He was a comely boy of sixteen, who would suspect he is running a little drug ring in the shadows of his neighborhood. This was not what he wanted to do, but his father left him no choice when he abandoned him and his three siblings. His mum could not provide for all of them, so Johnny stepped in, taking charge of his family by running this side gig to help shore up mama’s purse. However, he did promise himself, come December 1st 2020, he would put an end to his shady life style.
November 29, 2020, bracing himself for the cold winter night, he bundled up, he was ready to deliver the last batch of Heroin to his contact, and that would be his last trip. There was something about the air that night that felt creepy, but he shrugged it off thinking it was the normal nervousness that comes with each delivery. He stepped on the street curb, skipped past the rusty wire fence; he stumbled a little but found his balance. A shadowy figure emerges from the shrubs to the left of the old church building; that must be the contact person he thought to himself. He gave the signal, three claps in quick succession and one short whistle. The figure moved and responded with one tap. Johnny thought something was wrong with the response, it should have been one clap and two whistles, anyway he proceeded while wondering, and maybe his contact could not care less about procedures. This was his last night in this business, after tonight he will be a free man, he thought. Johnny approached with the drugs in his hands, and the man stepped out of the shadows, he was tall and muscular, he had a gun in his right hands, his fingers arched around the trigger ready to pull if Johnny made any false move, he is a cop. A chill ran down Johnny’s spine, oh my goodness! He muttered, why now, oh why? His eyes darted back and forth, hoping to find a way of escape but it was too late, the cop has him in clear view, any false move will result a tragic end, and all he could think of was his mother, his siblings and this question: “why doesn’t life come with an undo button.
How many times have we looked back at our actions and wondered what would have been different if we had not done what we had done or not say what we had said. The convenience of a pencil eraser or a computer undo button is so enticing, but a real life situation does not permit such luxuries. We go through life carrying the burdens of our mistakes and regrets and often times wish we could undo the past, but the past is already done, it cannot be un-done. So should we continue to wallow in self-pity and regrets? No! The ability to forge ahead irrespective of our past mistakes is the mark of a true hero. As no one is perfect, no one is free from errors, we all at some point will trip over this obstacle. However, be rest assured that you are not alone, because someday, sometime, somehow, somewhere, everyone will experience situations that will cause them to look back with regret and wish things were different. However, you must not be tempted to dwell in these thoughts, you must keep on moving. Find your comfort in positive thoughts, stay focus on your goals and above all, do good to those who come across your path while on your journey to recovery.
As the saying goes that the road to hell is pave with good intentions, I believe no one deliberately goes out of their way to hurt others, unless such a person is a psychopath; I believe we more often than not, try our best to be fair with each other. I acknowledge that there are life moments where we let our anger get the better of us, and we vent our emotions, We may not have the intentions of making our brother or sister cry, but when we do, we end up hurting ourselves too, because what we do to others eventually come back hunting us. There is an old saying that you do unto others as you expect them to do unto you, we should thread carefully while dealing with each other because when you point a finger at another, inadvertently you have three of your own fingers pointing back at you.
We complain, we blame others, we blame ourselves, we wish life was a little different, we laugh, we cry, we create good memories and bad ones too. Life is too short to make ourselves miserable, if there were anything, I would implore that we treat each other with love, respect, kindness and appreciation, for in the absence of these; all that is left is unpleasant memories. Do good to one another, forgiving one each other, this is the best gift we can ever give, it is the only legacy worth leaving behind. In the absence of any of these, all that is left is regret, heartbreak and pain, so please do remember that life does not come with UNDO Buttons.