Chapter 7: Waking Up Like an Overused Grandpa
The next morning, I woke up — or should I say, tried to wake up.
As I opened my eyes, I realized my body was no longer mine.
My neck was stiff.
My waist felt like somebody had borrowed it and returned it broken.
Even my knees were making that "kri-kri" sound like a rusty gate hinge.
I tried turning on the bed... mistake.
Pain shot through my back like a lightning bolt.
I let out a small scream — the kind of sound goats make when you accidentally step on their tail.
"Aahh! Ei, Samuel, what have you done to yourself?" I cried inside.
I lay there thinking:
"Is this how old people feel every morning? Because if yes, then life is not easy at all."
After gathering small courage, I managed to roll myself off the bed like a sack of rotten cassava.
I stood up slowly, holding my waist like a retired boxer.
Even my breathing sounded tired.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, I laughed sadly.
My hair was scattered, eyes swollen, lips dry — I looked like a rejected prophet after 40 days in the wilderness.
I decided to stretch a little to ease the pains.
Biggest mistake of my life.
The moment I lifted my arm, my back cracked so loudly that even the house lizard jumped from the ceiling.
At that point, I accepted my new reality:
"Today, you are no longer Samuel the strong man. You are Samuel the injured veteran."
I limped to the bathroom like an abandoned soldier going to war again, praying that the broken pipe wouldn't disgrace me a second time.
End of Chapter 7