THE DAY I MET SARAH AGAIN

I remember the day I would have died if I haven't met Sarah again. That day, it had just began to rain heavily when I heard a slight knock on my hostel door. It was the early hours of the morning around 2am and the generator in the compound had been switched off because of the rain, so all that remained was the sound of distant thunder. I drew my wrapper more on myself so that I can start another chapter of sleep when I heard a knock on the door, "Who would knock at this hour?" I asked myself then I gathered strength and whispered “who is it?” but I got no reply, however I heard another knocking so I had no choice than to stand up and open the door.  To my earnest surprise, just like a dream I saw my best friend in secondary school, Sarah. It was the same Sarah that had been killed in a car crash three years ago, I was shocked to my bones I couldn't scream nor shout, I was just too terrified. She was looking exactly the way she was the last time I saw her before her death, however she had sadness written all over her face and she said “Can I come in?” she asked softly and my heart raced. I would have shut the door but my body shifted itself for her to come in as if I wasn't thinking. She entered shivering with water dripping from her body due to the heavy rain outside but I couldn't stop looking at her as my heart was beating so fast “Sarah… but you are dead, I was there when they buried you and I even saw your mother cry but how come you are alive” She smiled faintly and said “I know but I had to come”. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the room grew colder, “Why?” I whispered, she replied with sadness in her voice "Since you are going to commit the same mistake I did". I shook my head trying to understand what's happening “No, no, this is a dream” but she came closer and said “Bola listen to me, don't go with Kunle tomorrow when he comes to pick you up", then I became afraid because Kunle is my boyfriend who I met six months ago and he had told me that he would be driving me to Ibadan so that I could meet his family, but how could Sarah know about our plan?, this was the question that came to my mind so I replied her “What are you talking about?” I whispered and her eyes glistened. The car crash that killed me was not just a crash, it was as a result of my disobedience, I ignored the signs when I saw them so please don’t repeat my story”. Tears were already forming in my eyes so I said “Sarah, please I don’t understand” so she extended her hand towards me as though she were going to touch me but she stopped in between and withdrew her hand back then she said “Promise me Bola, don’t go with him in his car tomorrow, promise!” I was about to respond when lightning struck and filled the room with white light but when the lightning disappeared she was gone then the atmosphere became warm again, I was sweating that the wrapper around me was so wet, I could barely sleep till morning. When the day broke, I was woken up by my phone at 9am. Kunle had sent me an SMS saying "Baby I am outside, are you ready for the trip?” I sat on the bed shaking, was it really Sarah or it's just a dream of my anxiousness?. I looked through the window and I saw Kunle leaning on his sleek black car and smiling at his phone, I also saw a man sitting at the front seat he had a black cap on him but something in his pose was dangerous then I remembered Sarah’s warning and my stomach twisted. The second time Kunle called my phone I picked it up and I gathered courage to message him and I typed “Sorry, Kunle, I can’t make it today”. He insisted and pleaded with me but I stood my ground until he drove away angrily. After two hours, I received a news alert on Twitter that a car accident on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, two men died and the vehicle caught fire 🥹 my legs lost it power and I found myself on the floor, my cell phone dropped out of my hands and I started crying. Although I was sorrowful and grateful at the same time. I was thankful to Sarah for showing up to warn me ahead even though I still can't say if it was a dream or not but I was also sad because l just lost my boyfriend whom I love so much.  Thank you so much for staying this far, hope you had a good read with me, see you again next time 🤗 Noted: All pictures are generated on Meta AI