The Honest Heart

14 Chapter 14: The Honest Heart

Samba opened the door for the stranger, who immediately pushed her to the floor and demanded money, having seen her hide the dollars in her room.

"Your money or your life?" the stranger asked, pointing the gun at her.

"Sir, I don't have any money in the house," Samba replied, trembling.

"Shut up! Why are you lying? You think I didn't see you come in and hide some dollars in the room? Now, don't say anything else, or I'll shoot you. Go to the room and bring out the money!"

Terrified, Samba went to her room to retrieve the money.

As she walked, she thought, "God, what kind of bad luck is this? The money I kept isn't even mine, and now a robber wants to take it away. What will I tell my boss?"

Moments later, she returned to the living room and handed the money to the robber.

"You thought I couldn't read your mind? I'll show you today that I'm a mind reader. You called me a foolish man, didn't you? For that, I'll shoot you before I leave," he said, and then he shot her.

Samba woke up gasping for breath. "God, what kind of bad dream is this?"

She prayed, "God, please, any evil arrow that the enemies have shot against me, let it go back to the sender in Jesus' name! Arrows of sickness, failure, or any kind of arrow, go back to your sender in Jesus' name. Amen."

She locked the inner door and checked the money in her room once again before returning to the living room. Shaken by her dream, she reflected on the situation.

She thought, "The money could make me rich if I used it for business."

But then she said to herself, "God forbid, I can never do that to my boss. I prefer to be poor with honesty and peace of mind than to be rich with dishonesty."

Samba was grateful for her job and the trust placed in her by the Williams family.

She believed in honesty and integrity, recognizing the importance of peace of mind over material possessions. With that thought, she continued her day, content with her decisions and optimistic about her future.

At 4:00 PM, Samba cautiously answered a knock at the door. Hearing Mr. Williams' voice, she opened the door, allowing him and the children inside.

"Samba, why did you lock yourself up?" Mr. Williams asked gently.

"I didn't want any strangers to come in," she replied.

"Okay. Have you cooked the food you were asked to prepare this afternoon?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Have you eaten?"

"No, sir."

"Come on, you don't have to wait for your juniors to come back from school before you eat," he said, referring to his children.

"Okay, sir."

"Now go to the kitchen and serve the food so that all of you can eat."

"Okay, sir."

Samba went to the kitchen to serve the food. By the time she was done, Mr. Williams had gone back to his office.

At 7:00 PM, Mrs. Williams arrived from her shop and found her children in the sitting room, watching television.

They greeted her, and she returned the greetings before heading to the kitchen, where she saw Samba cooking.

Samba greeted her, and Mrs. Williams went to her room to change. Then Samba retrieved the money she had kept and went to Mrs. Williams' door, knocking softly.

"Come in," Mrs. Williams said. Samba entered and found her resting on the bed.

"I just want to let you know that when I was washing clothes this morning, I found some money in Mr. Williams' trousers. Here it is," she said, handing over the money.

"Good girl, you surprised me. This is the $500 we have been looking for. Thank you for being honest. Wait, let me give you something." Mrs. Williams reached into her bag, pulled out 2,000 naira, and handed it to Samba.

Samba joyfully accepted the money and returned to the kitchen.

At 8:30 PM, Mr. Williams arrived home and joined the family for dinner. During the meal, Mrs. Williams said, "You'll be surprised to know that we found the $500 we've been looking for."

"Really?" he exclaimed.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Samba said she found it in your trousers while washing the clothes."

Mr. Williams was impressed by Samba's honesty and promised to surprise her with more than just the clothes they had already provided for her.

Mrs. Williams also mentioned a surprise package, and they agreed to discuss it later.

Samba felt grateful for the Williams' appreciation and eagerly awaited the promised surprise.

After supper, the family spent an hour watching a movie before retiring to bed. As Mr. and Mrs. Williams settled in, they began discussing ways to make Samba happy.

"Honey, what do you think we can do for Samba to make her happy?" Mr. Williams inquired.

Mrs. Williams proposed, "I think we should get her an Android phone. What do you think?"

Mr. Williams agreed, "That's a good idea. I believe she would be happy with that."

They considered the type of phone and its cost. After some contemplation, Mr. Williams suggested, "I think we should get her a 50,000 naira phone."

Mrs. Williams concurred, "That's good. I'll contribute 20,000 naira towards it."

A brief silence filled the room as the couple pondered their decision. Mrs. Williams gently called out, "Honey," to ensure he was still awake.

"Yes?"

"I also think we should look into enrolling Samba in a private school. This way, she can continue her education instead of staying home."

Mr. Williams agreed, "That's a good plan. The children are currently in their third term. Once they move to the next class, we'll work on finding a suitable school for Samba."

Mrs. Williams, satisfied with their conversation, let out a yawn and declared, "Honey, let's continue our discussion tomorrow. Sleep is calling me."

"Okay," he agreed, and the room fell into a peaceful silence. Mrs. Williams drifted off to sleep, while Mr. Williams reflected on their conversation, excited about the possibilities for Samba's future.