Never talk to strangers … I know this but ……… in my defence I grew up in a one horse town. Okay when i typed that i meant metaphorically but if memory serves me well my town did have one horse called Whitey. Anyway, it was a trusting little town back in the day where everyone knew everyone. So when I moved to “safe Dubai”, I think I let down the guard I had acquired whilst living in Lagos.
The time was about 22:00 pm and I was heading to work. I had the grave yard shift at the airport at the time but I was leaving home early because I was going to ride the metro and I didn’t want to have to make a run for the last one. I lived about a six minute walk from the metro station and had done about three minutes of this when an SUV slowed to a halt. It seemed like the driver was a little indecisive but then he sped off only to make a U turn and come back towards me.
He slowed down, said hello with a charming smile, asked where I was going and offered me a ride. I was going all the way across town so I expected an “I’m sorry. I am not going that way”. But he said fine I will drop you off.
Here is why I am mad at me. First of all, I AM AT MY METRO STOP ALREADY!! Secondly the 45 minute ride to the airport and my 6 minute walk to my station is perfect because that gets me to my work station at 23:45 pm. Perfect for my shift starting at midnight. I was not late for work and did not need a ride. I knew all this but still accepted the ride.
I got into his car, he asked what I did, where I worked, where I was from and then came a string of sentences that hunt me until date.
Why will you get into a car with a stranger he asked glancing at me? I thought he was being cute at first until I realised he wasn’t smiling. I opened my mouth to speak but he didn’t give me a chance which was perfect because I really had nothing to say for myself.
“You don’t know me and you got in to a tinted SUV with me. My car has central lock, why would you risk your life like this? What if other men were lying in wait in the back seat? What would you do?” I used all my will power not to look back and check because truth is, he had a point. I have never felt so silly but Daddy was not done talking.
You feel Dubai is safe right? He asked rhetorically. Even if I am caught, I would have killed you in the desert by then. I may go to jail but you will definitely be dead.
I was so mad at me at this point, really and truly why would I put me through that? Anger turned in to fear when I realised we were not even on Sheik zayed road but the almost deserted Al Maktoum road. The prayer I prayed, you’d have thought I was on a plane that had lost the use of two engines. As I prayed I could hear him droning on.
Tears gathered in my eyes as I caught the first glimpse of the airport lights flashing in the distance. Once the car pulled into the airport drop off zone I was out the door before the car came to a stop. Dude still raised his voice and yelled “don’t ever do this again.”
