Various food stuff lined the narrow street on the left and on the right. Starting from the beginning of the street to the end, wares were displayed barely leaving enough room for a car to drive through. The taxi driver maneuvered through the market struggling not to hit any wares. A few times, he honked for either a buyer or a seller who stood brazenly on the road ignoring the oncoming vehicle. Some insulted the driver while some simply ignored until the car was beside them before shifting their bodies a bit for the car to pass by.
All of a sudden, screams rent the air and everyone looked in the direction of the noise. A loose cow ran towards the market and a few women rushed to grab their wares off the road. The other women whose goods could not be easily grabbed in a jiffy and the shoppers ran helter skelter. The whole market was in chaos. Two young boys came running after the cow in a bid to tame it. They eventually did and got it under control.
By the time the commotion died down, tomatoes had been trampled on, garri basins had been upturned, ugwu and ewedu leaves had become mixed with mud. The women came out of their hiding places cursing the cow and its handlers.
The taxi driver who had parked when he heard the commotion looked at the women and laughed. “So you fit run when you see malu but if na car, you go dey do yanga.”
The women looked at the driver and started raining curses on him but the man drove off laughing.
——
Photo Credit: http://www.jujufilms.tv