“Why must I be part of all these?! When did I ask for all these?!” Like a sad spectator watching Tv and able to do nothing, I could only watch as my course mate, Ewa, lamented and was complaining about the loss of her mother. She had just gotten her result which included a carryover.
As she was trying to suck the carryover news in, she got the news about her mum, several others rallied round her to console her.
Although, I could feel her pains, like a sacred nun, I hardly touch ladies at that period in time. I even got named for such act. That was then, not anymore. But life is a roller coaster and I never knew it was going to roll some pain my way.
I had always been a News Anchor and Studio Manager as early as 2010. I did all of that through my school days till my final year. As a trained broadcaster, I cover events as a reporter for the radio station I was with back then all through 2010 and beyond.
On this fateful day, it was a Press Conference we had with an important dignitary at the UITH (University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital), and several other media personnels were there.
“You are welcome to this great event. I can assure you we will be having an interesting time together. Please have your seats.”
After the anchor of the event addressed us, like a compliant student, we all arranged ourselves and sat down expecting our dignitaries, Professor Onyebuchi (Minister of Health), among others. We kicked off the event in no time as the dignitaries arrived and we all asked our questions.
Like a weapon for a soldier or a tool for an engineer, there was an equipment used in recording voices called midget. Back then it was one of the latest technologies acquired as a valuable asset for radio stations and as reporters, we carry it along anytime we are going to the field or for an event.
After using the midget to capture the responses of our interviewees, we were done with the event. So, I took the midget and placed it in my bag, getting ready to head to the station to listen to the recording and write my news.
“Hey brother, are you not the guy from Unilorin or Royal Fm? I like the question you asked, it was quite an interesting one, you know.”
As the stranger approached me for a chat, like an uncomfortable fellow amidst an event, I didn’t want to be rude but I was very late and wanted to leave. “Hi, how are you doing? Thanks for the compliments,” I replied, ignoring his initial question.
The event was crowded and I couldn’t but try to find my way out. However, my new visitor had distracted me from my mission to bail out.
“We’ll get to know each other better once we meet at your station. My greetings to Gaffar.” I was so happy at his response, I guess he saw my discomfort and couldn’t but excuse me, Gaffar was one of our staff.
Like a man pricked by his mind, I felt something was wrong but couldn’t quite hold on to what it was. As I finally found my way out of the venue after the event, I still felt strange but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Perhaps, I am feeling bad because I didn’t give the stranger more time,” as I entertained different thoughts that could be responsible for the strange feeling, I left the place, quickly branched at my apartment before heading to my radio station.
As I entered the station, I reached for the midget in my bag, but couldn’t touch anything asides the papers where I had my jottings. Like a troubled driver who had just lost his car, I thought it was a dream or I had placed the midget in another part of my bag.
I searched endlessly but couldn’t find it, I resolved to using my jottings and my brain to write the news for that day. Thankfully, it worked out fine. “I must have dropped it at home,” I said to myself. After getting to my apartment, I searched everywhere but still couldn’t find it. “I have lost the station’s midget!”
Like someone played a list of unpleasant songs, my heart skipped as I thought about the price, how scarce the equipment was, where I was going to get the money and so many other things.
The station got to know I had lost the midget and the General Manager then, of blessed memory, insisted I have to get a new one. “I am sorry Sam, that is the station’s midget and we just got it, you’ll have to get a new one,” he said.
It was my final year, and I had a lot to spend on, I wasn’t even going to approach my parents because they had spent so much.
Like someone ushered in a list of responsibilities, my house rent was due, I had to print and bind my project at the time including many other things I had to pay for.
Concerning the midget, a meeting was called and I was given a timeframe to refund the midget or else I will be reported to my University and I won’t graduate.
This downpour of pain and discomfort which seemed like the rain of pleasure was never going to fall got me so disorganized and I couldn’t even understand why or what I did wrong. Just like Ewa’s case I was sad but there’s no one to console me.
I got out of my problems one way or the other, I got the midget and paid in instalments among other quick solutions I had to come up with. Till date, I didn’t know what happened to the lost midget, I guess it was stolen while I was in the crowd at the press conference.
