It was on the evening of the day I had most longed for. It turned out most eventful, as I sat on the only chair in my four-edged mud room and reached into the details of my day, mentally.
The day had begun like every other day except for the high expectations I had of it. With what I can call the fattest bath of my life, I soon had my outfit of pink pinafore, a white long sleeve and a cover shoe with sock worn, along with my hair into two ponytails and a pair of lens to match. I soon dashed off with a big brown envelope containing my vital documents at hand.
From where I picked the first bus to where the third bus dropped me, in my estimation there were over a hundred conversations by the passengers of the different buses but my mind wasn’t on any of that, it was too busy imagining and fascinating about the venue and event that was to happen where I was headed for.
The British Council Lagos didn’t fail my imaginations at all, as I served myself to a thorough view of the main building before I made attempt to enter. Whether it was my amusing and relatively wandering face or my totally lovely outfit, at least from my own perspective, that got people staring at me as I entered, I wasn’t sure. All I was sure of was the receptionist pointing me in the direction that other participants were seated and alas! It was at this point, that the big brown envelope syndrome dawned on me.
The envelope I had at hand earlier, similar to what my other mates were carrying at the reception, was no longer on me. At this point, a clash had begun to formulate in my stomach following instructions from my brain that there was fire on the mountain.
Did I not take the envelope from home at all, or in which of the buses could I have left the envelope? That was a question that I got no answer to at that moment. With recent development, all the earlier excitement had left me and sweats had begun to trickle down every part of my body especially the part you can’t see from outside.
I made a wandering journey towards the second bus stop where I met a man who in an assuring voice told me he was a reputable person in the garage and that he would help find the bus I was on if I would pay for the recharge card he needed to make necessary calls. My naïve-self handed over #500 to him and for another 500 seconds, he was gone without returning with the recharge card or my documents. This was when my inkling alerted me to make move into the garage to and inquire about the man, only to find out that he was well-known for his dubious act like this one.
Imagine a one-time Cinderella princess now seated on a stony stool in the garage. “What a better day to not get a scholarship?” I thought to myself.
After taking a bottle of Sprite which unusually tasted bitter and looking up and down the sky a couple of times, I went back to the venue of the interview, if only my pleading skills would work this time, who knows?
I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad when I got to the same venue the second time in one day, and the gateman who didn’t know me earlier, now called me by name “Fimisola”, I was surprised and listened to hear again if the name would come again from his direction and amazingly, it did.
It was then he related to me how a bus conductor had come to the venue to inquire of me in description that perfectly fitted me. The conductor had with him a big brown envelope which he claimed I forgot in the bus. I jumped up with joy and without letting the gateman complete his narrative, I picked up my enveloped, hugged him unexpectedly and headed back into the reception. Luckily for me, only two participants were left at reception and I made it three.
I entered the interviewing room with much more confidence than had followed me into the building the first time and went on to intelligently answer all the questions without minding my stained outfit. It was a mess turned out good, as I was awarded the scholarship.
Sitting on my raffia chair following my experience earlier in the day, I thought of how God has been intentional and deliberate about me all the while, even in my mess. He is never late.
It was absolutely a worst day, turned out best. Yippee!
Have you ever been in a situation where you found the good in the middle of a mess?
Teens Meet Outreach 