Hello friends,
Well, just decide to post the second part of the story, though a true life one but the names are not real….This is a complete book though been finished and left unedited for too long…I guess we all need this part…It could be about you….A book title: “From A Boy to A Man”… Enjoy!
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In his utmost thinking mind, he sat down to look into how life has been favorable and unfavorable to him; how he made it all through at the end, though more steps stands to be plied.
He had been an Evangelist in a prominent church; a house fellowship leader; a choir master, and also plays the part of a children's pastor, having had different certificate from numerous bible correspondence course from across the globe, a literature and English teacher, worked with different people and organizations to learn to be able to stand on his own in the future.
Many still hoped he will be a minister because of the way he speaks and writes his speeches, poems and lectures, loving to exhort people at all times.
During the course of planning and upgrading his life for the future he was aspiring to get to he had also learned a little fashion designing, at least for eight months but never did plan on using it to earn a living on commercial ground. The fashion designing was something he had put his mind on when the father was still alive but situation was not favorable to him in the course of learning it. He had opted out when the fatigue and burdens of walking or trekking and the tiredness of no food got unbearable for him. He was staying with his mother then. Neither his mother nor father gave him anything to learn the trade with still they could not help him finish things up. He made up his mind to face life the way it comes and win his battles through Gods help.
He was the first born of his mother but not of his father. He had lived, loved and dined with the beautiful ones, the ugly ones, the rich and the poor; searching for a stand in love and life, believing that one day he will go back to school to make an impact in the world of writing, singing, teaching and creating a better atmosphere for all artistes in the society he lives in.
Life is not a bed of roses, for those who made it sure; they know where the shoe pinches. He had come a long way to be where he is now and he alone knows that there lies no turning back from where he stands. So many times wishing he had killed himself and so many times believing to live another day brave-safe.
His first love was a beauty named quizzical, they both were in infant love, infatuation or lust. They were both yoke together, but not in the night crawling waves of passion. They only believe a future could be plan-mapped out of their relationship.
The beauty was a student who steals time to see her love. They had them a tacit agreement in walking together. He was a good cook (a thing he had learned from his stepmother), always trying to make her happy, but sometimes youths plan to fail or succeed because they fail to open their eyes to see the big picture of time and future.
Quizzical was never supporting him in anything or advising him concerning his future, except to take. He saw it all coming to an unexpected end but he would not look the way. He believes that with time and love things will change for the better. But not all things in life are really fathomable.
She was a taciturn girl who never really talked about her family, and he never bothered, even when he asked her, no answer was given. He never did complain about it. But everything came to an end when Mr. T’s father traveled out of the country and he had to go and stay for a while with his mother till his father would come back. When his father came back, he rushed home to discover his Quizzical was no where to be found. He asked, searched, looked everywhere for her and was told that she had gone to her father’s house outside the state.
By the time he went checking her in her father’s house, he got to understand that when two people are in love or in courtship and planning to be real lovers, the past, the present and the future must be known and paved without any secret hidden somewhere.
He discovered that she was a Chiefs daughter and pained him, but what could he do for the unknown secret? The hardest part was when they both met eye-to-eye and she said he should go away, “what are you doing here, what do you want”, saying her father must not see him. He asked, ‘what of our plans together, she said, she already had someone else whom she would soon be walking down the aisle with, to say I do. He pleaded, tried persuading her to alter her mind and cried, hoping she would change her mind, but nothing could be done as she shouted for him to leave.
After all was said and done, he left dejected from her place.
On his way home; he doesn't drink nor smoke, he could not really tell how he made it home that day; he only knew that he bought almost seven yogurts on his way hoping to dawn his worries with it. He wished he had not gone to see her at all. It was not a story he could download to his friends who will only laugh at him because his own ways of relationship was not like theirs at all. So he was left in his resolve to agonize alone.
Reminiscing about the times they had had together, how he used to give her money whenever she was going to school, cook for both of them, celebrate her birthday for her with lots of gifts, hoping they will be together forever.
How time changes everything as he went black and blue, teaching himself to face life in another direction and turning to face the reading and writing of books and poetry.
He turned to God in the nick of the year 1987 to try and find a new leaf to his life. This made him read the scriptures in three different translations from cover to cover to find, know God more, and develop his own writing style. It wasn't easy but it was worth it.
His stepmother did help him in some ways while the father was still busy trying to or never to take him out of the country. Harmed with a VISA for six months, yet could not use it until it expires twice at home; asked to choose between serving Christ and traveling to out of the country. What a world to be in? Becoming a house help in his own fathers house and cooking for the whole family like he has no sisters.
He did love it, for he believes in learning anything that he can lay his hands upon. He was able to teach himself the art of driving by watching his brother’s friend and his stepmother while sitting beside them whenever they go out. He was in love with athletics and acrobatics, doing weight lifting and jogging. He was a man to the brim in things needing learning and understanding that he even took to farming when there was nothing worth doing in his mother’s house.
So many things did bother him in heart, though there was love lost, life was still affordable and things were changing without a father to lord.
He paved way to be a conductor just to make ends meet; it was humiliating especially in a state like Lagos where everybody abuses those who do the work but cannot offer anything good to any of them.
He learn to save what he earns and in the process becomes a driver of one his uncles buses, being sought of by bus owners to use their bus for them. But along in his work he discovered that when you are good people will always love to use you for their own selfish ends. So he decided to opt out. His knowledge and talent endured him passage everywhere he went.
During the course of his writing careers the Poetry society wanted him, drama artistes searched for him and the music industry look for his writing abilities, pious, loving and compassionate heart, even some friends wants free proposal writing from him.
He had set his goals to achieve – to make it no matter what by going back to school. he attempted the General School Leaving Certificate (GCE), seeing the result was favorable in his center but he could not get the original result out for him to enter any higher institution. He made way to see the agency in charge of the result and was given another result with his name on it to use in going to any higher institution of his choice. He did the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam and made it in flying colors but refuse to enter for full time, not for financial constraint for he had been saving for the school while working but he understand that backup cash is required if he would finish the course he wanted to go for. So he opted for a part-time course in mass communication. Though he knows that he’s supposed to be studying communication arts to improve himself better than what he knows and where he’s at. He continued writing his poems for his friends, and everyone that needs his help in such areas that he can help without collecting any pay for it, poems that speaks of love, comfort, hope, issues of life, happiness and trials.
During the course of his schooling he met a lot of people and friends telling him to keep track and record of all his write-ups, that he might need them in the near future. This was something he knew he had been doing, though not all were kept because some were given out immediately he finished writing them. But he made the decision that same day to have it all kept no matter where he may be; all his written songs, plays and poems. His song had given him the opportunity to become a choir master, which he decline and with his poems he had gotten awards and nominations to travel out of the country and attend conferences, symposiums, lectures and competitions. The only thing that kept him from traveling was his fear of being retained by the invitees.
His poetry and giving heart had endeared him friendship in many areas; being given a web-page free for his personal poems, getting to know people and marketing on net with accounts in different places across the globe.
The attainment of a man is likened to climbing a mountain; as in one step at a time; though not all can wait the time of the budding, because impatience is the order of all men; and only few knows what is meant by “patiently waiting in prayers for Gods answer to a future plan-mapped.
It was a Saturday morning that he chose to sit under the tree to look into his past and present. He looked up, down, and around, smiling, not for the cool atmosphere, nor for the receiving of a contract to publish some new writers, but finding his stand in the world and love at last, paved only of God for him.
Hoping there's a lesson or two for you....
John Olanrewaju (Salau O John)
aka
T1 always
