It was a long wall along a busy road. We stood by the wall, waiting, patiently. There always came a moment the busy road became quiet, kind of deserted. The very moment we were looking forward to.

Ali bent, I stood on his bent back, and yet couldn’t properly reach the top of the wall. He had to raise himself slightly with the two  feet planted on his back. My sweaty palms grated the top of the wall made of cement blocks which had no plastering. I held tightly unto the top, and pulled myself up, simultaneously swinging a little bit to allow me lock a leg to the top of the wall and pull the rest of my body along. Soon, I sat on the wall, psyching myself up to jump down.

One, two… And three!

The jump was neatly down. I felt some chill mixed with pain vibrate through my feet into my waist and spine.

Hardly had I started plucking a few ripe mangoes when a dog started barking. We were sure there was no dog on the compound. But where from this dog?

“Who is there?“ came a voice and stones aimed at my stubborn head from inside a room on the compound. Like some searchlight, a big wild dog flash through the compound heading straight for me.

Damn! How do I get out?

Quickly, I threw the few plucked mangoes over the wall. Unable to reclimb the wall, I frantically starting mounting the tree. But I was too late!

The dog pounced on me, and down we tumbled. I feared I might be eaten into pieces.

“Shaffa!“ a voice immediately cried.

I did not know what it meant, but the magic word suddenly calmed the angry dog and it retreated to its master.

As I scrambled to my feet to make another run, a hand grabbed me by the waist.

“Waaawa!“

I turned. It was the voice that had been speaking. An old man, a Muslim. I did not speak Hausa but I knew     “waaawa” meant “thief”.

He asked me a coupled of questions in Hausa which I couldn’t respond. As if to reset my mind to think cleanly and respond promptly, my head received a couple of blows before each next wave of questions. Unfortunately, the wires in my brain were not picking up the signals.

Finally, he dragged me to the gate and pushed me out.

Shame.

Collins had abandoned me and fled with the mangoes I threw over the wall.

I walked home with tearful eyes and a  head bowed in shame.