THE MAN I THOUGHT HE WAS

PROLOGUE

Four months after my National Diploma in my state's polythechnic, I found myself miraculously working as an I.T student in MAZEK RESOURCES LTD Kpansia, Yenagoa, in Bayelsa State. The city that thought me the real chronicles of life.

Being the only daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Donald Egwuatu, and only sister to my three kid brothers, I was never allowed to leave the house to a far distance on no account. All my life while growing up was revolved round Emene, in Enugu state where I lived with my small loving but highly disciplinary family. Life for me then was triangular; from home to school, to church, to home again. There was no life out of this triangle except days we had to visit a relative which were on rare, very rare occasions.

Booming into a beautiful adult, I looked forward to killing the boredom of a life. I grew sick and tired of being locked up in the house with my brothers. I was weary of everything. The overrated monitor by Mommy that never stopped even after gaining admission into Enugu State Polytechnic to study Business Administration. On receiving my admission letter, I was highly elated, at least there would be little freedom for me, but my enthusiasm of being a free bird was dashed the moment Mommy insisted I became Gift's roommate. Gift was the daughter of our parish pastor, Pastor Etang, and she's four years older than me, which made her look more like a big aunty. She's so holy that you could hardly see the hairs on her head except she purposely left them uncovered. Countless time had Mommy visited us unannounced. The constant unannounced visit by Mommy always kept me on an alert, modestly dressed, and minding my business in the lodge immediately after I came back from school or church, for I didn't know when the Savior was coming since He was coming like a thief in the night.

Immediately after my Ordinary National Diploma, Heavens smiled on me. Aunty I.J, Mommy's younger sister, linked me up with a job agent that eventually introduced me to MAZEK RESOURCES LTD. Things worked out just so fine despite Mommy's countless attempt to hook me down. I was invited to start work as soon as possible, without an interview, as if God felt my pains.

Really, If house boredom was a physical noun, that was our house. I was hungry and thirsty of leaving Emene of a town at all cost. I desperately wanted to leave Enugu state entirely, to travel very far from home where Mommy wouldn't have an eye on me. I had for long juggled the desire of meeting new people, and experience the other side of life outside home, outside the school environment. I wanted to crawl out of my introvert shell. I needed a new and fun life altogether.

Five weeks after my stay in my new environment, I found a confident, Peter, my Igbo brother. He was so kind and caring. He took me as his younger sister, assisted me financially. This made me less of a burden to auntie I.J's family, as she was just a housewife, and her husband Mr. Ike already had a lot of responsibilities, catering for her three kids and attending to other household and family needs. Peter wouldn't be mistaken to have been a God-sent to help my destiny. His store was just two stores away from Mr. Ike's. Three weeks later, I got myself a gist partner at work, Tare, the loquacious fellow who just started working in a company directly opposite mine. Finally I had two friends. The former a confident and the later a gist mate. It was becoming interesting. How an introvert like me managed to make these two friends under a couple of weeks remained a miracle.

It was a new working week. As usual, I brushed out of Mr. Ike's one bedroom flat in a grand style and hopped to work.