He Envied No One
Heketey region is in the north west of the south west of the country. The name of the country is Blakio. In this region the people there cherish education so dearly such that it is considered a taboo for anyone within the region of Heketey not to go to school. It is not just going to school but studying until they possess several degrees in their chosen fields. Because of the increase percentage of graduates from Heketey region, the indigenes of the country considered them as the educated region of the whole country.
Through their education, they have brought many things into Blakio, they have through their knowledge in academics devised some policies for the country which have increased their gross domestic product. Their internally generated revenue was second to none among all the countries within their continent.
Teejayo is the father of Johala. Johala is the Teejayo’s first child and son from his first wife. After Fely, the mother of Johala, Teejayo married two other women and they all gave birth to six children each.
Teeajyo and his family are living in Heketey region where education is cherished. Teejayo himself and his wives are educated, for they all finished their first degrees except Teejayo himself who has additional degrees, for he finished his master’s degree before marrying the two other women.
When his first wife, Fely gave birth to Teejayo, the joy of both husband and wife knew no bounds and they celebrated the naming ceremony in a big way within the neighborhood.
At the age of four, Johala was enrolled in the primary school within the region. However, it was noticed that it took his teachers a lot of efforts to put him through what others learnt within minutes.
As seasoned teachers they were not disturbed on his case because they know that there are certain children like him who will pick up very late and would become something big later in life. Thus, they never relented in going extra miles to ensure that Johala understands what his peers have understood.
When the school is going on break, they would call his parents and tell them that they need to keep an eye on Johala, encourage him, for it is encouragement he needs to grow in what he is doing. “With your efforts, he would soon catch up with others”, his teacher told his parents when they were going on break when the child was in primary 6.
Johala’s mother tried to keep the boy up and doing at home, he engaged him in several home lessons, he reduced his house works and increased his activities in academics.
When the school resumed, Johala’s academic status improved and his teacher was impressed with the efforts of his parents on him. When they sat for the entrance examination into the secondary school he made with without stress.
He resumed the school and was trying his best to improve himself on his academics with the efforts of his parents. However, all his best couldn’t fetch him much among the other students in the secondary school. He was however maintaining the middle status in the class.
By the time he gets to the final year in the secondary school, this boy, Johala, has made up his mind that he wouldn’t further his academics. He did not disclose this to anyone, he kept this decision close to his chest.
When he graduated from the secondary school, he told his parents that whatsoever the outcome of his results is, he is not furthering his education. He parents thought he said that because he knows he would woefully fail his final examinations.
However, to their disbelief, they discovered that he did not fail a single subject of all the nine subjects he sat for in the examination. He though did not have excellent grades, but he did not fail as he has his results in the credit, average level.
When his parents discovered this, they persuaded him to further his education stating that he knows what the people know their region for, they know their region as educated region and they wouldn’t want him to fall short of that. Apart from this, he was told that they as his parents also graduated from the University.
He appreciated them for their words of counsel but told them that he does not want to further his education what he wants for his life is to go into business and that he sincerely implore them to support this dream of his. He can read and write and can commune with others in the foreign language that they have borrowed.
This decision of his generated a lot of furor among the family, but this Johala maintained his stand that he is not furthering his academics.
When his father saw that his mind has been made up, on not furthering his education, he decided to support him and he invited him and asked him for what was in his mind to do, the kind of business he wishes to do.
He told them that the kind of business he wishes to go into is he wants to learn how to be selling electronic materials.
His father asked him to give him sometimes to figure out what to do on the kind of trade that he says he is interested in doing. After he made a thorough search, he was directed to someone within the region, a trustworthy person, to go and enroll his son with the man.
His father contacted the man, and the man was pleased to see the man he gave him the conditions to fulfill for his son to be registered under him to learn the trade.
The man fulfilled the conditions and Johala was enrolled under the man to learn how to trade in electronic materials and other materials related to electronics. He signed to serve the man for three years. After the third year, the man set Johala free and he went and start his own business.
Before Johala starts his business, his father, Mr. Teejayo has approached Cooperative and thrift society to take loan for his son. He took the loan for the son and sets up the son.
Quite appalling however, to note that the first ten years of Johala as a sole business man was very rough for he finds it hard to make ends meet during those periods. It was as if he has made a wrong decision in going for business because all his mates had passed him by, those who further their education and some who did not further their education like him, all of them have made it. About 90 percent of them have gotten married and built their houses, while others have traveled out of their country to other countries.
Many a time he would look at himself and ask himself that what is it that is happening to me?
His parents and siblings grew tired of his stagnancy in life, and on many occasions would say they do not think that is the chosen path for Johala in life. They would invite him to discussion and tell him that he needs to change to another thing, but he would reply them that they should give him more time. “More time, more time, is all you keep on saying”, Johala’s mother snarled back when they were talking to him, telling him that he is the first born of the family in case he has forgotten that, that he should look at his junior ones all of them have made progresses in life, “you are the only one left behind out of them all, you are like a sore in our hearts”, she concluded.
“If something does not work, one changes to another thing,” his father said, adding that, “when you asked for our support, we never denied you, but this is really eating us like a cankerworm”.
He again pleaded with them, that they should give him more time, that something within him tells him that he will break forth soon.
After the deliberations, their parents leave him and prayed that may God crowned all his efforts as from thenceforth.
Johala continues to trust in the Lord and he continues to pray, having faith in the Lord that he would one day turn his fortune around as he did unto Jabez in the bible.
However, despite his stagnancy in life, he never envied his mates neither his siblings who have overtaken him. He kept the hope alive, saying to himself that he knows that the God who creates the person who is selling leaves in the market is the one who created those who are selling pap. He did not create them the same, for if he does, who will be selling leaves for the pap seller if they are all selling the same thing. He answers people differently, he answers people’s prayers at different times and seasons that he knows would be of benefit unto the person.
After the fourteenth year of hardships and difficulties in his business, things started to change for him. The shop he has been going to where he would barely sell goods worth $10:00 he discovered that he started selling above $10:00. It was as if the thing would die down the following week, because such has happened in the past, that he received fillip in his business and he was thinking God has arrived to crown his business only to discover that the following week, the business plummet again.
Thus, he hopes that would happen during this time, but he was taken aback that such did not happen, as the sales kept on improving daily such that he started having savings.
He, who is usually afraid to take loans from the cooperative society to which he belongs started taken loans conveniently without an iota of fear of the repayment.
During this time, he calls no one to borrow money to pay his shop rent again, and he started buying things home for his parents. His immediate brother, Rohaha, who is a civil servant, his wife puts to bed and he needs money to offset the hospital bills, he just wishes to tell his brother on the phone that his wife has put to bed, he never has it in mind to ask him for money, but during the course of their discussion on the phone that he is seeking for means of paying the hospital bills because he has not been paid by the government and the loans he applied for, the person says the money would not be ready until two days’ time, by the which time the money he would pay would have increased.
Johala asked his brother, Rohana the amount he wants to pay at the hospital, and he told him that the total money he would pay is $350:00. Johala asked him what of other things, and he told him that he should leave that, “let me just get this money and get my wife off the hospital” he said.
Johala told Rohana that he should come and see him right away, that he was about to go and deposit some money in his account, which he wanted to add to the money to purchase some goods ordered for but he could still spare the amount he needed for the hospital bills.
Rohana couldn’t believe his eyes when he heard this. He told his brother that he is on the way, but while going to his place too, he wasn’t sure he would be able to offer that. He was going with his heart in his mouth.
Soon enough he got to his brother’s business shop and he discovered that the shop has changed. His brother now has an assistant, someone helping him in the shop. He called him and gave him $400: 00 saying, “I thank you so much for being there for me during the time I have nothing, manage this money, when my wife gets home, (for that is the culture of their land, elder brother would call his junior brother’s wife his wife and vice versa) I will still get her something”. Rohana was surprised. It was as if he was dreaming. He kept thinking “am I dreaming or is this a reality? Four months ago he asks me for money which I sent to him, before then and now transformation has taken place in his life”
“Thank you sire!” He replied his brother “let me quickly leave for the hospital”
“Okay. That is better”
Rohana left for the hospital instantly and could not take off his mind from what has happened between him and his brother.
Johala’s life started changing and all his siblings know of a true that the life of their brother has changed total transformation has happened in their brother’s life. They started saying thank God for the spirit of endurance that the Lord has given him, for if they are the one they would likely have changed from the business to another thing.
Soon it becomes revealed to others that God indeed has visited Johala.
It was along this line that Johala met with a foreigner called Hann, a beautiful lady from Uzya land who has come to supply some electronics to the business people in Heketey region. When she got to the land, she was directed to Johala’s shop and that was how they started their friendship.
The friendship keeps growing until they consummate everything in marriage. They were blessed with five children, one male and four females.
Hann supported Johala with all she has, as a sole distributor of electronics to the region, she has her own warehouse where customers used to go to get their goods after paying into her account.
Soon, he has his business established at other towns within the region and from there to other regions within Blakio.
Johala and his wife travels regularly to other countries of the world on tourism and on business trips.
Many who know Johala praised his resiliency, determination, focus and doggedness, saying it is true that "iya to ba jẹ ọmọ fun ogun ọdun, ati eleyi to jẹ ọmọ fun ọgbọn osu, bi ko ti se iku pa ọmọ dandan ni ko dẹhin lẹhin ọmọ na" (translation, the suffering that a child passes through for twenty years, the afflictions passed through for thirty months, if those afflictions and sufferings have not killed the child, it would leave that child), he has since been freed from all suffering and shame, God has remove his shame.
Commentaires