumed he was a wannabe. We have a lot of these people in Nigeria. They talk about money and power in order to gain respect from their peers and endearment from women, but they are just lying and living a fake life with no bank accounts. I have met a lot of people like this throughout my life. I used to let them receive the praise they desired and become the focal point of the day.
I will not blow my trumpet and claim to be humble because that would be very antithetical; rather, I consider myself to be someone who is not loud; after all, I have no money, power, or affluence, so I can not claim to be humble if I do not have all of these, but when I meet people who claim to be wealthy and rich when they are not, I act as if I believe them and show them utter respect, as if I worship the very ground they step on. I already know they are lying, so what is the point of telling them?
I Have A Thing For Liars
As for this guy, he seemed like it until we arrived at his destination and discovered that he had given the Uber driver the incorrect address. He was going to meet a woman in a guest house, but she had booked a private lounge, so he got the wrong address. The Uber driver had to reroute and start looking for a new location, and we had to wait over an hour before we got his location.
Uber Fees Are No Jokes
The cost of the trip was messed up, mine too. He doubled the driver's fee and paid more than 40% of my own
Women & Money: A Match Made In Wherever, Not Heaven
An outrageously curvy lady came to meet him from the lounge, this was when it all hit me. This guy must be very wealthy; I am not sure what his source of income is, but I know that women in Nigeria are not cheap, especially curvy ones. However, I will not state that his source of income is by the book.
The driver silently informed me that the man was in Lagos to buy a car, and this is how I connected the dots. He spoke extensively about oil in the east and how he knows people who divert government oil and make millions. I am not going to say he is one of them because he indirectly told us what he does for a living, but booking a woman across the state and all that is not covered by his monthly salary.
He probably had more money than I realized. I thanked him for covering roughly 40% of my fee (looking for his woman friend messed up my fee, but I would have paid if he turned a blind eye). The driver was quick to take his number. We had connected all of the dots and done the math; he was most likely an illegal oil mogul, and the driver picked up on this quickly.
These guys are very (illegally) rich, I tell you, and just before the driver dropped me off, he called the driver to come get him and his lady friend; they probably did not like that lounge and preferred something more expensive and exquisite.
It's Mainly Vanity
I lived that life, albeit not to the same extent as this guy, but it was mostly for vanity. The façade of wealth makes people feel like gods. They want to sleep with the best girls and experience pure pleasure. I was shaking my head because I once knew how this guy felt; with all that money, he probably wanted to do things in life, and I can not blame him; we are wired to want the best at the pinnacle of life, and it only takes a little humbling to bring all that desire crashing down.
I do not want such wealth; life now has a deeper meaning for me; I believe that at some point in our lives, we reach an apex that requires a supernatural (God) force to truly bring us back from the abyss.
Interested in some more of my works
Is it Easy To Make Money?
Nigeria: A Unique Business Market & Industry
Virtual Bank Apps In Nigeria: An Experience Of Gamification
How To Find The Next "BIG" Meme Coin
Personal Finance: Achieving Intentional "Saving" Goals
Playing The Survival Game: Human Nature In Introspection
"Un-PAYING" The Debt You Owe
