The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E17

Story 3 weeks ago

The Harvest Of Hardship - S01 E17

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 17

The sun was not very bright on Monday morning. The sky was covered with big grey clouds that looked like they were holding a lot of heavy water. In the tiny room in the slum, the air was very still and very hot. Aunt Clara was already awake. She was sitting on the edge of the thin mat on the floor. Her back hurt and her legs felt very weak. She had been awake for a long time. She was looking at Tobi. Tobi was still sleeping. He was snoring softly. His mouth was open just a little bit. He looked like a small child who did not have a single worry in the world. But Tobi was not a small child. He was a grown man with a university degree.

Clara reached out and shook Tobi’s shoulder. Tobi, wake up, she said. Her voice was very dry. Remember that today is a big day. My old friend Mrs. Bello said you can start work at her office today. It is a good job, Tobi. You will be a clerk. You will sit at a desk and help with the papers. It is a clean job. You must not be late. Mrs. Bello is a very serious woman. She does not like people who are lazy.

Tobi groaned and turned to the other side. He pulled the thin blanket over his head. Five more minutes, Mom, he mumbled. The bed is so warm. I do not want to go out into the cold air yet. Just five more minutes.

Clara shook him again, harder this time. No, Tobi! You must get up now. It takes a long time to get to the city from here. You have to walk to the big road and wait for the bus. If you miss the first bus, you will be late. Please, my son. This is our only chance to get some money. We have no food left. We only have a little bit of water. If you get this job, we can buy rice. We can buy meat. We can move out of this dirty place.

Tobi finally sat up. He looked very cross. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. Okay, okay, I am up, he said. He sounded very annoyed. Why are you always shouting? I am a graduate. I know how to manage my time. A few minutes here or there does not matter. The office will still be there when I arrive. They should be happy that someone with a degree is coming to work for them.

Tobi moved very slowly. He spent a long time looking for his socks. He spent another ten minutes looking for a comb to brush his hair. He walked to the small bucket of water and washed his face slowly. He did not care about the time. He did not hear the ticking of the imaginary clock. In his mind, he was still the prince. He thought the world would wait for him. By the time he walked out of the door, the sun was already high in the sky. He had missed the first bus. He had missed the second bus too.

When Tobi finally arrived at the office of Mrs. Bello, it was already ten o’clock. The office was a busy place. There were people running around with files. There were telephones ringing everywhere. Mrs. Bello was sitting at a large desk. She was wearing a red suit and her hair was tied back very tightly. She looked at her watch and then she looked at Tobi. Her face was very hard.

You are two hours late, Tobi, she said. Her voice was like a sharp knife. My workers start at eight o’clock. Why are you just coming now?

Tobi tried to smile. He thought he could use his charm. Good morning, ma'am, he said. The bus was very slow. And the road was very dusty. It is not my fault. But I am here now. Where is my desk? I am ready to start my big work.

Mrs. Bello did not smile back. She pointed to a small table in the corner. That is your desk, she said. Your job is very simple. You must take these files and put them in the right boxes. The boxes are labeled from A to Z. You must put the names that start with A in the A box. You must put the names that start with B in the B box. Do you understand? It is very easy work. Even a primary school student can do it.

Tobi sat down at the desk. He looked at the big pile of files. There were hundreds of them. He felt very bored. This is not work for a graduate, he thought to himself. This is work for a servant. Why am I doing this? I should be the one telling other people what to do. He picked up a file. The name on the file was "Abiola." Tobi looked at the boxes. He saw the letter A. He put the file inside. Then he picked up another file. The name was "Zubairu." He looked for the letter Z. It was all the way at the bottom. Tobi did not want to bend down. He was too lazy. He just pushed the file into the M box. It does not matter, he told himself. Nobody will notice.

For the rest of the day, Tobi worked very poorly. He spent more time looking out of the window than looking at the papers. He went to the toilet and stayed there for thirty minutes just to play a game on his phone. When it was time for lunch, he stayed away for two hours. He thought that because he was Clara’s son, he could do whatever he wanted.

On Tuesday, Tobi was late again. He was late by one hour. Mrs. Bello did not say anything, but she watched him with very angry eyes. Tobi did not care. He made many mistakes with the files. He mixed up the names. He spilled his tea on a very important document. When a customer came to ask for a file, Tobi could not find it. He told the customer to go away and come back tomorrow. The customer was very angry and complained to Mrs. Bello.

On Wednesday, Tobi did not arrive until noon. He said his head was hurting. On Thursday, he forgot to come at all. He stayed in bed and told his mother that the office was closed for a holiday. He lied to her because he did not want to work. He wanted to sit in the shade and dream about being rich.

On Friday morning, Tobi walked into the office at eleven o’clock. He was humming a song. He went to his desk and saw that all the files he had worked on were sitting on top of the table. They were messy and some were torn. Mrs. Bello was standing there. She was holding her handbag. She looked like she was ready to explode.

Tobi, go home, she said. Her voice was very quiet now, but it was very scary.

Tobi laughed. Go home? But it is only Friday morning. I have a lot of work to do.

No, Mrs. Bello said. You have no work here. You are fired. In one week, you have been late every single day. You have lost three important files. You have been rude to my customers. You do not even know how to put papers in alphabetical order. This is gross incompetence, Tobi. I gave you a chance because of your mother, but you are useless. You are a grown man but you have the brain of a lazy toddler. Leave my office right now.

Tobi’s face went red. You cannot fire me! he shouted. Do you know who I am? I am a university graduate! I have a degree! You are just a small office owner!

Mrs. Bello pointed to the door. A degree does not mean anything if you cannot show up on time, she said. A degree does not mean anything if you do not know how to work. Now, get out before I call the security guards to throw you into the street.

Tobi grabbed his bag and ran out. He felt like everyone in the office was laughing at him. He felt very small. He walked all the way back to the slum. The sun was burning his skin. His shoes were hurting his feet. By the time he reached the tiny room, he was covered in sweat and dust. He pushed the door open and fell onto the dirt floor.

Aunt Clara looked at him. She saw the look on his face. She knew what had happened. Tobi, what are you doing here? she asked. Why are you not at work?

Tobi started to sob. He cried like a baby. It is too hard, Mom! he wailed. The woman is mean! She gave me too much work. She yelled at me for being a little bit late. The job was too boring. I am a graduate! I should not be moving papers. I want a big job with a big car. I cannot do this anymore! It is too hard!

Clara stood very still. She looked at her son. She saw a man who was tall and strong, but inside, he was empty. She saw a man who could not hold a simple job for five days. She saw a man who was defeated by a pile of paper and a clock. Then, Clara looked down at her own hands. Her hands were very tired. They were covered in wrinkles and scars from years of washing clothes and cooking and cleaning. She had used these hands to do everything for Tobi. She had tied his shoes. She had washed his face. She had carried his bags. She had fought his battles.

The realization hit Clara like a bolt of lightning. It was a very painful feeling. I did this to you, she whispered. Her voice was full of horror. I thought I was loving you, Tobi. I thought I was being a good mother by making your life easy. I thought I was protecting you from the world. But I was actually making you weak. I gave you everything you wanted, but I did not give you what you needed. I did not give you the strength to work. I did not give you the hunger to succeed. I made you a bird with no wings, and now I am surprised that you cannot fly.

Clara felt a great wave of shame. She saw that she had ruined her own child. She had tried to destroy Seyi with hard work, but the work had made Seyi a king. She had tried to save Tobi with an easy life, but the ease had made Tobi a beggar.

She reached for her old, broken mobile phone. She wanted to hear a voice that was strong. She wanted to find a way to fix this. I must call Seyi, she thought. Seyi knows how to work. Maybe he can talk to Tobi. Maybe he can show him the way. Maybe he can forgive us and help us.

She opened the phone and looked for the contacts. She looked for the name "Seyi." She scrolled down and down. But when she reached the letter S, there was nothing there. She realized with a cold heart that she had never saved Seyi's new number. She had been so proud and so angry that she had deleted his old number long ago. She did not know where he lived. She did not know where he worked. She had cut the string that connected her to the only person who could save them.

Tobi was still crying on the floor. The room was getting darker as the sun went down. Clara looked out of the small window. She saw the shadows getting longer. We are alone, she thought. We are in the dark, and we have no map to get out.

Tobi lost his job because he was late and could not manage his time. Do you think being on time is the most important part of a job?

Clara finally admitted that she made Tobi weak by doing everything for him. Do you think it is possible for a mother to love a child too much?

Tobi thinks that because he has a degree, he should not do "small" jobs. Why is this a dangerous way to think?

Clara realized she does not have Seyi’s number. Does this mean she has lost her connection to success forever?

The Shadow of the Past is Here!

The harvest of pride is becoming very bitter! Tobi is a failure, and Clara is finally seeing the truth about her mistakes. They are stuck in the slum with no money and no hope. But now, a mysterious car has arrived at their door. Is it a gift of mercy, or is it a new trouble coming to find them? The suspense is rising, and the truth is about to be revealed!