CHOICES (Story About Us) - Part one

The interview was for 8am. But by 5:30 a.m, I was dressed and out of the house. This would be the third interview I’d be attending in a week and I was hoping that one of them would at least click.  

At 33, what I wanted so badly was to move into my own rented apartment and settle down with my sweetheart, Ruth. Things were so hard. You just feed yourself with motivational thoughts. You wouldn't want to give up, yet there is a silent thought that keeps telling you TIME IS GOING! It's even worse seeing your friends doing great in life already. I am a Christian, yes, I'm not to murmur nor complain, please spare me that, even Jesus Christ felt the heaviness of the burden he was about to bear, and cried hard for the cup to pass over him, so who am I not to murmur.

Two years ago, I was able to raise small money. So, I decided to start a business with a friend who disappeared to Togo with our profit. Trusting him with the funds of the business was a terrible mistake. He was the Sunday school supervisor for my branch and I’d been blessed by his teachings. I never expected he would do something like that, not to Bro Bayo! This was a very devoted man in the church, how could he do such putting his belief at stake. Anyway, no wonder God said, judgment will start from the church. That experience shook me, so my Dad suggested I go for my masters. He believed with the Masters degree, I’d find a good job.

When the keke napep stopped in front of the venue for the interview, my heart fainted when I saw people hanging around the building, holding either a brown envelope or a clear bag. I found a spot by the wall and leaned on it, fighting despair and unbelief. Chai! "no be only me waka come", I told myself. The hopes I was carrying as heavy as 500kg, even more, turned to a tear of wool. I thought I should just fulfil all righteousness and do the interview once and for all.

A woman beside me was narrating how she had travelled to the UK for her Masters and after the course, she had tried to stay back but had been chased back home. You know how it works, once you get a visa for study once the years stipulated is reached, the way they will be scouting you ehn, you will think you're a drug baron. Since she arrived a year ago, she had been scouting for a job. If she had used the school fees to start a business, maybe by now, she would have become a millionaire.

A man with bushy beards jumped down from a bike and stared at us. He was also holding a brown envelope. The only difference was that his own was old and tattered and you could see stained sheets of white paper sticking out of the envelope.

He hissed. ‘God punish Nigeria. How many positions are they offering us that they called us out here?  Nigerians are mad.’

‘The thing tire me o.’ a short pot-bellied man with bulgy eyes responded. ‘I just feel like tearing this certificate and jumping off the bridge.’

‘I have a friend who works there. She said the pay is between 40 and 50 thousand naira.’ The lady with a masters from the UK added.

‘Can you imagine. How can a Nigerian graduate living in Lagos be earning that stupid amount. And some senators are sitting somewhere eating our money.’

"Why won't our youths go and sase! Na wetin I go do laslas" a fine young man, who has obviously being to countless interviews retorted.

Stay glued for the next episode.
Weekend drills on CHOICES