The Day I Mistakenly Became a "Thief" in Public - LOH #295
Thinking about this particular embarrassing moment in my life, I can't help but laugh out loud, but that very day, I felt like the ground should open so it could swallow me instead of dealing with such ugly embarrassment.
In that moment, I felt like relocating from Lagos State to Abuja instantly so that no one would see me in that same market next time and point fingers at me, but years have passed, and the experiences have now become stories that make my family and me laugh upon remembrance.
It happened some years back during one of my visits to a local market around me. I had bought a lot of things while arranging them in different sacks. I didn't want anything to bring me back to the market so soon, and again, by so doing, I will save transportation fare too.
The market was crowded, and everyone just seemed to be in a hurry with their purchases. As for me, I had multiple bags. I had already purchased items, and I entered inside a grocery shop to shop for more beverages...
...after which I picked up my bags and confidently walked away, trekking towards the bus terminal so I could board a public bus to my home.
I had walked some distance when I overheard someone shouting, "Madam, madam, stop there," just behind me. Of course there are many madams in the market, so I didn't turn initially because I felt it wasn't me, but then, the voice gradually became louder and specific. The person called again, "Madam in a red gown, please stop there." Wow, my heart jumped a bit, lol.
Immediately, I turned back and saw a woman with an angry face looking at me boldly and coming towards my direction. A lot of thoughts ran through my mind. I was like, did I forget anything in the grocery shop, or did my pause fall? What could it be? I kept thinking loud. The woman finally reached me, targeted one of my bags, and took it forcefully. Then she screamed, "Why did I carry her bag of tomatoes?" I breathed in and out! I then looked closely at the content of the bags I carried...
Obviously, while I arranged my bags close to where other customers kept theirs, I had mistakenly carried this woman's bag, leaving mine behind over there, and just when I opened my mouth to explain to her that it was only a mistake, she concluded that I was a thief, screamed it, and drew the attention of passersby. Before I could raise my head, market men and women had gathered around me, and the voice of the woman was just on top of the zinc.
She didn't want to hear the word "mistake" simply because fresh tomatoes were highly expensive then, and she concluded that I stole her bags of tomatoes intentionally. What an embarrassment indeed! People that didn't hear my own explanation already went away with the news that I stole tomatoes in the market. It was more than embarrassment to me, I must say.
As if that sad moment wasn't enough, I overheard one woman say, "Interesting, these thieves now dress so well nowadays that one can hardly suspect them." Another young guy said, maybe she carried the bag by mistake. Meanwhile, I was still standing there, innocently trying to explain all I know about the bag. As God may have it, some of the market women I usually buy large items from in their shop came around the scene and defended me; it was that time that the owner of these tomatoes finally realized that I only made a mistake by carrying her bag instead of mine.
We both looked at each other and started laughing, but my own laugh wasn't so genuine because of the level of embarrassment I was already subjected to.
While I walked away, I still heard some people by the side discussing the incident, and I felt more embarrassed!.
When I got home and explained what happened to my family, all of them started laughing instead of showing me sympathy. Can you imagine that? lol
To date, my children still laugh at me whenever they remember the embarrassing moment and would say, "Mom, don't go and steal a bag of tomatoes again 😀. Watch out for your bag, please." lol
Each time I remember that moment, I laugh at myself because what happened by mistake made me look like a wanted person within a few minutes in the market. 😀
Overall, life has a way of throwing some of these embarrassing moments at us, and yeah, the best I can do is laugh over it and move on with my life. It's been some years now, and that moment has become a story that keeps my family entertained, especially my boys. 😀
This post is in response to the ladies of Hive contest #295
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Wow that can be so embarrassing
But it's well..