Strange days
Saturday was OK. Cut my hair. I was at my sister’s place until quite late at night. The headache built up gradually from around early evening. It was all I could do to arrive home safely in the car. Rushed in and took a couple of Paracetamol tablets. I went to lie down until the “pounding” almost ceased. Watched several episodes of “The Good Wife” (a law series) . After re-winding one episode several times because I kept drifting off, I finally gave up, paused it and slept off.
Woke up on Sunday feeling a little under the weather and with some irritation in my throat. Went to the hospital later in the afternoon. The lady doctor examined my throat and wrote up a prescription for Paracetamol, Lozenges and Vitamin C. She told me their lab was closed otherwise she might have ordered additional tests (e.g., for malaria). She said if I didn’t feel better I should come in the following day.
Took the prescription to the pharmacy. A little room with a window where one stands to hand over the prescription note. The young lady came to the window with the drugs and went through how to use them.
“So, what’s the name.”
“Uju.”
“Where are you from?”
“Anambra.”
“You are a pharmacist?”
“Yes.”
“Which school?”
“Unilag.”
Some pause while I decided whether or not to …
“So what do I have to do to get your number or your pin?”
She smiled
“Nothing.”
“If you don’t give me, I will keep coming back.”
She smiled even more.
I got to the car, and decided to go back.
This time she was sitting with both her elbows on the table which was when I saw the ring. I smiled and said “Oh. There is a ring on your finger. I didn’t see it.” (Probably an engagement ring of some sort).
She smiled and wiggled the fingers on her left hand.
I said goodbye.
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Monday morning I felt a little worse. By Wednesday the sore throat was in full swing. Didn’t feel too good either. Went back to the hospital on Wednesday after work. A young male doctor examined my throat, and asked a few questions. He said there was some infection. He also asked if I “reacted” to any drugs, Ibuprofen in particular. As far as I know, none. Went home with Ibuprofen, cough expectorant and some other antibiotics. He told me to take the cough medicine after I got to work and after I get home at night so as not to be drowsy while driving on the road.
I started taking the drugs but I guess I got a little worse before the drugs started “working” because I was having some chest pain whenever I coughed.
So on the Thursday, I didn’t go to work. I wondered why I was so sleepy. Then I remembered the cough expectorant was supposed to have that effect. I slept off and on.
Which was when I had the dreams …
I was in my sister and brother-in-law’s kitchen. Though the house was definitely not their current house. My sister cut up some vegetables and plantain on a cutting board and handed it over to the husband who was frying the plantain. We could see all the way into the sitting room.
She said “Peter and Paul Okoye are in the sitting room.” I could see them.
“P-Square?”
“Yes.”
I said I was going over to tell Peter I followed him for a while on Twitter but stopped since he refused to answer my question (I actually followed him on Twitter for a while and he really didn’t answer my question – real life filtering into my dreams).
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I was on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. I took my eyes off the road briefly to do “something” on my phone (either send or read a text) and promptly ran off the road into the woods. The place was quite steep but I managed to get out of the car before it went down the gradient and came to a stop way down among some trees.
There was some sort of toll-gate building. It was huge with multiple levels. It was dark, and the superstructure was mostly huge lumber beams. I went to stay on the upper floor. The place had that post-apocalyptic feel to it (loneliness, degradation, age, etc.). I could see out into the woods but couldn’t quite see the car.
Then it started to rain.
There was a huge explosion and fire burning in the trees. For some reason, I realized it was my car.
I decided to go look at the car after the rain.
I made my way down to the lower levels (clambering between the wooden beams) after the rain. I had the feeling that I was trespassing.
Some fellow was down there and he said that someone’s car had caught fire. I didn’t have to go all the way because I could still see the fire burning through the trees, though not as high as it had been originally.
There was a second person as well (not sure if I saw him or “felt” him).
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The drugs are definitely working. The discomfort in my throat is more or less gone, but I still feel a little under the weather.
It’s Friday and I have a meeting. My sore throat is almost completely gone. My voice is a still a little hoarse. On my way back to the office after the meeting I spied a couple of people roasting/cooking fresh corn (maize) by the road side. I pulled over in front of a building. The security guard came up to the car and insisted the parking space was for their staff. I told him I was going to be gone for 2 minutes: just to buy corn a few meters away. He said that’s how some people would say the same thing and then disappear into the nearby market. I repeated that I would soon be back.
I was gone for about 5 minutes.
As I got into the car, he came up and asked if I had any corn for him too.
I asked if he wanted corn or money. He said either would do.
I gave him N70. He thanked me and helped watch the road while I reversed out of the parking lot. Actually no cars were coming my way.
I got to the office, had lunch and wrote this.
Maybe I will go to see a film later in the evening with a colleague. He had called earlier to see if we could arrange something. I guess he needs a break from the the wife and kids 🙂
