Walking into the market, I saw the women all closing their shops. I began to wonder what was going on. The list of items I was to buy was still in my hand. I looked at the list, and I began to wonder how I would be able to get all the items on it. It was a sunny Saturday morning, and it was strange that by 10 a.m. the women would be locking up their shops and heading. I would say it was a once in a blue moon event.
I kept walking in inside the market, hoping I would see a shop to get my groceries, but I couldn't find any. An elderly woman on seeing said, "Young man, you better leave the market immediately." I wondered what the problem was and why everyone was rushing out of the market.
The Gigo Market is a unique market; it is located at the boundary between two communities and is always filled with traders and buyers. There is a zoo close to the market, and it's one that is always filled with visitors and tourists who come to enjoy the wildlife and the beautiful mountains around the zoo. Gigo is a beautiful community, and its market has some of the best vegetables around, as every item sold in the market is gotten directly from the farm, which makes it fresh.
I got home, and everyone was excited. They all thought I had bought the chicken and the other items needed for preparing stew for dinner. "Lets all go to the kitchen and start preparing for lunch. You know my boss is joining us for lunch," Dad said. Everyone was super excited that Dad's boss was visiting, and this meant one thing: Dad was getting a promotion. "Dad, I didn't buy any food items from the market. The market is closed for the day." With a stern and scary look on his face, Dad shouted, "Don't tell me that; this is not the time for some cheap joke." At this point, I was becoming angry. I just got home, and no one even said hi. They were all interested in preparing lunch for our visitor. "I am not joking here; Gigo Market has been shut down and everyone was to go home."
My mom looked at me in disbelief, and I could see the anger in her face. "Just tell me you have used the money to buy one of those your silly gadgets," mom said with so much anger in her voice. One could easily touch the anger. I brought out the money and list of items and handed it over to mom. The look on her face was that of shock. And she was confused. "Young man, you could have said you won't buy the items instead of making us wait in vain for you to return from the market without any of the items.
Mom drove off, and there was grave silence in the living room. Everyone looked at me with disdain; at that moment I was the black sheep of the family. I was about to ruin Dad's big day. Dad looked at me and said, "How could you do this? Why do you want to embarrass me? Of all the days to pull a joke, you choose today of all days." I buried my head in my arms. Dad, looking red, said, "Yes, you should be ashamed of your actions. You know how long I have been waiting for this promotion, and you want to ruin it." I sat there, not really perplexed by dad's anger. But I was more worried about why the market had to be closed that early in the day.
Mom was back from the market yet without any of the items on the list. "I don't know what is really happening; the police have barricaded all the major roads in town. I think it has something to do with the market being closed so early," she said.
Dad's phone rings; he picks it up, and all he said was "Okay, sir." Mom asked him who called, but he rushed to turn on the TV. "My boss just called and said he has cancelled his appointment with us today and that I should watch the new." The atmosphere became more tense as no one knew what was going on.
There it was; a lion had just escaped its cage at the zoo near Gigo Market. The TV stations started rolling out safety tips. I imagined hearing a bang on our door, and boom, a lion is walking into the living room. I stood there and couldn't say a word. It dawned on me why everyone was in such a rush at the market. I turned to Dad and asked, "How is it possible for a lion to escape from its cage?" Dad looked at me and smiled. "The last such thing happened was sixty-five years ago, and I was barely two years old, so I really don't know what it feels like." Everyone became scared and amused at the same time. Such an occurrence is one that can take centuries before it reoccurs.
"Some people might lose their jobs," I said. Dad looked at me and said, "They better get the lion back to its cage."
Lions escaping the zoo rarely happen but when it happens it is not always funny.