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 🤭🤭🤭
An upsetting experience at the market
When I was much younger, I rather sweep the whole compound instead of following mom to the market place. This is because mom could spend hours moving from one shop to another just to get a particular item, and even if each shop she'd visited had what we were looking for, she might end up not purchasing it, after all the time spent on haggling with a seller. I find this very frustrating, especially when I am missing out on compelling TV drama that other kids are already indulging at home.
Things might get worse for me when mom bumps into an old friend. It's most likely that they'd spend nothing less than an hour gisting while I continually Shift my weight from one tired leg to another. Most times, Mom often fathoms that I was angry with her, judging from the frown on my face. "What would you like to eat bilqees? " Mom would ask . Moments later, we would already be on our way out of the market with a half-eaten cob of 🌽 in my right hand which i plan to use in teasing my siblings at home.
**Thanks** **alot** 🙏
As I grew older, I completely understood that mom was trying to manage her resources by not always buying at the shops we visited. From the reserves in her purse, she could be able to purchase earrings, necklaces and new dresses for her daughters. These are little but important things that Dad would always forget after paying school fees and rents. May God bless all of our mothers 💖 🤗
Pulling your arm and almost dragging you into their shops is something that most traders are fond of doing in a typical african market. Even if they don't Know what you came to the market to buy, they would still beckon on you to come take a look into their shops while screaming "***customer***, ***customer***"!
Sometimes it could be embarrassing, it could also be very annoying. There was a time a sales girl came outside and grabbed me by the hands because I had took a brief glance at her shop. Before I could protest, another apprentice from the next shop quickly stood up and grabbed at my other arm. She warned the other girl to leave me alone as she claimed I had looked at her shop first and was about to go in before the other girl snatched me away from her. An argument broke out which I quickly interrupted by screaming at them in a very angry tone before they let go of my arms. Later, I felt sorry for them, these are young ladies within my age group trying to heck out an honest living. Probably they have been given a daily target by their boss or madam . Failing to make an expected number of sales per day might cause an impatient boss to be unsatisfied with their efforts and this might also lead to a delay in the payment of their meager salary. But that does not mean that they should be dragging me the way two policemen drags one thief 😠
It's also not uncommon for a male apprentice to address a young woman with statements like "***fine*** ***girl***, ***come*** ***enter*** ***my*** ***shop***, I ***fit*** ***reduce*** ***price*** ***for*** ***you*** ***o***, ***you*** ***know*** ***say*** ***you*** ***be*** ***my*** ***wife***" and other traders would laugh at the silly jokes 🤦
I would never forget a very embarrassing incident that happened to me two years ago. I was admiring an handbag from the corner of a shop, for fear of been caught by an overzealous sales boy/girl. But unfortunately I didn't know that the boy had been outside. He silently stood up from his sitting position and kept pushing me gently into the shop. Since I had been bursted, I had no choice and I reluctantly dragged my feet towards the shop. " Welcome customer", he said with a big smile. He quickly brought down the bag which looked beautiful at a closer look. I asked him more about it and he mentioned a staggering amount. I wasn't surprised when I heard an outrageous price. Ofcourse I couldn't afford it and that was why I never wanted to come close. The young man kept raving about how the bag would look good on me and if it were at another shop, the price would be higher and bla bla bla... I told him ok, I have heard as I tried to find an escape.
I just have to lie that I would come back to buy the bag on my way out of the market after I was done with buying the foodstuffs that brought me to the market. Wether he believed me or not, I didn't care.
Few minutes after I left his place, I bumped into an old friend and we kept talking for almost half an hour. I had totally forgotten about the fake promise I made to the bag seller as i begin to walk on thesame street in the market where his shop was located. As soon as I remembered my error, I have was already within the limits of his shop. I immediately tried to duck and quickly move into a narrow alley by the right. But it was too late to for me to see a hawker who was also coming out from the alley at that second. We stumbled upon each other and I upset the tray of oranges that was well balanced on her head. The tray fell to the ground and oranges scattered all over.
The bag seller came closer to see what has happened and I felt as if the ground should swallow me up 🤦😭.
@Kushyzee , have you ever bought a shoe of one thousand naira and forced to pay one thousand five hundred naira for shoe nails that you never asked for? 😆😆Pls write an article about that . 🤣
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Thanks for reading 💖💖
He never felt a pain in his life!
In my first article on read.cash were I made my introductions, I mentioned that dad was a journalist. He's actually a political editor at a publishing company in the northern part of the country. Well everyday, dada would return home with atleast four different newspapers. I'd be the first to welcome him,since he always arrive home at around eight in the evening when I'm at my assignments at the table in the living room.
Most times, I would have to temporarily suspend my assignments and go through my favorite newspaper which carried stories that fascinates me. The other three are always filled with political news that made me bored.
One day, I came across the story of a nine year old boy who had a genetic condition that made him unable to feel any pain. All the ghastly slips, serious injuries and dangerous hits that would make kids of his age scream in agony for their Mom never had any impression on his body. I even read that there was a time he fractured his thigh bone. He only knew that something could be wrong at the region as he was unable to stand, but the pains wasn't registered since his body was totally insensitive to a pain.
For the next ten minutes, I couldn't help looking at his picture as a lot of thoughts were going through my mind. What a superhuman! I was just three years older than him. At just nine years, I believed he could singlehandedly beat up all the bullies at his school, even though they are ganged up against him.
Those days, Just like most children in Nigeria, I was also a passionate fan of wrestling. I imagined if he ever ventured into WWE, he would make history as the greatest performer of all time. He would flawlessly had won all his matches, right from his debut till the day he retires, that's if he would ever retire.
I also thought how wonderful it would be to see him laughing out loud while he is been flogged by our discipline master who would in a short while become exhausted with his face and shirts soaked in perspiration....My childish mind kept thinking about other fascinating moments that would be created by this special kid.
I stumbled upon Isaac's story over a decade ago. Today, I wonder how life had been for Isaac. Thanks to education enlightenment, I was able to realize that Isaac's condition can also put him in a very precarious position. If he ever gets bitten by a dangerous reptile when he's not looking, he might lose his life if something is not immediately done about the poison before it reaches his heart.
Not been able to feel pain doesn't mean he is divine or timeless. He could die just like how others would if something ever goes wrong in any of his internal organs. What is worse is that he wouldn't feel any warning signs since he's already immune to pain. Before he realizes what's going on, he would have already been eaten by a chronic disease. Pains are of essence you know, they help protect the body from greater peril. I just hope that Isaac observes atleast a bi-monthly check-up.
Well, despite not been able to feel physical pains, Isaac is definitely not immuned to emotional trauma . We all know that intrinsic or subjective pains could be even worse than a bodily pain.
Out of curiosity, I wonder the kind of man Isaac had now become or what he does for a living. I wouldn't like to think he uses his condition for selfish or dishonorable purposes because he wouldn't be able to escape the pains of the hereafter which is more brutal than the worldly pains.
Thank you for reading my nonsense article today 🤭🤭🤭....Maybe the good doctors @Lara888 and @gertu13 would be able to shed more light about Isaac's condition.
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Special thanks to @Lucifer01 and @Bloghound for the sponsorship renewal. I really am grateful for the support 🙏🙏🙏
High school version: Never have I Ever
Earlier in the day, I read the article of @Kushyzee about the above challenge. I was so excited I couldn't wait to write submit mine . So these are my experiences regarding the above topic.
SKIPPING CLASSES
The worst thing that could ever happen to me in high school is to miss a lesson. I find it more convenient to grasp the spoken words of a teacher than to spend more time reading bulky and boring writings from the workbook or the textbook.
Although I know very well that I am not a genius, but whether I study or not, I would always pass an exam or a test so long I had understood the lessons.
But, I just have to mention that I have been blessed with a good memory. That's the reason why most of the articles I write are based on past life experiences. I am always able to remember in detail all the circumstances surrounding a particular story, as if it happened yesterday.
During my high school days, I could easily recall all the discussions we had with a teacher right from the first week of resumption. when a teacher throws a question to the class about a previous discussion, I am most likely to be the only person that would remember the answers to a question when the rest of the class members have forgotten. Sometimes, I'd prefer to keep my mouth shut, in order not to arouse envy in the hearts of other members of the class. Such decision may lead to the punishment of the whole class, especially when a teacher is mean.
"Bilqees, if you know the answer to this question, you better say it now. Because if you cause this yeye teacher to punish me, I will make sure I remove your front teeth during break time". A bully from the next seat would whisper into my ears. Then I would have no other option than to bail the class. 🙄
CHEAT ON AN EXAM
I have never cheated in an exam and I don't believe I ever will. During my high school days, I never even communicated with my friends in the exam hall, even though such practices are very common, especially when a teacher is not looking.
Infact, I am always the first person to enter an exam hall and I make sure i use a seat in front that was very close to the teacher's table where the teacher could easily see me throughout the exam. And ofcourse, none of my friends would want to join me since it would be almost impossible to engage in a malpractice or a discussion in such a sitting position during an exam 😂
Most times, I am always the first to submit. And as soon as I'm done, I quickly pick up my bag from the floor and run home without waiting for any of my friends for fear of been accused of "betrayal" and being verbally burnt to the stakes. We can always see each other tomorrow when they have calmed down 😆...... Honestly, before the commencement of an exam, I don't really mind how much hours I spent in trying to help a friend understand a concept that proves difficult to her. But helping you when the exam is in progress? I can't, I'm sorry ma'am 🤦
FORGED MY PARENTS SIGNATURE
Well, just like examination malpractice, I haven't done that before. But I remember a time, when the proprietress eldest daughter forged her mother's signature on her cheque book and cashed out at the bank. She was no longer a student of the school at the time. She had been working as a secretary at her mom's office.
MAKE FAKE EXCUSE FOR BEING LATE.
This was always the day that I was assigned to sweep the classroom alongside a group of girls based on a sweeping roaster arrangement. I usually waste some minutes with a woman who sells beans cake ( ***akara*** ), on the roadside by helping her serve her customers. I would then continue my journey to school when I was quite sure that the other girls are almost done with sweeping the classroom . 😆 Ofcourse I help them out in emptying the waste basket when they are done. So,I am not that bad, I just can't stand the awful dust that comes along with sweeping even though I'm NOT asthmatic😭
There's was this particular girl in our class that was a pathological latecomer. She comes to school like forty minutes after the morning assembly. There was a time she missed a morning examination due to extreme lateness. After much pleading ,the subject teacher agreed to give her a make-up early in the morning. But she still arrive late for the rescheduled exam the following day... I just pray that this girl doesn't arrive late on her own wedding day 🤦
BULLIED BY ANYONE IN SCHOOL
More beautiful girls were prone to falling a victim to daft bullies when they refuse to be wooed by them . Especially if the bully is aware that the girl is already dating another student or a teacher, he could become very jealous and even disgusting. As for me, I didn't have much problems with bullies since they don't go for a bookish type of girl . By the way, i usually allow them copy my assignments, so we were always in good terms. 😂. I have never bullied a junior student even though alot of senior students see it as an opportunity to feel better since they were also bullied when in junior classes
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Thanks for reading 💖💖💖
Friendship could really make you go blind
Hello everyone. Hope you all had a very lovely Sunday. Wishing y'all a prosperous week ahead.
Today's article is borne from one of my numerous childhood stories. I had this bestie when I was in my first class in senior secondary school. She was always in the habit of collecting money from me and almost never paid back. What's more annoying was that she makes her request in a very confident and quite an arrogant tone as if she had given me money to keep for her. And since she was my closest friend at the time, I always oblige her, just like the way you would earnestly grant a sibling's request without much requisition.
Both of our fathers were standing at the middle rung of the socio- economic ladder, but the way she keeps demanding money from me, one would think that I was the P.A who holds her handbag that contains her money. Even though her parents had more children, she was still adequately catered for.
Sometimes I become overwhelmed by her incessant demands that I would scream at her in frustration and mock anger. " Is this how you would be chopping your husband's money when you get married, do you think money is harvested from trees?"
In a disgusting tone, she'd reply, " Are you going to give me the money or not?!"
What' was very strange is that she wasn't the extravagant type. Infact I was the one who was fond of buying snacks and drinks for the both of us during the break and on our way back home. Soon, I began to wonder what she does with all the money she was collecting from her parents, myself and her boyfriend.
Could it be that she had plans of building a house shortly after graduating from high school and shad started saving towards it already? I thought ridiculously. How come all the money she was extorting from the people around her was not showing on her body.
Both of our mothers were friends too. Maybe that was a major reason why I still wanted to be close to her irrespective of her excesses. Soon, I finally had enough and decided I had been a fool for always spending my money with her while she saved. Then I began to say "NO", and I continued to say No and never cared what she thinks about me afterwards. It was now very clear to me that she was the selfish one who only connected through taking from others.
I had thought this resolution would put a strain on our friendship but surprisingly it did not. As a matter of fact she became more amiable towards me than before, and she never talked to me about money again.
One day, something happened to me that proved her loyalty and made me very proud of her. My phone had been stolen and I was very sure that the thief was one of the class members. Infact, I could easily make a guess who the thief was. I couldn't report the theft to the school authorities because we have been warned never to bring phones to school. I became very depressed as the whole class sympathized with me.
Needless to say, the whole class also knew who the suspect was, but everyone was afraid of him as he was the biggest and most unfriendly boy in the class.
Out of the blue, my homegirl approached the bully, stood in front of him and started screaming at his face to give back the phone. I couldn't believe my eyes and I knew what might come next and my heart began to pound faster. I quickly ran to her and stood between them as I tried to calm her down. Even as the other guy threatened to beat her up on her way home, she wasn't intimidated at all . She kept tackling him and exposing all the theft he had been committing in the class as I kept dragging her away from him.
Even though, I didn't get the phone back, I was so impressed on how my friend stood up for me and confronted the person who had hurt me. She literally put her self in danger by challenging such a big bully to a fight. This is someone who wouldn't mind hitting a girl. Infact, he had done it before and had left his victim with a visible scar for an issue that was not as serious as mine.
Sometimes, it's natural for one to feel that they are the only one doing the giving in a friendship or relationship. But something might later happen in the nearest future that would prove the level of loyalty in the other partner. And just a single sacrifice by a friend could tower above all your previous benevolence.
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Thanks for reading 💖💖💖💖💖
Petty people can be unpredictable.
Dear friends, I want to first apologise for not making an article for two days and for not being able to visit yours too. Would definitely try as much as I can I visit all of them before going to bed. Thank you all so much.
I believe that most of us might have had atleast an unpleasant reality with people are have been petty. Now, a petty person is a shallow-minded person who prefers to dwell on unnecessary grievances. Such a person easily gets hurt or angered by issues of little significance.
I remember vividly in my first year in the university college,my roommate had to share her keys to our room with me since I had unfortunately lost mine. I arrived at the hostel one day and I was surprised that I couldn't find the keys at a spot below the windows where we usually hide them after locking the door. Probably, the my roommate might have been in a hurry which made her to forget about dropping the keys. I tried calling her line several times but it remained switched off.
I had to endure a long wait of over four hours. It was quite unusual for her to stay out this long without returning to the room to get something . By the way, it was already past midday and we all were done with the lectures for that day. So what could possibly held her this late ?
By the time she arrived, I was quite pissed and I demanded why she had been away for such a longtime without dropping the keys to the apartment at the usual spot, even when she was aware that I had lost mine.
Instead of an apology, I was left dumbfounded when I received a cold and murderous stare from her . She brushed passed me and eased her way into the room with the help of her keys. Maybe someone made her upset at the place she was coming from, I thought. So, I let her be.
The following morning, as soon as we had waken up, I had to ask her again the reason why she gave me such an attitude. I was appalled when she started screaming at me. Apparently, she was upset because she saw me walking and laughing with a mutual friend of ours who recently had a serious dispute with her . She said that, as her roommate , I shouldn't have anything to do with the other girl since she was now her "enemy".
Well,to say the least, I found this really absurd as I saw no reason why I should stop speaking to a friend because another friend of mine didn't like her. Heck, I have already started thinking of initiating a reconciliation and serving as a mediator between my two friends and now this! Needless to say, it was this particular girl ( my roommate) that was to blame for starting the conflict.
I told her upfront that her issues with the other girl were her personal issues and would definitely not affect my relationship with her. Well, I guess my decision infuriated her and she started screaming and hurling some awful words at me. This really enraged me and I was tempted to engage her but I was strong enough to apply restraint lest the situation turns nastier.
It's always commendable for one to play deaf and allow such persons to keep talking to themselves till they had thier fill. In their moments of calmness and reflection, maybe, just maybe they would realize where they have erred and come back to senses.
The following day, I had to go buy a new lock and key for the door. I immediately handed her a spare which she reluctantly accepted.
**Conclusion**
As soon as you get to know that a friend or colleague is petty. Do your best not to ever be in a condition where you'd always feel depended or indebted to them. Because they would always use it as a weapon or always mention those favours they had done for you in the past whenever they start displaying such pettiness ( childishness).
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Thanks for reading 💖💖💖
My heart and sympathy goes out to one our dear friend @Ellen-he whose account just got a problem. We shall keep praying for you sis.
Enjoying your own stress.
This inspiration behind this article was birthed from an article written by @Kushyzee yesterday where he talked about how a certain CEO enslaves his subordinates. You could read it here https://read.cash/@Kushyzee/ethical-working-environment-twitter-on-fire-151fb68c
This was not the first time we have heard or read about such sadistic CEOs and terrible companies who dehumanizes their employees. Infact some of us might have personal experiences in the past.
Working under a boss who subject one to constant emotional abuses for a long time might definitely affect one's psyche and self confidence. There would definitely come a time when one start to think that they are not good enough since whatever stress or efforts they put in their job is hardly appreciated. This might lead one to having a dangerous fear of quitting the job, as your mental faculty would have already been conditioned to believe that you wouldn't be able to survive on your own. This is because you were always surrounded by people that never acknowledged your hardwork.
Sometimes you never know how good you are at doing something else until you take the bold step and give it a try. Then you would realise that it was in your blood all along and you start to regret why you never started out on your own earlier.
And as you go further in building your own dreams, you'd realize how talented you are. Talents that the firm you worked for had already seen a long time ago, if not they wouldn't have chose you out of the dozens of other candidates that applied for the job.
At this point, you have already known that you can't afford to stop after already getting started on this new and promising path. Now, all your stresses would serve as a sharpening and as an exercise towards the attainment of your own goal. This is at a very sharp contrast at your previous job where the stress level was nothing but torture. Needless to say, one would definitely meet others with a similar passion and ambition. The partnership and alliance with such individuals would definitely make your journey much more easier by using their experiences and guidance. Not forgetting the inspiration you would gain from their stories too.
Your efforts and activities would be a measure of your personal progress and ability. unlike in a 9-5 workplace where all of one's efforts is channelled into the growth of another individual called a "boss", especially the one that hardly gives you kudos for all the sacrifices you make on a daily.
And on your way in setting out a legacy for yourself, you'd strive to work harder so that you would be remembered for something by your family, friends and even the society at large, long after you have retired from active life. Ofcourse you know that such massive success wouldn't come in a jiffy. But no matter how hard the journey or processes might be, atleast you know the reason for your stresses which are ofcourse for your own growth and development. You are definitely sure that all your stresses would pay off one day. Also, you could always choose the number of hours to stress in a day. Tell me, what could be more convenient than that? And with more determination and courage, everything would fall in place for you.
Afterall, president Theodore Roosevelt said :
"***No*** ***man*** ***deserves sympathy because he has to work or because he has a burden to carry. Far and away, the best prize that life offers is the opportunity to work hard at a work worth doing***"
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Thanks for reading 💖💖💖
Escaping death by the whiskers
Last Sunday, there had been a football match between a certain Barcelona and a certain real Madrid. I was made to understand that these two footballing Giants were very popular and had a large fanbase spread all over the world.
**Thank** **you** 🙏
The universities where shut down due to an indefinite strike embarked by the the union of academic staff. After getting bored of staying in school, James had decided to spend part of the holiday with his elder brother whose house was in thesame city as the university . He planned to do some couple of weeks there then he would travel back to his hometown.
After the warm welcome, his sister-in-law informed him that his brother was out of town to attend to another business. Priscilla was a nice and caring lady and James thought he was lucky to be blessed with such a Godly sister in-law.
James was a very passionate fan of Barcelona FC since childhood. He informed Priscilla that he would be going out later in the evening at around 9pm to see a game of football. Priscilla was not comfortable with this arrangement. "Why don't you watch the match at home. There are alot of football channels on our DStv", she said.
But James never fancied watching the games at home. He had always preferred hanging out with other excited football lovers in a sports bar where they could drink and talk about the game in progress.
Priscilla became more worried when James told her that he would return home at about some minutes after 11pm. Priscilla desperately tried to persuade her brother-in-law to stay back home because of the worsening condition of insecurity around the neighborhood. She breathlessly told James about neighbors who had been ambushed and seriously assaulted by hooligans on their way home." It could be very dangerous for one to be found outside at such a time of the night", she pleaded . But James insisted that watching football alone in the house would be very boring. He assured Priscilla that nothing would happen to him and he could look after himself, since he was a "man".
Priscilla felt like crying as soon as James left the house. "If anything happens to this boy, I would be held responsible'. she said to herself.
James really enjoyed the game, his beloved team had thrashed the other side four goals to nothing. As soon as he had left the viewing center, he waited for some minutes by the roadside but he couldn't get a taxi or motorcycle to take him back home as it was already late and most drivers have retired for the day. So, he had no choice than to walk the distance home.
It was almost 1am when he entered the street that led to his brother's house. After walking a few meters, James realised that he had missed his way. He was definitely walking in the wrong street since he couldn't locate his brother's house. There was no electricity that night and the whole street was as dark and silent as a cemetary. Panic gradually begin to build within him as he quickly turned around and began to walk briskly.
He met a man standing at the head of the next street, with hands in his pockets. James hurriedly greeted him and asked for his assistance. He told the strange man that he was new to the area. He had just returned from a football viewing center but couldn't locate his brother's house again. The man asked who his brother was and James gave him a detailed description of his brother and his sister-in-law.
The man studied James for a few moments and then smiled. He introduced himself as one of the security guards of the estate. James was sick with horror when the guard brought out a gun. The guard told him that he had been observing him for a while when he saw him walking aimlessly on the other street. He was already getting ready to shoot him as he thought he was one of the criminals who comes to survey the neighborhood from time to time before launching an attack.
The guard told James that he couldn't just understood why he didn't shoot until he came so close to him.
"I felt a little voice kept telling me that you weren't a criminal and I couldn't just pull the trigger. Maybe someone somewhere else was praying for your safety, I must say you are a very lucky boy, I would have killed you. I have shot some guy in the past who didn't even come as close as you did". The guard said to James who had already started wetting his trousers.
The guard volunteered to walk James to his brother's house. From the description he had given him about Mr. Steven, the guard was very sure that James was his younger brother and as he flashed his powerful Torchlight on James face, he could see the striking resemblance between the two men.
Priscilla jumped up from the sofa when she heard a knock. She carefully moved towards the window and saw James standing by the door with Musa, who was the head of the watchmen securing the estate and she breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Priscilla was very shaken when Musa told her how he almost shot her brother-in-law. she fell on the floor and her whole body quaked as she cried. She kept thanking God for answering her prayers by saving James life.
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I dedicate this short story to one of my dearest friend here @Ellen-he . God bless you for your continual support and generosity . I really appreciate and donot take it for granted. 💖💖🙏🙏
Thank you all for staying with me 🙏🙏💖 💖
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A Nurse's syringe gone the wrong way
Hello my dear friends. Hope you all had a beautiful Monday. Wishing you all a more productive week ahead. Well, just this morning, I remembered a past experience again. I guess by now most of you must've already observed that I am more of storyteller than a writer. Lol
**Thank** **you** 🙏
Nurse eviko was one of the three nurses who were stationed at the sick bay of the college where I had a one year pre-degree program before proceeding to the university.
This particular nurse was very mean and had very little patience towards her patients. She lacked the comeliness, kindness and empathy that a professional nurse would possess. Any student who was unfortunate enough to fall ill when she was on shift would definitely become more upset after nurse eviko had attended to them. You'd probably curse the injury or illness that had brought about such an unpleasant encounter with a fiery and foul-mouthed nurse.
During a lesson on blood and body fluid, we were instructed by the course lecturer to collect a specimen of our blood from the school's clinic which we would analyse at the school's laboratory. This practical would be included in our academic assessment.
I was quite unlucky to have nurse eviko attend to me as the other nurse was already taking the blood sample of a student. The blood volume to be taken was expected to be very minimal and shouldn't exceeded a few millimeters. But Nurse eviko kept draining my blood into the big syringe . This made me very angry and I was tempted to ask her weather she had other plans. She started screaming insults at me, saying that I was insinuating that she wanted to drink my blood. I didn't reply her neither did I ask for her pardon, because that's exactly what I believed she was a (w**h).
In one football game, a student had sustained quite a serious injury. Unfortunately for him, the first person he met at the clinic was this notorious nurse. The pains was unbearable as nurse eviko cleaned the wounds with a type of force you would exercise when washing a very dirty dish. Nurse eviko would scream at him to keep his mouth shut as he cried like a child. The other students could only shake their head in sympathy as they tried to console their friend. A younger nurse had to come out from a nearby ward as a result of the constant screams. She offered some soothing words to the injured boy. Nurse eviko still didn't care..
Thank goodness I wasn't a regular visitor to the sickbay as I don't seldom fall sick . Alot of students who had received intramuscular injections from this nurse have complained of excruciating pains that sometimes render them sore for a day or too. Unlike the younger nurses who would make you feel relax and calm before admistering the needle, nurse eviko never has time for that. Infact, she would not even dab the spot with iodine before piercing you with the ferocious needle. You might even have have an heart attack first just by watching her walk towards you, needle in hand and a murderous look on her face.
Before completing my programme, nurse eviko did something terrible that would change the life of a young student forever. It turns out that this sick girl had a very bad fear for the needle and couldn't just pull herself together when she was about to be injected. This really got on the nurse nerves as the girl was wasting her time. Out of anger, nurse eviko viciously stabbed her with the syringe.
Ladi couldn't walk properly for the almost two weeks as she was constantly in severe pains. The pains got worse as she found it difficult to sit, stand and even sleep. The spot were nurse eviko had injected her became so red and swollen. Her friends became alarmed and had to carry her to a clinic outside the school for fear of meeting with nurse. again.
There,it was confirmed that her sciatic nerve had been damaged due to the improper administration of the IM injection by nurse. Now the sciatic nerve supplies the legs and when damaged, it would be difficult for an individual to walk,stand or move. The presiding doctor announced that an immediate surgery had to be performed on Ladi else she might become paralyzed. Ladi's father was so furious that he threatened to kill nurse if anything happened to his daughter.
Nurse eviko was sacked from her job and was arrested by Ladi's father where she would later be charged to court. I don't really know how the case ended .
A nurse foremost priority is her patient. Apart from delligently tending to her patient's ailment and observing their progress, a nurse is also charged with the responsibility of providing emotional support that would accelerate a patient's recovery. A nurse should under no circumstances use terrible words or become impatient towards the sick as it is a noble profession. .
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Thanks for reading. 💖💖💖
The trial of a Kleptomaniac.
In plane terms, kleptomania is characterised by an overpowering and uncontrollable urge to steal. Here, an individual suffers from a compelling desire to steal. What makes this different from "common" stealing is that an individual takes items that are of no importance to them. Things they don't require, especially if it's something that don't befit their status or something that they could easily afford or even something they could do without.
So, you wouldn't actually refer to a kleptomaniac as a criminal per say, since the person does not engage in stealing due to lack or financial inadequacies. He or she only enters into such an action in order to acquire a mental thrill that must be satisfied when triggered.
The first time I heard about a kleptomaniac was few years ago when I was in my penultimate year in high school. I was told about a former student who had graduated long before I joined. Let's just call him Bash.
So, Bash suffered from this disorder. He was actually the only child of a rich parent. I was told that his dad was an investment banker while his mum was a merchant in women's clothes, bags and shoes.
Bash would pilfer candies, biscuits, shoe laces, dirty socks, pencil eraser, rulers and exercise books ( old and new) from other students in his class. Needless to say, he never needed any of these things since he had parents that could comfortably afford tonnes of any of these items.
Infact, just by mere looking at him, you would know that he comes from a well-to-do home. His school sandals, socks, bags and lunch box are of a higher quality than that of other students in the school. So why on earth does he have to steal? This was a kid whose parents were always the first to pay the tuition fee.
Infact it would appear to be normal if other students from less previleged background steal from Bash and not the other way round.
In a short while, rumors begin to go round the school and in the neighborhood, that Bash was under a curse. It was said that his parents had sacrificed their son in exchange for wealth. Ofcourse, in the African society, situations like this which defies logic are always attributed to witchcraft and spiritualism. Some folks even suggested that either or both of his parents must have committed a very abominable act in the past, and Bash's condition was their karma.
Sometimes, Bash's father would be summoned to school by our principal and the old man would start weeping after he had been told that his son was found stealing yet again.
Whenever an item got missing in class, everyone would know who the thief was. But bash would keep swearing in the name of God that he wasn't the one. When the interrogation becomes too much for him to bear, he'd start crying and out of sympathy, some of the female students would cry along too. The teacher has to keep pleading with bash to reveal where he has hid the item, especially when it's something very important which hadn't been found in his bag and locker after a thorough search.
Bash would later lead the teacher to one of the corners in the school premises where he kept his loot. They may include but not limited to: an old lunch box, dirty spoons, batteries of the class wall clock, watches, decaying snacks, cotton wool from the first aid box, a teacher's phone charger, biro cover, empty packet of chalk, amongst other plenty things.
The principal had already warned his teacher never to whip or punish bash whenever he was caught since he was no ordinary child. During morning assembly, he never failed to advise his students to be very careful about their properties. When exams time are fast approaching, the hard-working students always take extra care of their note books and textbooks lest they go missing.
As expected, some students started calling bash a thief in our local dialect and laughed at him. This really hurt bash who would later report such students to the principal and they would be punished severely. There was a time that some mischievous students started taking advantage of bash's condition. Such students would steal from others and get away with it and everyone might believe that it was bash who did it. So, you could imagine the agony that this boy would go through whenever he's been threatened to return the item he never took.
But one good thing about bash was that, he never stole money. He only took items. So, whenever there's an alarm of a missing sum, the teacher would definitely know where not to look, and just maybe after a thorough investigation, the real thief would be found.
Despite his debilitating habit, he was loved by many students because he was kind and compassionate. There was a time that Bash even help a stranded student with transportation fare back home after her money was stolen from her bag earlier on. Ofcourse, bash was never short of money, his parents were very rich.
As a result of his condition, bash parents never allowed him to mingle with strangers or go to public places like the market or the cinema all by himself. If caught stealing, he could be served jungle justice, especially in a country like ours where folks have very little patient for criminals. Bash was far from being a criminal by the way, but no one would believe that , would they ?
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Thanks for reading. 💖💖💖
Bitten by a loan shark
"***He who goes borrowing, goes sorrowing "***
And according to Robert kiyosaki :
"***money does not solve problems, Intelligence solve problems and prouces mone***y".
Online loan sharks became very popular in my country in the early 2020. Alot of citizens had very unpalatable experiences with such platforms such as bitter embarrassments, battered reputation and even suicide due to depression as a result of the inability to offset the debts.
There are alot of such online loan apps all over the internet . Most times, an ad about a loan app might pop up on your phone screen whenever you are doing something else with your data. I have encountered a handful of ads about online loan platforms on the screen of my device but I never pay them any mind. Although, I have heard and read stories about people who had an experience with such loan apps.
At first, they would try to entice you by offering lower interest rates and also proposing a longer duration before payment. But as soon as you had downloaded the app and registered, you'd discover something different from what was initially promised. This because the employees of such firms have got to meet a specific customer target set for them by their employers if they are to keep the job. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise when they adopt various tricks in order to lure unsuspecting individuals in becoming their clients. A potential customer might still go ahead and accept the terms and conditions even though they are not favourable to him, due to lack or probably due to greed.
With some other platforms, when you pay earlier than the due date, you would again be tempted with offers of bigger sums of money. And the more you borrow, the more your borrowing limits would be increased, and ofcourse the interest rates.
By the way, I don't know if it's just me, but I have observed overtime that most borrowed money dont last as long as my personal income. The money will be gone in a shortwhile, and if one doesn't have much restraint, he or she might consider doing it again... and again. Needless to say, borrowing could be addictive. Mostly the kind of people who fall into such loan traps are compulsive borrowers who lack basic financial skills and adequate resource management.
You know, to some people, it' might be more convenient to lend money from a faceless app than to approach a neighbor, a friend or even a bank for money
Such a person might want to try out other loan platforms, which would also begin to lend him money especially if he had a boost in his credit ratings in the previous loan app. In a short while, an individual might become so absorbed in such platforms and that's when the troubles sets in.
A family member would be considerate enough about a relative's debt and might even be kind enough to give grace period. But these loan firms are neither family or friend and they can adapt very stringent methods when dealing with defaulters
In order to avoid a serious consequence, a defaulter who couldn't payback his debt might start to source for another loan app to borrow more money to clear the debt of a previous loan app. And the cycle continues..... Before you know what is happening, one might spend the next one, two or three years paying off debts and all the interest accrued. And that's how taking a loan of $30 could lead one into paying more than $400 dollars in a few months, that's if you are lucky.
Things could get worse if a borrower also doubles as a gambler too. Taking loans from loan apps in order to stake it on sport betting is something that had almost or totally ruined the lives of a handful of young men as a result of greed.
Some months ago, I heard the story of a young lady who took her own life. She was unable to offset her loans after the due date of payment. The loan company sent really denigrating texts about her to all the contacts in her phone. She had initially granted them approval to her phone book during her online registration with the app. It was one of those odd terms and conditions that some loan apps usually present to potential clients before they would grant their loan request. So in the case, a client defaults or refuses to pay up, they would send out words to all their contacts that the individual is a scammer, criminal and a cheat who had eloped with an organisation's money. Unfortunately for this woman, her husband's relatives also recieved such messages about her, and as she wasn't in a cordial relationship with her in-laws, the shame was unbearable. They trolled and laughed her on virtually all social media, reposting the defamatory text messages and tagging her pictures along. Needless to say that the emotional damage was just too much for her to bear and she had to end her life.
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Thanks fir reading 🙏
The lady mechanic
Well, I don't know how many female mechanics you have seen before and I also don't know how common it is to see a female fixing vehicles outside my country. I for one have not seen one before but sometime ago, I was told about the story of a young female mechanic by a friend who had the opportunity of meeting one.
**Thank** **you** 🙏
Her name was Lola, she was around twenty years old and had completed her secondary school education three years ago. Her parents were already late, leaving her elder brother as the sole breadwinner of a family of six children.
As the second child, she had decided to assist her elder brother in his automobile workshop immediately after high school. She has been a mechanic for three years.
When she was asked why she didn't opt for workplaces that are better suited for a lady such as a hair- dressing salon or a restaurant. She replied that if her brother owned a salon or a cafeteria instead, she would have definitely worked there. " So, why wouldn't I help my brother in his mechanic workshop too, what difference would it make?".
According to her, she had initially wanted to engage in the job for just a year, till when it's time for her to proceed with her university admission when it would be released. But as fate would have it, Lola developed a very deep passion for this craft to the extent that she's not too eager about acquiring a college degree anymore. She have already savef up money so that she could be able to assist her elder brother in funding the education of the younger siblings.
Every passer-by would be so amazed whenever they see her in action. One would inadvertently spent the next few minutes watching in total excitement as she expertly handles a broken vehicle. Most times, her customers would hand her gifts of money after a job weldone. I was told that there was a shop owner at another side of the street who would always send her a free bottle of soda every day just because he admired her courage. Sometimes, her best friend (a tailor) who was about her only female friend would come visit and engage her her in little gossips while she works. Lol.
She also revealed that due to her feminine stature, her elder brother never wanted her to go under a faulty vehicle just like male mechanics do. But sometimes, she'd be at the workshop alone as her brother goes out to sort out other businesses and matters, so she'd have to go to such extent if the situation of a repair warranted. Nevertheless, if a job proved very difficult, she would have to wait for her brother to return, and together they would fix the fault while her brother leads.
Her elder brother had testified to the fact that even though he has been a mechanic for more than ten years, he had enjoyed more patronage since the year that his sister began to work with him. Who wouldn't be impressed to behold such a sight? No need to mention that some other automobile technicians around the location would become green with envy and also wished they had a female disciple. But where would they go in search of such a lady again. Lola was one of a kind, a needle in a haystack!
Lola brother was very proud of his sister that he wished he could just make her know everything about the craft all at once even though he had said that she was obviously a fast learner.
No doubt, Lola confessed that the job is not the easiest job in the world as it's course could be very demanding. It was definitely not the kind of jobs for most young people who are very sensitive to their outward appearance. Sure, very few people would welcome the idea of thier hands and bodies been covered with dark stains under a scorching sun for long hours.
Lola was definitely different from the pack as she had always been determined to follow this path, especially when she had all the support and inspiration in the whole world in her elder brother who was also her boss. That way, all the hurdles and difficulties involved becomes easier to bear, and learning becomes fun too.
God bless all the virtuous and hard-working Women out there.
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Thank you for reading 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Loyalty test
My loyalty have never been literally tested per say, but quite a handful of circumstances have occurred in the past which proved my probity to a friend or partner. Sometimes, one's loyalty threshold could be exceeded to the extent that it could become a test of one's patience. Especially when the other person stops or never appreciate your loyalty and commitment, to the extent that you begin to feel inanimate or removed from their life.
**Thank** **you** 🙏
Loyalty is expected to go both ways and the attachment should always be mutual throughout the period of time that the two parties are together or even till death, if possible. But in some cases, loyalty might seem lopsided as just one of the two individuals appears to put more work in a friendship. While the other remains indifferent, and in some instances, would inadvertently or even deliberately sabotage the efforts of his/her partner.
Ofcourse people do change over time and you might have observed that a friend or partner is not as interested in you as they were before. Moreover, there are folks who have many faces or simply put, they are unpredictable. Someone might appear faithful and reliable in their actions and gestures. He or she would seem to have passed all your "loyalty and fidelity test", but they are just being smart as they must have already anticipated your next move.
But Situations would definitely arises from time to time which may reveal to you how that person feels about you and thier true intention. All these would go along way in making you very sure of the kind of person you have as a friend or partner.
One might want to purposely test the loyalty of a friend or partner probably because of a past bitter experience like a devastating heartbreak. It could even be in a business where a master could sacrifice his time and resources to teach a his mentee all about the processes of a trade or business . But at the end, his disciple, after learning very fast might become too sharp to the extent he dissappoints and betrays his benefactor. Such an experience might lead to a sponsor having trust issues and he also develops the reluctance of rendering assistance, as "Once bitten, twice shy".
Sometimes, insignificant issues might arise in a relationship or friendship and an insecure partner might linger on them longer than necessary. Such trifling matters may be used, albeit subconsciously by the anxious one to mirror every actions of his partner. This might ofcourse lead one into unnecessarily jumping into conclusions and having hurried ideas about the other person. And the whole cycle keeps repeating it self in future discords till the relationship starts deteriorating.
So, instead of developing and maintaining of a healthy relationship, one might inadvertently ruin it as a result of allowing their minds dwelling on negativity and sentiments due to a previous experience with another person that had caused them to be impatient.
I have also heard stories where one of a couple tested the other person's faithfulness even when heir she had not done anything before that had made them suspect cheating. A man or woman might go as far as setting dangerous baits for a partner just to know their level of commitment and this is very wrong. We are all humans and no one is infallible to temptations. We all have an Achilles heel that shouldn't be constantly brought to our reminder. Because as soon as this instinct is awakened by such unnecessary temptations all in the quest for testing faithfulness, you might end up bringing a beautiful relationship to an abrupt end or even losing a friend you never gave an opportunity to prove themselves. .
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I would like to day a very big thank you to my beautiful @Adrielle1214 . You know your Mommy loves you so much, and I pray you make her very proud one day
Thank you for staying with me 💖💖💖
A Snake in the dream.
This inspiration of today's article was gotten from an article written by @Ellen-he about: https://read.cash/@Ellen-he/control-your-dreams-while-you-sleep-and-enjoy-living-in-them-14d19afe
Well, in my article, i would like to talk about the spiritual inclinations associated with dreams and nightmares in my parts of the world.
Thank you 🙏
Where I come from, dreams are often believed to have some spiritual undertones that gives the premonition or warning signs about what might happen to an individual or someone close in the nearest future.
A pleasant dream is always believed to mean that something pleasing would happen in the near future while a troubled dream generally means trouble. But most people are unaware of the fact that dreams could have indirect meanings, especially odd dreams that sometimes could be difficult to explain. Ofcourse, I am also aware that there are some very learned folks who strongly believe that dreams and nightmares have absolutely nothing to do with reality.
I remember those days when I was in high school, My mom usually spend the early hours of the nights discussing with a neighbor or a friend in the sitting room before the arrival of my dad.
No need to mention that the women that comes visiting always bring sizzling topics for discussion. Most times, I pretend to be concentrating on an assignment while I listen to such interesting conversation of grown Women with rapt attention.
There was this particular evening when a woman who was still single at the time came to see Mom for the usual gossip. Looking at her face, I saw that she was much more younger then my mother but she looked quite sad.
While pretending to be watching TV, I overheard the younger lady complaining to my mom that she had been having some terrible nightmares for a long time now. According to her story, There was this particular snake that was always chasing her in her dreams. She usually experience this bizarre nightmare atleast twice in a month.
This constant nightmares had been causing her a lot of worries and emotional stress. Seeing a dangerous and ferocious snake chasing one in a dream would definitely mean a bad omen about a pending danger in the future. Needless to say, she had prayed and fasted,but the nightmares just kept coming . She also had some pastors who assisted her in praying against such evils, but to no avail.
Finally, she had the dream again, and this time around,the snake had finally bitten her before she woke up with a scream.
At this point, she was advised to seek the assistance of a "wise man " who had been blessed with the knowledge of interpretation of dreams. After consultations, The wise man assured her that the situation is not as bad as it seemed. Infact it meant well.
The old man told her that there was a young man who had being madly in love with her and also wanted to marry her. The young lady confirmed this to be true. The old man also told her that she doesn't love him as much and wasn't willing to accept his marriage proposal. The young lady was definitely surprised by this revelation about her personal life and she confirmed this to be true too.
Obviously, it follows that the snake in the dream had been the gentleman who had been chasing after her in reality. And now that she had been bitten by the snake, the old man confirmed that the young man had already gotten her pregnant in real life.
She didn't believe this at first, so she went for a pregnancy test which turned out positive. At this point, she had no choice than to accept the young man's proposal since she was already carrying his child. Recently, when I asked my Mom, I was told that the couple already have three children and they are living comfortably as the young man is really doing well financially. The young lady obviously didn't wanted to marry him at that time because he was still unemployed.
Apart from the story above, I have heard from two reliable sources that a snake in the dream does not necessarily mean there's a danger lurking in the corner. It could mean alot of things instead.
Whereas, both sources agreed that seeing a cow or a herd in the dream signifies a really precarious situation ahead. How ironic this may sound since it's often thought that snakes are more dangerous than cattle in real life.
In my culture, it's also believed that having a very beautiful woman or a very handsome man appear to you in a dream could bring serious bad luck to the future, especially if you have never seen that face anywhere before. Even though such faces could be very pleasing to see in real life.
Therefore, since we don't know the interpretation of these things, it is better for us to commit these strange dreams to the hands of our creator. We were told by our elders that it is very unwise to reveal such dreams to the people around you. This is because it is believed that some people are not as ordinary as they might look. If you are fond of telling such things to others, chances are that you might probably reveal some important secrets of your future to a person who possesses psychic powers that no one else knows about. That person may not show open hatred towards you but might have a strong dislike for you. It means that they person might be able to undo some good things that might happen to you in the future after getting to know about it. He or she could also persuade you to deviate from a promising path you have embarked on. .....Pls pardon me if I sound silly,but here in Africa, it is believed that there are alot of wolves in sheep clothing around us and one can't be too careful.
We were also told by our elders that it's not even advisable to reveal your dreams to a pastor or imam. They might not be blessed with the gift of sight and would definitely interprete your dreams literally. Thereby, praying against something they don't understand.
Sometimes, a strange or terrible dream could take up to five to six months before it becomes manifest in our life. So, it's necessary to keep on praying against any impending danger to be averted from our lives and that of our loved ones. Some of these nightmares could look so real you know.
After an uncomfortable dream, we are advised to pray thus: " Lord, give me what ever good there is in this dream and reverse the evil that would come along with it ". It is also important that we pray at night before going to bed, because prayers definitelyshield us against evils.
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My special thanks goes out to @FashTioluwa for considering me worthy of his sponsorship. I really appreciate the previledge and God bless 😁
Thank you for staying with me 🙏🙏
The legendary bush baby !
The inspiration of today's article was drawn from a previous article written by @Princessbusayo when she wrote about some superstitious beliefs in her culture .
Superstitious beliefs are an integral part of the African culture which have endured for many years since the time if our ancestors to the present day. Due to westernisation and technological advancement, some of the these beliefs are rapidly being eroded from the psyche of the young Africans . Nevertheless alot of African societies still uphold their spirituality, especially the older generation of Africans.
Even though each African society have its own unique culture and tradition, there are a few belief system that are generally accepted by most ethnic groups.
The "**bushbaby**" is a mythical creature that is widely believed by virtually all the ethnic groups in the Southern parts of the country. I'm very sure that many young Nigerians in this platform have been told some really horrifying tales of the bushbaby in their younger days especially those born in the 1990s.
Growing up, I heard alot of unnerving tales about the bushbaby that were believed to be true. But surprisingly, our elders who told us about them never saw a bushbaby. They had also been told about this spiritual being by the generation before them.
We were told that the bushbaby was an animal with very large eyes which was only active at night. It could be found in villages that had thick Forest around. Once in a while,this creature would start crying at late hours of the night.
Perhaps, the most unique feature about this animal is that the sounds of it's cry is exactly thesame as that of a human infant and one might mistake it for the child of the next-door neighbor. But if one is foolhardy enough to go out towards the forest in search of the source of the cry, he or she might see the bushbaby and that would be the end of that person.
We were told that the bushbaby was a man-eater that had also eaten an armed soldier who attempted to shoot it when he was returning from patrol late at night. These stories gave me alot of sleepless night. Often times, I would imagine a few months old baby with blood dripping from his lips as he eats the flesh of a fully grown man laying in the pool of his blood, while giggling at regular intervals.
Sometimes, I'd scream after a terrible nightmare and would urinate on the bed rather than going to the restroom since the busbaby might probably be waiting for me there. Especially those nights when there's a power failure. Lol. I was around eleven at the time.
I remember a senior cousin who had just graduated from a boarding school, told me that there was a bushbaby living in the bushes around the school. And as soon as it was twelve midnight, it would begin to cry like the way infants do, but in a much higher pitch. And any student who was unfortunate to be outside at this time would immediately go blind as soon as he makes an eye contact.
Grandmother told me more about this creature. According to her, the bushbaby was a very short creature that looks exactly like a monkey . It's distinguishing feature was that it walks the way humans do, but only walks at night. And wherever it goes, it carries along with it a badly stained and stinky mat on it's shoulders. Grandma said that any man who was able to disposses the bushbaby of the man and escapes with it would become so weathly overnight. She told me the story of the richest man in our village and in the surrounding villages who met a bushbaby a long time ago on his way back from the farm when he was still a boy.
The Bushbaby became sympathetic towards this little boy when he told him he was a orphan and pleaded with him to spare his life. The Bushbaby then handed him his mat as a parting gift.
Grandma also told me the story of a very popular mad man in the village whose mental disturbance began the night a bushbabyaby slapped him with his long mammary glands. Lol. The oldest man in the village at that time was over a hundred years and Grandma said that the secret of his longevity is that he had magically acquired some of the furs of a bushbaby which was still in his possession.
As a matter of fact, I have been told numerous fables about the mysterious bushbaby that it would be impossible to write them all in this article. All these myths were bursted a few years ago when I was in my penultimate class in senior high school.
We were all ready for a new biology topic called "**conservation** **of** **wildlife**". Our biology teacher launched **into** a long but interesting discussion. He mentioned some animals termed as the "**endangered** species" and the " **extinct** species". When he mentioned the popular "Bushbaby" as an **endangered** animal, almost all the students in class agreed, since we all believed it was dangerous.
The whole class was shocked when the biology teacher told us that the Bushbaby was an harmless animal. We all shook our heads in disapproval and the class became very noisy as every student wanted to tell the teacher about the scary stories they were told about the Bushbaby.
Mr. Dayo laughed at our ignorance and told us that these stories about Bushbaby were mere superstition and non of them was true. We still weren't convinced as we were very sure that our elders would never lie to us. He was definitely the one lying here.
Mr. Dayo said that understood how we felt and he couldn't possibly blame us. He said that healso believed these stories until science opened his eyes. He went further to show us real images of the **galagos** that was popularly known as the Bushbaby.
We noticed the very large eyes too. Mr. Dayo also told us that it was a primate just like the monkey. We were also surprised when Mr Dayo told us that the galagos (Bushbaby) needed our help to survive and reproduce successfully, else they would die off.
"How help, how?" The whole class asked almost in unison. Mr. Dayo still maintained his smile and patiently explained to us what an "endangered animal" is. I later realized that it doesn't mean thesame thing as a dangerous animal. Lol. Our teachers also showed us internet pictures of the Bushbaby been handled by humans.
This has got to be the most interesting biology lesson I have ever had in high school. I was now quite convinced that I have been brainwashed for a long time.
**Image Source** http://www.google.com/search?q=bushbaby&client=ms-opera-mobile&channel=new&espv=1&prmd=ivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA3oHJh8P2AhVr7rsIHQ1CDYgQ_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=360&bih=616&dpr=2
On my way home, I kept thinking, maybe the dead soldier had been bitten by a venomous snake or ripped by a tiger. Maybe my cousin heard the cries of a wildcat or a owl. It could be possibly be a harmless Bushbaby.
As for grandma's stories, well I think I would just accept them as stories.
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Thank you for staying with me 💖💖
A child's Innocence.
I think it was on a Wednesday and I had been absent from school for two days due to a brief illness. So I decided to remain in class and complete the notes for the lessons I had missed on Monday and on Tuesday. I knew I might not get the job done at home when there's always a TV screen in front of me.
**Thank** **you 🙏**
By the time I had completed my task, I was the last person left in the class. On my way out, i spotted a sum of about eight hundred naira( almost two dollars) on the floor, just few inches away from the classroom door. Picking it up, I regarded the money closely. Surely, it had fell off from another class member. The money could be the child's transport and feeding allowance for the week, I thought. I definitely knew that the owner of the money would be in serious distress as soon as her or she finds out that they had dropped it.
The following morning, I handed the money to our class teacher and I told her the story behind it. Mrs maimuna made an announcement to the whole class and the owner of the money was discovered within a short while.
By the way, the idea of killing the money never occurred to me when I was alone in the class the previous day. Why would it? Looking back, I thought maybe it was because I never had money problems at that time. I have always had alot to eat. After a healthy breakfast, Mom would still dish out a substantial lot in my lunch box. Infact during break, I might just have to invite some other girls to join me in the feast as I wouldn't be able to swallow everything on my own. And ofcourse , dad would also give me some cents to spend during breaktime just incase i wanted anything that children would love to buy like :candies, chocolate and other junks that kids desired.
And as soon as i return home from school, my plate of food is already on the dining table waiting for me. I think food is about the first thing I see as soon as i open the door of our house. I don't even have to remove my school uniform before I start to attack my meal and I never cared if they got badly stained. Mom would definitely perform her magic again and they would be as good as new before going to school the next day. Maybe she buys a new uniform for me anytime she goes to get other items at the market , cause I really couldn't understand how my uniform could be looking so neat every morning even though there were days when I had ruined them with realy stubborn stains while at school. But I still didn't care, that's mom's business, not mine. Immediately after I had returned home,I'd be so glad to engage in two things at once. A mouth being continually stuffed with food and also delighting in an alluring cartoon network in front of me.
Basically, when I was much more younger, I ate five to seven times as day, including dinner. So,I had absolutely no reason to take some one else's money. I couldn't possibly eat money, could I? Lol.
I never thought about money since I had enough to eat. So, the temptation of keeping the missing money to myself never ever crossed my mind. Honestly I wouldn't even know what I would use it for. I even thought about leaving it on the floor till the following morning when the real owner would come pick it up. But we had always being taught in class, to return missing items to the appropriate authorities.
After that incident, Mrs maimuna , our class teacher always maintained a warm smile any time she sees me or whenever she was having a conversation with me. Needless to say that she had been impressed by the "integrity" of a little girl. I also told mom about the incident, and she also smiled at me and told me that I had done the right thing as they were absolutely no reason at all for me to have taken that money. This event actually happened when I was in my first year in Junior high and I was around eleven at the time.
The following term, a more unfortunate incident happened in class. A student who had her school fees on her had forgot to pay it at the cashier's as soon as she had arrived at school. It was after the break was over and we had all returned to class that she realized her error. She quickly brought out the money from the bag and ran to the office for payment. The cashier revealed to her that about five percent of the money was missing but the girl was very sure that her school fees had been complete when her father gave it to her.
It was now very easy to suspect that another student in class must have tampered with the money when we all went out to play. This made our class teacher, Mrs maimuna very furious. Ofcourse she had in many occasions warned her students against such bad habits and why young children should never steal. Needless to say,she was very dissapointed in us.
I was also shocked that a student in class could steal money . All of the cases of money heist I have seen on TV were being perpetrated by grown-ups, some of them even had guns. How could a small child steal money, I thought. How could someone be having money problems when he or she is not yet an adult? What would he or she use the money for? Doesn't he eat enough food at home and at school, just like the way I do? My little mind kept thinking about all the possible reasons while a little child would open another's bag and steal her school t fees, but the whole thing never made any sense to me, so I gave up thinking.
Each and every student in the class was asked to contribute a certain sum of money in other to make up for the stolen money . Since we couldn't catch the thief, we all had to pay for the crime, aunty maimuna told us.
But to my surprise, Mrs. Maimuna exonerated me from the punishment. She announced to the whole class that she would personally pay my fine. She reminded the whole class about the incident that happened the previous term where I returned the missing money of a student I found in the class even though I had the opportunity of taking it and no one would know .
So, according to her, it was impossible to imagine that i might be the one who had taken this girl's money. She wouldn't even believe that even though I had been sharing thesame seat with the victim. She said that I had already proven my integrity to her and the rest of the class a long time ago.
I just can't explain how I had felt when Mrs maimuna made that speech, but at that moment, I definitely knew that I would never forget what she said about me for the rest of my life. I would never forget her too.
When Mrs maimuna had finished talking, I turned around to take a glance at the faces of the other class members since my seat was the first in the row. I saw alot of faces frowning at me, but two or three faces still smiled at me and I smiled back at them. I couldn't blame those who were angry that I wasn't made to pay the fine when they had paid. could I ? They were paying for an offence they never committed, so i understood the reason for their bitterness.
For the rest of the day, I kept wondering who the thief could be. Was he/she among those that were frowning at me? It's also possible that this thief was among the few who smiled. I guess I would never know.
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Thanks for staying with me 💖💖
Savior psychosis
Last Sunday, i met a cousin who I literally see almost on weekly basis through out my life. He was in a serious financial crisis. He had been swindled by one of those fraudulent platforms that promises it's members bogus returns of investment when they invest heavily in them. Needless to say that this was never the first time he would be falling for such scams. What made this worse than the previous ones was that he invested with borrowed funds and is now in a huge debt.
**Thank** **you** 🙏
From a distance, one could clearly see the look of great anguish in his eyes and he needed all the assistance he could possibly get. After he had told me about his predicament, I wasn't quite surprised when he asked me to help him in the little way that I could so that he could offset some of his debts. He said that the pressure and humiliation from his creditors are becoming more and more embarrassing on a daily basis. I really felt sorry.
Honestly I didn't have much in my bank account at the moment, so I told him I really wished I could help him out but I am unable to But deep down , I knew I was in a position to help him if I wanted to. I had some funds in my Bch wallet but I felt I shouldn't tamper with them at the moment since they were valuable assets that should be left alone for a long time so that they could appreciate .
That evening , after I and my cousin had parted, my heart was heavy and I couldn't sleep much the whole night. I knew I could have helped him . I tried to imagine a brother, a husband or a father in such a position and i felt an ominous chill run through me. Then I realized how insensitive I was. No doubt, if any of my loved ones were in such a jam, I would definitely not hesitate to put on the market all that I ever owned just so they could be free. I felt rather ashamed and asked the Almighty for forgiveness. After I had sold the funds, i immediately called my cousin and requested for his account details.
After the transaction had been made, I felt a tranquility I'd never felt in a long while. Even though the money was quite a substantial sum, it seemed I didn't care whether he paid back or not. As a matter of fact, my whole being was overwhelmed by the exceeding gratitude in his voice when he called back and confirmed that he had received the funds. It made me felt that I had done the most impressive thing that I would ever do in my entire life. Not that I felt powerful or Superior afterwards, I only felt glad.
This is definitely not the first time I have experienced restlessness after initially failing to oblige someone else's needs. I'm quite sure that some of my friends here also suffer from such a psychological phenomenon.
Ever since I was younger, I always tend to develop a rapid and strong emotional connection to people who are in dire conditions. Irrespective of how they found themselves in such a situation or wether it was entirely their fault they fell into such a hole , I don't usually care. I wouldn't even consider the possibility that I might be implicated or fall into thesame hole when extending an helping hand.
I'd always feel like, if I don't help him/her, chances are that no one else will. This was why I called this a psychological issue. My mental health could even get worse when I begin to imagine that the person might think that I deliberately refused to offer an assistance.
In the nearest future,wether or not the table gets turned and I find myself at the other end, i wouldn't bother much if thesame individual failed to assist me as much as I have assisted them in their own time. No doubt, I would definitely feel hurt and cheated, but trust me, such feelings are only ephemeral and don't last long.
In no time i would ever use that situation as a justification to ignore the person or cut them off, just like how some people would do. Neither would i ever refer to such past disappointment or use it as a yardstick anytime I am about to render a similar assistance to others.
Demonstrating such kindness to others is a major path that leads me to abundant peace of mind and satisfaction. We should always be ourselves and always follow our hearts no matter what. So long as we are sure that we are doing the right thing and wouldn't hurt anyone.
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Thanks alot for staying with me 🙏
Who will save mother
Sometimes in 2015, I read about a story in a newspaper that happened in Lagos State, Nigeria. A sixty years old woman was down with a very serious kidney disease. She was already a poor widow whose husband had died a long time ago when her two daughters were just teenagers.
She had to undergo a major kidney transplant surgery that had to be performed in India and would ofcourse cost a lot of money. Her daughters who were now in their late twenties never left their mother's side through out the duration of her illness. Even though the two of them were already married with kids, they still spent most of the day with their mother, holding her hands. They cried for her , they prayed for her.
And when night comes, the girls would rather sleep on the hard hospital floor beside their mother's bed, instead of going back home to their families. By morning, their faces would look so puffy due to tiredness, with numerous spots of mosquito bites all their skin.
Their mother's treatment should have been completed some time ago but because of the family's inability to pay for the surgery, they just had to remain in the hospital. Both daughters and mother kept suffering every day and anyone who visited the hospital felt sorry for them.
At last, their situation was brought to the knowledge of the governor of the state at that time by some good Samaritans. Then governor visited the hospital and sympathized with them. He also promised to help them. The money needed for the operation was paid that same day and all was set for the procedure.
The only thing left which was also most important thing was a donor kidney. This ofcourse wouldn't cost much. All that was needed was somebody that would volunteer to donate a kidney to the sick woman. Most times, such a person has got to be from thesame family as the patient.
Since her two daughters was the only family that she had. A test was called conducted on both girls and it was found out that either of the girls would be able donate a kidney to save their mother's life.
But to the utmost surprise doctors, nurses and even the governor, the two girls were appeared reluctant to donate a kidney to save their mother's life even though the doctors assured them that a person who had donated one of her two kidneys would still be able to live a normal life till old age so long as the other kidney remained functional.
The two daughters were given a fourty right hour ultimatum to consult within themselves and make up their mind on who would save mother's life.
But none of the two girls agreed to donate a kidney out of their four healthy kidneys to help their mom. It was even reported they a fight almost broke out between the two of them. The older sister began accusing the other sister of being always selfish as she had done more for thier mother and it was now the turn for the younger one to help out. It quarrel degenerated and the two girls used hurtful words.
The whole situation became quite shameful and one begins to wonder weather these were the same girls that had been so devoted to their mother before the operation.
In order to prevent the whole thing from getting worse more than it was already. The governor ordered the doctors to get another kidney for the transplant from somewhere else so as to save the dying woman.
The surgery was done successfully and the old woman recuperated gradually with her two daughters by her sides once again, Lol. One begins to wonder how the old mother would feel when she gets to know in the nearest future that her two daughters refused to help her when she needed their help the most. Especially when she's the kind of mother that wouldn't hesitate to lay down her life for her children .
......According to the words of the governor: "may our loyalty never be tested".
We all could claim we love someone dearly and would be able to do anything for that person, but when the time comes, one might realize that one wouldn't be able to go to such length before the unfortunate twist of fate. If we were asked earlier before the situation happened, we would make a verbal show of how undying our love is. Look within those you love closely, to what extent are you willing to sacrifice for them?
My Bully became my Partner- in-Crime
Hello my amazing friends. I'm so sorry I was off yesterday and i couldn't visit your articles. I wasn't feeling too well. I promise to visit as much articles as I can as soon as possible.
Well , When I was in senior high school, there was this tomboy in my class. Rita had always had the mannerism and guts of a boy. This was probably due to the fact that she was the only girl among five brothers and they were always together. Anywhere are brothers are gathered, she'd also be present. Rita even played football well. She often was the goalkeeper protecting their fortress while are brothers go out to attack.
Rita was so annoying and tricky that it always gives me the idea that the only reason why she comes to school every morning was just to torment other students both the boys and girls alike.
Whenever a boy in class gets a new haircut (the type that's very common among African males), she'd smack him at the nape of the head and incessantly tease him. This ofcourse could be very painful and whenever her victim grumbles, she'd threaten him and challenge him to a fight . Rita would further go ahead and boast about the number of boys she had beaten up.
Rita had a very dense brain, she was entirely aloof with studies. She never solicited the assistance of other students in an assignment or a test. During a test, she'd always stare at her blank sheet with callous indifference while nibbling on her finger nails through out the duration of time. Then when the results are out and she had floundered terribly, she'd only give a casual hiss and sometimes curse the subject teacher.
The two biggest boys in class were friends with Rita and they were bullies too. Unlike Rita, her two friends never bedeviled other students. As a matter of fact, they were quite friendly to the smarter students in class who were wise enough to assist them with their assignments. I never had any problems with her companions, I even whispered answers to them during tests and exams. No need to mention that they became fond of me.
I had always hitherto kept a safe distance from Rita, not because I was actually afraid of her but because I never had time for such students. Suddenly, Rita began to pick on me. Maybe she became jealous of the new closeness between me and her two friends. As the weeks passed, her attempts became bolder and she'd call me Silly names when we are out for break, just to trigger a laughter from other students and make me feel bad. I still continued to ignore her, thereby making a fool out of herself instead.
Then one day , she went the extra mile.i returned to class after the break and found Rita walking all over my seat and desk with her dusty shoes. This made me really angry but I was determined to continue to give her the silent treatment. I had already turned my back on her, about to walk away when she pulled at locks of my hair. It was obvious she couldn't continue to bear the psychological torture I had been dishing her.
Sharp pains shot out from my root hairs through my scalp and I turned around immediately to confront my tormentor. I was so maddenned by rage that I pushed her down roughly from the seat she was standing and she crashed on the hard floor with a full thud.
As soon as she was sprawled all over the floor, I squated on top of her and started decking her quick but automatic slaps with both hands and on both sides of her cheeks as she tried to shield her face . I continued to hit her on the sides on the head, elbows and the arms. Other students were already screaming with excitement. Finally she was able to push me away from her. We were about to continue the scuffle when a teacher entered the class and came between us.
Honestly that was the first time in my life I had engaged in a fight. I never thought i had the strength for a physical brawl, let alone fighting and beating up someone like Rita who was feared by virtually all students. I was so surprised at myself that I began to shed tears. Rita on the other hand was acting like a wounded lioness. The teacher had to give her one more slap before she could calm down. Our teacher took a long look at me, I could see that he was very disappointed and I felt hot shame on my face. He also never thought a student of my Calibre could ever be found fighting.
Both of us were sent to the principal's office to be given the appropriate punishment for behaving shameless. Now, the school principal also doubled as the discipline master. He was feared by all students for his unassailable mastery of the whip. I had already started crying even before getting to the office. As an obedient student, I had always dreaded the whip and also made absolutely sure that i avoided every situation that would warrant the edges of a whip falling on my body.
As luck would have it, the principal was not in the office at the time. So, the teacher asked us kneel down in the office and await his return.
I was kneeling down near the open window of the office. From my position, i could see the principal outside, few meters away from the windows. He was obviously engaged in serious conversation with a visiting parent. Rita was kneeling in an opposite direction at the other end of the room. She was still staring at me with a murderous gaze but she wasn't my problem anymore. I was only thinking about the principal's whip. I also thought that the principal would be disappointed in me too and I felt worse.
Just to avoid Rita's stare, I decided to fix my gaze on the principal's desk that was in front me. Seconds after I started observing the big desk and it's contents, a big bundle of notebooks caught my attention. Dragging my knees on the floor, I moved some inches towards the desk to get a closer look.
Lo and behold! They were the note books containing the exam questions of all the subjects. Each subject teacher had submitted their questions to the principal office and they would all be ready for printing before the commencement of the exams the following week.
I beckoned on Rita to come closer and she was quite confused at the sudden change of expression in me. I quickly pointed to the principal's table and told her that I just saw all of our exams questions.
Rita immediately rushed towards me and together we started going through all the eleven note books containing the exam questions of the eleven subjects we were being taught.
Rita couldn't contain her excitement and started laughing out loud. I quickly pointed out of the window where the principal was still talking with a parent and she shut up immediately.
Then we organized a strategy. I told her to keep watching out for the principal while I copied as much exam questions as I could on the waste papers i found on the floor and in the bin since I was faster in writing.
Rita kept watching the principal from the window curtains as she beckoned on me to write faster. With a mischievous grin, Rita would jump up and down and clap her hands in excitement. She was going to pass her exams for the first time in many years. The smile she had was big enough to tear her face into two. She obviously couldn't believe her luck. I remained focused on my task. One or twice, we gave each other a "high five" and continued at our respective duties.
Finally I finished copying most of the difficult questions especially from mathematics, chemistry and physics. Together with Rita, we stuffed the papers into our socks, bras, and under our berets. We were laughing like hyenas as we did this. We then drank two glasses of water from the the principal's water dispenser. We even did some quick silly dances in the office before the principal returned.
The principal was quite surprised that we didn't recoil to the whipping as painfully as he had expected. Rita even maintained a mild smile as she was being flogged. If only he knew what had just happened in the office, I'm very sure he would have used a gun instead.
With our hands locked together, and smily faces, I and Rita walked back to class in a queenly manner. The other students were already eagerly waiting for our arrival. Most of them were getting set to burst out laughing as soon as they set their eyes on us. When they saw us together, they became so confused that they couldn't say anything for some moments.
"What happened,Why are you both looking so happy, Were you not punished by the principal??? The rest of the class members kept asking as they form a crowd around us.
Rita told them that the principal gave us a lot of candies and encouraged us to fight again next time. I found this very funny and the both of us burst into a heavy laughter, leaving the class members more confused than ever.
Me and Rita became very close after that day. We would always meet at her house and practice the exams questions together before the commencement of an exam the following week.
***I would have love to tell you that we both emerged first positions in class but........... The whole story is fictitious ad it never happened. All my life, I have never engaged in examination malpractice and would never be part of it even if presented the opportunity 😂😂😂***
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Thanks alot for staying with me ♥️♥️ 🙏
The plight of a pedestrian.
Be rest assured that as soon as you step out of your house after a heavy downpour, there's about seventy percent chance of getting your clothes ruined by muddy water. All thanks to some thoughtless drivers behind the wheels.
**Thank** **you** 🙏
Sometimes, it would appear as if a cab or a private car had been eagerly waiting for you to come out onto the road so that the driver could further decorate my beautiful dress with some cool but nasty water.
And since it's a developing country, most of the inner roads are untarred with numerous potholes fiiled with puddles. whenever it rains, the roads are always an eyesore
I remember an experience when I was still a school girl. it had rained heavily the previous night, and the following morning, the roads that led to our school was covered with puddles of thick mud. We had to intermittently leap over some really large puddles on our way to school. As children, we actually had fun jumping from one puddle to the next and would laugh at any of the other kids who mistakenly fall into a consecutive puddle.
Then out of no where, without a warning, an old lorry came along with full speed, spluttering dirty water all over us even when we had been walking by the side of the road. This really provoked the anger in our little hearts. I was so upset because I was the only girl among the rest and my immaculate uniform was already ruined by brown spots.
It meant that by the time I got to school, I shall be the only one looking dirty in the midst of other girls, on a monday morning. The rest of the other kids were still raining insults at the driver and his truck. One of them said that he wished the driver would meet with an accident on his way back. Another kid prayed that he would be attacked by arm robbers, and so on.. Lol. They kept throwing invectives at him till the lorry was out of sight.
As fate would have it, on our way back from school, we saw thesame vehicle. But this time around, it wasn't moving. As we came closer , it became obvious that the vehicle had plunged in a very thick mass of mud and had become stucked. We saw the worried look on the face of our tormentor- the driver and we burst out laughing ( from a safe distance).
He desperately needed assistance from passerbys to help push the truck from the rear so they he could be able to propel it from the front. Maybe he couldn't recognize us anymore as he looked surprised while we laugh. He ask for our help but the boys told him that they didn't have the kind of strength needed to push a truck as they are already tired and hungry from long hours of lessons. I felt quite sorry for the driver. Some of the boys even scooped some mud and flung it towards the driver.
I have had other experiences of being splashed with water while walking by the roadside but the worst of them all was when I was awaiting a cab to take me to a wedding venue. It was after a heavy rainfall and I was already late for the event when a Mercedes Benz ruined my dress with muddy waters. I couldn't attend the ceremony anymore and I cried as I walked back home. Not because I couldn't continue my journey anymore but because I felt cheated.
Sometimes, it amazes me. If you have been blessed enough to own a car, why wouldn't you have sympathy on those who still walk with their legs, some even with empty stomachs. why would you hurt them more by making them feel more miserable. It's not as they had asked you for a ride.
A good number of vehicle owners are quite guilty of this. From a psychological perspective, I am tempted to believe that some manic drivers carelessly but deliberately humiliate other road users by splashing water on them when the day is wet . Maybe it gives them a cracked feeling of satisfaction and pride when they see others who couldn't afford what they have got. You would agree with me that some humans are just unbelievable. I mean, every driver, including learners should always remember to drive carefully on a wet road in order to avoid splashing dirty water on people by the roadside.
**Image Source** https://images.app.goo.gl/vesR8NF8VQqcwZ6v9
But I also understand that it's sometimes not intentional. A driver might not be aware that he or she had splashed water on other road users. I have seen good people who had highlighted from their cars and apologized as soon as they had realised the damaged they had done. I even had an experience with a good man the other day. He offered to drop me off but I declined. I was just OK with the apology and I became happy again. I think vehicle owners should try reducing speed on a wet day when approaching pedestrians. They'd later accelerate when there's no more people close by.
Reminiscing on past occurrences, I have seen quite alot of unhappy pedestrians use terrible curses on inconsiderate drivers after such an incident. Needless to say that the curses could be very sickening to the ears. Some folks might even curse the driver's forefathers and generations yet unborn ( my people could be very notorious with the use of words when they feel seriously cheated. Lol) .
All this had made me to have a strong resolve that if I ever get to own a car, I would be very cautious of others when driving in such wet conditions.
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Thanks alot for staying with me ... Special thanks to @Kushyzee and aunty @Talecharm for the sponsorship renewal. I really appreciate your kindness. 🤗🤗
Why won't she work?
***Femi didn't marry early at the normal age when most of his friends got married because he was focused on chasing his dreams.***
***Now, at thirty nine, femi had built a successful business that would continue to thrive and he had already starting thinking about the idea of getting married.***
***Six months ago, femi had met a twenty-five years old Lola who was a banker at a prestigious bank where he always visit for most of his transactions. He had immediately taken an interest in her as Lola was not only beautiful but also very smart too. In no time, they began to date.***
***He finally promised Lola marriage, but on the condition that she resigns for her job. According to femi, there would be no need for her to keep up with her job after marriage as he feels he's rich enough to provide for all her needs. He only wants someone to take care of his home. He also promised to open a shop for her in front of the new house he was building where eshe could venture into whatever business that she wanted .***
***Lola found all these talks quite ridiculous and laughed out loud. Without wasting more of his time, she simply told femi that she was not the woman for him. She told him that there were tonnes of women out there who would gladly accept the offer of being a his house wife and he should go pick his choice from the multitude***.
***This really hurt femi's pride as he became angry and frustrated. Thier short relationship came to an abrupt end since both sides refused to yield after alot of back and forth.***
**Thank** **you 🙏**
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In this time and age, where career women are being admired and appreciated for the value they add to the society and economy, I find it quite ridiculous that some husbands would still kick against their wives working after marriage.
Well, I don't know about other regions of the world but there are some people who still restricts their wives from working in an organization in developing countries like mine. And ofcourse, they always have their reasons. That's why I had decided to write about it.
Sexual harassment of female employees sometimes happen at the offices. A woman might not be able to protest against the constant pestering by a male boss for fear of losing a good paying job, considering the terrible unemployment situation of the country.
We have all heard stories of a decadent boss who later met his Waterloo and afterwards a good number of women who had worked under him or had any association with him in the past came out to tell the world about their experiences.
So, it's possible that some husbands might have such fears for a wife who goes out to work. As a matter of fact, there's this common myth among traditional folks here that marrying a working class lady is quite synonymous to marrying trouble.
Some families might even condemn a union between their son and a young lady who goes out to work like other men. And since she comes to meet and have conversations with a lot of men for most parts of the day, they think anything could happen . By the way, Women are generally believed to be emotionally weak and some men could be emotionally manipulative. So, in the best interest of their son, they'd rather prefer he takes a lesser educated woman who would give him peace of mind as a wife ( housewife).
Also, as a lady, I know that there's definitely a thing like a" male ego". Some married men can't help imagine that their working wives accord a special level of respect to thier male bosses. And some cultures are of the belief that such special treatment and recognition should exclusively be reserved for a woman's husband and father only.
So, psychologically speaking, when a man gets into a small quarrel with a working class wife, he might invariably conclude in his mind that his wife never talks back or respond to her boss in such harsh tones. But funny enough, the husband would mostly fail to remember that his wife loves and adore him more. He'd most times linger on the train of thoughts that suits his confirmation bias. As a results, the marriage might continually be under strain and both partners would continue to push each other to the wall. Finally when push comes to shove, the wife might be asked to choose between her family and her job.
You would definitely agree with me that some of these reasons why some men would not allow thier wives to go out and work are quite shallow. I mean, Look at the bigger picture: The economy situation of the country is very distressing and the general prices of things are getting more appalling everyday. So, for a couple to be able to beat the times, both man and wife are expected to work hard together in their respective fields of specialization. Most women can even comfortably mange their house chores in addition to their office jobs.
What if the husband loses his job tomorrow due to economic reasons or what if an accidental or illness renders him incapacitated? Even worse, when he finally answers the glorious call from the creator. What then would be the fate of the woman and her kids since the head of the family had forced her to abandon her career or source of income.
By the way, unfaithfulness in marriage is a symbol that should not only be reserved to working class wives. We all know that cheating is also very common among domestic wives too, especially when their husbands are away. So, it's not a matter of a wife going out to work or staying back at home, but the level of faith and reliance couples have for each other. Recently, I heard a story of a woman, whowith the assistance of a clever husband busted and disgraced her licentious boss.
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Thanks you for staying with me ♥️ ♥️♥️
I dedicate this article to Ma @gertu13 . Thanks alot ma'am for considering me worthy for your sponsorship. I am really honoured. I really appreciate your kindness and continual support and I do not take it for granted. 🙏💖
No need to explain your self over again
I remember when I was younger, anytime I come to the realization that I had done something wrong, or I had failed to do something important that I was instructed to do by either parents, I'd immediately start to think about how I would start explaining the situation prior to when my mistakes would be discovered.
Before dad returns, I would start a practicing session on how I would explain the situation and how it all happened. Most times, I'd have to include some lies and half-truths in order to be able to convince him that the mistakes were unintentional just to lessen his anger.
Infact, i would go further by making a mental scene of a discussion between me and dad. I'd think about all his likely questions and reactions and how to reply and counter them all. But as soon as I am in his presence, I'd lose my nerve and begin to shiver when dad looks me in the eye with a cold stare. At that moment, I'd forget all what I had planned to say and I might even burst into tears. Lol.
A common scenario can happen in a relationship when a partner is trying to apologise for a previous disappointment . It could also happen to an employee trying to explain his mistakes to a boss.
But when you keep beating around the bush, the other person might get irritated and scream at you to come to the point already. Then you definitely would have to let it all out without holding anything back and await the response or reaction of the other person. It might be that after you had left their presence, you'd realize that there are some things you shouldn't have said and you start to regret. Most of us had one time or the other found ourselves in similar situations.
Sometimes, it's not always entirely your fault it happened that way. It could be that you were pushed to the wall or the conditions at the time was just beyond your control. It might also be that the other person might be at fault too but you wouldn't realize it at that moment.
Explaining yourself or the situation that has already happened over and over again could easily lead you into saying things you shouldn't say at that particular moment . In trying to make the other person see reasons with you, talking too much at once can cause one to say things that might be difficult for the other person to believe or worse, implicate yourself further.
Out of sheer desperation to convince the other person, one might inadvertently make a bogus remark or a tall promise you wouldn't be able to fulfill and this would definitely lead you into a similar or greater dilemma in the future. This might definitely affect your reputation in the eyes of the other person. Whatever you say or whatever promises you make later would only be taken with a pinch of salt as you have now become predictable. And when one becomes predictable, he loses his respect.
In worse cases, the other person might not say a word, and just allow you to keep talking your throat dry. And at the end, all your words would have fallen on deaf ears and you'd be surprised that the person you have been trying so hard to convince would still go ahead to take whatever decision he or she had initially planned to. No need to mention that one might feel stupid afterwards.
So, too much blabbing could make the other person begin to think that you are trying to confuse them with words or play on their intelligence. This might make them change their mind about you as you definitely look more guilty in their eyes with such an impression.
Even though your previous actions were condemnable, so long as you are now remorseful, it's important to leave things the way they are. Appealing too much to the mercy of people could sometimes make them to look down on you with disdain and this could dent one's self-esteem. By the way, no one can ever lay a claim to perfection
Sometimes, all your blabbles would be needless and unnecessary. The other person might only need a simple but sincere apology and an assurance that there wouldn't be a repeat of such an incidence. Believe me, this wouldn't take more than a few words and things would be alright.
***"When you are trying to convince people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear and the less in control. Powerful people impress by saying little"...... Robert Greene***
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Thank you for staying with me. Special thanks to @Aimure for the sponsorship renewal. I really appreciate the support and good will 🙏
Falling deeper into the pit of destruction. Finale
Hello friends, i really appreciate you all for following up with my strory. If you are just joining me. you could read the first parts of the story here;
https://read.cash/@Bilqees/falling-deeper-into-the-pit-of-destruction-i-889f9fc1
https://read.cash/@Bilqees/falling-deeper-into-the-pit-of-destruction-ii-cb1df2f2
Months later, Tayo couldn't understand why his winning streak suddenly come to an abrupt end even though he still maintained the same winning technique he had been used to.
The betshop attendant told him that it's quite normal to experience loses as a gambler, but overall, he assured Tayo that he was still doing better than alot of other gamblers.
He advised Tayo to start staking bigger sums of money. "You shouldn't be playing small again at this level, the higher the stakes, the bigger the reward", the snake- eyed bet attendant admonished him.
Tayo thought that he was right and followed his advise. But the higher he staked, the bigger his loses turn out to be. Soon, Tayo became alarmed and frustrated.
By this time his studies have already began to suffer. Tayo was now spending more time in focusing on analyzing the outcome of a game before a bet. He had literally abandoned his studies.
One day, Tayo woke up with a little fever, he was also feeling very uncomfortable at the lower parts of his body. His illness became worse the following day and he Just had to visit the a clinic outside the school.
The test results showed that Tayo had contracted an STI. This came as a rude shock to him. He had to spent most of his gambling earnings in treating the disease that lasted for a couple of weeks.
After his recovery, Tayo sank deeper into the abyss of gambling. He was determined to recover all the money he had lost in the cause of treating the disease. But he still continue to lose the little money he had left.
Needless to say, Tayo's life never remained thesame again. It was as if he had totally forgot the primary purpose of being in the university. Most times, he'd starve himself as he spent most of his allowances on the gambling racket. Soon he began borrowing money from other students just to be able to feed. But as soon as he had money in his hand, the hunger would vanish and he would head straight to the betshop.
Tayo literally became a shadow of himself, he never paid attention to his physical appearances anymore. He was always looking unkempt and uncared for. A chronic borrower whose friends had already deserted him. One would think that he looked more like a drug addict than a gambler.
The results of the second semester exams were released and Tayo had failed woefully. But strangely enough, Tayo wasn't bothered even though he knew that he might likely spend an extra year in school.
From time to time, Tayo would call home and ask that his parents send a sum of money in form of a department or faculty fee. These werr all lies indeed. His parents were already becoming worried at his constant demands, which ofcourse never happened before. And whenever they try to ask further questions, Tayo would protest and threaten to run away from school if they fail to send the money.
Tayo's parents were very surprised by this tone as Tayo had never spoken to them in such a rude manner before. "Maybe it's the stress of study that is making him like this", Tayo's mom tried to calm her husband.
He had also found the habits of returning to the school premises late in the night after he had spent almost all day at the betshop. This was the first time he had won quite a substantial sum from gambling for over three months. He was able to win a sum of forty dollars while staking just seven dollars. Tayo wasn't very excited because he knew that the money lost in those three months were well above the forty dollars. he had just won. But atleast, this could keep hunger away for the next couple of weeks, he thought.
He was walking on a lonely path when a gang of three boys jumped on him. Tayo quickly realized that they had been following him since he left the betshop as one of the faces was that of a fellow gambler who he was familiar with. Tayo knew that they were about to snatch the money from him and he tried to resist. He was still struggling with two of them when the third guy dealt him a heavy blow with a metal rod on the side of his head. Tayo fell to the ground without a sound.
Tayo was taken home for proper care after the deep cut on his scalp had been treated at the hospital. His mother was full of tears when he saw him. His parents noticed how much he had lose weight but the serious head injury he was carrying made them forget to ask him what had been happening to him.
Laying on his bed, all alone in his room. Tayo wondered how his life had become a living nightmare in a couple of months. He cursed the day he discovered gambling and began to cry convulsively, he had already reached the depths of great depression and he wondered if he would ever get his life back. He also wondered whether he would be able to break free from the shackles of gambling addiction.
Two days before Tayo would return to school, he overheard a discussion between his father and a elder cousin in the sitting room. His cousin was getting married in two weeks time. Tayo saw when his cousin gave his father a sum of $1500 to help him make all the wedding arrangements, before leaving the house.
From a slightly opened bedroom door, Tayo watched his father keeping the roll of money in one of the drawers in the sitting room before going out to attend a meeting.
Ten minutes later, Tayo also left the house to a nearby betting shop with the money in his pocket......
Later in the evening, Tayo's mom had just finished with her cooking. From the kitchen, she called out to her son several times to come pick up his food but Tayo never came out of his room. This was quite unusual as Tayo was always conscious of his meal time.
She casually walked towards her son's room but the door was tightly locked from the inside. She thought Tayo was fast asleep. Fortunately, his bedroom window of was still open. She decided to raise the curtains of the windows to call again when she saw the most horrific sight of her life.
Tayo's stark and emaciated body was dangling from a noose whose other end was fastened to the ceiling fan. Tayo's mom broke into a Cascade of agonizing screams that pierced every corner of the house.
Upon hearing his wife's deafening wail, Tayo's father ran into the house like a man possessed. As soon he saw the body of his son, he felt as if his heart was about to fly out of his mouth. This has got to be a nightmare, he said to himself. He still could not believe his eyes until he forced and broke the door open..... Then he saw the suicide note, with tears already streaming down his face, he read his son's words with the greatest pain.
***The*** ***End***
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The story about a student committing suicide due to gambling addiction is true and happened in a state in my country. But the story up there leading to a death is actually a figment of my imagination.
Thank you for staying with me. ♥️♥️♥️
Falling deeper into the pit of destruction. II
Hello my lovelies, wishing you all and your beautiful families a pleasant new month from this end.
So, yesterday, I decide to take a short break from writing based on personal experiences to try my hands on storytelling. . To my dear friends who haven't read the first part of the above title yet, you can read it **here** and thanks alot. https://read.cash/@Bilqees/falling-deeper-into-the-pit-of-destruction-i-889f9fc1
Tayo had never engaged in gambling all his life. As a matter of fact,he had always been warned by his parents, teachers and pastors about it's dangers for as long as he could remember. Therefore, he knew next to nothing about it dynamics of sport betting and he never cared. By the way, he was one of those young men that didn't have an interest in football.
Femi also was never a gambler just like Tayo. He only gave it a first and only try and he stuck gold. Tayo began to wonder whether fortune could also smile at him just like it did to femi. Afterall, there was absolutely nothing special about femi. He was just another undergraduate from an humble background.
"I would try out sport betting just once and see. Wether I win or lose, I wouldn't care. I would only engage once and forget about it. I might or might not be lucky. Even though I don't get to make as much as Femi, atleast I could be able to get something substantial then I would stop there........... " Tayo kept talking to himself before he drifted into a soundless sleep.
The following morning, Tayo could hardly get his mind to focus on what the lecturer was explaining. As soon as classes was over, he hurried out of the school premises . Destination : A betting shop.
He arrived at a very prominent gambling at the centre of the town. The whole place was swarming with other veteran gamblers. Some where screaming at the top of their voices, others were laughing or cursing a particular paper which Tayo got to know was called the " bet slip".
Tayo felt really awkward in thier midst and for a split-second, he had a premonition to turn around and run back to the school but his legs reflexly continue to carry him forward till he got to the counter. He was too shy to tell the shop attendant that he was a first time gambler who didn't know how to play. So, he gambled blindly with a sum of $5 and quickly turn around to leave.
Later in the evening, Tayo got to know that his preferred team had won and his $5 had fetched him almost $30. This really came as a pleasant surprise to him. "Not bad for a first-timer", he said to himself with an impressive smile.
Tayo used his earnings to replenish his food supply .Ever since Tayo became a student at the University, he had only been eating twice a day: a lunch and dinner. This was a very common eating timetable for alot of indigent students in the university due to the meager monthly allowances that their parents could afford to provide for their upkeep. Nonetheless, Tayo never complained, as a matter of fact, he really appreciated his parents efforts towards his educational pursuits.
But For the first time in a long while, Tayo was able to feed three times a day everyday in a three weeks stretch, all thanks to a single earning from sport betting.
Tayo thought that it wouldn't be a bad idea if he considered betting as an alternative source to augmenting his paltry student allowance. Ofcourse he would only use part of the money realised from a previous successful bet to make a fresh bet. He was very certain that he would never dip his hands into his personal income in making a wager. He thought this was a brilliant idea. Tayo had completed forgot his initial resolve he made about only a one-time participation in gambling and leaving it at that.
In the next three weeks, Tayo had won about seventy percent of all his gambles. This earnings ranged from $$30 to $60. He thought that this was Indeed a remarkable feat. The bet attendant was also full of praises for Tayo. He mentioned that he had been more successful on his bets then lots of gamblers who he had known for a longtime. This compliment really made a big impression on Tayo's ego and he started to think that he was a genius.
Tayo eventually convinced himself that betting was not as bad as people would love to believe. It could be real good if only you knew the secrets. Tayo begin to think that he knows most of the secrets of a successful wager. Needless to say, he became popular among the older gamblers within this short time. As a matter of fact, he started giving tips any time he had landed a successful bet and they would sing his praise.
Some of the older gamblers tried to persuade him to make bets on thier behalf since he was the one with the Midas touch. But Tayo had declined, he told them that he was more comfortable playing with his own money. With such a statement, they all thought this boy was a wise one and their respect for him doubled.
Tayo became less passionate about his studies . As the day goes by, he found classes boring sometimes became too lazy to attend. He began to think that it was only the unwise that would spend so much time at the books when there were fantastic opportunities out there. Afterall, it's not as if immediate employment was guaranteed no matter how good your grades were. He have heard true stories about graduates with first class honors who still struggle to feed. It's more important to pursue other things and diversify . Tayo thought.
With a confident smile, He also thought about the day that he would win such a huge sum as $14000 from betting just like Femi did.
From his earnings, he was able to settle most of his needs as a student. He soon started buying unnecessary stuffs. In a short while, the once shrewd Tayo became extravagant. You wouldn't blame him though, he always had money in his hands.
A month later, he started soliciting the services of scarlet girls..... A dangerous vice he had never thought possible to engage in, just like he never thought he would ever be mixed up in gambling .
***To*** ***be*** ***continued*** ................
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Thank you very much for staying with me.
I promise to write the concluding parts of the story tomorrow 🙏🙏🙏
Falling deeper into the pit of destruction. I
Tayo was a level two student who was studying physics and electronics at the federal university in his state. Just like every other other hardworking student, he had dreams and aspirations to graduate with a very positive result that would boost his chances in the labour market.
**Thank** **you 🙏**
Tayo's parents were one of the country's thousands of middle- class citizens that were fast falling below the poverty line due to the widespread inflation that had been maintaining a firm grip on the country's economy for a long time.
Even though things were quite rough, his parents were determined to educate atleast two of their children up to the university level. Hopefully after they had graduated and secured nice jobs, they would be able to take over the responsibility of their younger siblings. This is a very common African mentality, which i believe to a large extent, contributes to the reason why couples give birth to more children then they can comfortably cater for.
" ***One of our children would definitely become successful in the future and take the family out of poverty....",***
The above belief is very popular among the less educated folks.
Tayo was the second child out of six children. The first child was a girl. Tayo's elder sister was already married. She married shortly after she completed her high school education. Since she was not very bright in academics, she never agreed to further her education. She had made it clear to their father that he shouldn't waste his hard earned money training her in the university since she was never good in the class.
Tayo was always very conscious of the huge expectations from him and he became more determined to work hard at his studies so as to be able to support his family in the nearest future.
Tayo's performance in his first year at the University was quite satisfactory, atleast he was able to be among the top ten in a class of almost a hundred. Tayo was very pleased with his performance and thought that if he could maintain such a pace he would definitely be among the top five when he enters his finals.
How was he suppose to know that his life would be cut short before that time.....
One day , Tayo had just returned to his room on campus after a three hour long lectur. He met the three of his room mates discussing in excited tones. He asked his friends what was the fuss about. Kenny who was the one nearest to him immediately told him that a level three student has just won the sum of $14000 at a gamblers shop with just $2.
Kenny also revealed that this particular student was not even an habitual gambler. This was his first and only participation and he got such a big reward. Tayo also learnt that the said student haven't been seen around the school ever since, maybe he had abandoned school to go do something else with his newly found Fortune. All his friends had reported that his lines had been switched off ever since.
After a detailed description by an excited kenny, Ayo was able recognize who this newest millionaire in town was. The boy whose name was femi was someone that Tayo was very familiar with. He was a computer science student whose department was just few meters from his own department. As a matter of fact, they had been acquaintances since from level one as they took some general courses together at that time
Tayo kept clapping his hands on his thighs from time to time out of sheer amazement of how a nineteen year old boy could turn into a millionaire overnight.
Before he had heard this unbelievable news, he had planned to study hard for a very vital test that was coming up in three days time, but he couldn't just gather his thoughts together. He kept starring at the bulky course material as if it were written in an alien language. The more he tried to comprehend the text, the more he became irritated and sweaty. After twenty minutes of futile efforts in trying to focus, he angrily tossed the lecture notes into an unwashed pot that was exposed at a corner of the room.
He couldn't sleep for most parts of the night neither did he ate anything. He lay on the bed staring at the ceiling for a long time. He found it difficult to control his thoughts and he assumed a sitting position on his bed for a long time.
With his heads in his hands, coupled with an automatic jerking of his trunk forwards and backwards in the darkroom, his Brain kept forming series of mental images of femi who was now suddenly worth six million naira .
He kept thinking of all the days when he used to see femi as any other ordinary student on campus. Infact the first day he set his eyes on femi, he instantly knew that his parents were poorer. His backpack seemed as if he had been using it since he was in junior high school as they looked very old. The color of his jeans trousers had almost vanished which made the jeans to always appear dirty even though they had recently been washed .
"Now, ordinary femi is now a millionaire and could even become a multimillionaire soon!" Tayo exclaimed. He thought about all what femi would do with all that money. Things had already started turning around for him.
Tayo also couldn't help but put himself in femi's shoes. He would definitely the happiest young man in the world with all that money cooling in his bank account. He also thought about what he could do with all that money. He immediately thought about buying a better house for his parents, then invest most parts of it in a business venture.
Unlike femi who had abandoned school when he suddenly came into the money, Tayo knew that he would definitely continue to pursue a degree in the university, but won't be as eager to graduate with a first class honor as he was before.
Ofcourse, it wouldn't be very important to him anymore since he would have already set up a thriving business before he graduated. There would be absolutely no need to job hunt again after school.
Tayo was still in thinking about all the beautiful things he would do for himself and family with such money. He was still thinking when he fell asleep.......
***To*** ***be*** ***continued..........***
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Thank you very much for staying with me ♥️ ♥️♥️
Coping with a work transfer
So, today being Sunday I decided to go for a visitation. After much deliberation on where my destination would be, I decided to go spend some time with a young aunt who had just relocated to some place inside town.
**Thank** **you** 🙏
I called her that I was already on my way to her house and she was more than excited to welcome me . Her husband was away on a business trip and she felt terribly lonely in the big house.
His company was working on a new project at a far way state and he had been assigned to supervise the job. He would be spending a whole four months at the new site before he would return home.
It's quite a tough one for young couples to be separated for such a longtime you know. From our conversation, I could see that she had really missed her husband and I could also feel the emptiness in her. Even though she had a three year old daughter, she still complains that she feels lonely most of the time. The void created by her husband's absence couldn't definitely be filled by anyone else.
We kept talking about "this and that" when a call came through her phone and it was her husband who called. Immediately, her face lit up with excitement and the radiance of her smile made me realize without any shadow of doubt that she was missing him badly.
It's only been a week that they have been apart, but listening to thier conversation, one would think that they haven't seen each other for over a year. I could sense the sobriety in the husband's voice over the speaker and it was very obvious that he was also missing his wife and daughter just as much.
This temporary separation was really difficult for the both of them and I felt really sorry. While they were still talking over the phone, I began to wonder wether they could be able to survive another day without each other, that's if the deep emotional exhortations I was hearing from both sides is anything to go by.
Lol, ofcourse it's not as if any of them would die even if they don't see each other again for the next five years. Life would still go on. This made me wonder if the "I *can't* *live* *with* *out* *you* " line randomly used by lovers was actually true. I could only imagine the day when he was about to leave, and his wife couldn't stop crying, deliberately delaying the time of departure.
Oh, and thank God for technology, the both of them could continue to see and hear from each other through out the period of them being apart. As long as they remain faithful to each other, I guess they would be alright.
Talking about faithfulness, she assured me that she could vouch for her husband's loyalty to her at any given time or place. Actually the state where her husband was being transferred to in the country was notorious for its licentiousness. It's common sight to behold loose girls flagrantly flocking around successful men.
Her husband was an engineer working at a lucrative tech firm. No need to mention that these kind of men are the object of attainment to seducers. Some of these ladies can even go diabolical just to get their fangs on a rich guy after which they would hold him down for as long as they wish. They wouldn't even care if the man were a married man, old enough to be their father.
We have heard cases like this and I pray aunt's husband never falls in thier nets. Thank God he's a man who dresses simply and also drives a simple car. He hardly talk about himself and you would hardly know they he's very rich when meeting him fir the first time. So,the chances of him falling into the hands of a succubus is quite slim. He's also introverted and never mingles with the league of men and that solicit the company of such girls, neither does he visit clubs.
I shall keep praying for my aunt and her husband
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I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to @GarrethGrey07 and @Bloghound for thier sponsorship renewal. I really appreciate the honor and I do not take it for granted.
Thank you for staying with me ♥️ ♥️♥️
Running away from home.
When we were teenagers, most of us might have thought about this idea due to several reasons and some of these reasons might be quite funny. It's very common that at the age of seventeen, eighteen and nineteen, teenagers begin to have divergent thinking and ideas from their parents.
At this age, young people tend to rapidly break free from parental influence and fall quickly to societal and peer pressures.
Once they are outside, a teenager would seem that they can't have enough of all the fun going on around them . But as soon as he or she steps into their parents house, they'd feel as if a vast smoke of boredom would choke them before they'd have another opportunity of going out again.
In some situations a teenager might unconsciously or deliberately vent out his or her frustrations on a younger sibling by snapping or screaming at to hem at the slightest mistake. A shocked and upset sibling might eventually report to mom or dad the bad treatment he had received.
Mom and dad would definitely be dissapointed and might also use some harsh words in rebuking the older teenager. A teenage might react by grumbling bitterly, walking away and in some cases bursting into tears, to the amazement of his/her family. This would lead to such teenagers becoming more frustrated and even depressed as the day goes by.
Ultimately, a teenager might become tired of everyone at home and start viewing their parents house thesame way you'd look at a prison. This creates a burning desire for the freedom to explore and experiment as much as they could without mom or dad monitoring thier every move.
Often, If a male child ddissapear,it wouldn't generate a lot of controversy as much as when a female child runs away even though when both are wild in manners. This is because it's generally believed that boys could survive and look after themselves better than girls if left alone.
I have heard about parents who deliberately chased out thier teenage sons out of the house. Recently, a man from the other street chased his eighteen years old son out of his house because he caught him smoking in his room (Lol).
From time to time, fathers usually get into hot quarrels with sons especially when they start deviating from the path they had been brought up. A son might come home late at night and meet the gates already locked and his dad is already fast asleep. His father must have already warned him severally against keeping late nights but he never changed. He might definitely spend the rest of the night outside if mother doesn't plead on his behalf.
But when it comes to a teenage daughter, the rules are quite different. A father would definitely be worried sick if his daughter had not yet returned home. The situation becomes worse when he finally realises that his daughter wouldn't be coming home at all. Due to a rebellious nature or an heated argument with her mom or dad, it wouldn't be difficult to guess that she had runaway and had not kidnapped, neither had she gotten into any form of danger.
In such a scenario, a parent might be ashamed to announce to the neighbors that their daughter was missing especially when the neighbors are already aware that their daughter was the wild type. They'd already concluded that she had eloped with a boyfriend. Infact this is how it happens most of the time. Unless ofcourse if it was a girl of ten to fifteen years who doesn't know about such things, then everyone would be seriously worried .
Even the police wouldn't take such cases about missing teenage girls seriously if they had carried out an investigation and find out that that the missing girl was very free with boys.
The police would later tell her worried parents to ask thier daughter's friends about her whereabouts. No need to mention that these were the kind of friends that have been leading her down a very different path for a long time and were also responsible for the general change in her behavior.
One of them might definitely have an idea of where she is at the moment and would be able to guess correctly the address of her boyfriend/manfriend or any other place that they could be found.
Maybe none of the friends might know her whereabouts but cases of missing teenage girls are mostly temporary as they would definitely return home later. The police have handled lots of cases like this and they'd try thier best to convince her parents that their daughter was safe wherever she was.
The young lady might decide to come back home after some days or at most, after a week. She would always come back home when she start becoming a bore to the man she eloped with or when he had assaulted her.
After she had returned home, if the rumors going around initially were confirmed to be true, her parents would be too embarrassed to inform the neighbors or even the police that their daughter had been found. Lol.
But when she doesn't still return home after two weeks, it then becomes a very serious matter. There might now be other explanations for her continual absence. Immediately, the police would swing into full action and do their best to look for her, in addition to the support of the whole community.
Everyone in the neighborhood would now be praying for her safe return especially when that society have some criminal elements like ritualists, kidnappers etc.
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Thank you for staying with me.
Losing respect for someone
"Respect they say is reciprocal" . Sometimes a close friend or someone whom you trust might do something terrible. It could be so bad that it would literally shake the breathe off you. In your wildest imagination, you wouldn't have thought that such a person could be capable of behaving in such a shameful manner even if it were revealed to you by end angel
**Thank** **you** 🙏
And as soon as they had err, all the respect or esteem you had for such a fellow would automatically turn into contempt. You'd wish you never knew that person and you might even curse the day your paths cross.
Just by hearing someone mentioning his or her name in a conversation is enough to ruin your day and you'd remember all over again the hurt that they had caused you. It's possible you might even transfer the resultant anger to the one who had made you remember such a slimy fellow.
Someone that you have never seen before, especially a person who you look up to due to their success in their chosen profession or the impact they had made at one point in the society would behave in a very disgraceful manner. We all have heard countless stories of some popular faces who were caught or accused of sexual misconduct or domestic violence or any other degrading acts. And even after they had apologized to the victim and the society, they'd already lost respect forever and nothing else could ever fix the battered reputation.
Most of us have had personal experiences of been disappointed by someone close to us and the relationship with between you both never remained thesame again.
To be honest I have found myself in a similar situation. Based on reasons best known to them, rather than apologize and be full of remorse,such person would rather feign ignorance or try to justify his or her selfish behavior.
It might just be that they have become tired of pretending and had finally decided to reveal their true nature to you without caring how you feel about it.
Maybe you never meant as much to do them as you thought you did all this while. In such a situation, it's better not to engage in a further confrontation as you would only be hurting yourself the more. It's always best to allow them walk away from your life at this point.
On the flipside, that person might be truly sorry for what he or she had done especially when they hadn't behaved in such a manner before. But strangely enough, we still find it difficult to forgive and accept them back to our lives. Things just wouldn't be thesame again between you both after what had happened.
It's quite common to see or hear cases of beautiful friendships and relationships that came to an abrupt end because one of the partners did something that was so "unforgivable" and the other person couldn't just let it slide.
Sometimes, I can't help but wonder how the respect and admiration we have for someone could just vanish in a brief moment just because of a single fault they had made, even after he or she had already apologized. Maybe it's just the inherent pride in the human nature .
From a psychological point of view, if you really love, respect or care so much for a person, who had done something terrible, you wouldn't be in a hurry to crucify them yet. You would only do that to someone who never made a big impression on you from the onset. Or it's possible you have already lost the love or interest you once had for that partner or friend a long time ago and you have just found the perfect opportunity to throw them out.
You would always give that person you cherish a second chance and even multiple chances. This is because you would also love them to extend thesame previledge to you if the table were turned the other way.
We are humans and we have come live and tolerate each other no matter whatever happened amongst us. No one is above mistakes and ofcourse no one among us is a saint.
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Thank you for staying with me.
Special thanks to @Lucifer01 for the sponsorship renewal. God bless you in all you do
A written will
Daniel's father died when he was sixteen. He never got to inherit the two landed properties that his father owned in discrete locations in the city. This was because Daniel's late father never told Daniel's mom about his investments based on reasons best known to him. Maybe he thought that she might change or of a sudden become greedy if he reveals his plans to her.
**Thank** **you** 🙏
Daniel's father trusted his younger brother more, he was also his best friend as they have always supported each other since childhood. Before his sudden death, Daniel's father had always preferred discussing his business exploits with his younger brother rather than his wife. He told him all about his landed properties which he would use in raising funds for the education of Daniel and his sister abroad when they are done with high school.
Unfortunately, Daniel's father died in a ghastly car crash a month before his son graduated from high school.
All the documents of the landed properties were entrusted in the care of Daniel's uncle, and since Daniel's father never wrote a will neither did he inform Daniel's mother about his assets, Daniel's uncle betrayed his late brother's trust by claimng ownership of his properties and there was nothing anybody could do about it since there wasn't a written to prove otherwise. By the way, apart from the two brothers, no one else knows about these properties.
Today, in order to feed his mom and sister, Daniel have got to work twice as hard just like any other young orphan, whose parents left them nothing after their demise all because his father never thought it wise to write a will. Daniel' is still struggling through life till today after his father's younger brother has abandoned him and his mother.
Wherever his late father is now, his spirit would definitely be in tears because he never thought it wise to write a will or inform Daniel's mother about his assets while he was still alive. All the relentless efforts he was making in order to ensure a bright future for his children while on earth have been thwarted by a slimy younger brother.
Well, that is a brief fictitious story about why it is very important for an individual especially one in the way of family to write down his/her will before an eventual demise so as to ensure the survival and future of one's family.
It's common knowledge that alot of people find it difficult to think about the possibility of dying anytime soon. As humans, we prefer to think about "more important" things like making more money, settling bills, career or business advancement and living long enough to continue to provide for our loved ones.
In the pursuit of these every day wants and duties, we always almost forget that life's fickle and we could lose it the next minute, leaving our loved ones all by themselves in the cold world.
Well, on the contrary, I have heard stories and even read about some really wealthy men who before their demise, deliberately willed little or nothing to their children. Ofcourse such men have a different philosophy which to some extent is quite admirable. Such fathers believed that " rather than giving a child the fish, why don't we teach him how to get the fish". No doubt, in his younger days such a father had painstakingly built his wealth from scratch, from stone to stone without the support of a rich father or uncle.
So therefore, they wouldn't tolerate any form of laziness from their children just because they were fortunate enough to be born into the period of wealth and abundance. Such parents don't usually believe that a will would be necessary. It's possible that they had already started teaching their children everything about wealth creation and multiplication from a young age before their time's up. It's also possible that some of the children if not all have already attained a level of financial stability in their own right before dad's demise.
In such cases, a father's wealth would only come in handy as a further path for expansion in the future and not as an immediate source at the moment. It's also possible that a large chunk of the wealth might have already been willed to the grandchildren, charitable organizations, research instiutes or for community development.
This practice is very common in the western world I suppose. And I think its quite ideal and justifiable.
I know of a large airline company at the state where I live in the country which was declared bankrupt in less than a decade after the death of the founder. This was because the company suffered from gross mismanagement and incompetence in the hands of the younger generation who apart from an ostentatious lifestyle, know next to nothing about managing the family's wealth. Most of us must have already heard stories of great companies that were crumbled after the death of the father, who failed to teach his children financial education and how they would manage the family's legacy when he's no more.
In my parts of the world, the father's will is equitably distributed to all members of the family according to the particular culture or tradition and even according bro the religious beliefs. Things might get quite complicated if the man was polygamous whereby the various factions might not be comfortable with the sharing formula applied in the distribution. In most cases , everyone would be contented and respect the dead man's wish.
Things might get messier when the head of the family had failed to write a will before his death. An ugly and prolonged war among co-wives and step siblings might ensue for a long time both in court and outside the law where everyone fights dirty in the scramble of the late man's assets.
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Thank you for staying with me ♥️♥️♥️
@Bilqees