HONESTY IS THE BEST LEGACY

 

The encounter was such that you would agree comes in a blue moon. Having rummaged the whole pockets on my trousers and shirt and having gasped in surprise at what I called a magic, I decided to doubt not further. While the woman stood before me with her hand readily stretched for the money, I left hastily in search of it. She could also get the drift through the drama I had just performed that the money was lost; searching my whole body and hitting my feet on the ground. I plodded towards an opposite gate which was the same way I took in with both eyes fixed to the ground. An approaching motorcyclist, a bike-man met me just in the nick of time and took me back in trace. While pushing and gasping with an involuntary dropping jaw, I mumbled thus: “Oga please ride slowly I am searching for a white envelope”. What a great relief when he replied thus: “A white envelope? I saw it while coming”. He said arching and with all honesty, he rode to the spot where he had seen it earlier but my eyes had quickly scanned emptily even beyond the spot before he had said it must had been picked up by a passerby.

She was however waiting furiously for my return. The money must meet a pressing need as soon as possible as such, no cogent excuse would do. The gathering was set to kick off the occasion and she needed it to purchase some valuable items for the cream members of the occasion. Having to think about the disappointment and the cold moment I would fall into after she might have learned the truth, kept me back wandering about and bashing into everyone like a loosed rolling-bolt. Such a moment you would wish the ground could open to swallow you it was. The bike-man felt my devastated mood so much that he grew worried in a trice and thus, participated keenly.

At the eleventh hour, when I had admitted my fate, I decided to go and break out the ugly truth before all resort would be lost.

While the bike-man made the U-turn, I could grasp two certain guys behind who appeared somewhat suspicious and involved in my plight thus, I bothered to ask them. Good day sirs. I greeted bowing low. Sirs, did you by chance see any white envelope on the ground? I asked in a mumbled voice. The bike-man chucked his motorcycle and rushed forward to create more pathos perhaps they would be touched. The delayed answer rather exacerbated the panic attack I was undergoing. First, they fixed an affirmative gaze at each other and then chorused: “Yes!” What a relief! It was as though there was a cancer of the lung now cured. Initially, anyone could have assumed a prank but stretched forward was my lost envelope intact. O Heaven! This is a trance can somebody wake me up! I imagined.

I smiled ceaselessly overwhelmed by the euphoria. The bike-man never ceased to marvel also. What a restoration! It was like a paradise found! They gave me my white envelope intact and with a request to God, I said: Thanks and may God bless you. Your caliber is scarce under the sun!