I once travelled. I was in a particular hurry so I hurriedly took the only car available when I got to the lorry station. But the driver was annoying. He would not move. He was waiting to add more passengers, for the car was half full. After bitter complaints by some of the passengers, he sped off.
When we got to another station, he stopped again; and as if that was not enough, he turned off the engine, and got down to load more.
This time, all our complaints fell on deaf ears, so out of desperation, a number of us got down. I also got down, desperate. He tried to convince us to stay on, but we were bent on taking another car next to his car.
We moved straight to where the other car was, but alas! it was full already. Deep inside me, I wished we could board the first car again, but how could we? What would the driver and the other passengers who stayed on say? Even if the driver allowed us, our consciences... So we stood there, in a dilemma.
Eventually however, another car showed up. We stopped it, got on board, and off it sped. O how lucky we were! But was that the best choice?
The car moved a bit far, and then, stopped. After five minutes it moved again, and stopped. This time it loaded for fifteen minutes before moving again. And the moving and stopping continued. Truth is, this car was rather slower, but I and the others kept mute. Our consciences...
In the next minute, the first car speeded past us. It was slow, but now, fast. Before it went past us, we saw the driver and some of the passengers in it watching us. But what could we say? Our consciences...
The boring stopping and moving still continued. And in the next thirty minutes, we reached and saw the first driver happily reloading for another trip. I walked past him, my head bowed in shame, and speechlessness...
ISAAC ESSOUN
(By God's grace)
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