The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E14

Story 4 weeks ago

The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E14

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 14

The time was moving very fast at the big university. It felt like only yesterday when Seyi arrived with nothing but a small bag of food and a very big heart. But now, the years had passed. The seasons had changed many times. The sun had risen and set over the library and the tall hostel buildings hundreds of times. Seyi was now in his final year of school. He was almost a graduate. He was no longer the boy who was afraid of the city. He was a man who had built a name for himself. He was the person that every student and even some teachers went to when they had a problem that nobody else could solve.

Seyi sat on his bed in the morning. He looked at his hands. They were strong hands. They were hands that had scrubbed floors, ironed shirts, fixed broken radios, and carried heavy books. He felt a quiet peace in his mind. He knew that the hardship he had suffered in the village was not a waste. It was a school of its own. It had taught him how to be patient. It had taught him how to look at a broken thing and see how to make it whole again. His roommates were still sleeping, but Seyi was already awake. He always woke up before the sun because he knew that the early hours of the day were the best time to plan for the future.

While Seyi was getting ready for his final exams, the university was preparing for a very big visitor. Everyone was talking about it. A high ranking government official was coming to the campus. His name was Senator Ademola. He was a very powerful man. He was a man who made big decisions for the country. He had many houses and many cars. He was coming to give a speech to the students about leadership and the future. The school was busy cleaning the roads and painting the gates. They wanted everything to look perfect for the great man.

On the day of the visit, the university was full of energy. There were police officers everywhere. There were people in suits walking around with walkie talkies. The air was full of the sound of sirens. Suddenly, a long line of black cars drove through the main gate. In the middle of the line was a very big SUV. It was so black and so shiny that it looked like a mirror. The windows were dark so that nobody could see who was inside. This was the car of Senator Ademola. The students stood by the side of the road and cheered. They wanted to see the man who had so much power.

But as the line of cars reached the middle of the campus, something went wrong. The big black SUV began to make a very strange sound. It sounded like a giant was coughing. Then, a thick cloud of white smoke began to come out from under the front part of the car. The car slowed down and then it stopped completely. The cars behind it had to slam on their brakes. There was a loud screeching sound. The long line of cars was stuck in the middle of the road.

The doors of the other cars flew open. Men in dark suits and black sunglasses jumped out. They were the security guards for the Senator. They looked very frantic. They were looking around to see if there was any danger. They were shouting into their radios. They were worried because the Senator was stuck in the middle of a crowded place. They needed to move the car quickly, but the car would not move. One of the guards tried to turn the key, but the engine just made a clicking sound. The car was dead.

The leader of the security detail was a very big man with a loud voice. "Where is the mechanic?" he shouted. "We need to get the Senator to the hall right now! He is already late for his speech!" The school officials ran around in circles. They were sweating and shaking. "We did not expect the car to break down, sir!" the dean cried. "The university mechanic is in the next town today. We are trying to find someone else, but it will take one hour!"

The Senator was still sitting inside the car. He was a man who did not like to wait. He opened the back door and stepped out. He was wearing a very fine traditional outfit made of white silk. He had a gold watch that sparkled in the sun. He looked at the smoke coming from his car and he frowned. He looked at his watch. He did not like the fact that his perfect day was being ruined by a broken machine.

Just at that moment, Seyi was walking past the quad. He was carrying his small bag of tools. He had just finished fixing a fan in one of the classrooms. He saw the big crowd. He saw the smoke. He saw the men in suits looking very scared. Seyi did not run away. He did not join the crowd to just watch and shout. He walked toward the car. He walked with a steady pace. He did not look afraid of the guards or the big black car.

"I can look at it," Seyi said. He spoke in a clear, calm voice.

The guards turned around. They looked at Seyi. They saw a student in a simple shirt. They saw his tool kit. They did not think a student could fix a car that cost millions of Naira. "Get back, boy!" one of the guards shouted. He tried to push Seyi away with his hand. "This is not a toy. This is the Senator's car. Stay back before we put you in trouble!"

Seyi did not move. He stood his ground. "The smoke is coming from the cooling system," Seyi said quietly. "If you try to start it again, the engine will melt. I know how to fix it."

The guards were about to grab Seyi, but the Senator stepped forward. He had been watching Seyi. He saw the way the boy held his tools. He saw the look in Seyi's eyes. It was the look of a person who knew exactly what he was doing. The Senator had met many people in his life, and he knew how to tell the difference between a talker and a doer.

"Wait," the Senator said. His voice was deep and it commanded respect. The guards stopped immediately. They stood back. The Senator looked at Seyi. "You think you can fix this car in a few minutes, son? My security men say it is a very complex machine."

Seyi nodded his head. "Every machine has a heart, sir. If you know how the heart works, you can fix the body. I only need ten or fifteen minutes."

The Senator looked at the dean, who was still shaking. Then he looked back at Seyi. "Let the boy try," the Senator ordered. "We have nothing to lose but more time. Let us see what this university is teaching its students."

Seyi did not waste a single second. He walked to the front of the car. He did not care about the heat or the smoke. He opened the hood of the car. A big cloud of steam flew into the air, but Seyi did not flinch. He used a rag to protect his hands. He began to look at the wires and the pipes. To the guards, it looked like a mess of metal. But to Seyi, it was like a book that he knew how to read.

He saw the problem almost immediately. A small plastic pipe had cracked because of the heat. The water was leaking out, and the engine was getting too hot. There was also a loose wire that was stopping the fan from spinning. It was a small problem that could cause a very big disaster.

Seyi began to work. He moved with a precision that was hypnotic to watch. He did not fumble. He did not drop his tools. He reached into the engine with his strong hands. He pulled out the broken pipe. He used a special tape from his bag to seal the crack perfectly. Then, he used a small pair of pliers to tighten the wire. He worked so fast that the students who were watching started to whisper. They had never seen someone work with so much confidence.

The Senator stood nearby. He was not looking at his watch anymore. He was watching Seyi's hands. He saw the grease getting on Seyi's shirt. He saw the sweat dripping from Seyi's forehead. He saw that the boy did not care about getting dirty. He only cared about finishing the job. The Senator smiled a little bit. He liked what he saw.

Within fifteen minutes, Seyi stepped back. He wiped his hands on a dark rag. "Try it now, sir," Seyi said to the driver.

The driver climbed into the front seat. Everyone held their breath. The quad became very silent. The driver turned the key. Suddenly, the engine roared to life. It did not cough. It did not smoke. It sounded smooth and powerful, like a lion waking up from a nap. The engine was running perfectly.

The crowd of students let out a big cheer. They clapped their hands and shouted Seyi's name. The guards looked at each other in surprise. They could not believe that a student with a small bag of tools had done what they thought was impossible. The dean looked like he wanted to dance with joy.

The Senator walked up to the car. He listened to the sound of the engine. He looked at the front of the car and saw that the smoke was gone. He turned to Seyi. Seyi was standing there, calm as ever. He was not jumping or bragging. He was just waiting to see if there was anything else he needed to do.

"What is your name, son?" the Senator asked. He was truly impressed. "And where did you learn to work like that? Who taught you how to fix a car like this?"

Seyi looked at the Senator. He thought about the long years in the village. He thought about the heavy pots he had to carry. He thought about the machines he had to fix for Aunt Clara while Tobi was playing. He thought about the cold nights when he had to work while others were sleeping.

"My name is Seyi, sir," he replied. He wiped a bit of grease onto his rag. "And to answer your question, my aunt taught me. She taught me that work is the only way to survive. She taught me that if you do not know how to use your hands, you will always be at the mercy of the world. She gave me a very hard life, and that hardship became my teacher."

Seyi did not say that his aunt was a mean woman. He did not tell the Senator that she had tried to ruin him. He used the truth to show his strength. He had taken the stones that Aunt Clara threw at him and he had used them to build a foundation.

The Senator looked at Seyi for a long time. He saw the wisdom in the boy's words. He saw that this was not just a mechanic. This was a young man with a very strong character. The Senator reached into the pocket of his silk outfit. He pulled out a small, white card. The card had gold edges and the Senator's name was embossed in gold letters. It was a card that many people would pay millions of Naira to have.

The Senator handed the card to Seyi. "You have a gift, Seyi. You have the heart of a leader and the hands of a master. Most people your age want to be famous without working. You are different. You understand that the harvest only comes after the hard work."

The Senator leaned in closer so only Seyi could hear him. "When you graduate from this university, do not look for a job. Call the number on this card. I have a place for someone like you in my organization. I need people who can solve problems instead of just talking about them."

Seyi took the card. He felt the weight of it in his hand. He knew that this card was the key to a whole new world. It was the final reward for all the years of pain and struggle. He had started as a servant, but he was ending as a man with a golden future.

The Senator climbed back into his car. The guards jumped back into their vehicles. The line of cars began to move again. The Senator looked out of the window and gave Seyi a small wave. The cars drove toward the grand hall, and the crowd followed them.

Seyi stood alone for a moment in the middle of the road. He looked at the gold card in his hand. He thought about his mother and father. He thought about how proud they would be. Then, he thought about Tobi and Aunt Clara, who were still struggling in the slum. He did not feel happy about their pain, but he felt a great sense of justice. He had finished his work. He had passed the final test.

Why do you think the Senator trusted Seyi to fix his car when the guards wanted to push him away?

Seyi said his aunt taught him that work is the only way to survive. Do you think he was being sarcastic, or was he being honest about how her cruelty made him strong?

What does the gold card represent for Seyi’s future? How has his life changed from the first episode?

If Tobi had been the one standing there when the car broke down, what do you think he would have done?

Who do you think was watching Seyi from the shadows at the end of the episode? What are they planning to do?

The Kingmaker has Spoken!

Seyi has done it! He has impressed the most powerful man in the country and secured his future with a single golden card! But as he rises to the top, the shadows of his past are still lingering. Someone is watching, and they are not happy about Seyi's success. Will jealousy lead to one last act of desperation?

To Be Continued...