AYOMIDE
Part 17
“Aunty Ayo! Aunty Ayo, a man said I should give you this box” one of Adenike’s sales girl said handing a wrapped parcel to Ayo who was outside gisting with her dad. She looked at the parcel surprised.
“Is today your birthday?” the girl asked.
“No oo! Please where is the man that gave you this?”
” Immediately he gave me the parcel, he stopped a bike.”
“Just like that? He didn’t tell you his name.”
“No. I didn’t ask”
“Alright you can go”
“Check what is in the box. No wait! Let me pray first.” Bro Kola collected the parcel and prayed on it before handing it to his daughter. Ayo scrutinized the parcel then removed the gift wrap. “Who could the man be” she thought.
“Open the box let’s see what it is omo mi”
She opened and found a written paper and a key. She read out loud: “I have heard so many wonderful things about you. The car is just a token of my appreciation. God used you in my life. Thank you. Note that I paid someone to drive the car to your house because I have been very busy. We will meet someday. Take care.”
“Yay! I am speechless. She ran outside and saw the car. Bro Kola came outside with his wife and they saw the car. They went round the car, touching it. She opened it and sat in the drive seat.
“I don’t know how to drive”
“You will learn it oo” Adenike said.
“I don’t know how to thank you Father for the numerous blessings. Even when I don’t know how to drive, you blessed me with a car. What you do for me Lord, no one can do it.”
The Oluwafikayo celebr@ted. Ayo went to her mum’s supermarket and asked the sale girls to pick whatever they want and she paid. Later in the day, she went shopping for her parents.
On Sunday, bro Kola drove the br@nd new car to the church and pastor Ezekiel dedicated it. When they returned home from church, Ayo gifted the car to his father.
“Take it daddy. It’s now yours.”
———————————
Ayo wasn’t happy she hasn’t gotten a job. It has been her utmost desi-re to use her certificate to work in one of the top notch organization in Ekiti State. Now, it’s as if her hope was being dashed.
“We will call you” was what she was always told and she had waited endlessly.
Today, she wasn’t going for any interview because she hasn’t gotten any one to attend. She was just going to any eatery to treat herself to a bowl of ice cream. She stood before the mirror checking out herself when her phone beeped. It was a message. One of the organization she submitted her application and had even written their test wanted her to come for oral interview. She told her mum she was going for another interview.
“May God go with you”she told her.
“Amen!”
She rushed out of the house to the bus stop.
———————————–
“I am impressed with your performance.” the manager told her
“Thank you sir.”
“Among the seventeen of you that sat for the test, you performed best.”
“Oh thank you sir”
“As you can see, a lot of applicants are interested in this job but I like you and that is why I want to give you this opportunity.”
“Thank you sir. I am grateful.”
“I will give you this job on one condition Miss Ayomide”
“Let me hear the condition sir.”
“Miss Ayomide, if you want me to employ, you will have to give me 30% of your salary monthly for as long as you work here.”
“Ooh!”
“How much is the salary sir?”
He told her.
” By the time you agree with my demands, you can ask some of the staff here. It’s my style and they’re grateful to me for even employing them. Here is my number” he said pushing a complimentary card to Ayo.
“There’s no problem about it. It’s a deal” Ayo told him. “I don’t want to stay at home anymore.”
“Are you sure of this Miss?”
“Is this not want you want sir” she replied.
“Alright! Resume tomorrow as the account of this company.”
“Thank you sir”
“As time goes on, you will get to know about the organization better.”
Ayo rushed home and broke the news to her parents leaving the 30% bargain out of it. She didn’t want her parents to discourage her. She wasn’t ready to stay home another day.
———————————–
Easter was around the corner and Ayo was thinking of what to do in the house of God. That Saturday morning, she woke early rushed to church for cleaning. She and some other members have been as-signed to clean the church. Even if I name wasn’t mentioned, Ayo would still found cleaning the church. She had long observed that some members do Dodge washing the toilet. Many times, the toilet had been neglected so she took it as her responsibility to keep the toilet clean.
Taking a stroll round the church, Ayo discovered that the drum set was not just bad but very old. The clock was too old and nee-ded replacement. Some of the plastic chairs were broken. She decided to call an interior decorator who decorated the altar. The rug on the altar was removed and replaced with tiles. By Easter Sunday, the church had a new look – new drum set, a big clock and some plastic chairs. She also decorated the children church and bought a big television to enable the children watch Christian stories. Ayo told pastor Ezekiel she wants to remain anonymous.
AYOMIDE
Part 18
It has been more than a year since Ayo started working. She knows that the owner of the company travelled out of the country. She also knews that the manager is a friend of the owner of the company. According to what she heard, the manager and the owner of the company are best of friends. It was easy for the owner to religuish his responsibility to his friend until he returns. Even though he’s outside the country, he communicates with the manager almost every week to be kept abr£-$t of the happenings in the company. He is aware of what is going on in the company except for the fact that the manager was collecting his own percentage from the people he employed or trying to for-ce the workers to his bed.
Anyway, Ayo was enjoying herself. She was giving the manager the bargained 30% without any problem. She had done that already for more than a year until her salary was increa-sed. Ayo was ha-rdworking and her contribution to the company growth was felt in all the departments.
“I will make you shine in that company.” God would tell her.
Recently she was promoted and her salary raised.
“I no longer want 30% of your salary.” The manager told her.
“What?”
“Yes you heard me. I want 40%.”
“That’s not possible sir.”
” Don’t dare me AYO. I know how I convinced the owner to increase your salary not because you’re the best here but because I nee-ded to increase my pocket. I have so much responsibilities at home. You’re not the only one that I am collecting this percentage from. Ask others, he told her.”
“I have put in my best in this job and I deserve the raise sir.”
“You can tell that to the wind,” he told her.
“Alright sir” she told him.
Ayomide wasn’t happy adding 10% to the already agreed 30%. Grudgingly, she started paying it. She closes by 4pm but on this day, the manager wanted her to wait to help him sort out some docu-ments.
“But I am not the secretary”
“I Know. I won’t take much of your time.” He said. Ayo watched others take their leave.
“Please open that cabinet and bring out the file marked “urgent 46″
She opened the cabinet and searched for the file but couldn’t find any file with such title.
*No such file like that sir.”
“Check properly.” He told her.
Ayo kept searching.
“You’re too beautiful to ignore Ayo and I can’t take my eyes off you.” He stood up from the chair and walked towards her. “I have fallen for you” he continued.
” I still can’t find such file here. I should be on my way now. It’s getting late.”
“If you leave this office, you’re fired.” With mouth open, Ayou stood staring at him.
“I am very powerful here. I am the face of this company. I will sack you without thinking twice about it.” He threatened. “I have the power to promote, demote or sack anyone here.”
“Ayo!”
“Sir!”
“I don’t want the 40% again. I want you and I want you now in this place.”
Ayo moved closed to the door.
“I will never try such. Please keep the job..”
Before Ayomide could say JACK, the manager launched at her, trying to ki-ss her. Ayo slapped him ha-rd on the face. He hit her face so ha-rd. He pushed her and she fell. Even with the impact of the punch, she still fought back like a tiger. He torn her clothes and she started screaming knowing that the security men were still on duty.
“What is going on here?” a voice thun-dered.
“Ah oga you’re back.” the manager said in shock, standing up from the tiled floor where he tried to ra-pe Ayo.
“You’re trying to ra-pe her? In the office? He hit him ha-rd and he fell again. I am going to get you arrested.”
“She tried to se-duce me so I pushed her away from me but she fell. I decided to beat her so she will not try such ru-bbish with me next time.”
Ayo who was already embarras-sed and frightened by the whole ordeal had already stood up. She had never been scared all her life. A man was trying to take away her dignity by for-ce. Her hands were shaking as she tried to adjust her torn blouse.
“Will you shut up. I know what I saw. Is this how you have been running my company? ra-ping young girl here?”
By the time the man turned to face Ayo, she had run out of the office, sobbing and using her hand to wipe away blood from her nose. She was grateful that her parents weren’t home.
———————————-
“Believe me Emmanuel. That girl has been tempting me. She has been trying to as-sault my emotions. I only beat her for having such evil in her head thought.” the manager tried to defend himself.
“Say whatever you like Andrew. You can’t convince me. I know what I saw.”
He picked his brief case and left the office. He never planned to come to the office at that time but now he knew why he was restless and why God kept nudging him to go to the office. He had planned to come over the office the next day to give them a surprise visit. Now he was worried by what he saw. He was even more worried because he had no opportunity to speak with the lady in question. He knew she will be disorganized and afraid. He felt pity and sorry for her. He noticed she bent her head maybe out of shame and he couldn’t get to see her face properly. It was good she shouted anyway.
———————————–
Olajide who is known as Emmanuel by his friends recovered gradually after God healed him. He never thought he would live. When he discovered that morning that he could no longer move his body, he knew his enemies had succeeded in his life. There was no place his mother didn’t carry him to in an attempt to have solution to his problem. They made sacrifices in different T- junctions to appease the different gods that they told him was troubling his life. The pains increa-sed day by day. He would beg death to come quickly so that the pains would go. His mum suffered. She would clean him up whenever he messed himself. She took him to the pastor’s she knew. They would pray for him and later give up on him. He became a shadow of himself with life gradually leaving him.
“Madam take your son home and wait for death.” a man told his mum. That day, he felt cold. He couldn’t call God because he was never close to Him. He doesn’t have any relationship with Him. His parents didn’t teach him the way of the Lord. He didn’t know how to talk or approach Him yet the same God had mercy on him and healed him.
He remembered when corper Ayomide prayed for him, he felt fire all over his body. Even though he was weak, he could not help but scream. He felt a hand trying to separate him from evil. After that encounter with the Almighty, he felt peace and he slept like a baby.
He didn’t know how to appreciate Ayomide whom God used to deliver him. It was his mum’s idea that a car should be sent to her. When he recovered fully, his mum didn’t want him to resume work or do anything strenuous, so she made arrangements for him to leave the country. She placed trusted people to oversee the companies in Delta, Lagos and Ekiti State.
“You will come with me mum. If I leave without you, you will start thinking about my late father and brothers. Come with me.” He told her.
Leaving the shores of Nigeria didn’t stop him from serving God. After his healing, he made up his mind to serve God wholeheartedly.
He returned about three weeks ago from UK. He had gone checking his companies unannounced. The managers were happy to see him after so long a time. He knew his companies in Lagos and Delta State were doing well and he commended the Managers for taking his business as theirs. He only just got to Ekiti State and God was nudging him to go to his company. Even though he only just returned and tired, he went late and unannounced. He met Andrew, his friend trying to ra-pe a young girl in his office. What a big shock it was to him.
Tbc