my thoughts: WHAT'S YOUR DISTRESS CODE?

my thoughts: WHAT'S YOUR DISTRESS CODE?: It is funny how we always seem prepared for what never happens but never prepared for what eventually does happen.   I have always thoug...

WHAT'S YOUR DISTRESS CODE?

It is funny how we always seem prepared for what never happens but never prepared for what eventually does happen.  I have always thought it a great idea to have this secret code between my husband and I that would send a signal to me that he has a thief(holding a gun to his head)  with him at the door when he knocks. I never thought I needed to have a code for ‘hey aunt, I have been kidnapped!’

Yes I give all thanks to God today.  My niece-cousin-niece-cousin..Whatever, well, my cousin’s daughter was kidnapped.  She lives with me. We spoke more than four times on the phone while she was with the kidnappers yet I suspected nothing.  As far as I was concerned, she went for her computer classes and is staying longer than necessary, disobeying my orders to leave there and head back home. So, I decided to stop calling and see the time she would come home and I would tongue lash her.  My mom called to tell me that my niece called her to tell her she was lost and did not have a clue how to get back home to me. Of course I panicked in confusion. I called and gave her instructions on how to get to a spot where my hubby would go pick her up.

She is back home safe and sound now. Here is her story….

On her way to her computer class which is just on the next street, she was accosted by a guy with a gun to go into a jeep. She was then driven from my very far location of agege to some place (we got to know, a village after Ikorodu). They took her into an uncompleted building where she was asked to sit and that was when she made the second call to me asking if I was home yet. Apparently, they were given a photograph of a girl to kidnap and she was just a case of mistaken identity. The main man ordered them to take her back and left. They told her they had no time to take her back and she should be prepared to stay there for another three days since she said she knew nowhere. There was however a younger guy who was asked to stay with her. He told her he would take her to where she would get a bus and she should ask around from there. So he took her to where she boarded bus to Ikorodu and she was able to contact us properly. Of course the story is longer than all of this but my simple question is, do we now make it a duty to give code words within the family that will signify that we are in a compromised or bad situation?

TEARS OF A MOTHER .....plane crash

I was shivering, shaking, panting, gasping, and hyperventilating. My mind flashed back.  I was about to board the airline. As was the custom in my family, I sent sms to my dad that I was about to board. I called my husband as soon as I sent the sms that I was boarding already. I boarded with my daughter.  There was nothing strange about the whole pre-take off and take off procedure. My daughter was strapped to me with an infant belt. She is 2. About 30mins into the flight, one of the crew members announced that we need to strap on tight and said a few things to calm us down.  I felt the plane jerked in a funny way about a couple of times and it did not feel like the regular turbulence one would experience. But then I did not feel any fear-yet-as I simply assumed we were approaching the airport and descending. Yes seems we were sort of descending already or was it my imagination? We would descend, and then rise again. This was kind of strange. When this continued for another five minutes I noticed a few other passengers were feeling uneasy as well.  Now we were about 35minutes in air. Seemed like all was fine again. Then we got that reassuring announcement that we were approaching the Muritala Muhammed airport and check that our seat belts were fastened.  This was about 5mins after the descend and rise effect I felt.  My daughter was wriggling restlessly so I held her tight and tried to soothe her with playful songs.

Then!  I felt the plane descend sharply. I looked out and I did not see that we were above the airport yet. It came up a bit again. This time, everyone obviously panicked. I held onto my daughter so tight that she cried. Then I was saying ‘Subhanallah, lai laha ila Allahu’. I was saying all that amidst reciting the protective verse “kur siyu” of the Holy Quran. Others around me were also screaming all sorts of prayers. I could only hear myself. There was suddenly a very loud sound and that was when I felt like I was floating alone and my whole inside was dropping down , down , down.  God! We weren’t landing. We were falling! It was so fast but it was so detailed at the same time. Like a slow motion being replayed fast. I have no idea if something hit the plane or the plane hit something but we stopped descending with a loud thud with things flying down and around inside the air craft at the same time. I was seated towards the back. Something had fallen to hit the man beside me on his head. It was all so confusing. People screaming inside, fallen over each other. I saw nothing. I only heard my daughter saying ‘mummy mummy, let us go outside’. As I prayed in fear, my heart was screaming to my husband but nothing came from my lips. He was at the airport waiting to pick me.  He could not hear me. Because we did not land at t he airport. I prayed he would hear me and come for me.  I told myself I would make sure nothing happened to my daughter.  I was so scared now. I am shivering. And holding my baby, and crying because I knew it was a crash. There was no crew member to re assure anyone. I saw none of them.  As I walked blindly towards the only ray of light I could see, I heard a wheezing sound and then….there was flame.

I am sweating.  Yes I am panting, just writing my imagination. It did not happen to me. But it could have been anyone of use and  I know it happened to someone. Maybe not exactly.  All of the above flashed through my mind within 5mins. I was crying. I pray that those who died in the crash find peace-one way or another. I pray that all none of the kids onboard experienced pain before they died. I pray that all of the kids on that Dana plane felt the love of their mother as strong as ever.