I shudder as I write this. It was not a planned post, but I just can’t keep my mind from wandering on how my Angels worked overtime today in keeping me safe from becoming a drowned/missing person.

I will make this as brief as possible.

Earlier today, I went to the creek side to get shots of Seagulls and just explore.

Some part of the creek is very busy and crowded with boats, but as one walks further up, it gets less rowdy, as a matter of fact a bit of a lonely stretch.

I got carried away clicking happily, when these three guys approached me. Two were jet-black and one is an Asian.

A little voice in me just instructed me to carry my bag and start walking away.

One asked if I am a tourist, I did not respond, but I picked up my pace almost breaking into a jog to put some distance between us. Meanwhile, that stretch was just sea water, the narrow path and nobody else except speed boats flying past.

Inside me, I was panicking and I started praying as I hurried along and they followed. One of them even whistled at me and they broke out into hoots of laughter. From the way they spoke and the darkness of their complexion, I think they are Sudanese or Chadians.

My thoughts was that they would try to divest me of my things and push me into the water. At that thought, my heart stopped and started.

I simply said ‘God, what will happen to my children? Nobody will know what happened to me except when my body is found. Please help me.‘ I was contemplating what to do, if I should start waving frantically to the passing boats, when I saw two figures approaching at a further distance – besides I had no idea whether the path I was taking would lead to a dead end – I simply broke off into a run to meet the couple.

Luckily, as I got to them, a Bangladeshi husband and wife, I asked them if they were going back to the road and if I could join them and they accepted.

As we walked back together, we crossed the menacing guys on our way back who looked at me very malevolently, made very rude, derisive comments and laughed like idiots.

I struck up a conversation with the couple and the woman said that sometimes those guys are sailors who have been on the water for a long time and looking for a woman to play with or harass and that though she liked coming out there, she waits for either her husband or son to accompany her.

They walked with me until we came out to the road before we parted ways. I thought about it all the way home and wondered why it was just unfortunate that women have to be scared of their safety at every turn and how sad it is that some men have to keep molesting women or taking physical advantage of a woman alone.

My heart knows a heartfelt thanks, because I know that I had just been saved from danger. I am going to look for pepper spray. I wonder if they sell that here.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha