All done now, I arrived my room and I met a couple of backpackers who were either holidaymakers or adventure seekers. One Spanish guy would however strike a conversation with me and was very keen on sustaining the tempo. I admit he was very chatty, charismatic and rambunctious. Ordinarily, I was wary and perhaps a bit suspicious of his intents than goodwill. I surreptitiously waved his friendly overtures aside and proceeded to locate my bunk space. Seconds after, he walks up to me and asks that I put my personal effects in a locker close to his bedside. For some reason, I refused the kind gesture. He would leave the room feeling cowered and a bit disappointed, I did not mind anyway. However, this was untypical of my effervescent and vivacious nature that naturally endeared me to casual acquaintances.
Now while lying in bed, my mind told me to go get food. I shoved the thought aside and decided to take a thirty minutes nap. The thought came again, and for the second time, I decided against it. I was less than fifteen minutes in dreamland when a loud knock on the door would jolt me back to reality. Seven hefty looking Australian Policemen with a search warrant for a suspected drug bust stormed the room in contemporary Hollywood manner. Everything seemed like movie and while I knew I had no iota of reason to worry, I had every reason to be concerned as I was the only Black person in the room and the entire facility, as I would later find out.
So here, I stood surrounded by bulky-looking police officers with all the ‘paraphernalia’ of force at their disposal—‘armed to the teeth’ and meant business. They affirmed that they were for a drug bust and asked that everyone in the room showed them their luggage, their bedside lockers and personal effects. By this time, part of the Police team stationed outside had combed, tracked and assembled all other members of the room back to base before proceeding with their business.
Then the unspeakable happened, the same person that had earlier warmed up to me and asked that I put my personal stuff in a cupboard was the ‘Don Pablo’ of the drug bust. Cocaine, Pills, Marijuana and many powdery substances were discovered under the same cupboard he had asked me to put my belongings. Two other persons in the room also had various quantities of illegal drug substances and a stash of dollar bills found in their bags. The guys were arrested and immediately detained. After about one hour, the Police Officers had concluded their job; I left the room and asked for a refund, which I got in full.
As I left, many questions mostly bordering on ‘What Ifs’ flooded my mind and then I understood what it means to listen. What would have happened if my personal belongings were in the locker? What if my duffel bag was not secured downstairs? What if I became the guys friend instantly? What if???? So many questions…mostly rhetorical.
From that little experience, I learnt that there is ‘Trouble’, there is ‘Wahala’, and there is ‘Problem’. If we listen to the gentle voice in our head, we prevent Trouble, escape Wahala and avoid Problem. For small moments of listening can prevent big episodes of trouble. For truly, it pays to listen
