11/02/2022
To me, Family is not blood, family is LOVE. Go where the love is. Check this out.
You are a 35 years old poor man, struggling through life for years and hoping for things to get better. You are squatting with a friend that talks to you anyhow, because he is doing you a favor, while your younger brother lives in a 2 bedroom flat in the same state, one of the rooms is empty. When he rented the apartment, he called you to tell you about it, and you begged him to allow you stay with him, after narrating what you go through in the hands of your friend that you are squatting with, but he refused. You call your mother to help talk to him, she calls you s*hameless.
Her words, “your mates are buying cars and building houses, you are there begging a small boy that you are older than, to give you one room in his house for free. I don’t know how I managed to have a son like you. Sh*ameless boy”
You carry loads for people inside balogun market in lagos island for a living. One a good day, you get close to 5k, other times, you get way less. There are days you can’t even afford a proper 2 square meals. You drink plenty water and garri to go buy, until you work and afford food to eat. Your younger brother continues to do well, travels every christmas and makes your mother happy. Nobody ever calls you on the phone to know if you are okay or still exist at least. You are completely alone in the world because you are poor.
Your younger siblings hardly pick your calls whenever you manage to get airtime to reach out to them. To them, you don’t have money, so you don’t matter. All your immediate younger brother does is to call you once in a while to tell you he just bought a car or about to move into a 3 bedroom flat. At some point, you stopped picking his calls, because you feel like he only calls you to remind you of your failures in life. While all these things were happening, you never for once asked them for money, except when you were sick.
That day, you couldn’t help it, no one to call for help. You remember you have a mother, you call her to ask her for just 10k to get medication from the pharmacy down the road, she called you names again.
Her words, “Bia, Chibuike, stop calling me, since you don’t want to do what your mates are doing to make money. You don’t even have sh*ame to call your mother to ask for ordinary 10k. Money that your younger brother uses to buy me recharge card. See your younger sister that you gave 6 years age difference have started sending me money, my account is loaded because of them, you want to reap where you did not sow. Us*e*less son. You are just like your father’s people, very different from your younger siblings. You think you can move me with sic*kness bah? It’s that sic*kness that will ki*ll you. Don’t call this number again”
You start to stay at home to recover, nothing to eat and no medication. You become very ill to the extent of not being able to get up from bed. One day, your phone rings, you slowly pick it. The young lady in the market that you do offload for every month, she’s 32 years old and single, but you call her madam. You are the only one she trusts to do offload for her without being worried of missing goods. She has gotten so used to you, that she leaves everything in your care most times, when she’s busy with other things. Her goods are ready to be offloaded, but you are no where to be found.
Her; Chibuike, I’ve not seen you in the market for a while now, what is it? Abi you have left us to go and hustle elsewhere?”
You; madam, I am not feeling too well. I’ve been down since 4 days now”
Her; haaa! This is serious o. See the way you are sounding. Have you gone to the hospital to know what the problem is?
You; Hospital keh? That one is for people that have money o. I am suspecting it’s typhoid and malaria. I will be fine, don’t worry. I know you are calling because you have work for me, you have to give it to Habib and co. to handle. Don’t be angry, once I’m better, I will come straight to your shop”
Her; No, Chibuike. This thing that brought you down and made you so weak like this must be serious. Chai, so sorry. Hope you are taking medication at least?
You; madam, I will not lie. I have not taken any serious medicine. I only took two tablets of panadol that my neighbor gave me 3 days ago, since then, I’ve not taken anything, even food sef, I’ve not eaten. My condition is worse, because I don’t have any money with me, except 50 naira that won’t be able to buy anything”
Her; Can you send me your address? Let me come and take you to the hospital. I’m on my way to the warehouse right now, but I will put everything on hold and quickly take you to the hospital first. I will blame myself if anything happens to you after you’ve told me your condition. Send me your address immediately”
She didn’t even ask if you have a family or not, or why there’s no one in the entire world helping you out. She didn’t care about all that. Less than 2 hours after you sent the address, she’s at your doorstep. Took you to a good hospital. You stayed in the hospital for 4 days before being discharged. All through your stay at the hospital, she was providing you food, morning, afternoon and night. Because of her business, she wasn’t able to visit you at the hospital after the first day, but she put someone in charge to provide all that you need there. She also settled the hospital bill and sent a cab to take you home.
The cab drops you off at home and gives you 2 full nylon bags of provisions, with 20k from madam. She calls you to tell to take the rest of the week to recover fully, before going back to the market. This is the first time someone has ever treated you this good since you were born. Someone that is not related to you in any way…
To be continued.
