THE FALL (LOH Contest #149)

I had a weekend getaway with a random friend. We both found ourselves bored and in need of a different place, away from our regular lives. We lived three states apart, so we decided to meet in the state in between—Oyo State. It was a weekend of movies, rest, food, and wine, most of it experienced within the confined walls of our hotel room.

Everything was going fine until he said he wanted to meet up with someone in town on Saturday morning, and he said he would be gone for a few hours. I was upset because it wasn’t part of the plan, but I still liked that I would have time for myself, as I am not used to having someone all up in my face every time.

He apologised and asked me to see him off as a sign of accepting his apology, and I reluctantly agreed. Since our room was on the first floor, we had to go downstairs, and there were two flights of stairs on the way to the ground floor.

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On getting to the first flight of stairs, I slipped from the second step to the first landing and landed right on my buttocks. I remained there for over a minute before my brain registered what had happened and how it had happened. I was dressed in pyjama shorts and a hair bonnet while sitting on my ass, sprawled on the floor in shock. I am six feet tall, and I bet I looked stupendous sitting there like that. My friend was asking me how I was, and the receptionist who heard the crash came up to check what had happened. They were both saying sorry and asking how I was feeling, but God, I just wanted to disappear. Either that, or the ground needed to open up and swallow me.

My friend really admires me a lot, and I never thought he would see me in such a state. He kept saying sorry, but I really think I would’ve preferred that he made light of the situation by saying something funny. I looked towards my right hand to find my phone and make sure it wasn’t broken, as I was holding it before the fall. I helped myself up by holding the railing and lifting myself off the floor. I was too embarrassed and shocked to accept any help.

I figured out later that the tiles laid on the floor and my slippers weren’t a good combination, so I had to find alternative footwear to wear if I needed to walk around the hotel. I didn’t realise it until after the fall, though. And yes, I still saw him off despite his advice against it. I can be stubborn like that. The floor has nothing on me😅.