Her Kindness Got Me

First, meet radiohead. He has his ears buried under two large earphones, he nods absently - it takes tapping, even shaking, to bring him to the present. Lost in his to the music world. He is the vulcanizer. I pulled over a while ago to fix a punctured tyre.

I soon discover I am with a half-nut case, the sound that filters out is so disturbing you'd wonder if He heard at all. Propelled by the music, he treated the tyre in double-quick time, but he has to swap the tyres since I have been on my spare.

He got the jack and spanner, lifted the car and removed the spare but was too engrossed with his music to properly wadge the car. As soon as he turns for the other tyre, the car slips and - gwashhh!

That's when she appears; an old gentle lady, scarf-clad head and wrinkled skin. First, she swiftly finds grabs a stone to wedge one of the tyres so it doesn't roll again, then she offers me a seat to sit down - I declined, while radiohead finds a fix for the jack which is damaged in the accident.

She asks if the damage is extensive, and what else could be done. I explain to her it's not entirely radiohead`s fault that I did not engage the handbrake. I have thought she has a stake in the business but it turns out she is a Jehovah`s witness sharing the Gospel and pamphlets.

As I drive out she offers one of her books but I couldn't turn her down again, usually I Do not accept items I wouldn't use but her kindness got me.

Preaching kindness is one thing but living it is in a lot of ways more soul-reaching. I think she taught me a lot more than she could have preached in her kindly act.

As I write this out on my phone, I can't but cast a glance at this glossy yellow book with lots of attractive illustrations, the title says: Learn From The Great Teacher. My little boy will surely love the images.

Jude Ifeme

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding The Bond

My strongest addiction as a single was reading. Being alone was bliss and gave me ample time to devour as much literature as one could come by. I had very little care for what happened in other social spaces.  When I got married some years ago I had fears my lifestyle might have some effect on my family bonding, so I chose family. I found a great partner in my wife and have bonded excellently with my kids. But my love for the books and writing have suffered tremendously. A few months ago, I decided to return to reading​. If you were a reader you would know that if you've ever read a book that it has a way of reaching back to you whenever you saw the title. Going through my shelve, I realized I could sense and recollect every book's content by a mere touch; these were old friends indeed. And it struck me I have not bought new ones in a while. I have returned to reading, having made friends with the kids. I know they must sometimes wonder why Daddy suddenly has to stare fo...
Read more

A Letter to My Daugther

Dear daughter,   As I look down on this blank, unlined paper waiting to get inscribed with ink, I could imagine an angelic face on the brink of making a transition into a world of many wonders. I want you to know that you have been loved already. I could only imagine what it’s like over there on the other side, so I think you should consider it a fatherly advice and hold on to as much memory as you could while crossing over to this journey full of treachery and pain, hopelessness, and yet permeated with a lot of joy, and I hope you will come to add to its beauty. It is a world of many influences. A world of riches and poverty, highs and lows, wisdom and folly, fame and shame: a world of immense prejudice and little justice. But it is also a world where you can be anything you want to be, if you don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! You are a woman, yes? The world expects a lot from your kind yet! So you are also awaited. I want you to know you can do all that without lett...
Read more

Want to Beat Her?

Let’s see. She is running her tongue again and getting you all depressed. You feel your authority is being challenged and you have to make it clear who is the man; you don’t want your friends talking in disregard. You think she is acting loose and if you don’t do a thing about it she would never know how badly you feel, or, bizarre as it might seem, how deeply you love her. We have to put the drink aside for a while; you really wanted to beat her, which is why you got drunk in the first place. In a way or another we would have seen quite a few women being battered; may be enough to wonder why some would be so maltreated, yet they are still all over their tormentor like clinging ivy; may be enough to wonder why a man would so badly abuse and assault the same individual he claims to love; may be enough to know where to stand on the issue. A lot of these cases have the same fundamental causes: nagging, fluid temper, jealousy, alcoholism (and their likes), low self esteem, pride and so on....
Read more