The Right Thing Yesterday night, I and a couple of friends got to kill ourselves with tennis. We played for four straight hours till our thighs and knees got weak and our arms, wrists and fingers went feeble. Perhaps, it wouldve been complete fun if wed eaten- we hadnt since morning. There was NOTHING to eat. Most of our friends had taken off as soon as they were done with exams. Like always, we decided to stay for a number of weeks before we finally went home, and now, we were stranded. Id taken just a friggin bottle of Coke. So there I was, still playing tennis, suppressing the gnawing hunger in me and thinking of ways to get money to run home when my friend, Chuks signalled me to come out. Yes?, I asked gruffly, impatience and hungry anger emblazoned in my expression. I just saw 2,000 on the floor, he whispered discreetly, slowly and surreptitiously glancing around. Where?, I asked. Brooklyn (Boys hostel) Serious matter?, I asked, my eyes popping out in utter disbelief and my jaws dropping. I immediately began a mental calculation. I stayed in Warri- Approximately six hundred would take me home. Chuks stayed at Asaba- a thousand two would take him there. One two plus six- One eight. Correct! Remaining two hundred. Wed buy bread and akara. First thing tomorrow, wed fly home. Yes. He showed me the two one thousand naira notes, Wetin we go do? We stared at each other, saying nothing, thinking a thousand things. The two grand between stared up at us. The solution to our problems lay right in our hands. But wasnt that so-called solution to the detriment of another? What if the person was in a more dire situation than we were? I just took a bottle of Coke, what if whoever it was couldnt afford a satchet of water? What if that was his transport fair? His last hope? Chuks was the first to break the silence. Ill tell Mario to look out for anyone whos lost his money- hell come to us I smiled weakly and my heart sank. Solution was gone. You see, you could be moral a hundred and ten percent but, the truth is that you wont always feel happy taking the right decisions- at that particular point in time though. I told him it was all good and he went ahead to tell Mario. Some thirty minutes or so later, we were nearly at the gate (no one had come to us yet), when we heard heavy footfalls and our names being called. Two little, helpless-looking, sweaty-faced diploma boys bounded up to us with heaving chests and windy breaths. Chuks?, one panted, Mario told me to meet you Yeah?, Chuks replied. I misplaced my mon-, the sweatier of the two blurted. How much?, I cut in, staring pointedly at them. About two thousand...two thousand. I went to buy some little foodstuffs this afternoon, and the change- the two thousand, was going to take us till we were done with exams We echoed in my mind. I gave Chuks his wallet, he zipped it open and handed them their money. I loved that moment. You needed to see the genuine expression of relief and appreciation on their faces. They kept on saying thank you and shaking our hands with both hands till we became slightly embarrassed. Anyway, we went and nearly slept hungry, but at the back of our minds, we were proud that we had done the most important thing- the right thing. KIA
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 08:49:01 +0000
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