When Anger Takes Over: A Struggle For Peace.

There was a time I totally went nut, like I didn't even think it through, anger just took the best part of me on that particular day, and sincerely that was the first.

At that time I was writing my WAEC(West African Examination ), it was not a totally comfortable time, I had to go to school, return and help mum throughout the day, the only time I had to read wad in the midnight, in the early mornings, no time to revise, we have to work out what my brother would have to hawk.

I returned from that day and found my younger brother crying beside a broken tray of Kulikuli(kulikuli is made from groundnut, it goes through certain process and then can be used to drink cassava flakes). We sell kulikuli at the roadside each day, that's our families hustle, as early as 4:am in the morning we are up to start preparation, that is what I am always busy with every morning till around 7:30am when I have to go prepare for school, I am always late to school, that has become a norm.

That day, with the hope of going to relieve my brother since he's been there since morning, I got there and met him crying and on that day I had rushed out of the examination hall drained and hungry only to meet our trays scattered. I held his arm to stand him up and saw some reddish marks on it. Apparently, some agbero (touts) boys had come around and before he could pack our wares they had already gotten to him, overthrow the wares, slapped him and all.... I know he(my bro) does not stand a chance with them at all, neither do I.

But I didn't even think it through, I dropped my bag and stormed down to the bus park that house those touts, he had described the particular guy who injured him to me, I spotted the guy amidst his agbero mate, walked up to him and gave him a hot slap, even the stick in his mouth flew off. He turned to me and wanted to fight but people were around and they already rushed over, I would have been beaten blue black.

And that was the first time I raised my hand to someone in public, I didn’t feel proud about it, I didn't know what took over me that day, maybe the thought of ..after all the stress I go through on a daily.... The park chairman got to know and called me over, he calmed me down and apologize on his behalf, he then gave me money for everything destroyed, right there he warned the agbero to behave himself henceforth.

But that didn't seem to ease the battle I was fighting within myself, I felt shame for reacting in such a violent way, my mum got to know and she was sorry for having to put us such a position of experiencing such and all, that night I couldn't sleep, I was just thinking what ifs...., what if he had fought back, what if he comes around to harm us again, what if.....just what if.

The second day, my younger brother kept hailing me and thanking me, but all I could think of was how anger had almost reduced/turned me to the same street madness I hated. Ever since then, I always try to count backward from thirty when am angry, it doesn't always work but it do calm me and give me enough time to choose wisely. We all have tempers, and it has not been easy surviving frustrations on a daily especially in a country and economy like ours, in all, let's just make sure that in whatever we do, our peace is more important, make sure you walk away from any situation with your peace intact.

All pictures are mine.

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