*Too Late To Claim

Episode six
The next day I woke up feeling alright.
I searched and found the money mother had saved.
It wasn’t much but will be able to substain me for
the next few weeks or so.
I gathered the remaining fufu in the tray and headed
to the market.
I was determined to make a change in my life no
matter the condition.
It hurt to the bone that my only companion was
gone forever but life goes on.
Just like she had told me,I will never gave up nor
allow circumstances to pull me down and shatter
my hopes.
I believed that the best is yet to come and I must
make sure I live my dream life in reality.
As I walked to the market,I sang to myself.
More tears poured but I didn’t bother to wipe them.
It hurted,but I believed with time I will be perfectly
fine.
I was lost in thought that I didn’t hear the horn of a
car approaching me,i ran into it and was knocked
down,surpisely, nothing happened to me.
A lady got down from the car and walked towarded
me.
I took the time to look at her while I was still on
the ground.
I could tell that she is a lady of class from her
appearance.
Her dress and shoes were that of the rich.
Her face appeared so smooth and milky.
Her body glitters like gold and she shone brightly
like the sun.
She didn’t look like someone that stays in the
village.
As she approached me,the scent of her perfume
filled my nostril and I inhaled it deeply.
“What is wrong with you?” she asked me in an
angered tone.
“What were you thinking about that you didn’t hear
me honked?”
“I am sorry ma” I said with tears in my eyes and a
shaken voice.
“Gosh!! Do you want to put me in trouble,why will
your parents even allowed you to hawk, don’t they
know that they are endangering your life?”
“I am sorry ma” i said again.
She calmed down and helped me to stand up
“I hope you are not hurt” she asked in a caring
tone.
I looked at myself,I wasn’t hurt but my entire
goods were damaged.
Some had rolled into the gutter and others were
covered with red sand.
I started crying.
What a bad day for me.
She looked at the goods,shocked her head and
headed to her car, opened the door, brought her bag
out, removed some money and walked back to me.
“Here,have it” she said stretching the money to me.
I looked at the money.
I could tell it was much, even more than the
amount of fufu I had in the tray.
I was about collecting it when I remembered mother
had warned me never to allow someone pay for
anything damaged especially if it wasn’t
intentional.
“I am sorry,I can’t accept it ma”I said to her.
She looked at me in shock and asked
“Why won’t you,look, your goods are destroyed,
won’t will you tell your parents and you know that
they will be so mad at you?”
“It wasn’t your fault ma” I replied her” I wasn’t prom
paying attention while walking, please don’t worry.i
will tell my mother the truth”
With that I picked up my tray, dusted myself with
the back of my hands and walked away leaving her
with her money.
I cried as I walked along.
Those goods would have carried me through for the
next few days but now they were destroyed.
How will I manage for now?
Why is life so unfair towards me?
TBC