My phone beeping low battery made me search for a place to charge it.
Entering a laundry mart, I asked him if I can charge my phone, he answered in the affirmative. He even asked if I wanted to be using my phone while charging it, I chose the most comfortable and sat down unbothered for a long chat as I got to find out.
‘Do you stay around here?’
I answered.
‘Where do you Work?’
I told him.
He looked at me long and asked some personal questions which paved the way as we started discussing deeply on life, work and the guiding principles to living.
When I spoke about the inspirational book, he said:
‘I don’t read inspirational books from white authors so if you know the one written by a Nigerian that is not affiliated with a religion, then tell me, I’ll read it.’
‘I like reading and I love writing but I want to see what they want to write about the situation of the country. I want to know if it practicalizes what goes on here.’
‘Nneka, I’m not against religion but I want practical ways of swimming out of the river that wants to swallow us in Nigeria.’
No defence on my part as I didn’t know any inspirational book that was written by a Nigerian author which is not religiously affiliated.
Talking about family and responsibility, he said:
‘I’m the first son though not the first child but it feels like it. I love going out but my mum will give me chores so I won’t go out. Growing up was fun but I still tried to do what I want.’
‘You know what I did. At first, I tried doing it all but ends up not going out so I started waking up very early, most times by 4 am so I can finish early in order to go out.
‘You can imagine me, a man doing that.’
‘You see eh, life is what it is. When I opened this place, for three months there was nothing happening here and I was so discouraged. But I kept going because I love ironing clothes. You can imagine when I’ll derail washing my clothes so it’ll be too much then when I wash, I’ll have so many to iron.’
‘This is why it is always good for one to go for their passion and not just what puts food on the table.’
‘I read Computer Science but I love ironing and I’m doing it.’
‘Black men are the ones that make things difficult for their fellow black men. I did my Industrial training in an oil company in Port Harcourt. The big boss there is a white woman, this woman will make sure to inquire about her workers one by one on a daily basis but you see her immediate subordinate, a black man, that one walks around with mopol men, very unapproachable and distant but we are all blacks.’
When I told him he’s nice, he replied:
‘You never know who you’ll meet, that is why I’m always cautious with people.’
‘What you know will pave a way for you, never forget that.’
#Diaryofablogger
