Sightless

He was a poor guy working 
in a very rich neighborhood, 
he was fortunate to get the job 
and he treasured the job with all 
his heart. It was while on the 
job that he met her, a beautiful 
young lady who came to the office 
asking if they had a photocopier 
because she needed one urgently
She was willing to pay for the 
services but their office was a 
law firm and he was only a 
glorified messenger. 
His official title was Office 
Assistant/Facility manager, he got 
the job through somebody in the 
church he was attending and all 
he had at the time was his SSCE 
certificate.

It was while he was employed 
in the office that he gained admission 
to the National Open University and 
The Lagos State Polytechnic at the 
same time. The job was demanding on 
some days and less demanding on 
others but he found a way to cope.
He got his certificates and was duly 
promoted from facility manager to Office 
Assistant/Assistant Admin
His salary increased a little, 
his office was moved upstairs and 
his responsibilities increased.
He kept his head down, that is, 
until the day they met...
He did the photocopies for her, 
she hurried off with just a word 
Of thanks.

A few minutes later, she rushed 
back into the office asking for the 
original document. He said he had 
given it to her, but she said she 
couldn't find it. They began to search 
for it. A few minutes later, a cleaner 
brought in the document
The cleaner said it fell off 
her hands while she was hurrying off 
earlier. She apologized and they 
exchanged numbers. She said she 
would call later to thank him because 
she was in a hurry. He didn't 
expect her to keep her word. She 
called and they chatted. 
Something unusual began to stir in his 
heart
He knew he shouldn't.

The wise must always know their 
place in this life but she was warm, 
friendly, jovial, and down to earth.
The more he told her about himself, 
his poor background, and poverty reality
The more she chatted with him and 
called him. He sent her pictures of the area
he was living. Though it was in Lagos, 
she had never been to a place 
like that. She was even shocked, 
that the place was in Lagos and 
said she had to check google maps 
to confirm. What was a guy like him 
doing with a girl like that?
He knew he should run, fade, 
vamoose... but...

One day she came around to 
pick him up in her car after work 
and they went to a restaurant close 
by to talk. It was another chapter 
of goodness and grace
He loved her company.
The things he knew, she didn't know
It was like living in two different worlds.
She told him about New York
Belize, Morocco, Dubai
He told her about Ikorodu, Oshodi, 
Ajegunle, cult clashes, police raids, 
and hunger bouts

She had no guile, you know, 
she couldn't keep a secret
She had that habit of blurting 
out stuff like white people
That was the only thing he 
didn't like about her
She was too open, like a waterfall
He was in the office one morning 
when an elderly man walked in
It was at about noon.
The man asked to see the 
CEO of the company he worked for.

The man was rich, very rich
He was taken to the CEO's office 
immediately. The meeting lasted for about
ten minutes
The rich man left.
The CEO called the admin manager 
and the Managing Director
There was a brief meeting.
The admin manager called for him 
through the intercom.
He got to the CEO's office.
The CEO said, "Why are you 
soliciting and harassing ladies in 
this estate?"
He didn't understand the question at 
first, he was just looking like cowbell.
The CEO repeated the question
He still didn't get it.
The admin Manager said "The man that 
just left is the father of so and so, 
he said you are harassing his daughter 
and taking her to local joints etc"
He almost fainted
He said the lady was his friend
The CEO laughed and said "You have 
become a security risk to this firm and 
the estate at large. What if the 
lady was kidnapped while you were 
going to those places to hang out? 
You will be an accessory to kidnapping? 
Don't you know how much she will be 
worth in the wrong hands?
He never thought that far.
He was sacked that day.
He was forced to delete her numbers 
and made to sign an undertaking that 
if anything happened to her, he should 
be held responsible.
That was it.
After ten years of hard work and 
commitment. The CEO said that 
was what the lady's father demanded.
He got home that day crying 
like a mad man. A job that he 
had kept so delicately for so 
long was taken away from him 
within ten minutes by a wealthy man 
whose daughter made the mistake of 
hanging out with him
Just like that!

It took him four months to get 
another job as a customer care 
representative for an Indian-owned 
company. 
The working conditions were hard 
and the pay was quite poor
The lady for whom he suffered 
didn't even try to call or send 
him a mail. He was forced to 
delete her contact but he had 
somehow hoped she would reach 
out to him.
She didn't

From that job, he got another 
until one day he stumbled into 
the yogurt business through a friend 
living in Kano. The friend wanted to 
open shops in Lagos but didn't know 
anyone in Lagos and reached out to him
That was it.

Within two years things had gotten 
appreciably better for him economically
He built his first house in the suburb 
and continued to grow in business.
One day, he saw her at the airport
He was flying to Kano via Abuja.
She was flying to Abuja.
They were on the same flight
She saw him and he could 
see that she recognized him but 
she didn't even smile or pretend 
like he was a human being.
It hurt him to be treated 
that way despite all that he had 
made of himself.

When they got to Abuja, he was 
supposed to stay on the aircraft for 
the journey to Kano
He deplaned and followed her 
till they got to the taxi park and 
called her name.
She turned around and screamed.
She said she wasn't sure if 
he was the one on the plane, 
sitting in the first-class cabin, 
that was why she didn't say 
hello on the flight
They rode together and talked
He wanted to be with her badly.
It was as if he became rich 
so that he could at least come 
close to her status and get accepted 
by her folks. They were both 
still very much single.

She was in a Abuja for a conference, 
he flew to Kano the next morning 
and flew back to Abuja a day after
that to spend the rest of the week 
with her. When the week was over, 
she asked him what next.

He said "We go into our separate worlds"
She said "Okay, I understand"
They parted ways.
To him, that was an appropriate closure
To her, it was a door to possibilities
Two days after they got to Lagos, 
she called. They met over lunch.
She called after another two days 
inviting him to dinner at a restaurant 
in Ikeja. They were practically becoming 
an item

On a  Saturday, she asked if he could 
come and pick her up at home 
for an event they both planned 
to attend. He drove to her house
Her father saw him and said 
"Hello young man, are you the 
one seeing my daughter?"
He said "Yes sir"
Her father said "Who is your 
father, where do you work, 
because this one has a habit 
of dragging dead cats into the house"
He didn't reply
He turned and walked away.

PS: That was the end of the relationship
He said he couldn't stand her father 
and would rather keep away than 
get involved with such a family
The lady tried to convince him 
that it was because her father 
came from a poor background 
that he behaved like that.
It didn't work.

-GSW-