The Transition

Somehow the university put the three of them in the same room

The genius, the all time best student of the Nuclear physics department

Mr. Brain, the all time best student of the Communications and Language Arts department

And The Hustler, a student of the Business Administration department

They were all nineteen by the time they became roommates

All in 200L

The genius was not a Christian

He was truly an extra-ordinary student

Unlike Mr. Brain and The Hustler, he does not read at all

He spends his time sleeping, playing video games, listening to music and attending classes once in a while

His CGPA was a perfect 5.0

Nobody could touch him in the whole school

Lecturers respect him

He knew way too much stuff

It was as if he had the mind of Einstein 

He was simply exceptional

NASA took an interest in him just after his 100 Level examinations

They sent delegates to his school and department and the whole school was aware of it

Mr. Brain was the intelligent one

He loves to read and write

He spends most of his time in the library and in class

He was born a Christian but he was not a born-again Christian

Mr. Hustler was a business man

His mother made sure he learnt how to fix electrical appliances while he was in secondary school

He had an electronic appliance fixing outfit in town and was making a lot of money

He had a car and naturally he had loads of babes flocking around him

The three of them became fast friends

The genius was the one whose path seemed set on unparalleled success

Even though his father was dead set against it for religious reasons

He would most likely work with NASA

The Agency was already offering mouth watering incentives that would shake the foundation of any religious conviction

The hustler also had a slight advantage

By the time they graduate, he would have a certificate with which to make money and a business by the side

Mr. Brain was very much at a disadvantage

He was quite intelligent but his intelligence had never attracted anything other than an award from his department and his name in the dean’s roll!

He would most likely graduate with a first class and start hustling for a job like the other graduates he knew

For him the future looked very bleak

When they got to 300 level

The thought began to weight on him heavily

It bothered him to the point of depression

He couldn’t see a future in which he wouldn’t trail behind the two of them

Even though they all seemed to be equals for that moment

Their parents were all in the working-class category

His parents were born-again Christians

The hustler’s parents were nominal Christians

The genius’s parents were non-Christians

From where he stood, he couldn’t see a bright future for himself

He tried very much not to carry his worries on his face

He still hung out with them

The hustler was always eager to spend money on one outing or the other

The genius never really had much to spare

Neither did he!

One day the hustler took them to a brothel one Friday night

He went along for the free drink and company

That night he couldn’t really tell what happened

Police officers came and raided the brothel

Since it was his first time and he was in the bar

He didn’t run, he was wearing his student identity card around his neck

And luckily the policemen ignored him

He waited for some time before leaving the brothel

By the time he got outside the brothel, he saw the Hustler’s car but he couldn’t find both the Hustler and the Genius

Eventually he had to bail them out of the police station the next morning

They were both caught with their beaks wet and without their ID cards

The genius was afraid a scandal could cost him his NASA opportunity

The hustler forgot his ID in the car

Both of them laughed off the incident all the way back to their school

He didn’t know why it bothered him so much

The Sunday after

He dressed up early and went to a nearby church

Something was troubling him deep within

He didn’t know if it was insecurity, envy, fear or malice

He just knew being around his friends makes him feel inadequate

He had smiled more than his fair share of fake smile in the past two years

It was getting to him

The pretense and the fake conversations

He knew he didn’t like their company anymore

He just wanted to head in another direction

He wasn’t sure why something was eating him up inside so badly

When he got to church

He tried very hard to pay attention

Boredom was one of the problems he had with church

He easily got weary of routines and predictability

The Pastor had invited a brother to minister

The brother was wearing a pair of Jeans and T-shirt

Spoke on the topic “The Eagles and The Vultures”

He couldn’t believe what he heard

The brother practically described his condition

At the end of the short message

The brother made an altar call

 simply said “If you want to be an eagle, come forward now”

He ran forward!

It was the exact edge his heart was longing for!

As soon as they got to final year

Everything changed!

He found himself drifting far away from the two of them

He had become born again and found himself less apprehensive about the future

He joined a fellowship and began to grow in the knowledge of the word of God

NASA barely allowed the Genius his first semester examination before intensifying their recruitment efforts

He was offered a lot of money and his entire family was granted visa to live in America

They met every demand of his Father and by the time they were graduating, the genius and his entire family were out of the country

Whoa!

The hustler also graduated and got a job with a major electronics distribution company

He got a job with a media house as a reporter

Two years after he graduated, he got married

He started his own media consulting and public relations firm

His firm got its first contract a month after he floated it

Six months later, he resigned from his paid employment

Within two years, the value of his firm was 50 million

His spiritual growth was equally impressive

He had his own teaching ministry

In 2017, he was invited to Minnesota on a speaking engagement

After his ministration

He did a thirty minutes book signing session

The title of his book was “The Eagles and The Vultures”

It was a bestseller

One of those who came for the book signing was his old friend, The Genius

He was still a genius but other aspects of his life were a mess!

His overbearing father refused to let him have peace of mind

He was already struggling from depression

He told his friend about Jesus

They prayed together!

That same year, the Hustler gave him a call

He had also bought the book

Could they meet and discuss the book?

They met

The Hustler, now married with two children also became an Eagle

In 2018 December, The Genius came home for the first time in many years

He came to get married

The Brain and the Hustler were his grooms’ men

The three of them had become eagles

Riding the waves of glory into indelible light!

PS: Eagles vs Vultures

Life vs Death

Carnality vs Spirituality

Creator vs Scavenger

Virtue peddler vs Flesh peddler

Plankton vs Shark

Which would you rather be?