You Did Not Ask When I Was Poor. [Short Story]

Tonato was a very poor man. He will always go to his friend to ask for money, clothing and any other things he is in need of. He has been doing this for more than five years. Ever since he had graduated from the university as an artist.

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One day, Tonato disappeared and no one knows where he was. His friends searched for him in every possible way they can. They later gave up on their search since he did not even had any value to them. He was a liability to them.

After another five years, Tonato showed up with the latest Mercedes Benz. He has really changed from what his friends used to know him as.

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He came down from his car and move forward toward his friend. They were like is it him or not. Later, after getting to where they were standing, he told them that he was still the same person that they do feed and called liability but has become an asset.

They were happy to see him and they all hugged each other. Tonato gave them all what he had bought for them and they did appreciate him.

He then told his friend that he would soon be going for he had a meeting to attend. As he was about to step out of the room where they had gone after the meet up, one of his friends whispered to another and asked.
where had he gone to and how come he is rich now? He said.

He turned back and answered him.
When I was poor, you did not ask yourselves why I am poor and try to find solution for me but you wanted me to be begging. Now that I am rich, you want to start gossiping about how I became rich without you asking me directly.

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He then explained to them how he had walked a long distance from home that day and meet with a man who asked him if there is anyone around who is an artist in that area.
Since he was an artist and he did not know anyone around that area, he told the man about himself and went away with the man.

On getting to there destination, he found out that the man's company do deliver paintings to another company in the USA and the main artist is on sick leave that is why the man was out to find an artist.

Tonato was offered a job in the company after he had passed the interview and he had been busy working on the company's project which is why he was unable to visit his friends and tell them his whereabouts.

His friend apologized to him and they were all happy for him.

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We should never give up on others.
We should not give up on ourselves because things is still going to be better
We should always ask what we did not know about others from them instead of gossiping about.

@seyiodus.