The Driver and The Manager

Today at work, a driver exchanged words with a manager, and I felt liberated, watching the two of them argue; watching the driver say, "No, sir, I was not blackmailing you, the rule says I cannot park there"; watching the manager say, "Don't be rude to me, you are being rude to me, you were blackmailing me"; hearing my colleagues bicker at the driver, "Matthew, just stop arguing, you are talking to a manager."

It was all liberating; the audacity of the driver to stand up to this corporate giant of a man with years of experience tucked under his belt, with his fancy suit and nice English; the intrusion of my colleagues who wouldn't let two grown men argue in peace. I wanted that driver's boldness for myself.

But, of course, calls were soon made to his supervisor, who must have threatened to have him sacked because on the way back to the office, that courageous man had shrivelled up, couldn't keep his hands from shaking as he begged the manager, "Oga, no vex, na God I take beg you."

I wanted the story to end victoriously; with a driver who would not fret in the presence of a man richer than he is, and of a manager who would cave in to the demands of a man who does not wear nice suits.

But you don't always get what you want.