If You No Get Money, Hide Your Face episode 3

If You No Get Money, Hide Your Face
EPISODE THREE.
Mr. Ejiofor: Listen all of you and listen
carefully, you all will take care of each
other whether I am alive or dead. I know
the situation will not be easy that is why,
when you Ryan get a good Job, Cameron
and Dylan will be your basic
responsibility. In due time, when they
are on their feet, they will take over by
taking care of Adam. Addison has no
problem because her Mother is always
there for her except if God forbid,
something happens which we pray
against then Addison will be your sole
priority. She is the only daughter we
have and she must be taken good care
of pending when suitors’ starts coming
for her hand in marriage.
Ryan: This is too much Papa. This is just
too much on me especially as the first
child and the first son he complained
bitterly. I do not have a job yet but I
make sure that I send something no
matter how little for you guys every
month. I barely take care of myself. All my
thought is on you people, for you people
to feed fine and be well. I can’t even
remember the last time I bought a shirt
for myself. I am a man Papa, I am
supposed to start thinking of how to get
married and raise my kids not you. You
are old. You have a wife who will take of
you and your children who will support
you. Don’t you think marrying a second
wife at this time is wrong?
Mr. Ejiofor: You mean I am wrong with
this decision?
Ryan: Papa If you get married, where is
the money that you will use in taking
care of your new wife? I am not talking
about my own mother ooo. I am talking
about your new wife, my step – mother
to be? How can you feed her? How can
you take care of her? ‘Is it with my own
mothers business that is already
crumbling or with the little money I
send? Papa how na’ he asked with his
hands akimbo.
Mr. Ejiofor: When we get there, we will
cross the bridge.
Ryan: No papa, let us cross the bridge
now because I know you too well. When
it gets to that time, everything will fall on
me. I have my own life to live oooo. What
do you even need a new wife for when
your first wife is still with you?
Mr. Ejiofor: I have spoken and made my
decision. Errmmm… ‘Cameron and Dylan,
what is the question you wanted to ask’
he said ignoring Ryan.
Cameron: Papa, when am I allowed to go
to Onitsha and Join brother Ryan?
Mr. Ejiofor: When he gets a job you will
join him immediately.
Dylan: Papa, you said you will give me
money to write Jamb. When will that be
because Jamb will soon stop selling their
form.
Mr. Ejiofor: He turned to Ryan ‘When are
you going to bring money for his Jamb?’
Ryan: Looking at all of them, he kept
mute.
Mrs Ejiofor: Ryan, is it not you your father
is talking to?
Ryan: ‘Nobody should disturb me oh!’
he shouted, ‘Nobody should just get me
angry this evening’. He looked at his
mother and Father. Mama! Papa! How
could you people think of giving birth to
Five Children when you can hærdly feed
one child? You produced and produced
and want to continue producing
forgetting that the basic necessities for
taking care of a child are not there. Ever
since we were all little children; we
hærdly have enough food or clothes to
wear. We all went and are still going to
public school, even when I managed to
enter higher institution; I hustled and
struggled through school. Now that I am
finally a graduate looking for a job, I see
all of you looking up to me to take care
of. Why don’t you people go and learn
one trade or the other and stand up all
on your feet since you know the
situation on ground and the kind of
family you came into?
Mrs Ejiofor: Is it because of Dylan’s Jamb
form that you are saying all this?
Ryan: Mama, it is not because of Dylan’s
Jamb form that I am saying this. It is
because you are all choking me with
your problems. I have my own problem
too. I want to get married and have
children but how can I plan when you
people keep adding more to my already
unsolved problems?
Mrs Ejiofor: My son, I know it is not easy.
If your father was or is receiving his
pensions all this will have lessen all your
burdens. Please take it easy on your
brothers’ biko, Biko Nwam!
Mr. Ejiofor: Adam, what do you want to
tell me?
Dylan: Ermm..Papa, you haven’t….before
he could finish his statement, he was
interrupted again
Ryan: Papa, they can tell you whatever it
is. I want to go to bed abeg. If I keep
staying here and listening, we won’t
leave here today. I have to leave very
early tomorrow morning because there
is a place I want to go and submit my CV
in Onitsha.
Mr. Ejiofor: ‘Alright, will tell you when we
will be going for the payment of bride
price’ he said and Ryan left them to
continue with their discussion.
==
One month after the payment of the
bride price to the family of Mr. and Mrs.
Onwudinjo in Asaba, their new bride
was brought home.
Ryan was busy getting prepared to go to
Onitsha main market to hussle for the
day when he got an urgent call to report
to No.33 Upper Iweaka Road,
Okechukwu Ventures Limited by 1pm
later in the day. He quickly dialed Aria’s
number and informed him of his day
movement before he set off for hustling.
As he got to Onitsha main Market, he
didn’t know how or what to do to get
money for the day. He saw a woman
who was looking for a wheel barrow
and went to her.
Ryan: ‘Madame! Good Morning. If you
dey look for wheel barrow I fit help you
carry your goods to where you wan go’
he said scratching his head.
Madame: looking at the nice looking
young man, well dressed and wondered
if he is not 419. ‘No worry, I go wait till I
see wheel barrow, you no go fit carry
the load e too plenty’.
Ryan: Madame, I fit carry am ooo. No
look as I take polish myself come out to
work this morning. Man must survive
and I dey capable. You see this load eh!
He said pointing at the three big
packaged goods lying on the ground. I
fit carry am if you go pay me well with
smiles on his face.
Madame: Young man, I said don’t worry;
I will wait for the wheel barrow pushers.
‘I wonder where they are’ she said
looking at her wristwatch.
Ryan: Madame on a serious note, I can
do it. You can pay me whatever you
want. Let me just do it for you.
Madame: So you speak good English
Fluently? Are you a graduate? He nodded
his head. ‘What are you doing here?
Ryan: With smiles on his face he said
‘man must survive since no work in
naija, I come here to hustle on my own
to make ends meet’.
Madame: She smiled at how he spoke
and how humble he is. ‘Okay’ she said,
‘Help me carry my load to where I can
get a car going to Osadebe Avenue in
Awka’.
Quickly, he lifted the three loads which
were heavy with the help of a passer-by,
one on top each other on his head and
went under the bridge with the woman
trailing after her. When he got there, he
spoke to one of the cab drivers in his
native tongue and the fare was agreed
upon. She was amazed and happy at
how he made her journey easy and less
stressful. She gave him her card, asked
him to call her first thing in the morning
the following day and handed five
thousand naira to him for Job well done.
Ryan: ‘Ah! Thank you ma’ he bowed.
Madame: What are you thanking me for?
You made my job easy for me. If it was
before, I will be here battling and
looking for who will help me carry my
goods for me. Sometimes, it will take me
one hour plus. You know how
dangerous this place is, I am always on
alert anytime I come here.
Ryan: ‘but five thousand naira is too
much a fee for what I just did’ he said
sincerely.
Madame: she smiled and said to herself
‘What an honest man he is’. What did you
study in school?
Ryan: Electrical Engineering Ma.
Madame: Meet me up tomorrow and
come along with your CV. I may have
somewhere to fix you up; you are not
meant to be here. ‘See you tomorrow’
she said as she entered the car and the
driver drove off.
Ryan: looked up in the sky and said ‘I
believe there is still hope and a place
somewhere for me in this world and I
will get there someday. Thank you God
for making me live home today and
meeting a stranger who I pray will be a
stepping stone to my greatness. I thank
you God’ he went on his knee and
raised his hands up in the air with
passers-by looking and wondering if this
is fresh madness in Onitsha.