Anyway I'm walking down the road, having just come out of the bank. I'm irritated and upset because what I went in to do didnt go too well as in Cargo never reach Wharf, and I'm mumbling to myself and trying to see how I can solve the problem logically, who to call, who NOT to call, so many calculations going on in my head. I don't realise I'm talking to myself and a passing shoe-shier thinks I am addressing him and asks me to sit while he polishes my shoes. I don't have anything better to do at that moment and my shoes are actually in need of a shine so I sit down under his umbrella shade and take off my shoes. I begin to make calls as the shoe-shiner polishes away. I make a call to Abuja, another one to Port harcout. Port picks and assures me everything will be alright that I should be a little patient. Abuja doesnt pick his call. I'm getting more irritated by the minute.

The cobbler finishes polishing my shoes and hands them over. I wear them and hand him his fee of N30 and begin to walk away, by now I'm so frazzled I just want to get to a cool place and think.

Suddenly out of the blue this girl arrives, mid-twenties, fair-skinned, her eyes bright, her cheeks painted a bright red colour and her hair dirty orange. she's wearing a white long sleeved T-shirt and over that a yellow short-sleeved one. Her skirt looks like it has been deliberately plastered with dirt and her shoes might be different colours. She jingles the cup in her hand and I immediately recognise her as a rag-day student.

But it is her smile that elicited this write-up. Unbridled, unchained, undemanding smile. Completely innocent and full of joyous rendering. Even though she seemed to be asking me for something it was more like she was the one giving me something, something that money could not give. All the stress left my body in an instant, all the irritability disappeared like dew in the early morning sun, and i found myself smiling at this total stranger.

Her smile widened. "Good afternoon sir, please help the nigerian student"

"At this time of the day, isn;t your rag-day over?" I asked. i wasn't interested in her reply, I just wanted to feast my eyes on that smile for as long as possible.

As if in response to my wishes the smile widened and ecstacy overwhelmed me. She said something i can't remember. i was completely enveloped in that smile of hers. I drank from it like a man strranded in the desert drinks from a water hole he just found. I dipped my hand into my wallet and pulled out a note with a couple of zeroes and gave it to her. She positively grinned now.

"Thank you sir!" She squealed and was off.

"No, thank you." I said under my breath.

As I resumed my steps I realised things werent so bad after all. I walked more lightly with a spring in my steps. A smile had giving me the relief that a delayed alert hadnt.