Look Before You Leap #4

This is the concluding part of the series "Look before you leap"

You can check out the previous parts by clicking the links below.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

My phone buzzed at long last. Yesssssssssssss.... Finally!!!! Yes!! Yesssssssssssss!!!! I kept shouting yes like Daniel Bryan, the leader of the Yes Nation would do in a wrestling match whenever he had turned the tides in his favour.
I had screamed with unfathomable joy on seeing it was a message from the bank.

I jumped and pump fisted several times into the air like Jurgen Klopp would do when Liverpool FC were running rampant in an old and exciting good game of soccer. "Good, just good. This was going to be the best of years."

Man!!! You couldn't fathom my joy. "At long last, my money has returned" I said as I mumbled some words of praise to God and at the same time heaping praises on the bank.

Hold on a bit! Before I reveal to you why I screamed yes so loud, let me go on a trip down Memory Lane to tell you how this all started. Can I?

The Beginning

I could remember vividly when it all started, after receiving my yearly scholarship pay, I had devised what was probably the best savings plans for my money, almost too good I could literally go into a coma whenever the thought came haunting me.

It was late December and Harmattan had announced it's arrival like one who just made it out of a clash of the titans a victor, the cold, dry and dusty wind blowing around the tropics made it a joy to behold. This was the season of merriment and celebrations, coupled with the fact that the West African Winter I craved for so much had finally made it here.
But that was not to be the case this year around, as I constantly thought of my best friend who has been playing me, my best friend, the bank.

Thinking of the best way to let the bank know I wasn't happy with their actions, while at the same time trying not to provoke them. I had scribbled a lot of messages and none seem to make any sense. Anyways I said to myself, I'll just wait for the new year.
But on this occasion, I had instead made a task of figuring how to send my new found best friend the best of new year wishes.

I had made up my mind to keep to my words. I guess I was trying to be like God, when He said

heaven and earth may pass Away, but my words shall surely come to pass.

Now let's take a trip down Memory Lane to find what Israel had said.

For the first time, I'll be the one sending the bank a happy new year message.

That was it, and here was the message
"This is a new year, you can only get better, to get better, start by returning my money to me. I Wish you all the best of the year as I anticipate your favourable response. Thank you. Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year."

New Year's Eve

Pump fisting while still screaming Yes, I had picked up the phone and clicked on the message while still in my euphoric state.
There was an awkward moment of silence. I couldn't believe it.. I was petrified for about a minute and when I recovered I swear I could recall myself screaming f**k em all in Eminem's voice.

In a sudden burst of outrage, I had screeched in a thunderous manner.
What??? How could they? I mean what's this?, a debit alert for card maintenance for May?
So I had rejoiced all in vain.Yet another case of leaping before I looked. How long was it going to take me to put this into my medulla oblongata that I was supposed to Look before I leaped.
Damnit, damn this bank account I cursed myself for still not learning from my mistakes.

The Alert That Made Me Scream Yes

Just as I was still staring at the phone with an unforgiving look, the phone buzzed again with a new message. But it wasn't to appease my mood, but rather infuriate me further as they had successfully deducted yet another one for the month of November.
If I was to be consoled, today was certainly not that day, as yet again, another set of messages entered my phones all still being debit alerts for card maintenance.

The Alerts as they kept coming

I literally felt as though I was under some hoax as I spent the whole day thinking of what I did wrong to face such a plight, at any moment in time I could have given up the ghost, if I wasn't strong enough.

I slurped my food without any joy as all I ever thought of was the money.
I felt I needed to just hibernate and wake up on the tenth day.

And then they were 10

Friday the 5th was the 10th day to be precise, the hibernation was complete. Would today be another day where I went to listen to their cock and bull story? I had decided not to cajole them into refunding the money, but to be honest with them as I was going to narrate to them my plight.

I waited for about two minutes, before I finally summoned the courage to move towards the customer care counter where I'll meet ma'am. "Happy New Year ma'am" I said, not meaning any of those words.
How was I to say happy new year to them and mean it, when I've been walking a tight rope for about two weeks??

"I just came to inquire about the process and how soon I could get back the money, it's the tenth day now" I said to her, "I really need to use the money for the payment of my tuition fees." She looked at me in the eyes with a look which confirmed that she understood the situation I was in.

"Young man to be sincere with you everything has been set in place, I don't know exactly when but I can assure you that you'll get your money, the process might even take longer than that, but just be hopeful, you might even your money today."
I shrugged off the idea of the money being reversed the same day. I was weakened as it wasn't the first time I had been told that. What a great cock and bull story she had delivered there, she deserved a reward for that.

How am I going to cope with this situation? The thoughts kept running through my mind as I composed myself, trying to hide the tears as I headed for the exit.

Once I was out from the bank, I dialled dad's number and told him about the present turn out of things. Dad wasn't too happy, and I just had to convince him that he shouldn't worry that I was going to take care of the situation. I would follow her advice and borrow the money needed from a friend, till mine was reversed at any time.

I was heading for school when I had decided to stop by and inquire about the situation yet another time. After I ended the call, I quickly boarded a taxi heading towards the school.

I had gone to school to see my friend and also charge my electronic gadgets as there was a power outage in the city.

Hardly had I settled down, when I realized there was no power in school. How worse could today be?? You mean there's no power here?? I quickly recalled that the Non-academic staffs had gone on a strike and at such the power unit couldn't function as well.

I kept cursing myself, why didn't I recall this earlier? When would I learn to look before I leaped finally.

I sat down in one of the classrooms, the seats were all dusty as everyone had gone on the Christmas break and were just returning back.

The screen of my phone had brighten up, indicating a message or a call was to follow. The phone buzzed thereafter, another message??? UBA again?? Have they started maintenance for the month of January already???

I reluctantly unlocked the phone and clicked on the message, I stared at the message and locked the phone. Useless people I said and then suddenly I rushed back and checked again...

"Your account has been credited with #75000."
I waited for my brain to process the information slowly as I sat on the seat. It was all phantasmagorical, have I just been saved by the bank, was this real???

Yes, it was definitely real. I was credited, at long last, I screamed for joy as I told myself that I've been paid finally.

The Credit Alert

I jumped sky high, and sent my hands swinging in the air while nodding my head in unison, come on man. I have my money back.

In that moment of joy, I had screamed not taking into consideration the hoodlums parading the corridors of the classroom block.
At long last, I've fallen victim to the men of the underworld.

The two hoodlums entered the classroom and told me to excuse them that they needed to see me.
"OK fine, I'll see you guys I said." I left the classroom with them and moved to a corner where we couldn't be easily seen.

The Hoodlums as they appeared to me

"Baba they said in pidgin, Show Boys love."

They meant I should give them some sort of gratification for the new year. I was ready, as I brought out a 200 naira note and stretched forth my hands to them.
"Baba, we resemble beggars??? We wan drink beer," they said in pidgin.

I was about to tell them that it was the only money I had to offer when they gave me a look which confirmed my doubts.

They knew that my account was smiling with money at the moment, dammit once again Israel, how could you be so naive?? Your cranium probably needs a reset I said to myself. In that moment of joy, I had forgotten all I had learnt and screamed to the pleasant surprise of these hoodlums and now I was going to pay for it.

I quickly made amends and brought out a 500 naira note and gave it to them. Baba add the 200 the slimmer of the hoodlums requested but I had decline, telling him it's my transportation fare out of school. After some haggling, the bigger of the two informed his guy that I had tried and they should let me go.

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** *I went back into the classroom and reflected on all that had happened, in one moment I had looked before leaping, and in the other, I had leapt without considering. I kept smiling to myself, when will I ever learn to always look before you leap as this was the only way to save oneself from trouble.* **

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**Anyways, I had learnt a great lesson that It surely pays to *Look before you leap.* **

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**Image Source:**

• The First and Last images are courtesy of Pixabay

• The Other Images are my screenshots courtesy of my gallery.