Good Reasons for Common Good

Sarah, her mom, and her little brother were on their way to their pastor’s house. The previous day, a Sunday, Sarah’s family had ransacked their house for items they had no use of, from clothes to shoes, fascinators, and bags to give the disadvantaged. Her siblings had washed the washable and her little brother had arranged them neatly in a “Ghana-must-go” bag.

The sky roared, a signal that it would rain as they drove to their Pastor’s house. The clouds gathered, thick gray and black like the smoke of an ill set stove, yet they were not deterred. Her mom, Mrs. Peter was a learning driver who only had experience in driving around the estate where they lived. A few days ago, the estate committee employed the services of road construction workers to refortify the roads against floods. Half a portion of the road served as a working lane for both incoming and outgoing cars. Mrs. Peter had yet to gain the confidence to face such a driving situation, so she hurriedly drove to avoid facing an oncoming vehicle. Unfortunately, she could not escape. An incoming car met her in the middle, leaving her confused and scared.

As she was a learning driver, her fears intensified with the heaviness of the downpouring rain. Mrs. Peter could not reverse for there were cars lined behind her. Soon, screams, accusations, and chaos ensued, advised too were thrown at her, all the more confusing her, and causing her to freeze. Paralyzed by fear, Mrs. Peter sat in her car, not moving and blocking out all the voices.

“move forward!”

“Madam, move this car, space dey your front!”

“Madam, just turn your hand to the right”

“women cannot drive”

With the situations playing out in her presence, Sarah sat quietly, devising a solution to release the tension. With no willing hands around, she knew she had to be the willing hand. In her oversized red sweater, Sarah got down from her mom’s car, her comfort zone in the burning pandora. She had no previous experience, neither had she done such a job, she simply knew there was a problem that needed solving. With a min-flood brewing and heavy rain beating discouragingly at Sarah, she worked her way through the knots of problems, working harder and appealing to each person to follow her directions.

“Your mother cannot drive!”, they hauled her, and she wondered if there was any harm in her mom learning how to drive. There was simply no crime, only good reasons and she held on to that.“You this small girl, what do you know?”. Some asked her, yet no one was willing to help her or the others.

A few minutes later, she succeeded, heaving a sigh of relief. Mom drove through the narrow space and the other drivers too. Sarah has bravely solved a problem despite the unfavorable circumstances.

Youth Up is the Sarah of this story, it is all about not “wait for answers, only having a good reason”.