“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is the progress. Working together is success.” –Henry Ford

The above Henry Ford quote reminds me of the opportunity I missed some years ago.

It was a Sunday afternoon in one of the last three ember months of 2009. I was then in Ekiti State, Igbara-Odo to be precise for an assignment.

I had gone to Ilawe-Ekiti from Igbara-Odo in the morning of that Sunday to meet with a friend and when it was time for me to return to Igbara-odo, my host followed me to the road side, where I hoped to get a kind of commercial pick and drop vehicle or bike to take me back to Igbara-Odo.

We had waited for a while without any of the few flagged vehicles stopping for us, and then a sparkling clean sky-blue Land Cruiser emerged from the Ado-Ekiti axis, heading towards my direction.

Since such vehicles are not used for commercial or the roadside pick service that I needed, we did not bother to stop it, but surprisingly, the vehicle stopped right in front of us. The front passenger glass went down and the driver, a beautiful dark complexion lady, who should be between late 20s or early 30s said in Yoruba: “Bros, are you going?” To which I replied “Yes.”

She then asked me to come in, which I did. The glass rolled back up after I had closed the door. She then said “E lo belt yin.” Meaning “Use your safety seat belt.” And I did. Just only two of us in the vehicle, and the journey began.

Nothing spectacular happened through the few minutes journey except that she received a call, and from her replies, I knew that she was going to Lagos. At some instances she would say to me “Bros, se e wa okay?” to which I replied “Yes”. We eventually got to Igbara-Odo, I alighted, wished her safe journey and she continued on her journey.

Now, each time I remember this incident, I always wish I had requested for her contact then, with the intent to push our temporary coming together forward to keeping together and possibly, working together.

Who knows, what gem could have been forever hidden in that untapped moment?