The ban had already put him in a tired place following loss of revenue from his daily twitter activity. He had gone through the range of emotions – anger, denial, sadness, resentment, bitterness, acceptance and the rest. He told himself he would no longer exhaust his emotions on the matter. Thankfully, he remembered something his pastor told him in the thick of Covid-19 last year. Adaptability and Innovativeness are two tools, he must engage after he must have exhausted himself following unexpected headwinds that would characterize the new normal in the Covid-adjusted reality.

So, he knew what he must do. But after a few days, his wife could no longer put up with his refusal to vent on the matter. All attempts to drag him to express his anger on the ban were rebuffed. Initially, he told her he was tired and didn’t want to comment on the matter again. She observed him closely for a moment, then asked, “What are you hiding?”

“What am I hiding? What do you mean? I already told you I am tired.”

“You are tired? Me too, I am tired.”

“Then let’s get some sleep.”

“I am so angry I cannot sleep. What do they mean? This is all so unfair.”

“I am sorry, I can’t.”

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t do this.”

“You can’t do what?”

“Please excuse me.” He got up from the bed, threw his pillow under his left arm and took a wrapper as he made his way to the living room to sleep on the sofa. His wife got the message and didn’t push him any further. As he sank into the sofa to bid temporary goodbye to this world, the waiting mosquitoes sank their ready proboscis into his skin and began to have their fill. By the time they announced to one another that their respective tanks were filled to the brim, they had transmitted sufficient doses of malaria into his blood that could even knock down an elephant.

A few days later, laboratory tests revealed he was suffering from malaria.