SURROUNDED
EPISODE 7
I started hearing voices that sounded like people praying. I opened my eyes. Alot of people around me, praying. I looked around, i was in a church hall. I started trying to get up, it was difficult. Prayers were still going on. The man i s-en-sed could be the pastor la-id his hand on my stomach and started saying started saying. “You venom of the wicked come out of this b©dy.” he asked for olive oil and continued praying. He said he re-leased the power of God into the oil and as i take it, let that venom be destroyed so that i will be free. He told me to open my mouth, i initially refused. After much pleading, i opened my mouth for the oil to be poured in it. After few minutes of taking that oil, my system changed. My stomach started rumbling. It felt like warms in their hundreds were moving around with heavy f0rç£. I was shouting. I felt like throwing up, i started vomiting white foamy stuff, the smell was terrible. What i vomited was so much. I can remember i fell and i can also remember the pastor shouting thank you Jesus.
I woke up and felt free and relieved. The pastor was there with me. He told me i had an encounter with a marine agent but the Lord saved me. He started preaching, to be frank, i wasn’t liking anything he was saying. The hatred for church was still holding me captive. He said i should give my life to christ so that i will be delivered all round. He said there are strong holds around me. Very heavy one and they have vowed i Will amount to nothing. The man said my wealth has been sacrificed on the altar of the devil. If i do not come to Jesus now, terrible danger awaits me. I was just pres£nt but my interest was abs£nt. He tried leading me to christ. I was just saying after him, “Lord Jesus, come into my heart, blablabla” all for saying sake. After that, he opened his bible to start all over again, i stood up.
“Excuse me sir, i said, i think it’s enough. I have things to do. I nee-d to get shelter over my head. I don’t have a house I’m leaving in. I don’t have work. I nee-d to get a life like others. Thanks for saving my life but i nee-d something to keep this life going. Then he said to me… What is your name? Ogugua or Daniel i answered. He sighed. “My dear daniel, you cannot keep going in life with this great f0rç£s i see around you. YOU ARE SURROUNDED WITH GREAT DARKNESS. You nee-d Jesus to help you get out of it. This one you just experienced is just a little compared to what awaits you if you do not come to Jesus”
The word SURROUNDED again???? Okechukwu said it, now again??? I refused to be fooled like my thoughts told me. I thanked the pastor and and as was about leaving the pastor said, THE LOVE OF GOD IS SO MUCH UPON YOU. DON’T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. I turned and left. Once again, i escaped death.
I started looking for another ap@rtment. This time a house of my own. I went into a Restaurant to eat and found out that, that lady’s money was no more in my bag. 300k!!!!! I almost fainted. Could it be the pastor and his members??? But the way i kept the money….i put them in my jean pocket and folded the jean properly. The jeans were the way they were folded, my bag wasn’t tampered with. I bec@m£ more afraid.
I looked around the restaurant and felt i might work there afterall. So i walked up to one of the waiters. I asked if there is Job vacancy, they said YES they nee-ded a security man. I asked if i can sleep there for now as i had issues with accomodation. The A young man walked in . The person directed me to the young man. I knew the face. Fidelis!!!! Woow, he was my course mate. We both studied Accounting. I walked up to him and greeted him. The bar man followed me so as to introduce me to him.
I smiled when i saw him. Only for him to re-lease a time bomb on me.
“What!!!! He shouted. You!!!! No no no no, i can’t have an ex-convict work here. You are into guns and drugs and ammunitions. plea-se, plea-se plea-se, you can’t work here. I can’t have a thief and well trained armed robbery as my Security. GET OUT OF THIS PREMISES AT ONCE!!!! before i ring the police. University drop out. plea-se go to where you belong, you don’t belong here”. He left.
Honestly, i didn’t know when i started crying. Fidelis, i use to help out with as-signments and will he will pay me peanuts and be begging ont©p of it. Is this how life is ? I took my bag and left the Restaurant with heavy tears pouring down. I was walking down, looking for where to sleep. I saw guys offloaded a truck of drinks. I c@m£ closer. This might just be it. I entered and started ma-king enquiries. I was directed to meet with the owner of the place and instantly, i was given the job. We offload drinks and deliver drinks to customers because i can’t drive, i will be using truck. I will be paid 25k every month. I told them about my accommodation problems. My oga said i can come and stay in his boys quarters if i so wish. Wow, i was excited. Atlist, something good at last.
For transparency sakes, i gave my oga the remaining 180,000 i had on me. I told him my father gave them to me. I want to work and earn more and join to it so i can start my own business. He agreed. He loved what i did. He promised to use the money to do business so it can multi-ply. I was so happy. The job was going well. Two days to the end of the month when i will receive my pay, danger struck.
I was pushing the truck, i didn’t notice the stone. The tyre of the truck hit the stone and tumbled. The whole drinks, i mean the whole drinks broke in pieces.
SURROUNDED
EPISODE 8
The shock of what just happened was heavy on me. The whole drinks!!! Not one bottle survived. My salary is to be paid in two days and the Agreement is whatever damages caused by me will be deducted from my salary.
I just sat on the road and started crying. My salary is 25k. The drinks are worth 125k. I will be working for three months without payment. I cried more when i remembered that my remaining money is with my oga. I can’t leave if i want to.
The incident got to my oga. The man quic-kly said, thank God I’m with your money. I will minus it from your money in my possession. He insulted the life out of me.
I watched on the pay day how my fellow workers were receiving their salaries. I couldn’t hold back my tears. The next month, i went to my master and asked for my remaining money. I want to put it in the bank. The answer he gave me shocked the life out of me. He said “WHICH MONEY” i felt paralyzed. I replied “the remaining money from the one i gave to you” . His reply descended like atomic bomb. “is it because of 5000, you are blocking my air”? I was like sir??? He said, “yes na. You gave me 130thousand, i deducted 125thousand. Don’t you know maths”? Nooooo, i shouted. Sir, i gave you 180thousand o. My money is remaining 55thousand sir, not 5000″. My oga stood up and gave me a dirty sl@p. “Idiot, he shouted, are you mad? Oh, you now call me a thief ? This is how you pay me back?. I housed you for free i even give you free food sometimes, now you call me a liar and a thief”? “Sir”, i replied, with heavy tears in my eyes, “i gave you 180thousand sir. I……… I didn’t finish my statement when my oga bounced on me. He beat the hell out of me calling me a thief and an ingrate. He threw the 5thousand at me and pushed me out of his premises. He warned me not to step foot in his compound. He called his boy at home to bring my bag to his depot. My bag was brou-ght. Once again, BACK TO THE STREET. I cried. That night i decided to end it all. I am tired. I decided to take my life. I went to a nearby shop and bought liquid insecticide. I bought 10 bottles. I nee-ded to die very well. I took them with so much anger and so much rage. I was looking for a lonely p@rt. My plan was to finish everything at once and die. I got to a lonely street. It was about 7:30pm. I just dropped the 10 bottles of liquid insecticide on the floor and sat down. I nee-ded moral to drink them. So i started remembering all my failures and losses. The next thing i heard was “OGA HOW MUCH” I didn’t know a woman was standing in front of me. “we-tIN”? i replied harshly. “The otapiapia na” the woman replied. Ah no dey sell am. Just get out”. “I won buy all of them o” E dey work”? To chase her away I said 2000. “For all of them”? She asked. “Yes” i replied. To my greatest surprise, she gave me the 2000. “Oya tie am for nylon. Do quic-k abeg, time no dey”. I started searching for the nylon. My mind was, after selling this one, i will go and buy another one. I packaged it for the woman and handed it over. The woman now said “Thank you o. Better pikin. Your mama no go cry for your head o. Thank you o”. Immediately, i felt cold. I watched this woman as she left. My eyes went straight to the back of her leg. I got goose bu-mps all over me when i saw thesame birth mark my mother had on thesame sp©t, on the woman. I started crying again. I cried non st©p not minding i was on the road. Pas-sersby didn’t even care. Everyone was minding their business. I took my bag again and continued the journey to NO WHERE.
I got a lodge of 1k for one night. This time, i did not talk to any female. I did not come out of that room till morning. I couldn’t sleep. What happened that day started pla-ying around my head. My phone rang. It was my father. He called to say he just acquired 5 buses for transportation. My sister is getting married, obiora is commissioning his shopping mall, i should come down to the east. I told my father i don’t have money. He asked about my business, i told him all I’m pas-sing throu-gh. He said God will help me. I should borrow money and come. He dropped the call.
I got very angry. “Look at these people. I should borrow money and come? When i have millionaires as father and siblings? I should borrow money and come? I started crying and kicking the chair and table in the room. I couldn’t sleep that night. The next morning i left.
I saw barrow for rent. I saw a park where barrow men stayed. I went to rent a barrow and took position like others. Some were looking at me. One of the guys c@m£ to me, “bros welcome”. You don pay park money? Na #200. Come mah carry you go where you go pay. He took me to the area boys. I paid my dues and they gave me the uniform. The guy took my bag and safe kept it for me. Meeting Afam was good but it introduced me into so many bad things that made my life worse.
I told him all i have been going throu-gh. He said i am weak. He asked if i smoke, i said no. He said i nee-ded it. I nee-d to shack up. Afam introduces me to cigarette, drinking and then gang of BAD BOYS.
We are barrow boys in the morning and ARMED ROBBERS AT NIGHT. I went throu-gh intense training inside a thick bush on how to handle the gun. I was initiated into the group. My first as-signment was my father’s house. I never knew, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN THE DEVIL THrou-gh THE POWER OF THE DEVIL.
To be continued.