The Woman Who Sold Silence

In Onitsha Main Market, there was a woman nobody knew her name.

Her stall was empty. No tomatoes, no wrapper, no shoe.

Just a small bench and a sign written on cardboard:

`SILENCE - 100 NAIRA - 5 MINUTES`

People laughed. "Who go buy silence for market wey noise full everywhere?"

But one day, a man whose wife was shouting at him every morning stopped. He paid 100 naira. He sat on the bench.

For 5 minutes, the woman said nothing. She just sat with him. No advice. No "take heart". Just silence.

When the time finished, the man stood up and said, "Thank you." He went home.

Next day, a school girl who failed JAMB came. She bought silence.

Then a conductor, a pastor, a policewoman. All buying silence.

The woman became the richest person in the market, not because of money, but because everybody owed her their quiet.

One day the government came to demolish her stall. "You no get shop permit."

The whole market stood up. "If you carry this woman, where we go go when noise too much?"

So they left her.

Till today her bench dey there. If you ever go to Onitsha and noise too much for your head, find her.

Sit down.

100 naira.

5 minutes.

No talking.