The fall from grace to grass
"Shoo, go out of this place" a woman, a shop owner, said as she pricked the mad man with a broom. The mad man reluctantly leaves the shop premises. Like every mad man, the mad man slept at where ever the night came upon him, he simply looked for a place he deemed comfortable and layed his back for the night. He left such places as soon as it was dawn again, but most times he slept and did not wake up on time and when the owners of the place he had slept came in, he was treated like the mad man he was.
No mad man or woman had ever been born so, at least, non that i have ever heard of. They were usually born normally like every other normal person. And Chike's case was not an exception.
Will you marry me? Chike had asked Grace, a two hundred level anatomy student in a Nigerian university, at the university's relaxation centre. Grace did not expect the almighty question, especially not at that time. Chike was an ex student of the school, je had graduated two years before. I am not exactly sure where these two met, but i know for sure that they were full time love birds. And of course, it was no surprise that Grace joyfully screamed YES. Before Grace graduated from school, Chike who probably had connections to one of the bigest banks in Nigeria, had already started waorking there. Soon after Grace graduated, the love birds tied the knot in a holy matrimony, having previously done all the traditional rights.
The union was a very blessed one. Chike agrees that his wife was a blessing to him and some times, he would say she was his lucky charm. Things were going so smoothly for the couple and particularly for Chike. He boasted about the good fortunes his wife had brought him. At work, he was made the customers care manager. He had other businesses also that he had invested into and which were doing just alright. As though all of the good things happening to his family were not enough, Chike's wife was delivered of a bouncing baby girl. According to Chike, the new baby was the best of every good thing that had happened to the family. Chike and his wife were so happy to have had her. They took very good care of her, making sure she did not lack anything good. Chike was very hard working and deligent at his work and his hard work plus deligence soon paid off and he was made a branch manager at one of the newest branches of the bank. It was not long after that promotion, Grace, Chike's wife was delivered of their second baby, this time, a boy. Their blessing as most people did say " na double double" but for every promotion came a bigger challenge and Chike proved to be equal to the task. He continued to receive recomendations and praises of him were being sang non stop by his superiors.
As time went by, Chike began to secretly seek employment for bigger banks. When he eventually got it, he tendered his resignation letter to the bank. Things continued to go very good, as a matter of fact, things began to go better than they had ever been for the family. About six months after Chike began to work in the new bank, a new central bank governor was appointed by the newly elected president of the country. The new governor of the central bank began to unearth the wrong doings of many chief executive officers of the Nigerian banks. All the chief executive officers who were found wanting one way or the other were replaced. The chief executive officer of the bank where Chike currently worked was also found wanting and consequently replaced. In turn, the new chief executive officer ordered every senior officer in the back that had joined the bank in less than one year ago, should resign. Of course Chike had not been there for a year, and so he had to resign. But it was not going to be a big deal, at least, it was not suppose to be. Chike had made name for himself in the banking sector, getting another job was never going to be a problem to him. Soon, Chike began to look for another job, but the big problem was that the banks he went to found him too qualified and experienced, but in the end, they would deny him the job for that same reason, saying they could not afford to pay him less than he deserved. That was beginning to go on for too long and Chike was becoming very worried but it continued anyway. Chike returned home one evening from job hunt, only to be told that for one reason or the other, the businesses he had invested in had collapsed. How did it even collapse? Well, i am sure they explained it to him and he undertood well. In a twinkle of an eye, everything was had began to crumble. As Chike sat down in confusion, wondering why things had turned upside down for him, his wife began to scream "Chike, Chike, Chike" she was pregnant of their third baby and was probably about to go into labour. Chike hurriedly took her to the hospital. At the hospital, the doctors said Grace was not strong enough to push.
Few hours after Chike had hurriedly taken his wife to the hospital, the doctor came to inform him that she was not strong enough to push out the baby and as a result, an operation was needed to be carried out on her to help bring out the baby. It was their third baby, Grace had safely and peacefully given birth to their previous two children, but why would she not be strong enough to push and an operation be required this time around? Chike wondered. Having informed Chike, the doctor went back in to do what he knew how to do. Not very long after the doctor had gone in, he returned to announce to Chike he had a new baby girl... "what about my wife?" Chike asked. " errrrrrrrrrrm, the doctor stutered, before adding " we did everything we could for her, but i am sorry, we lost her" it was the most devastating news he had heard. " God please, No, God why?" Chike cried as he managed to stay on his feet.
Weeks had gone by since Grace passed away, Chike's mum had come to help nurse the newly born baby as well as help take care of the other children.
Chike soon went out and continued his job hunt, he would not give up, especially for his children. But every day he went searching for a job, he returned home unsuccessful.
As Chike returned home from an unsuccessful job hunt one evening, he was greeted with a letter by his children from their school authority notifying him of their intention to send home defaulters from school in two weeks time. When Grace was alive, she had suggested to her husband that their children be brought out from their school were they paid so much to another where they would pay less, but he would not listen.
The savings on which Chike and his family had been living on was going to finish any time soon, he began to consider bringing out his children from their school to a new one the following term.
Again, Chike relentlessly continues to search for a job. After another unsucccessful search for any job one afternoon, Chike sat at a nearby shop to cool off.
"na wa o!" one man exclaimed. "The tin nearly enter the other building sef" the man added. " chai! This life sef" another man exclaimed. " all of them die o. Three children and one woman, na so the fire burn all of them inside the house" he concluded. " ah ah! Eayaah! Exclaimed Chike. " abeg, bros, where this one happen" he asked. " na wa for u sef dis man, where u from?" the first man angrily asked. If you no get ear, u no get eyes to see where that smoke dey come from?" the man questioned as he pointed at the direction where the fire accident had occured. " Jesus, na wa o!" Chike exclaimed as he turned and saw direction from where the smoke went up. "na my area be that o" he added, as he ran towards that direction. The closer he ran, the clearer it became that the accident was in deed on his street. He could see the smoke was coming from his own building but " the men said three children and one woman" he thought. My two children are in school and will not be home until the next four to five hours time" he thought as he continued to go closer. But as he arrived the scene of the accident, the fire had started from his flat. His children were sent back home from school shortly after he left for job serach, because they had not paid their school fees. The school authority had warned him three weeks ago and had given him an extra week grace. Chike's mum and his children were burned to death in the fire. No one could hold him, he began to scream and shout. Suddenly, he began to laugh, every attempt to hold him down failed.
Such was the sad story of this mad man. More than me, only he can tell his story better. someday, we hope he becomes alright. Only then would he be able to give us a better account of this story. And oh! Do not ask me how the fire started or what started it. I could not possibly know, only the dead people would have details about that.