Cheating death in the dead of the night
I was doing 90km per hour. It was possible to increase the speed but the narrow strip of the road made it impossible. It was more like a narrow corridor than a road and I drove precariously on the side of the road each time there was an oncoming vehicle.
Baba VaTata sat next to me and at the back was Fatso and Rasta. I had taken over the wheel from Baba VaTata as he seemed to be dozing on the wheel. The car belonged to Baba VaTata. We were coming from Rusape on our way back to Harare as we had accompanied Fatso to the funeral after the demise of his grandfather.
I was not an experienced driver so I took extra care to concentrate and look ahead.
I was thinking that we should have slept the night in Rusape than to travel during the night. There was an argument and Baba VaTata had made it clear that he wanted to travel that night. The other problem is we had also done some fair share of beer imbibing and night travel was quite risky.
By the time we left Rusape, it was already getting dark and there were low dark hanging clouds and it was like you could stretch your hands out and touch them. I saw a flock of African grey hornbill birds circling in the sky as they prepared to settle on the tree tops for the night. They looked spectacular in their white and grey plummage.
The sky threatened to rain at any moment and there were pale streaks of lightning in the distant horizon. Thunder rumbled in the distance and bounced off on the hills. It was not a good time for travel.
As I drove, I was on the lookout for stray livestock. Many of the accidents during the night were caused directly by stray livestock, especially cattle and donkeys.
Baba VaTata was snoring like a pig on the passenger seat. It was like he had a snout for a nose. On the back seat, both Fatso and Rasta were either too tired or too drunk. They were both slumped on the back seat, asleep. Maybe it was for the better as it made it easy for me to concentrate on the highway.
I switched on the radio. It cackled and hissed for a minute. There was no network reception and so I leaned forward and switched it off. My eyelids felt heavy with sleep. I drank some mineral water and used my right hand to sprinkle some water in my eyes. I blinked. I wanted to ward off dozing on the wheel. It was of little help as my eyelids even felt heavier. But after I opened all the windows, I felt a fresh breeze of cold air hit my face as it rushed in the car.
In the rear view mirror, I spotted a car with powerful headlights that was fast approaching from behind. It was a Toyota Hilux and it almost forced me out of the road. That was reckless driving and I swore under my breathe. I just caught a glimpse of the driver as he overtook us at a curve. He had earphones on both ears with a sheepish grin on his face that would take me a long time to forget.
My friends continued to sleep peacefully oblivious of the danger on the highway. I envied them. I slowed down and after a while I saw powerful beams of an oncoming car that was driving towards us driving in the opposite direction.
Large clear drops of water started falling as the heavens suddenly opened up. It was a hailstorm and the droplets pounded on the car with intensity. The wipers were hardly working due to the heavy rain. I could hardly see. The rain splashed on the windscreen making visibility poor. I could hardly see a few metres ahead.
As I climbed a steep incline, the car I had seen in the distance flashing its headlights descended the slope encroaching onto my lane. It was a 30 tonne haulage truck and in that moment I realised that there was going to be a collision. Visibility was very poor and the rain continued to pound.
I was quite sure that the driver of the haulage truck did not even see our car as he came around
the bend driving dangerously onto our lane. I had no other option.
To avoid the oncoming haulage truck, either I had to drive off the slope or leave everything in God’s hands and wait for the fateful impact. I was paralysed to a point of non-action. I was numb. I simply froze and shut my eyes and just at that moment the haulage truck veered off to its lane at the last moment missing us by a whisker.
I only managed to drive the car down the slope and pulled out of the road. We had cheated death!
It was at that moment Baba VaTata woke up.
“Why are you stopping?” He asked.
It was a near miss. I was shivering. What Baba VaTata did not know is that only a miracle had saved them from dying in their sleep.
After a while I found my voice. “I can’t drive anymore,” I said. “I will drive myself,” said Baba VaTata.
“No, you can’t, you are drunk. And it’s raining, let’s wait and get some rest,” I said firmly.
Sometimes it is better late than never. The roads are a jungle.
Onie Ndoro is a an IELTS tutor, ghostwriter and storyteller. For feedback: X@Onie90396982/ email:oniendoroh@gmail.com 0773007173