How a mere shopping cart made a show of me.

How difficult could it be, I told myself.

Having had a long day and anticipating another one the next day, I decided to shop that night. Straight from work, I went to my favorite mart, not getting everything I needed, I proceeded to the mall (our favorite Shoprite). I was fagged out to the teeth but I would rather go through all that trouble that night than carry some part over till next time.

After getting everything I needed, the ones I got in the former store and in Shoprite I was certain I won't able to carry all in my tiny little hands outside the mall while I await my ride, so I decided to use the cart (that normal iron Shoprite cart now). Honestly I have not tried it before so I wasn't sure how to go about it so I just intended to ask one of the cart Pushers to help me. I went to retrieve my stuff kept at the ante room at the entrance of Shoprite, stocked the cart and asked one of the attendant there to keep an eye on them for me while I got hunting for one of the Pushers. But un(fortunately) for me, my cart is not filled with heavy liquor and other alcoholic drinks, because that seems to be the only things that the Pushers were (are) always interested in pushing, probably they get more tipped by purchasers of such. I spoke with one of the security men who told me I should hold on for them, that there were just two on duty and they would be back.

Five minutes turned into ten. I have requested for my Uber ride, and the driver is close, yet none of these Pushers seem to be forthcoming. Agitated and exhausted, I kept grumbling when the attendant that was keeping an eye on my stuff saw me and told me it's actually not that difficult to push and I can do it myself. I looked at it and remembered the many scenarios of just about anyone pushing it so I said "how difficult could it be" as I started making my way towards it. I had no idea that I was about to embarrass my generation. What the heck! I have never been "incapacitated" like that in my life. No be just cart?! Na cart I no fit push?! Egbami 🤷‍♀️!

The attendant was looking at me as I was making a mess of myself then gave me a few tips, but somehow it just wasn't working. As I was struggling with my cart and struggling with my weight, not to fall, a young man strolled passed with a hand in pocket and causally rolling similar cart away, the woman teaching me beckoned my attention to him and said "you see, it's so easy”. Till now I can't fathom whether it was the load in the cart that was too much or just me that couldn’t roll a simple cart.

I have conquered many mountains. Come on, I live alone in the largest city in Africa meaning I have done many unspeakable things all by myself, so how difficult could just a common cart be, common cart o! Well, my brethren, I just found myself going in a triangular movement over and again. It was so funny that people started slowing down just to watch me. At this point, I told myself "enough is enough". Mustered all my strength, and developed an extra pair of hand (just kidding) as I picked all my luggage and navigated my way towards the main entrance.

I can't come and kill myself.

“How difficult could it be?” is many times the question people ask themselves before making one major discovery, but it's so sad that wasn't the case for me that night. Going forward, how difficult could it be would be a statement I would gauge very carefully before ever trying anything ever again...no matter of easy it might seem.

Have you had such embarrassing moment before? At something that looked seemingly simple but then turned out difficult?