Chapter 17 : THE STORY CONTINUES 2015

...I told her I came from afikpo north in ebonyi state, she asked me my name I told her my name is Wisdom Ndukwe, she said that I'm even her brother, that we are coming from the same place, she implied that we travel from the same road and her place has common boundaries with my place but under different state government.

On hearing that statement I was amazed in my heart, she told me to go and write an application letter and bring to her, I said okay and i left, immediately, I rushed to the house to go and write the application letter, to me it was an avenue to showcase my talents, my good handwriting and my use of English.

I tore out a white paper within few minutes I had finished the application letter and returned back to the supermarket to submit it to her, she was amazed by my speed and my politeness she said, she received the application letter from me and told me she will call me back the next day, hopefully she will employ me, I said okay and left.

In the evening I decided to go to the shop and buy something of 100 naira just to know if she will call me then, it was just as if I knew she was going to call me she said, I laughed and said mummy I don't know, she called me and asked me if I've had any experience of a supermarket before I truthfully told her no, she said ok, she asked me how much would you like to be paid? I said to her mummy I don't know maybe you should just tell me how much you want to be paying me.

She Said ok, she enlisted the benefits in the job like, every day feeding, she said, you will eat anything I eat" and she will be paying me 7000 naira the first time then if I improve she will increase my salary.

I had already fallen in love with the job because it was a big opportunity for me to know modern things and meet different kind of people and interact with them in a modern language, and the two boys there could also serve as a good companion, so I didn't consider the pay moreover the job was just an easy job to me, no weight lifting, no standing under the sun or under the rain.

All you need to do is just seat inside and wait for customers to come and buy something and you only have to follow them around the shop, so it wasn't even a work for me,plus there will be much food to eat till satisfaction as she said.

I was cool with work so I accepted it with gratitude, she asked me to resume work the next day and I said ok, and I left with overwhelming joy that I have gotten a modern work that there's no stress like digging under the sun or carrying sands in the beach or breaking of in the forest, to me I called it an English work regardless of the pay.

I went to my brothers and informed them that I have gotten a new job in a supermarket and they told it's quite a big supermarket and so famous in the city everyone knows them, I was very happy I couldn't wait for the next day to come so I can resume work.

The next day has come, I prepared very early to make sure I beat them and I finally did, they were surprised that I came earlier before them.

The new work began, it's a very big and very busy supermarket and also famous in the city of ABA I was employed as a sales boy for 7000 naira monthly with two times feeding daily, to me I didn't consider the pay, it was an opportunity for to learn more so I focused on learning more there and I did learned many things there.

Now I'm solely independent, we were four in number living in one room in a public yard and I was the youngest, two of them were 3 year older than me while the other one was almost 8 year older than me and we lived as one brothers but the original Owners of the room is Daniel and Frank, I and Collins had arrived the same day with same plans, we are all from one state and one local government but different communities.

Daniel and Collins were my seniors in secondary school and Daniels younger brother Stephen is my classmate and also my best friend then, so we had known ourselves from home but we were not friends from home although Collins was Daniels Friend from home but I was just their junior student and they know me then as a stubborn fellow.

So we lived in one room that is officially paid for Daniel and Frank by the woman they are working for, they called us to come and attach with them for free.

At first we lived happily as one brothers, people didn't know we were not related by blood, we cook together and eat together, I was the youngest in the house so I was the errand boy, coupled with the fact that I don't have any money to contribute so all I can do is to run all the errands.

They will contribute money and give to me to go and buy food stuffs in the near by community market in the city with list, I will go to the market and I will buy exactly what they told me to buy and bring it to them and the one that knows how to cook among us will go and cook the food.

To me it was family and I payed my respect accordingly and I was grateful even till now, even though I went through hell in their hands but..