Day 206 – “Jogging to the Dealer”

Monday, 18 June 2007
Day 206 – “Jogging to the Dealer”

“What’s wrong with these stupid people? They have so much energy they make me sick!” We just moan as we pass them on the way to the dealer. It’s a Saturday morning. Most people are out doing shopping, jogging, and working in the garden. We barely managed to get ourselves up from where we were lying. Every single action, every single joint movement we have to make until the heroin flows through our veins is a lifetime of agony that seems to never end.

The dealer is late. I have learned by now that the Time Zone in Nigeria must be non existent because these Nigerians don’t know the meaning of it. 5 minutes was a term they used very often and every single time it meant something else. I wanted to start crying. I prayed for strength to last the 5 minutes it was already going to take and now I had to wait another.

Sometimes it was still early. We’d call them at the weirdest hours of the morning when the craving spoke and we’d organize. Other times they refused to help us until it was light. But it was almost guaranteed that by midday we would be back at the house and most definitely high. Time flew by after that. Everything just flew by after that. We’d rent DVDs or watch SABC or we’d just lie on the couches in the living room and hours would pass.

I watched some of the Comrades Marathon yesterday and I remember last year how we laughed at all these people jogging the whole day. Of course, we were most probably past out for most of it. This year, I’m in a very different place. And watching them jogging I’d actually like to try it one day.

Hell, after what I did this past year I think I’ll take on any task and at least give a good effort. Then I’ll watch the druggies go by on their way to the dealer, tuning me: “What’s wrong with this stupid guy? Is he on something, jogging this time of morning?” And then maybe I’ll reply: “For once I am high on life. You should try it!”