Today I had the privilege of boarding a tricycle as soon as I got out of my house. I didn’t have to get to the bus stop. The only snag here is that you are at the mercy of the driver’s quest for more passengers as he continues to wait for others to practically come out of their houses to board too. For me, it is sometimes more preferable than going all the way to the bus stop.

Having moved back and forth and got no passenger, the driver trying to make a “dive” for the bus stop got flagged down by a woman. She had two children and a matured help who already entered the keke when she (the woman) asked if the driver had 1000 naira change. He replied in the negative (but you could see that the driver was not willing to let them go).

Also determined to board the tricycle, the woman offered to charter the Keke and pay for all the seats, including my seat. Was she then expecting me to come down from the vehicle? I stayed calm to hear what the driver would say.

As expected, the driver replied that he would put me in another Keke when we got to the bus stop. I did not utter a word.

The woman pointed out to the driver that he couldn’t do that to me because it is my right, since I boarded the Keke first. Okay, that got me, she played the cards right. Due to her act of empathy, I was compelled to respond in cooperation with her in order for her and her children to seat more comfortably.

It is through empathy that we can actually heal a broken world!