“I love to put my phone on flight mode especially if I do not want to be disturbed at all by calls or messages.”
Collins and Philip were the closest guys back then in 2001. Everyone loved them so much on campus. Lagos State University (Lasu)
Collins was a typical definition of a TDH(Tall,dark and handsome)guy. Evey lady’s kind of man. Philip on the other hand was light skinned, chubby and equally handsome. He was loved by the ladies too. They had beautiful ladies flocking around them every now and then.
They had progressed from 100L till final year in the same department (Geology) and was looking forward to applying for job in same organisation. They had so much in common and shared everything they had together.
One fateful day, Philip wanted to chill with few classmates outside the campus and persuaded Collins to tag along. Collins after much thought as he didn’t want to go anywhere that day, told Philip to go ahead with the guys as he needed to catch a nap before joining them later.
“Guy no worry I go fall in that side,make i just sleep small. I tire like say I carry kponkpon”
They both laughed out loud as they shook hands and Collins made his way to the door.
“Okay, e go be na. I go dey wait you o” Collins said as he shut the door behind him.
” no wahala baba, I dey your back like this sef” Philip responded through the window as he watched him leave the compound.
“Chai, I tire o. Make i rest abeg”
As Collins made that statement, he grabbed his phone and put it on flight mode as he wanted to have a good sleep for few minutes with no form of disturbance from his phone at all.
Few hours later, he woke up and realised he had slept for a long time; he hurried to the bathroom to take a shower so he could catch up with Philip and the other guys.
Philip on the other hand had waited for his friend to show up as promised but since he had tried calling him and it wasn’t connecting at all, he assumed he probably was on his way.
Few minutes later, he was out of the bathroom and was ready to go hook up with his friends, he shut the
Windows of the apartment, put off all the appliances, picked up his phone and left the house. “It’s hangout time” he said aloud as he put the phone in his pocket.
Philip didn’t stop trying to reach Collins on the phone as there was an information about a social unrest happening around the school vicinity (between Pako bus-stop and Iyana-Iba). He wanted to tell him to forget about coming for the hangout as it was no longer safe. But his dearly beloved friend was already finding his way there.
Collins didn’t know what was going on, perhaps if he had checked his phone, he would have remembered that he put his phone on flight mode when he wanted to take a nap.
He was waiting to get a bus that will take him to the spot around Ayetoro towards Agbara axis.
He noticed how crowded the place was but just didn’t think it was too much to be given attention to so he patiently waited for a bus to come but instead of a bus, it was a stray bullet…
So sad.
It struck him dead immediately. A life is gone!!! Philips’s dear brother and friend is no more.
Philip was no longer comfortable with the fact that Collins’s number was not reachable till that time and he wasn’t forthcoming too so he pleaded with his friends to allow him go check up on him.
“Guys, omo,my mind no dey here o”. Collins number no dey go o, I don call taya but baba number no connect. I bin wan go before,una say make I chill say I no know how mata be for that side. Omo,I no fit chill again o, make I go.”
As Philip said those words to them, they reasoned with him but asked him to be very careful and stay safe.
He left them hurriedly and tried getting a bus that will take him to Lasu gate. He got a bus after some minutes of waiting at the bus-stop and was on his way to school.
All through the journey, he kept calling Collins on the phone, it still didn’t connect.
“Baba, wetin dey happen na” He screamed out loud as everyone in the bus gave him a funny look as if to say “what’s wrong with this one o”
He didn’t mind at all, he kept trying the number, looking through the window and talking to himself. After some minutes, they were at Lasu gate, he paid the driver and alighted from the bus.
The place was unusually calm as though nothing had happened. Apparently, the policemen had come to restore peace and tranquility but there were few bodies on the floor and some blood stains here and there.
Philip tried crossing the road to the other side and what he saw shocked him and brought tears to his eyes… with mouth wide open he stared at his vibrant brother Collins reduced to a lifeless body, he looked like he was just taking a nap, but the hole in his head made it clear that he was gone.
He was heartbroken and dumbfounded but he wondered what had happened to his phone so he checked his pockets, he found the phone intact only to notice that there was no way Collins would have been warned beforehand… it was on FLIGHT MODE ✈️ 😩
Now he cannot return home or hangout, his life, wasted for nothing because of the single action of touching the flight mode.
Who says “men don’t cry”
Philip wept bitterly but his tears could not restore the life of Collins.
Moral: Please, do not leave your phones on flight mode for any reason at all. If you do not want to be disturbed with calls or messages, you can use the silent button or better still vibration. The phone can be in that mode and it won’t disturb your peace. Someone might need to send you an important message or even call you; a light pop up on your screen, a notification of a missed call or message can save your life.
Please, no flight mode…
Please, pass it on…
I actually wrote this fiction story in less than 20 minutes but you can share it in seconds. I’m Ebijanded and I care about you. Cheers.
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