"Damn it!" screamed a frustrated Alex. The car beneath him was quite unsteady. It screeched from behind, nearly colliding with Alex, yet struggled to overtake the car just inches ahead. This was nothing short of madness for Alex. How much longer would he have to endure this? Just yesterday, he almost collided with a bewildered and irate woman who likely wasn't in her right mind. If there was anything Alex couldn't tolerate, it was a woman talking back to him. The scene replayed in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine. The rain had recently fallen, causing floods due to overloaded gutters and a poor drainage system resulting from inadequate topography. If there was one thing Alex knew about Nigeria, it was that the place was disorganized and an eyesore to environmentalists and nature lovers. Except for a few places like Lekki, Victoria Island, Magodo, and some elitist communities, even the much-hyped Lagos was unattractive. Nonetheless, as expected, his car had to navigate through the bad potholes and muddy, waterlogged ground caused by the heavy rain. It was incredibly frustrating to push the car along in such poor road conditions when he suddenly heard a scream from behind.
"Just look at this nonsense!" exclaimed the young lady. "Are you blind?" "Can't you see there's a flood? Slow down your car!" she retorted. She wore a white collared shirt with matching black trousers, carrying her shoes in her hands to protect them from the flooded water. He had splashed water at her, and she was seething. Alex merely glanced at her through his side mirror. "Well, if you hadn't been so concerned about your poor leather shoes, you might have been more aware of your surroundings and sensibly decided to wait rather than recklessly walking through," Alex replied, grinning at her with an 'I don't care' expression. The lady felt defeated and furious at Alex's response, hurling more curses at him. "You mad man! Why doesn't your father come and buy me better shoes?" With these words, she picked up a stone and hurled it at Alex's car window. Fortunately for him, there was no damage. Alex sped off almost immediately, laughing as he drove. Yes, that was Alex. He always had the last laugh, and it was quite satisfying to see his words getting under her skin.
Nevertheless, it wasn't entirely her fault. He blamed the surly driver he had hired since arriving in Nigeria. The man seemed adept at getting himself into trouble. Initially, he had taken the car out without permission when he was explicitly told to wait. If that weren't enough, he returned with the car damaged, surreptitiously parked it, and vanished. He had no intention of paying for the incurred damages, avoiding facing Alex's anger. Well, Alex had to assume the role of the humble driver in Nigeria. Driving wasn't his preference, but it was the harsh reality. He would rather endure the arduous task of navigating the Lagos metropolis than engage in another drama. Suddenly, another car sped up from behind. Alex hadn't expected it, nor was he prepared to brake. He screamed, and then silence fell.