Steemit Engagement Challenge Season 7 Week 5 :"Be Creative: Write A Short Story."

In life, we experience a lot of unexpected things that we remember for the rest of our days. The incident that inspired today's story occurred to me last year. It was an unplanned event that happened in my life and will be with me forever.

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My First Encounter With a Phone Pickpocket

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On September 13, 2022, I was on my way to the Iyana Ipaja motor park to return to school. It would take me approximately three cars to get from my home to the bus stop, from whence I would board a bus to Ikorodu, Lagos, the location of my school. I was in the second vehicle when it all happened. It was a keke napep, a type of tricycle that can accommodate three people in the backseat and one in front, together with the driver. I was seated on the left of the back row. My phone's safety was actually my biggest concern, so I held it rather than placing it in my overfilled backpack or my pocket. That, I reasoned, was the best course of action because pickpockets are common and with all the items I was carrying, I didn't believe I would notice if someone took anything out of my pocket, especially if it was done by a pro. So, I chose to hold it instead.

_{Image By Joshua Oluwagbemiga Unsplash}

In less than a minute, something that had never happened to me before transpired. Even though I've heard tales, I never imagined that it would one day happen to me. My hand instinctively lunged for my phone in an attempt to take it as I immediately saw a hand reach inside the tricycle. Luckily, the phone slid and fell on the main road, saving me from getting hurt (on motion). Wait a minute, what just happened? I was thinking in my brain.

I was completely speechless and assumed it was all a dream because I was unable to speak a word. Thank God, everyone on the tricycle witnessed what had happened, and the driver immediately stop. The pickpocket disappeared following his unsuccessful attempt; he was able to do so quickly since he was riding a bike, which made it simple for him to depart before being apprehended.

_{Image By Ashkan Forouzani Unsplash}

I was simply in awe at this point and had no idea how to respond or feel. The back of my phone physically broke, I picked it up and was unable to cry. I was just watching cause I felt we were in a movie or something; nevertheless, a large crowd had assembled and were saying sorry to me and making various remarks and critiques in my vicinity. They held divergent views, but it was actually good and very natural, so I didn't feel too horrible about it. I was being criticized for not putting it in my purse or pocket, among other things. They may have a point, and you can never be too vigilant in this world because anything may happen at any time. I simply reentered the tricycle with the other passengers and driver in quiet as they continued to talk about the issue. I sat down and kept gazing at my phone while I tried to absorb everything that had just happened. My phone had been working fine only a few minutes before, but now it seemed completely different (broken screen and back glass)

I had a difficult journey since I was unable to listen to any music, which just made me feel worse, but I refrained from crying. I arrived at school at the end of the day, but I was unable to complete the majority of my tasks since I had no a phone. God, as usual, didn't leave me to handle it on my own. I was able to borrow money from my parents and save money, and around two to three weeks later, I was able to fix the screen.

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Conclusion

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By the way, to be quite honest, those few weeks without a phone weren't really that dull. I became preoccupied reading and watching various movies on my laptop. I won't lie; that was quite an experience.

To participate in this contest, I'd like to invite my friends @fombae, @solexybaba and @chant.