Maryann Odo @agozie

I was in the market to pick up a few personal items.
I wanted to get some new clothes and a nice pair of footwear.
I was on my headsets, listenening to my favorite playlist. I was really enjoying the melodies, humming along as I pushed through the heavy crowed crowd.

When I reached the stall selling footwear, I began bargaining with the vendor, to bargain means to reduce steez, but who steez help for this economy?
My mind was focused, and I was already imagining myself wearing the new shoes. But just as we were negotiating, a sudden jab on my shoulder drew away my attention.

Out of nowhere, a young lady had brushed past me her pace showed urgency and panic but that wasn't the problem, In her haste, she had accidentally bumped into me, and my headphones flew from my ears, hitting the ground loudly.

I bent down to pick them up, only to discover that they were broken. I was straight up annoyed bur as I raised my head in anger to possibly confront the lady who has caused a mess, she was almost trying to kneel and apologise.

That single act got me and all anger left me, I stopped her from kneeling and couldn't react much after she narrated how late she was for a test.

My legs were tired, and I just wanted to go home. In my family, we always buy snacks when we come back from the market. We love getting things like groundnuts, garden eggs, and tiger nuts. It was part of our family not to return from the market or any long distance without buying edibles for those at home.

So, I stopped a keke to take me home, but then I remembered I didn’t buy any snacks. Oh no! I had to give up my spot in the tricycle and go back to find something edible to buy. I was a bit sad because they already took my place when i returned, and I had to wait for another vehicle.

I waited for 20 more minutes, which felt like a long time. Finally, I found another Keke that could take me home. I was so happy! I bought groundnuts as snacks, and it made my time in the market feel really good.

Even though I had to wait and it was a little frustrating, I was proud that I didn’t go home empty-handed. Having gotten those edibles made my family members welcome me more friendly and kept us all happy through the day.

It is a new month and immediately I woke up, I wished my loved ones, relatives and all my friends a prosperous new month.

When I turned on my data at noon when I returned from church service. I saw multiple messages and well wishes. Some in response to my initial wishes, while some were from friends, social groups and course mates.
I started replying them in line, starting from the earliest to send me a message, I responded.
I was still on the process when my eyes caught a text from my uncle who I had wished well during the morning hour, the text read: happy new month my dear, send your account details.

Nothing else gave me a better feeling today than seeing this text alone.
I immediately forwarded my details and in no time, he sent me 10k and said I should make sure that I celebrated today very well.

I quickly dressed up and headed to the market to get some condiments.
With happiness, I decided to go for extra as I told the seller to add some carrots, vegetables, green beans and cabbages to the bulk that I already bought.
I had never spent as I spent today just on a day's meal as a student, but I was going to act rich just in one day, in respect to my uncle's remarks.

It was a lot of task to cook and process all the condiments that I bought, but I scaled through. In less than 3hrs, my food was done and I got some yoghurt to help wash it down.
Taking a plate to my closest neighbour , she remained in shock of the sumptuous plate of food that I dropped on her palm. And as I left, she praised me.

When I joined, things were a bit confusing. People didn’t know their jobs, and we were not communicating well. I remembered my past roles, where I learned how to organize and lead. I knew I could help make things better even though I was a girl.

Being a girl made it very hard to make suggestions so I asked to meet the committee leader and shared my ideas. I told him we needed a clear plan, assigned tasks, and a timeline. He liked my ideas, and we worked together to improve the committee.

In the days before the elections, I helped the team understand their tasks. We held meetings, set deadlines, and practiced our speeches. It was busy, but I enjoyed it because we all had the same goal.

Finally, election day came. I stood at the front of the room and watched as students arrived, excited for the event. I smiled, proud of what we had done as a team. The elections went well, with candidates giving good speeches, and the audience was interest

Browsing through the TikTok when I saw a song that everyone was talking about. Lots of people were sharing it and saying it was great. I thought, "I have to hear this!" So, I downloaded the song and listened to it. But when I heard it, I didn't like it. It was boring and didn't sound special.

I listened to it again, thinking maybe I missed something. But no, I still didn't like it. I went on with my day, listening to my favorite songs and doing my usual stuff.

The next day, I was listening to music on my phone. I was using an app called Boomplay, and it was playing my favorite songs. When those songs finished, the song I didn't like started playing. At first, I thought, "Oh no, not this song again!" But something was different. The music felt good with my heartbeat. It was like the song was talking to me. I listened more closely, and I started to like it. I had to recheck the name of the song playing to confirm if surely it was same song that I called wack the previous day.

I listened to the song again and again. I couldn't stop! I thought, "Wow, I was wrong about this song. It's actually really good!" Now, it's my favorite song. I listen to it every day.

I still wonder why I didn't like it at first. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood? Maybe I needed to hear it again to like it? Maybe I needed to hear it after my favorite songs to appreciate it? I don't know, but I'm glad I gave it another chance. Now, I'm the one telling everyone how great the song is!

I decided to follow in my elder brother's footsteps and try my hand at repairing damaged electrical appliances. For years, I had watched in awe as he effortlessly brought dead devices back to life. His patience and skill seemed almost magical, and I longed to possess the same abilities.

My opportunity arrived when my charger started malfunctioning, only delivering partial current. I figured it was the perfect candidate for my maiden repair attempt. With a mix of excitement and trepidation, I loosened the screws and cautiously began to explore the inner workings.

As I fondled with the wires, I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing everything right. My brother made it look so easy, but now I was faced with the daunting reality of potentially causing more harm than good.

Despite my doubts, I pressed on, reassembling the charger with a sense of determination. The moment of truth arrived when I plugged it into the extension cord to test it. I kept a safe distance, stretching my hand to plug it in, my heart racing with anticipation.

And then, in an instant, the expected explosion happened. A loud spark, a flash of light, and a jolt of electricity sent me leaping backward, desperate to catch my breath. I had barely escaped the blast, my heart still racing from the close call.

As I stood outside, trying to process what had just occurred, I couldn't help but laugh at my own naivety. I had underestimated the power of electricity and overestimated my abilities.

Though my first attempt ended in failure, I was determined to try again, But for now, I'll stick to observing from a safe distance. I still believe that what a man can do, a woman can too.