Karma, Are You Stuck in Lagos Traffic? - by Christianah Oparinde

If karma worked the way people say it does, I should be drowning in love by now. Not just any love. The good kind. The “willing-to-fight-a-lion-for-you-but-also-remembers-your-allergies” kind. The “here’s-my-jacket-even-though-I’m-shivering” kind. The kind I gave away like free WiFi, expecting and believing that one day, someone would log in and give it back.But instead, I got… confusion.First, there was the one who felt like karma. Smooth, intentional, the human version of a perfectly curated playlist. Every word, every glance, every touch was just right. Too right. So right it felt wrong. And that’s when I realized that karma wouldn’t send me someone else’s person as a reward. This wasn’t a full-circle moment. This was a circle I needed to step out of before I got dizzy.Then, there was the one who almost felt like karma. The way he spoke to me? Soft, intentional. The way he saw me? Like I was something worth looking at twice. Finally, I thought. This is it. But there was always a wall, very thin, but firm. Like a glass door I kept walking into. He was warm, but distant. Caring, but not committed. A raincloud that never quite poured. And maybe that was karma, too. A love that looked full, but never overflowed, just like the ones I used to give.And then, the one who didn’t feel like karma at all. Not even a little bit. If karma was supposed to be a reward, he was a fine for a crime I didn’t commit. He was inconsistency wrapped in charm, effort in the morning, distance by noon, and complete absence by night. He made me question if I had actually been too kind in my past life. Because surely, surely, I didn’t deserve this level of nonsense.And then, the one who wasn’t meant to be my karma at all. Steady. Kind. Not in a grand, sweep-you-off-your-feet way, but in a Did you eat today? way. In a That was a long day, right? way. No magic tricks, no poetic declarations, just… care. And I wanted to accept it, I did. But maybe I had been chasing storms for so long that I didn’t know what to do with clear skies.So, karma!!!! Are you stuck in traffic? Did Nigerian Police men hold you down? I’ve been patient. I’ve given, I’ve waited, I’ve clapped for people in love like it wasn’t burning my chest. I’ve smiled through heartbreaks and even gave second chances to people who shouldn’t have had a first.And maybe, just maybe, karma isn’t a person at all. Maybe it’s not one grand love story, but a thousand small moments that make up for every tear I cried. Maybe I’ve been looking for it in someone else, when it’s been showing up in my own reflection all along.Still, karma, if you’re listening, hurry up! I won’t wait forever.

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