Beggar Man, Old Fool
Posted by verbocity on May 17, 2007
I was at the ever-crowded Ikeja bus stop along Obafemi Awolowo way, late last week, when a fail-looking old man accosted me. The time was around 7.30pm, and I was wondering what this old man was looking for at the bus stop, when he should be safely at home with his grandchildren. “My son, please help me with a little transport money. I’m on my way to Mushin. I’m stranded because I lost my transportation money”, he said to me in Yoruba. I always have soft spots for elderly people, and so I gave him N100 without hesitation.
Two days ago, I met the same old man around the same spot at Ikeja. It was around the same time. He approached me again with his cock and bull story of being stranded as a result of loss of his transportation money, and on his way to Surulere.
I looked at him with pity. But I will be damned if he gets my money this time again. I respect old age, but not a liar. I looked at him in the eyes and said, “Baba, is it everyday you lost your transportation money and get stranded on your way somewhere? Last week you told me you were stranded on your way to Mushin and I gave you N100, today it is Surulere again. If you want to be a beggar, be a proper one and stop telling people lie”. The old man looked around him to make sure nobody heard my outburst, then with a surprising agility for a man of his age, he turned around and walked away.
This entry was posted on May 17, 2007 at 1:14 pm and is filed under On The Road, Playing Pranks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Taiye said
Interesting! but that is a common thing in Nigeria, not Lagos alone. I remember my wife narrating the same story of a guy indulging in same, she now have the opportunity of meeting him again while on the bus, as the man started advertising his misery, my wife accosted him that he was the same person she met about a week ago with the same story, the guy replied in ‘Area Boys Tone’ He said, Alaroye, Maka in Yoruba language meaning, Talkative, continue revealing the secrets, and disembark the bus the next bus stop.