Should He Not Rise Again?
If fate had done the right thing, he would have been in a higher class of life.
His name is chijioke. He is tall; approximately five feet of height, ebony skin colour, oval face and a pointed nose. He wears Mohawk hair style, often sprayed. He left school with a Waec certificate and joined Ose Market, Onitsha. Seven years later, he was sacked by the master on alleged theft. This, I laughed in espanol, particularly on how people could be dazedly wicked and cruel. I find it vexed and untrue.
There seamed to be no rust in the will of steel; he went back to his paternal home at Abakiriki and started from square one. He is the second child out of the six children, yet plays the role of a father to the whole family. He ventured into farming but couldn't achieve great height in it. He left Abakariki for Anambra State and that was where I mate this young fellow.
My mum has a small restaurant in a local precinct of Anambra State and once we are on vacation, I do help in running the small restaurant. Being in charge of liquor, gave me the opportunity to know this stunning hardworking young man.
He got employed at a beer depot and each time I went there to buy drinks, my jaw sagged in amazement at how powerful a young man could be. He could carry four crates of bear at once.
I don't push empty cartons of bear to the depot anymore because Chijioke could deliver any amount of beer to your restaurant without you trekking to the depot. My mother liked him, and many other bar/ Restaurant owners liked him also.
One sunny afternoon, I went to the depot to pay for the drinks he delivered to our restaurant the previous day. He was loading cartons of Life bear inside a van; they had a delivery to make in the morning.
"You have a certificate?" I asked after we had shared greetings.
Smiled, laughed and nodded.
"I have suffered enough. Don't ask me about my life, please" he said and walked away.
He came to our restaurant in the night to eat and I yet again jumped into his personal life. (I really don't know why I'm like that. I like minding other people's business).
He unwillingly garnished my inquisition with his life ordeal so far.
Since he had served a master for seven years without settlement, worked in a coal mine but had nothing to show for it, farmed assiduously in the village but couldn't pay his sister's school fees, he is giving in to last trial.
The younger sister just dropped out from school because of fund, the father ready to die because there is no money for proper medication.
"So I need to do something. That's why I came here" he said, smiling.
I didn't take him serious that day, rather I watched his life style. He doesn't mingle with girls (that's doesn't mean that girls are bad. Not at all). A plate without meat was his favourite. He doesn't live large in fact.
"What then do you do with money?" I asked, several months after.
He wouldn't want to serve in the beer depot for more than two years. He would like to save money and start a business. The dream of becoming a master of his life, is so burning in him.
I shared in his dream because we are actually poor, but not to his level. Mum wakes up by 4am. She would cook egusi, okro, bitter leaf soup and pound fufu before the alarm rings for 7am. She would push it to the market in wheel Barrow and commenced a complex task of serving the food to her customers. Some days, she doesn't eat until she close by 10/11pm. A times she slept on the chair while trying while taking her dinner.
As work in Mum's restaurant broadened, I began to pressure her to get a cook and Waiter. And the fact that I lived in boarding house, and returns home only on holiday made her bow to the pressure. But the problem arose on how do we get a younger girl who won't steal and run away with her money, the way many others did.
"Only Aba can give you strong sales girl that will help in the kitchen. I don't need waiter alone. I need someone that will live here and help in cooking the food, especially pounding 'Akpu'. I'm tired of Aba people. They have dealt with me much"
"But we must find one Mum. You can't continue this way. You're going down daily because of stress. We must find one"
He was standing in front of the counter, waiting for Mum to pass his food to him while we debated.
The following day, he mate me and said:
"My younger sister just finished JSS 3 and money to further no dey. I heard you talking about a person who can..."
"Yes we need someone that will live with us and serve in our restaurant. Must be above sixteen, tall not plumpy and equally beautiful. Feeding, accommodation and payment..."
When he mate mum and offered to bring her sister from Ebony state, mum said:
"It's Olisa that needed a waiter may be in a resturant he built not me"
He came back the day I was with her and repeated his application. She starred at me and said,
"Let me give her a trial. Just on probation!"
Two week later, Mum called to tell me that the girl is the best that she had ever seen.
"So principle like the brother. Very strong and smart. Very good in calculation. She doesn't sell on credit, even to the brothers. Customers liked her but she is ugly" she said.
"Very ugly" she repeated, "but that wouldn't be problem as long as she keeps her self neat"
Chijioke's plan of starting a business of his own got reinforcement, because the little sister was never interested in her salary. She was very happy to have left village. Mum treats her like a daughter; she shared room and some belongings with my younger sister.
Chjioke's saving within the first six month was decreased by the death of the father. He purchased the casket and paid for other things used in the funeral.
One year of saving helped him, plus increment in her sister's salary. He resigned from the beer depot and opened a provision store.
Heaven was with him, it moved well and he added more stocks. He was three months old into the business, but his shop was filled with goods. His provision store became one of the best in the market when he got loan from friends and injected it into the business.
But such amazing exploits rained jealousy at his door step.
I went to his shop on 26th of August and we shared pleasantries. I encouraged him more and advised him to be enemy to debtors. He smiled in a high spirit as I told him that I would be going back to Nsukka for a week program.
When I returned from Nsukka, the story was every where.
'Chijioke's shop was wrecked'
The sister said, one girl accused him of stealing her goods. He was arrested and pushed behind bars.
Police went to chijioke's shop to know if they could find any of her articles, but she testified that none of her articles was in the shop. She apologized to Chijioke after he had spent so much at the police station.
He lost #18,000 to one scammer who claimed to be friend to the police, just to avert the arrest. His money was gone and he thought all has ended.
He would go back to his shop and continue his business haven been vindicated by grace. Quite painful, luck wasn't by his side; his shop was broken in the night by unknown people and was looted.
Chijioke has gone back to the village, may be to start from scratch.
I knew and hope he will rise again; yes he will. His spirit is unquestionable. He has a resilient spirit.
May God strengthen you, chijioke. You must rise again.
His name is chijioke. He is tall; approximately five feet of height, ebony skin colour, oval face and a pointed nose. He wears Mohawk hair style, often sprayed. He left school with a Waec certificate and joined Ose Market, Onitsha. Seven years later, he was sacked by the master on alleged theft. This, I laughed in espanol, particularly on how people could be dazedly wicked and cruel. I find it vexed and untrue.
There seamed to be no rust in the will of steel; he went back to his paternal home at Abakiriki and started from square one. He is the second child out of the six children, yet plays the role of a father to the whole family. He ventured into farming but couldn't achieve great height in it. He left Abakariki for Anambra State and that was where I mate this young fellow.
My mum has a small restaurant in a local precinct of Anambra State and once we are on vacation, I do help in running the small restaurant. Being in charge of liquor, gave me the opportunity to know this stunning hardworking young man.
He got employed at a beer depot and each time I went there to buy drinks, my jaw sagged in amazement at how powerful a young man could be. He could carry four crates of bear at once.
I don't push empty cartons of bear to the depot anymore because Chijioke could deliver any amount of beer to your restaurant without you trekking to the depot. My mother liked him, and many other bar/ Restaurant owners liked him also.
One sunny afternoon, I went to the depot to pay for the drinks he delivered to our restaurant the previous day. He was loading cartons of Life bear inside a van; they had a delivery to make in the morning.
"You have a certificate?" I asked after we had shared greetings.
Smiled, laughed and nodded.
"I have suffered enough. Don't ask me about my life, please" he said and walked away.
He came to our restaurant in the night to eat and I yet again jumped into his personal life. (I really don't know why I'm like that. I like minding other people's business).
He unwillingly garnished my inquisition with his life ordeal so far.
Since he had served a master for seven years without settlement, worked in a coal mine but had nothing to show for it, farmed assiduously in the village but couldn't pay his sister's school fees, he is giving in to last trial.
The younger sister just dropped out from school because of fund, the father ready to die because there is no money for proper medication.
"So I need to do something. That's why I came here" he said, smiling.
I didn't take him serious that day, rather I watched his life style. He doesn't mingle with girls (that's doesn't mean that girls are bad. Not at all). A plate without meat was his favourite. He doesn't live large in fact.
"What then do you do with money?" I asked, several months after.
He wouldn't want to serve in the beer depot for more than two years. He would like to save money and start a business. The dream of becoming a master of his life, is so burning in him.
I shared in his dream because we are actually poor, but not to his level. Mum wakes up by 4am. She would cook egusi, okro, bitter leaf soup and pound fufu before the alarm rings for 7am. She would push it to the market in wheel Barrow and commenced a complex task of serving the food to her customers. Some days, she doesn't eat until she close by 10/11pm. A times she slept on the chair while trying while taking her dinner.
As work in Mum's restaurant broadened, I began to pressure her to get a cook and Waiter. And the fact that I lived in boarding house, and returns home only on holiday made her bow to the pressure. But the problem arose on how do we get a younger girl who won't steal and run away with her money, the way many others did.
"Only Aba can give you strong sales girl that will help in the kitchen. I don't need waiter alone. I need someone that will live here and help in cooking the food, especially pounding 'Akpu'. I'm tired of Aba people. They have dealt with me much"
"But we must find one Mum. You can't continue this way. You're going down daily because of stress. We must find one"
He was standing in front of the counter, waiting for Mum to pass his food to him while we debated.
The following day, he mate me and said:
"My younger sister just finished JSS 3 and money to further no dey. I heard you talking about a person who can..."
"Yes we need someone that will live with us and serve in our restaurant. Must be above sixteen, tall not plumpy and equally beautiful. Feeding, accommodation and payment..."
When he mate mum and offered to bring her sister from Ebony state, mum said:
"It's Olisa that needed a waiter may be in a resturant he built not me"
He came back the day I was with her and repeated his application. She starred at me and said,
"Let me give her a trial. Just on probation!"
Two week later, Mum called to tell me that the girl is the best that she had ever seen.
"So principle like the brother. Very strong and smart. Very good in calculation. She doesn't sell on credit, even to the brothers. Customers liked her but she is ugly" she said.
"Very ugly" she repeated, "but that wouldn't be problem as long as she keeps her self neat"
Chijioke's plan of starting a business of his own got reinforcement, because the little sister was never interested in her salary. She was very happy to have left village. Mum treats her like a daughter; she shared room and some belongings with my younger sister.
Chjioke's saving within the first six month was decreased by the death of the father. He purchased the casket and paid for other things used in the funeral.
One year of saving helped him, plus increment in her sister's salary. He resigned from the beer depot and opened a provision store.
Heaven was with him, it moved well and he added more stocks. He was three months old into the business, but his shop was filled with goods. His provision store became one of the best in the market when he got loan from friends and injected it into the business.
But such amazing exploits rained jealousy at his door step.
I went to his shop on 26th of August and we shared pleasantries. I encouraged him more and advised him to be enemy to debtors. He smiled in a high spirit as I told him that I would be going back to Nsukka for a week program.
When I returned from Nsukka, the story was every where.
'Chijioke's shop was wrecked'
The sister said, one girl accused him of stealing her goods. He was arrested and pushed behind bars.
Police went to chijioke's shop to know if they could find any of her articles, but she testified that none of her articles was in the shop. She apologized to Chijioke after he had spent so much at the police station.
He lost #18,000 to one scammer who claimed to be friend to the police, just to avert the arrest. His money was gone and he thought all has ended.
He would go back to his shop and continue his business haven been vindicated by grace. Quite painful, luck wasn't by his side; his shop was broken in the night by unknown people and was looted.
Chijioke has gone back to the village, may be to start from scratch.
I knew and hope he will rise again; yes he will. His spirit is unquestionable. He has a resilient spirit.
May God strengthen you, chijioke. You must rise again.
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Thanks so much.
He will raise again. Let his spirit resist been vanquished. I see good days ahead. Life is unfair, but always smile at the strong.
ReplyDeleteIts painful
ReplyDeleteHe will rise again