Victor Ugochukwu Okonkwo @victorugochukwu

disclaimer: this story does not promote football or foster its relations

Today I spent more than half the day in a nearby hotel, completely busy all through watching football matches.
This hotel that I went to had a good comfortable setup with a giant screen TV. It was like being watching the match live.

There was just one problem with this hotel. Whenever people gathered to enjoy the matches, the staff would go around questioning everyone about buying drinks or something from the hotel. It was like a secret tactic of theirs to make more sales, and I could see their faces beam whenever people start to stream in to catchup with any match.

As I settled down in a well positioned seat, I noticed they were going table by table,questioning everyone and taking orders. My heart began to race. You see, I had no cash to lavish. The thought of standing there and admitting I had no money made unsettled.

So, when they reached my table, I put on my best serious face and smiled like I had nothing troubling me. They asked, What I would like to order.

I’m just waiting for my friend, I exclaimed with an indifferent expression, hoping they will just get moving past me already.
It worked I managed to dodge the billing.

After everything, they won my team, so imagine if After I squandered my money only for them to score my team 2:1?

I remember one evening, as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed the weather was a bit chilly because it had just stopped drizzling some moments ago. Normally, I love to sleep when it's cold outside, it made it easier for me to sleep and last in sleep longer. But that night, for reasons I still don’t fully understand, I made the decision to leave my fan on despite the already cold weather.

So, there I was, folding on my bed in satisfaction with the fan blowing cool air all around me. I closed my eyes, fell off to sleep, and just after I fell asleep, I fell into a weird dream.

In my dream, I was walking through a dark, raining forest. The rain was pouring down and I was getting soaked. The dream was so real that I asked myself in the dream what i was doing in such a cold environment.
I looked around, shivering uncontrollably, and it hit me that I was dreaming.
My fan had inspired this wet nightmare.

Suddenly, I jumped up from my bed, fully awake and confused. I looked around as if I had just escaped some wild creature.
I thought a little and I realized my fan was still blowing with force, blasting me with cold air.

Without giving it a second thought, I flew out of the bed and unplugged it. No be me fan go kill.

It’s hard to believe that lectures have already started ed in school . Just two days ago, I saw photos on our departmental group chat of my friends back on campus, smiling and ready for another semester, I laugh at them. I am still in my father’s house, enjoying the comforts of home, going back to school any soon is not even a thought to think.

My mother have reminded me like the hundredth time, her voice with concern about my academics, but still, I have no plans to return that soon.

The thought of packing my bags and enduring the run around and stress of school again just doesnt go well with me.
Here, in my father’s house, life is good. I wake up to good smell of food oozing from the kitchen. I can start talking about all the good food my mom makes without having to worry about exams, group projects, or struggling for seats in a crowded lecture hall.

With not so much choice, Just a few more days I’ll go back. But deep down, I was in no rush to leave this land of peace or my soft bed or even this region.

My family always gathered in our living room to watch movies. My dad would usually sit in his favorite chair, located at the center of other cushions. No one dares to sit on it while he's in the sitting room.

We were still using what we called cartridges back then. I remember how we would select through the pile of cartridges trying to find "Igodo" our favourite movie.

The cartridge is inserted into the ... I can't remember what that one is called again.
To me, those were the good old days when high quality movies were produced in terms of educational and motivational before CD-ROMs, GoTV, or DSTV became part of our lives.

We sometimes called these cartridges cassettes, but whatever the name is, they held the power of good story in them. Each movie had a lesson to teach, and it felt like every actor on screen was wise beyond their years, the likes of Pete Edochie, Osuofia, Nkem Owoh, Keneth Okonkwo, Gentle Jack, Chika Ike, Chioma Chukwuka, Chinwetalagu and many more. Every scene had an interesting story to tell they were not just filling space, like the recent directors do.
I didn't know a lot then but as much as I could remember, back in those days, stories that were more than just entertainment were made.

My siblings and I would sit on the floor, captivated, while our parents shared the couch. The fun of sitting on the floor had this soft comfort that satisfies us as we glued to the television.

Tonight, the results of the hamster airdrop finally came in, and my neighbors were celebrating like they’d just won the lottery. They were overjoyed, claiming they had become rich. Meanwhile, I only got 500 coins because I joined the process too late. Honestly, I felt a bit embarrassed.

I’ve missed a lot of these airdrops in the past, but tonight really hit me hard. Everyone was talking about how much they got, and I was just there feeling left out. It’s tough when you know you could have done better if you’d acted earlier.

The noise in the compound was overwhelming. People couldn’t stop talking about their big wins, and it was all I could hear.

Still, life goes on. Even though I didn’t get as much as the others, I’ll keep pushing forward. There will be other opportunities, and next time, I’ll be ready. I’ll just take this as a lesson learned.

when I was a little boy, we were playing outside when it started raining. the sky became very dark. my friends and I were playing outside and knew it was time to run inside the house.

Inside, we could hear loud thunder sounds that was kind of scary.
Suddenly, we heard a woman scream. It was a scared voice. We looked at each other with big eyes. We wanted to know who screamed, so we decided to find out but until the rain ended.

When we heard the lady scream again, We hurried outside again as my mother dashed out first to go and check out what it was, running through the rain.
When we got there, we saw her in her room, holding her ears. She looked very afraid.

She was our close family friend, Mama Nkechi. She told us that the lightening had struck her while she was on a call with her son.

We helped Mama Nkechi get dressed and decided to take her to the hospital, not we oo, it was my mother making the moves while we supported. We all held her hands and walked carefully in the rain to the nearest chemist shop.

In the next few weeks, Mama Nkechi got better and always thanked us.
Ever since then, me personally, I fear to take a call while it's raining or there's any form of lightening on the sky.