The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E16

Story 4 weeks ago

The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E16

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 16

Monday morning arrived in the big city with a very loud and busy sound. The sun was just beginning to peek over the tall glass buildings that looked like giants touching the clouds. In the quiet parts of the city, birds were singing, but in the center of the city, the sound of cars and buses was like a never ending roar. For most people, it was just another Monday. But for two young men who grew up in the same house, it was the most important day of their lives. It was the first day of their new lives as adults in the big world.

Seyi woke up before his alarm clock even made a sound. He did not need a clock to tell him when to wake up. For many years, Aunt Clara’s loud voice had been his alarm clock. He was used to waking up when the world was still dark and cold. He stood up from his small bed and stretched his arms. He felt strong. He looked at his new suit hanging on the door. It was a simple navy blue suit, but it was clean and it was ironed so perfectly that it looked like it belonged to a king. Seyi had spent a long time the night before making sure every line was straight. He knew that the way a man looks is the first story he tells to the world.

He washed his face with cool water. He looked at himself in the mirror. He did not see the scared boy from the village anymore. He saw a junior consultant. He saw a man who had earned his place. He ate a small bowl of plain rice and drank some water. He did not need a big feast. He was hungry for success, not for food. He picked up his leather bag, which held his notebooks and his pens, and he walked out of the door.

Seyi arrived at the grand office of Senator Ademola an hour before the work was supposed to start. The building was very tall and very shiny. The floors were made of white marble that looked like ice. The air inside was cool and smelled like expensive soap. Seyi walked to the front desk. The security guard looked up and saw Seyi’s big smile.

Is the office open? Seyi asked politely.

The guard checked his watch. You are very early, young man. Most people do not show up for another hour. But yes, you can go up to the tenth floor.

Seyi thanked him and took the elevator. When the doors opened on the tenth floor, he stepped out into a very large room. This was the place where the big meetings happened. But when Seyi looked around, he saw that the room was in a very big mess. It looked like a group of people had stayed there all night and left in a big hurry.

There were empty coffee cups on the tables. Some of the cups had dark rings of dried coffee at the bottom. There were pieces of paper scattered all over the floor like snow. The big leather chairs were moved out of place. Some were turned sideways and some were pushed against the walls. The white board at the front was covered in messy scribbles and red ink. It looked like a room that had been through a war of ideas.

Seyi stood in the middle of the mess. He did not wait for someone to tell him what to do. He did not sit down and wait for his boss to arrive. In his mind, he heard the voice of his hardship. He remembered all the mornings he had spent cleaning Aunt Clara’s parlor. He remembered how he used to organize the shoes and the books until everything was perfect.

He set his bag down on a clean chair. He took off his suit jacket and folded it neatly. He rolled up his sleeves. He found a trash can and began to pick up the empty cups. He moved quietly and quickly. He gathered the papers from the floor. He did not read the secrets on the papers. He just stacked them neatly on the side of the table so they would not get stepped on.

He found a cloth and some cleaning spray in a small closet. He wiped the big wooden table until it shone like a mirror. He moved the heavy chairs back into their proper places. He made sure each chair was perfectly straight. He even wiped the white board until it was clean and bright again. He did not feel like he was doing a servant’s work. He felt like he was taking care of his new home. He wanted the senior partners to walk into a room that felt peaceful and ready for work.

By the time the clock hit eight o’clock, the office was perfect. It looked like nobody had ever been there. It was quiet and it was beautiful. Seyi put on his jacket and sat at his small desk near the window. He opened his notebook and began to read the reports the Senator had sent him.

A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened with a soft chime. Three men walked out. They were the senior partners of the firm. They were wearing very expensive suits and carrying heavy briefcases. They were talking loudly about a big project. They looked tired and stressed because they knew the office was a mess when they left it at midnight.

But when they stepped into the room, they all stopped talking at once. They looked at the shining table. They looked at the neat chairs. They looked at the clean floor.

Who did this? the oldest partner asked. He looked very stunned. His mouth was open just a little bit. We left this place looking like a disaster zone. Did the cleaning crew come back twice?

Seyi stood up from his desk and gave a small, respectful bow. Good morning, sirs. I am Seyi, the new junior consultant. I arrived early and noticed the room needed a little bit of care. I hope you do not mind that I organized the files.

The partners looked at Seyi. Then they looked at each other. They did not say anything for a moment. Then, the oldest partner walked up to the table and ran his finger across the wood. There was not a single speck of dust.

You did this all by yourself? the partner asked.

Yes, sir, Seyi replied with a smile. It only took a few minutes.

The partner nodded his head slowly. Most young men these days only want to sit and look at their phones. They think they are too big to hold a cleaning cloth. You have a very good spirit, Seyi. Senator Ademola was right about you. You do not just wait for work. You find work.

Seyi thanked them and sat back down. He did not brag. He did not ask for a reward. He just got back to his reports. He knew that he had made a very good start. He had shown them that he was a man of action.

While Seyi was winning the hearts of the big bosses, Tobi was having a very different kind of morning. Tobi was still living in the small room in the slum with Aunt Clara. The room was hot and it smelled like the smoke from the neighbors' cooking fires. Tobi was trying to get ready for his very first job interview. He had found a job opening for a manager at a small delivery company.

Tobi was wearing a suit that was too big for him. It was a suit that Clara had bought for him in his second year of university. He had not ironed it well because he still did not know how to handle the heat of the iron. There were wrinkles near the buttons and on the sleeves. He looked messy and he looked very nervous.

Aunt Clara stood by the door. She looked at her son with eyes that were full of worry. You must speak loudly, Tobi, she said. Tell them you are a university graduate. Tell them you are a king. Do not let them see that you are afraid.

Tobi nodded, but his heart was beating like a drum. He did not feel like a king. He felt like a little boy who was lost in a forest. He walked out of the slum and took a bus to the business district. He felt out of place. The people around him looked busy and smart. Tobi felt like everyone could see the wrinkles on his suit.

He arrived at the office of the delivery company. It was a small office, but it was very busy. There were people shouting on the phones and boxes moving everywhere. Tobi sat on a hard plastic chair and waited. He waited for two hours. By the time the secretary called his name, Tobi was sweating and his mouth was dry.

He walked into a small office where a woman with sharp eyes was sitting behind a desk. She did not smile. She looked at Tobi’s resume and then she looked at Tobi.

So, you want to be a manager? she asked. Her voice was very cold.

Yes, ma'am, Tobi stuttered. I graduated from the university. I have a degree.

The woman leaned forward. A degree is just a piece of paper, Mr. Tobi. In this company, we need people who can lead. Tell me, can you manage a team of twenty drivers? If five drivers do not show up and ten customers are angry, how will you handle the logistics? Can you handle high pressure situations where everything is going wrong?

Tobi froze. He had never managed anything in his whole life. He had never even managed to wash his own dishes or plan his own day. His mother had always handled the pressure for him. He tried to think of a good answer, but his brain felt like it was full of fog.

I... I will try my best, Tobi whispered. I will tell them what to do.

The woman shook her head. Trying is not enough. Managing a team means solving problems before they happen. It means being the first one here and the last one to leave. Tell me about a time you had to work hard to finish a difficult task. Tell me about a time you led a group to success.

Tobi thought about his time at the university. He thought about the parties he went to. He thought about the games he played. He could not think of a single time he had worked hard. He thought about the time he tried to cook beans and burned the pot. He could not tell her that.

I... I was a student, Tobi said. I focused on my books.

The woman looked at his wrinkled suit. She saw the way he was shaking. She saw that he did not have the fire of a worker in his eyes.

Can you even manage your own laundry, Mr. Tobi? she asked. Because you look like you just rolled out of bed.

Tobi felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was the pain of the truth. He realized that the interview was already over. He had failed before he even started.

We are looking for someone with more grit, the woman said as she stood up. Grit means you are tough. Grit means you know how to work. You do not have grit. You have a degree, but you do not have skills. We cannot hire you.

Tobi stood up slowly. He felt like his legs were made of lead. He walked out of the room. He did not look at the secretary. He did not look at the other people waiting. He walked out of the building and stood on the sidewalk. The sun was very hot now, but Tobi felt cold.

He looked at the tall glass buildings. He knew that Seyi was inside one of them. He knew that Seyi was probably sitting in a cool office, being respected by important people. Tobi looked at his own hands.

They were soft and they were empty. He realized that the harvest of hardship was not just about money. It was about the strength of the soul. Seyi had the strength, and Tobi had nothing but a wrinkled suit and a broken heart.

He began the long walk back to the slum. He did not have money for the bus because he had spent his last Naira on a meat pie while he was waiting. As he walked, he saw a group of men digging a hole in the road. They were sweating and their clothes were dirty, but they were working together. They were solving a problem. Tobi realized he was even lower than the men in the hole. He was a graduate who could not even get a job as a manager.

He reached the slum and walked into the tiny room. Aunt Clara looked up with a smile. Did you get it, my son? Did they see that you are a king?

Tobi did not answer. He just walked to the corner and sat on the dirt floor. He put his head in his hands and started to cry. He cried because he finally understood the secret. The hardship was not the enemy. The ease was the enemy. The easy life had stolen his future.

Meanwhile, back at the Senator's office, Seyi was being given his very first big project. The senior partner handed him a thick folder. We want you to analyze the water project in the northern district, Seyi. It is a difficult job. Are you ready?

Seyi took the folder. He looked the partner in the eye. I was born ready, sir, he said.

The story was moving into a new chapter. One man was rising like the sun, and the other was sinking into the dark. But in the shadows of the city, a new danger was growing. Someone was watching Seyi's success with a very jealous eye. Someone who did not want the servant to become the master.

Seyi cleaned the office without being asked. Do you think this makes him look like a servant again, or does it make him look like a leader?

Tobi’s interviewer asked if he could manage a team. Why is being a leader so much harder than just having a university degree?

The interviewer said Tobi did not have "grit." What do you think grit means in real life?

If Aunt Clara had seen Tobi’s interview, would she have blamed Tobi or the interviewer?

Who do you think is the person watching Seyi from the shadows at the end of the episode? What could they be planning to do to stop his success?

The First Day of the Rest of Their Lives!

Seyi is climbing the ladder of success while Tobi is falling into the pit of failure! The truth is finally hitting Tobi like a hammer: life does not give you what you want, it gives you what you work for! But as Seyi celebrates his new project, a new threat is hiding in the dark. Will jealousy ruin Seyi's big chance?