Lagos 10:00am
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold this truth, that all men are created equal. Chibuike turned the article face down. She did not understand the reason she spent most of her leisure hours reading Marthin Luther King’s speech, maybe it made her feel like she had a dream too. Every single read made her read more, a miserable attempt to search for something, anything, that could speak to her, only her. She stared at the book making a move to pick it up. The article, in a way left on the inside of her a confused desire, an intense longing to take from life more than it had given to her.
Chibuike always wanted a great life, recognition and all. She even felt irritated when she, at 17, found her mates at a ripe age going to night clubs at rock hours, smoking away their lungs and having no purpose. Now years had passed and the face of time had changed. In her late thirties, she knew, that this was not where she wanted to be. In fact, her job created a concrete awareness of her ragged unfulfillment. She felt the world knew about her failures more than she knew her successes.
“Chibuike, the manager wants to see you.”
The secretary called out to her. She took a long walk to the manager’s office. It took forever and she felt this was the devil’s hand, slowing down time during working hours that left her thinking the day would never end.
“Sir,” she appeared in front of the manager with an edge of professionalism laced around her voice. Her manager a small gaunt looking young man. You would think he’d never been paid enough. He sat close to the window. The office was thoroughly furnished to a formal taste as if a picture of family, wife, flowers or anything slightly informal would taint its image.
“What is your name again?” His question was a deliberate act to show the annoyance and irritation vivid in his voice.
“Chibuike, sir,” she said.
“And what do I employ you for?” He asked repeatedly tapping his pen on a file he was holding.
“I am in charge of marketing sir.” She added quickly, making sure not to leave out any time after his question, a terrible effort to appease him.
“Then why is our consumer refund reading low?” he asked, the tapping becoming louder.
“Actually sir I applied as an auditor and was just compensated with this post…” She almost bit her tongue. She did not know what made her say this, maybe it could be justice for how she was unfairly given marketing to oversee which attracted a lower pay than the post of an auditor, which was handed over to a dumb guy who studied zoology. Sometimes she wanted to slap the smirk off his face whenever he say to her,
“I never imagined I could get this job, but who gets employed for what they studied in the university anyway.”
“I cannot see your impact in this company.” The manager stated.
“I try my best sir and….” He cut her short abruptly, “Then why do you fail at your best. Miss, you will be under one month supervision and if you cannot retain the company standard, you will be fired.”
“Understood Sir”, she replied. her words too silent, almost a whisper.
Chibuike took the bus home because taking the keke would require more money and she was saving any penny she could spare. She alluded to the days when she felt free and careless, not minding the outcome of her decisions.
“Mama, I want to dream like king,” she said to her mother one blissful Saturday, and she could never forget her reply.
“Buike, you are young and you cannot buy or sell dreams in the market. God knows dreams did not put food on this table, nor your father.”
Her mother looked down at her and blinked her eyes suddenly becoming emotional. A line of tears escaped down her face but stopped midway.
“Oh dear look how young and naive your thoughts are.”
She was squeezed to the window as the bus made a turn to the right, then a stop opposite her apartment. She ignored the neigbours outside, too tired to be engaged in a discussion and took quick steps into her convenient home, a self-contained apartment.
The room was neat and furnished in a way that it seemed as if she was moving away soon. She pulled off her clothes at once and made a dash for the mini-sized bed in her room. It was heaven to her. She sighed loudly, tomorrow will be different. She assured herself she would be more daring, be the person she wanted to be, do what she enjoyed doing, meet with a man she liked. But then, she reminded herself that this was not first she was saying this, and as her eyes drew shut, she let the night take its hold on her.
I am a writer who wants to affect the minds of people positively because positive minds breed a better country. My email is ruthfelix@gmail.com. Check out awesome stories by me at blackpenz on wattpad. Thanks.
