AFRICAN SHORT-STORY: IT'S HARD TO DIE
Johnbull graduated from the University 5years ago with a very good grade but his effort of securing a good job has not been easy. He has been working as a security guard for a small bank in his community for the past four years. The pay is nothing to plan his future on but it is enough to survive on. He always does his job with great zeal and enthusiasm hoping that one day, heaven will smile at him.
He was at work one Monday morning when his boss, the head of their security department called him to his office and handed him a brown envelope. "Johnbull, you've been a dedicated worker here, but we just have to let you go because we have been asked to scale down on our work force. In that envelope is your salary for the month and a little pay off. Please bear with us". Mr. Akpan, johnbull's boss concluded.
"Why me! Am I the only one in the department that you people are doing this to me? What did I do wrong? I've been putting my heart into this job and still you people did this to me! This life is very wicked! This life is really wicked!" Johnbull kept on complaining as he walks out of his boss's office holding the brown envelope, While his boss just look at him with pity.
He got home feeling very sad. " Why is life this cruel? Even the little thing that I am managing, it has taken it away from me! It has taken my Little pride remaining and stripped me naked before the world. Yes, it has finally made me worthless! Let me just end it all!" Johnbull said with tears rushing down his eyes as he went into his small kitchen to get a rope.
He came back to his small sitting room, looked around and said, " what's even there to live for?" He looked up to his ceiling as if he's seeing someone there, then he said; "God, are you seeing me at all? Why did you refuse to help me all these while? Okay! Okay! I'm coming to meet you right now! Prepare for me o! Hope you've made my life miserable en? Wait, I am coming!" He tied the rope around his neck, drew his table to the center of the sitting room, posititioned directly under his ceiling fan and he climbed on it. He looked at his fan hanging on the ceiling close to his head. "Let me just end here!" He said to himself again as he started tying the other end of the rope to his fan.
He finished tying it but he was reluctant to jump down from the table immediately. He looked at himself and said, "is this how worthless my life has become that I have to end it this way?" He tried to jump down but he was not finding it easy. "So this is how I'm going to die? What a painful way to die!" He said to himself again. "How can I just come to this world and not achieve anything? I haven't even added anything to the life of anyone. Look at my parents and siblings, most of them used to believe that I'm the light of the family. But look at me today, I don't even have light to show to myself let alone being a light to a whole family". He raised one leg from off the table but he couldn't let go the other.
"Is this how it's difficult to kill oneself? People wey dey kill themselves dey try o!? He said as he finally started removing the rope from his neck. "No! I will not die. If I die like this na fuck up na! How I go just die like that without achieving anything? Look at my parents, they invested in me. Na so I wan take be bad investment? No way! Them go must chop my money!" He continues to talk to himself as he got the rope off his neck and losen the rope from the fan. He could feel a new lease of life in himself. He got down from the table, picked up the brown envelope his boss gave to him earlier and opened it. He counted the money in the envelope and discovered it was seventy five thousand naira. " O, them add 50k join am! This will hold person for some days na!" He exclaimed with some excitement on his face. He wanted to go and throw away the smaller brown envelope that was wrapped with the money and the already torn bigger brown envelope when a second thought compelled him to open it. " Is it not sack letter? Let me see what that stupid man wrote sef!" He said to himself as he started opening the smaller brown envelope.
"Mr. Johnbull, we are pleased to inform you that you are no more required to work in the security department. You have been granted an immediate promotion to work as one of our counter cashiers and your training will be beginning in two days time. All that..........." Johnbull didn't finish reading the letter before he shouted, "En! What is this? Devil papa! Na so person wan take lose im blessing? So if to say I kill myself now, Watin God for tell me?" Mr. Johnbull kept talking to himself in Nigerian pidgin as he runs around his sitting room shouting random words aloud.
" E no really easy to die! Thank God say I no die!" He said aloud as he burst into singing and dancing. Screaming very loud that his neighbors started wondering if he was ok.
That was how johnbull's life was turned around. Imagine if he had killed himself! Nothing is worth losing your precious life over. Life has ups and downs. For as long as you're still breathing, there's still hope for you. So don't lose your life, peace, joy and love over nothing. You have a thousand and one reasons to stay alive.
Thanks for reading. If you find this story interesting, don't forget to leave an upvote. Thanks.