Strategy!

It was a rainy weekend and my favourite "Gobe" (beans and gari with palm oil) seller did not show up as she usually does.

I was really hungry and had to trek all the way to kotobabi traffic light on the Spintex Road in order to get some to buy. 

At the time I set off, it  was drizzling lightly but that did not stop me from going to "hunt" for my favourite delicacy.
I got there in no time as I was in a hurry, but was shocked to see a long queue of "gobe" lovers. "Ei Ewurade!" (Oh my God), I exclaimed. When will it be my turn?  

For a moment I was tempted to go back home. But the grumbling sound from my tummy pushed me further to join the queue anyway. One could imagine the look on my face,  "Chale,  m'atwe Mano tententen" (pouted my lips in anger) waiting patiently to be served. 

All of a sudden,  I was shoved from the back and I stumbled dangerously to my left.  I yelled loudly at the person behind me and turned to take a look at him,  only to be greeted by a ghastly sight. 
Herh!  I exclaimed.  In front of me was a tall lanky man whose only clothing was a skimpy dark boxer shorts, wielding a big stick in his right hand.  

People were screaming, "mad man,  mad man!! " ,trying to get out of his way as he trudged ahead without any care as to whose feet he stepped on, hence,  the shoving and pushing. Quickly,  I ran to the side of the pavement to stand beside an abandoned lotto kiosk to observe what would happen. Others followed suit and this drew the attention of the gobe seller to the chaos outside. Once she saw the lanky man,  she asked him angrily what he wanted, to which he pointed at the food. She scooped a big portion of the beans for him and "shooed" him away. 

A large portion of the buyers had dispersed by now,  allowing the rest of us to buy our gobe quicker than anticipated. On my way home,  I smiled sheepishly to myself as I asked if this was a blessing in disguise. 

Getting to my junction,  I noticed a lanky man in a yellow shirt and skimpy boxers bent over a black rubber bag and shoving food into his mouth, whilst chatting heartily with a young lady. I looked closely and noticed that it was the "mad man" from the gobe stand. Ah!  I said to myself,  so this guy is not mad? Wow!  What a strategy to get free food.  

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