A confidence pill

The whole congregation erupted into a thunderous applause after the assistant pastor completed his sermon. At the far end of the church building, Joseph looked on absent-mindedly . He couldn't care less about the sermon of the pastor or any of the presiding men of God.

Joseph have always preferred isolating himself from other adults in the church since he always felt very nervous in their midst. He found it extremely difficult to shake hands or familiarize with other members during or when the service was over.

As soon as the meal was set before him, his heart began to thump faster. He had great difficulties in moving the food around his mouth. He continued to sway his head from this side to that side as he feared that other people were looking at him as he ate. But no one took notice of him as they were all focused on their plates. Joseph spent more than thirty minutes on a meal that wouldn't take him more than ten minutes to devour if he were alone in his room. That was the first and the last time time he ate at a restaurant in his 25 years of existence.

The last time he attended any birthday party, graduation or wedding ceremony was 11 years ago and he was in the company of his mom.

Needless to say, Joseph suffers from acute agoraphobia! .A terrible anxiety disorder that makes him always think about being embarrassed or humiliated. Hence he hated publicity and avoided public places since he couldn't stop thinking that something would definitely go wrong that would make him an object of ridicule.

Sam, his cousin had returned home in the company of three girls. They kept laughing and chatting for almost an hour in the living room. One of the girls was balanced comfortably on Sam's thighs. Joseph trembled as his body and heart ached to join in the fun but he couldn't move an inch from where he was standing. He kept looking at the happy youths like a stuffed dummy from his bedroom window.

Sam had only lived for three months in Joseph's house but he was already more popular than Joseph who had lived in the neighborhood for almost two years.

Joseph approached his cousin as Soon as the girls had left. On the brink of tears, he told Sam about his awful lack of confidence, social awkwardness and low self-esteem. Joseph further revealed to him how he had tried to woo a nice lady in church but ended up making a mess of himself as his body kept trembling and he almost fell down. After the humiliating experience, the girl had been avoiding him as she probably thought he was a basket case. Sam saw how miserable his cousin looked and he felt sorry for him.

" I know exactly what you need"! Sam exclaimed with a wry smile. "All your problems would be solved in a jiffy by just one dose of " the confidence pill". Sam excused himself and dashed into the bedroom. Moments later, he returned with a small paper bag and poured the contents on the table. Joseph was shocked when he saw eleven wraps of substances that he suspected to be Marijuana. Sam tried to convince his cousin that Marijuana is not as bad as the world painted it to be. He further revealed that his own father ( Joseph's uncle) who was one of the best lawyers in the city uses Marijuana before any court sitting which in turn boosts his confidence level to incredible hieghts. With the incomparable inspiration gotten from the drug, he always comes out victorious, no matter how difficult a case might seem.

Sam also disclosed that most of their favorite rappers and iconic reggae stars recieve most of the ideas of their hit songs from this blessed substance. By the time Sam was done talking, Joseph didn't need much convincing anymore.

Joseph was pleasantly surprised when he saw Bella, the girl who he tried to woo last Sunday after service. He felt a sudden surge of confidence that he had never before felt in his existence and he was determined to pour out his heart to her this time around. Her sparking eyes and radiant smile gave him more courage. He thought she looked more gorgeous than ever and he quickened his steps towards her.

" Bella, I really adore you and I have been a fool for not telling you this a long time ago . Apart from your enchanting beauty, you are also a sweet and gentle soul and I would really want us to be friends. You are just the kind of woman i need in my life right now and I promise never to dissappoint you. Would you be free sometime tomorrow evening so that we could go out on a dinner and get to know each other some more?.........

Passer-bys were surprised when they saw a young man sitting comfortably on the floor and having a hearty conversation with a stray dog. The puppy was looking very calm with an expression of "I-am-more- sensible-than-this human" written all over it's face.

A middle-aged woman who was returning from the office was able to identify the the young man as Joseph, her neighbor. She quickly called her husband and he suspected that Joseph was beginning to suffer from a mental breakdown. Without wasting much time, they got the car ready and rushed the Joseph to the nearest clinic.

The doctor confirmed that he had found some hard drugs in Joseph's system that had reacted violently with his brain. By this time, Sam had already arrived at the hospital. The doctor assured him that his cousin would be alright, he only needed a long sleep so that his brains could reboot.

Laying grotesquely on the hospital bed, Joseph began to see five copies of his cousin's face before falling into a heavy slumber.

Thank God he didn't run mad at last.

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This story is merely a figment of my imagination. I am very sorry for any inconveniences or coincidence in names resembling that of the characters in the fiction 🙏..... SAY NO TO DRUGS

Thank you for reading my nonsense article once again 🤭🤭🤭