Life Hack Stories & Experiences

Having to deal with greedy colleagues in place of work is a very hard thing to do, I know it now because I have faced such situation. I remember working in a boutique where clothes, shoes and other accessories are being sold, and the kind of problem I faced while working with the workers in that boutique. Our boss was a lady, she was very nice and caring, she goes as far as providing lunch for us and giving us the sum of 500 naira everyday for our transport fare.

Costly stuffs were being sold there, it was a really very nice place, but things were fast to change. My job was to make accounts of everything that was sold at the end of each day, coupled with other minor activities. The first day was something I can't really explain, I made an account and discovered that everything didn't match, but the sales girl altered the calculation and calculated what I couldn't understand. At the end, she told me to write any figure, that it's not as if our boss will go through it.

Same thing happened the second day, and I understand that she syphoned some of the money, and that is why the record wasn't accurate and didn't match the products sold. She met me and tried to convince me into covering up the accounts, in exchange for a percentage of the stolen money. The boutique sells up to millions naira worth of goods, and so no one would notice a little amount missing, but I declined. Our boss was nice, lunch and transport fare is provided everyday, and so it will be very bad and terrible to repay her in such a way.

I soon became the most hated worker by my colleagues, I didn't agree to their terms, and they knew I will implicate them if the account should have anymore fault. After a month, our boss met me and told me that it is the first time in her boutique that accounts made gets to be accurate. We thought she doesn't go through the record, but she does, and said she didn't say anything about it because all the people she has employed to do the accounts never gave an accurate account, and so she gave up and refused to let herself be bothered over the little they steal.

I was the exception, the woman made me her friend, increased my salary and transport fare, and I was entitled to a lunch and a take-home food. I was put in charge of everything that had to do with money and trust, imagine getting close to such a big woman because of being honest, it's a great honor. The woman will always think of me first whenever a person of honesty and integrity was needed. The feeling is good, I've gotten a lot of benefits from the woman, my simple act of being sincere had earned me that.

Today felt like a year long as we sat in attendance to a long lecture that ended around 5 PM.
Wnen the class finally ended, i returned home with my course mate, who lived next door to my room.

On our way back, we talked about how tired we were and hope to go together to the nearest restaurant to grab some food as soon as we have taken a little rest.

Our plans changed when the skies opened up, and it started raining heavily. The rain came down without warning for over three hours, and by 9 PM, I couldn't wait any longer, my stomach growled in tiredness.

When my instincts told me that the rain wasn't going to stop any soon, I took my umbrella and dashed out into the downpour, making my way to my course mate’s room.

I knocked on her door, and when she answered, the look on her face was showing frustration. She admitted that she couldn't wait any longer either, and without hesitating, we decided to venture out together, under the rain.

Today was one quiet Saturday morning. The sun was already out, but everything still felt slow, like the city wasn’t fully awake yet. I sat outside on the veranda, sipping garri and just looking around. I checked the clock again, 10 a.m. on the dot. Weekends used to be something I looked forward to, but lately, they just felt long and empty. I wasn’t even sure what to do with myself most of the time.

I could hear some kids playing football across the street, shouting and arguing over whether someone fouled or not. It reminded me of when I was a kid back in Delta. Every day after school, we would play football until our mothers shouted at us to come home. I smiled at the memory. Life was different now, though. At 23, everything just seemed harder and more complicated. Those carefree days felt like they belonged to someone else.

These days, I’m working as an installation agent for a many clients. It’s not exactly what I imagined for myself, but it’s what pays the bills, at least some of them. The way things are going in the country, it feels like my earnings disappears before the month is even halfway done. Right now, I’m down to my last cash, just enough for bread and maybe some Indomie to last me till Monday. It’s rough, but I’ve gotten used to it.

Just as I was lost in thought, my phone buzzed. A WhatsApp message from Jekwu. "Guy, wetin dey happen this weekend? Make we catch small cruise na!" I laughed a little when I saw the message. Jekwu was always up to something, always looking for where the fun was. But I wasn’t feeling it today. I quickly replied, "Baba, nothing dey o. Just chilling for house." I hit send and continued resting in my chair.

As if planned, the power went out. "NEPA!" I heard someone shout from down the road. I shook my head and laughed quietly to myself. This power issue had become part of life, so normal that nobody even complained anymore. I wondered if things would ever get better, maybe a better job, more money, or even a relationship that felt safe.

Later in the afternoon, I decided to stretch my legs and take a walk around the neighborhood. As I passed by the akara seller, even though I wished to buy, I only waved and kept going. For now, this quiet afternoon was enough for me.

I’ve always been the kind of person who prioritizes my time. As a serious student (not too serious oo), I try channel most of my energy into my academics and online learnings.
I'm still on a beginning journey in Coding, specifically Python and web development, I also do study the stock market statistics (I know it's a lot but theres no time).
After I realised that university was actually a place of learning (not basically the things we learn in classrooms), but informations we gather from other calibers of people and the environment at large.

I am aware that in this current era, majority invest their time and focus on airdrops and cryptocurrency, I’ve remained distantly detached from this field. The constant conversation about making quick gains, currency gambles, and jumping into the latest trends has never really appealed to me. I’ve always preferred to invest my time in things that build a solid foundation for my future (no brags 🥲)

However, just yesterday, a close friend of mine triggered a little change in my perspective.
He shared some motivational insights in crypto, stating that no matter how little time we think we have, we can always create time for activities that can be beneficial. This speech got to me because I knew that no matter how busy I usually am, there's always a little space/rest which I could utilize and do some airdrops.

I realized that while I often feel out of time, there are periods when I could take a break from my studies and over seriousness. Those moments don’t have to be wasted; I could explore crypto mining or dive into airdrops.

To cut the long story short, I began my airdrop journey yesterday after a long time away from anything related to crypto. As they say: no knowledge is a waste, and everything counts no matter how little.

We were called for a sudden lecture by one of our stubborn lecturers who doesn't value our space nor does he work with our timetable. He fixes classes anytime he feels like.

After I arrived home after the stressful hot day, before I forget, the class ended around 4pm and while I was on my way back, it started raining and I had to wait under a shade along the way for close to two hours.

When I arrived home, I embraced my bed and slept like a baby. When I woke, I had to figure out what to eat.
I quickly walked down to a shop that sold foodstuffs down the street, I got some okro and vegetables which I made soup with.

I was done dressing my bed and ready to retire to bed when my friend came around. He was just passing, but after we exchanged pleasantries, a word led to another.
Funny enough, we stood at the door discussing for close to 3hrs, it was so funny when we realised how far we had stood and conversed, though he was just passing.

It's been three long months since my laptop broke, and during that time, I completely stepped away from learning programming. I didn’t even think about coding or continuing my course. When my laptop finally got replaced last week, I decided to pick things up again, but I was shocked. The course looked completely foreign, like I had never seen any of it before. There was only choice I had, to start fresh.

When I sat down to resume learning, it felt like I was back at square one. I was surprised by how much I had forgotten in just a few months. It was frustrating at first, but I knew if I wanted to make real progress, I had to take things step by step. It felt strange going over things I thought I had mastered, but I realized it was the only way to rebuild my foundation.

That’s when I decided to approach things differently. Instead of feeling down about having to start over, I made a plan to study a little every day. I told myself that discipline was key. If I could commit to learning regularly, even for an hour or two daily, I’d start seeing results. This time, it wasn’t just about coding but forming a habit and sticking to it.

Yesterday, I spent almost 12 hours going over the basics, refreshing my memory with things I had learned before. Slowly but surely, things started clicking again. It was like dusting off an old book and remembering why I loved programming in the first place. The frustration began to fade, and excitement took its place as everything started coming back to me.

I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’m definitely back on track.

Two days ago, I went to buy an extension socket. The man selling it assured me that it was of good quality and would work perfectly. He seemed confident, so I trusted his word, paid 3000, and took it home. Since there hadn't been electricity for two days, I hadn’t had the chance to test it.

When power was finally restored last night, that’s when trouble started. To my shock, the socket caught fire almost immediately! Luckily, I wasn’t sitting close to it when it happened, but the fire was scary. My sister, being the first to notice, ran outside. But me, as a sharp guy, I knew the quickest thing to do was to switch off the changeover, so I quickly handled that.

Thankfully, the fire didn’t spread too much. It only affected a small part of the wall, leaving a black mark behind. If I hadn’t acted fast, who knows how bad it could have gotten? We all calmed down after the situation was under control.

This morning, I marched straight to the man’s shop. I wasn’t about to let this slide. I confronted him about the faulty socket, and after a bit of arguments, he surprisingly took responsibility for it. He apologized, which I didn’t expect, and offered me a partial refund of 1000. He also took the socket back.

Even though I didn’t get my full money back, I was relieved that the man owned up to it and didn’t argue foolishly.

Today, as I was passing through my neighborhood, I couldn’t help but notice a group of boys gathered around. They were all shouting with excitement about airdrops and the promises of quick cash. I paused for a moment, intrigued by their confidence as they made mockery of those who weren’t participating in the latest trends, I felt guilty.

“Just wait until the hamster airdrop list comes out! We’re going to cash out big time” one boy declared with a genuine smile. His friends joined in with cheers and laughter, excitedly envisioning the cars they planned to buy with their supposed money bag. I shook my head, all these their dream..

As a grown-up, I couldn't take their talks too seriously. After all, putting that much faith into a single airdrop seemed naïve, especially when the market was so unpredictable. I wondered what other dreams they had, aside from what they saw as an easy ticket to success.

While they laughed and ridiculed those who chose not to join in, their banter struck me as amusing in a way. “If everyone cashes out from hamster and becomes rich, who’s going to wash their cars?” one of them joked, and I chuckled softly.

It was both funny and a little sad, knowing how easily hope could be misguided. But still, their energy was infectious and I hope the airdrop is worth the time and hype.

Today was all about staying indoors, and I liked it a lot! After finishing my last school exam, I felt very tired. I knew I would go home soon, but I wanted to relax today.

When I woke up, I didn’t want to go outside. I had everything I needed inside my house: food, water, my phone.
I made a nice breakfast and sat down in my favorite movie spot. Then, I took my phone and started looking at social media.

As I scrolled through pictures and videos, I saw my friends sharing fun things. Some were posting funny photos and others showed cute animals. I laughed a lot! I also saw news about what was happening around the world. It was nice to learn new things while I relaxed.

I felt happy and calm as I stayed on my phone, enjoying fun stories and pictures. My skin felt soft, and my body was comfortable. I loved being inside my house, away from the busy school life.

I spent the whole day scrolling and eating snacks. Sometimes I would pause and drink some water. I watched funny videos and even saw some cool things people made

There’s this stubborn wall gecko that’s been giving me serious headache for a while now. Every time I try to find it and kill it, the thing disappears like it has special powers. I can’t count how many times I’ve turned my room upside down just trying to catch it, but it always hides before I can even get close.

Tonight, I had enough. I bought a sniper spray and decided I wasn’t going to let it win this time. So, I waited patiently for it to show up. Sure enough, as usual, it crawled out from its hiding place. I didn’t even think twice and I quickly sprayed the sniper on it, hoping that would be the end.

But this gecko was stubborn. Instead of going down, it ran back inside its hiding spot like nothing happened. I was frustrated, but I knew it wouldn’t stay hidden forever. After a few minutes, it came out again and this time, it ran straight under my bed. At that point, I was done with the whole hide-and-seek game.

I couldn’t sleep knowing that thing was under my bed, so I decided to scatter everything and face it one on one. I started moving things around, sweating as I tried to bring it out from under there. The bed, the chairs, everything got shifted. The room was a mess, but I wasn’t stopping until I got rid of it for good.

After what felt like ages of chasing it around the room, I finally cornered the annoying creature. I gave it what it deserved. No more hiding, no more sneaking around. This was the end of its reign of terror in my room.

Now, my room feels lighter, like I finally got rid of a heavy burden. I cleaned up the mess and lay down, satisfied that the annoying gecko was gone for good. I just hope no new one comes around to test me again.

I got off my bike and noticed the smell of roasted corn from the woman across the street by the Post Office. I could hear market women talking softly as they finished up for the day. In the background, a church choir was practicing for tomorrow’s service, with the pianist hitting the wrong notes but it didn’t bother me much as long as people were praising God. I also heard a child crying, and I knew it was just a typical African mom doing her thing.

I looked straight into the small barbershop that had seen better days, the mirrors were so dusty you could barely see your own reflection, But no wahala sha, the men wey dey there no come for clean mirror, na hair we come barb. I walked in, ready for my normal lowcut, no tapers. The air was thick with the smell of aftershave and one other foul smell (E sure me die say person mess for that shop true-to-god! But all man lock up), The evening sun was peeking through the tiny window, casting long shadows across the faded Nollywood posters on the wall, so faded you could barely make out actual faces. I could swear I saw Hitler on the catalog.

I sat down, looked the barber dead in the eye, and said, "Oga, I want make my carvings show!" He nodded like he knew exactly what I meant. So, I relaxed in the chair, feeling the cool metal of the clippers glide over my head. The sound of the buzzing clipper was almost soothing, like a lullaby. But then, something felt off. I opened one eye and caught a glimpse of the mirror... CHRIST!!!

I turned and stared at the barber, speechless. He was still nodding, as if he had just delivered the masterpiece of the century. "Oga na you talk say you want make your carving show na," he said with a grin, clearly proud of his work. And show they did-every single one, in all the wrong places! I opened my mouth to speak, he blow powder fuuuuu for my face so I swallowed powder and kept quiet immediately In my full life I have never felt so

A few days ago, and I was at the market. I saw bright oranges. They looked shiny and fresh. I bought some, not knowing they would change my life.

The next morning, I woke up feeling great. I felt full of energy. I went to the mirror to look at my face. I was surprised. My skin looked better. The pimples I had worried about were less visible. I thought about when I lived with my parents. My face was clear then. But when I moved to Enugu for school, my skin changed. I did not eat bad food, but my face still had pimples.

Then it hit me. I used to eat oranges a lot at home. I had forgotten to eat them since moving. Maybe the oranges were helping my skin! In fact, not may be, it sure was helping my skin.

There are much value in things that we don't treasure because we have them in abundance at a point, and until reality hits, we will never unravel this hidden secretes

While searching through the box, I found something I had forgotten about. It was an iron sponge, different from the tiny, old sponges I usually used. This one looked brand new, shiny, and strong. I remembered buying it because the advertisers promised it could clean tough stains better than the small ones that always got rusty.

As I held the sponge, I remembered my big pot sitting in the corner, neglected and covered in black stains from my cooking. I had given up on it after trying and failing many times with those tiny sponges. But today, I felt like trying out the lost but found sponge.

I filled the pot with water and some detergent, picked up the iron sponge and started scrubbing the hell out of the pot. To my excitement, the stains began to come off! I could hardly believe my eyes.

As I scrubbed, I started to enjoy the work. I imagined the pot thanking me for cleaning it after all this time. It felt good to see it shining again, just like when it was new. I remembered all the delicious soups and stews I had cooked in it before it got so dirty or rather stained.

After a good scrubbing, I rinsed the pot, and it looked beautiful again.
Try and get yourself good washing sponges too mindviewers!

It was the third term in JS2, I still remember how I had to say goodbye to my friends because of my father who is a pastor, and was transferred to another station and I was going to change school too. During the last days of exams, I told my classmates and friends of how we won't be seeing and might never see each other again after the end of the term, it was a very heart breaking period for me. The friends I had made always made my day bright and fun, smiles is sure to be on my face anytime I set my eyes on them.

Although in JS2, I used to represent the school in quiz competition, and so I was known by the principal and all the teachers and students, I was well loved, and the pains of giving up such a sweet environment was just too much. My best friend back then; Cynthia, she gave me her phone number to call her when I finally have a phone, I got my first phone when I was in SS1 and I called the number, but it was never reachable. I remember how some of my classmates even asked where my father was transferred to, so they can know where to find me, it showed how much they cared about me.

On the day of closing for the third time, I knew I would never see them again after that day, and so I cried so much, and my classmates couldn't hold their tears too, my principal and teachers gave me a farewell hug, I was a brilliant student with a constant first position and the students I used to help do home works felt like it's the end of the world for them. It was a very emotional moment, I cried till I was home. Few days later, we packed and moved to my father's new station, I remember seeing about three of my classmates while I was in the vehicle that drove us to the new station, I waved at them till I could not see them anymore, I still remember them screaming my name on top of their voice, hot tears ran down my cheek and I felt pains in my heart, I felt like going back.

A new term came and I was now in JS3, got enrolled in a new school and certainly made new friends, but the friends and classmates I had in my JS2 were still very fresh in my head, I still remember their names till today and it's as if it was just yesterday. But the painful thing is that I have never seen any of them again, except on Facebook for some of them. The same thing played out again when I got to SS3 where we graduated and left secondary school, I have only seen few of them over the years, the rest are either married or single parents, and that connection was totally cut off after our secondary school days. I got to realize that life revolves, and no matter what, our set of friends will keep on changing till our last day on earth, you keep the ones you can and feel pains for the others you're unable to keep in touch with. But to me, the memories of friends I have had, will always and forever be in my heart, they will always be remembered.

This morning, our class representative called us for an important lecture that was supposed to start at 10 AM. We were all excited and quickly got ready to attend. However, when we arrived at the venue, we found out that there were some problems with the schedule. It turned out that there were other events happening there, which meant we could not hold our lecture at 10 AM as planned.

After waiting for a while, we finally learned that our lecture was moved to 1 PM. At first, this was a bit annoying because we had to change our plans and wait so long. Now, as the sun beats down on me, I am walking around, feeling the heat and stress, trying to make sure I arrive on time.

Even though I’m feeling uncomfortable in the hot weather, I still want to meet up with my classmates and attend the lecture. It makes me think about how sometimes things don’t go as planned, and we have to be flexible.

As I experience all of this, I decided to share my story. Who knows? Maybe someone else will find it relatable or interesting.

I walked into a group of four young men deep in conversation. They were discussing business, wealthy people, and how they manage their investments. One of them was talking about how some rich people take out huge loans even when they don’t have much cash in their bank accounts.

He explained that these rich people often have assets that are worth a lot of money. Even if they don’t have the cash on hand, their properties, businesses, and other investments give them the power to borrow large amounts of money from banks.
Another guy jumped in, saying that it’s not always about the money in your account but about your overall network and the value of what you own. He said that if you really want to make money, you need to think about building your assets and connections.

I stood there quietly, taking in their conversation. They were talking about how it’s not just about earning money but also about how you manage and grow what you already have. It made me realize that wealth isn’t just about what you have now but what you can do with what you own.

I could see they were eager to learn more about the world of business and wealth. It was clear that they understood the importance of thinking beyond the immediate cash and focusing on long-term growth and opportunities. These are the kind of talks our young guys should have more than fighting to be Man United or Chelsea fans.
They shared many secrets to wealth but I'll keep some to myself 🧐

After taking a break from working out for about two weeks, I finally decided to hit the gym again. After the workout, I rewarded myself with a plate of fried rice and washed it down with a bottle of Fayrouz. Satisfied and a bit tired, I went to bed, thinking nothing of it.

The next morning, I woke up to the worst body pain I've ever felt. Every muscle in my body ached, and I could barely move. It was as if my body was punishing me for taking that long break. I tried to get up, but the pain was so intense that I ended up just lying there. I couldn’t even think about leaving the house in that condition.

By noon, the pain was still unbearable, and I hadn’t eaten anything since the fried rice the night before. Just when I thought the day couldn't get any worse, my friend showed up unexpectedly. She had bought me a Nutri Milk and a fish roll, saying she just felt like getting me something on her way over. It was like a blessing in disguise because I was starving, but too weak to make anything for myself.

As I slowly ate the fish roll and drank the Nutri Milk, I felt a bit better, both physically and mentally. The food gave me a little strength, and I was thankful for my friend's kindness. It was exactly what I needed at that moment, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her timing.

By the time I finished eating, the pain was still there, but it was more manageable. I knew it would take a few days for the soreness to go away completely, but I felt more hopeful knowing I had such a thoughtful friend to help me through it.

Today at school was pretty boring. After our final exams, most of my colleagues rushed home. I watched them leave, feeling a bit left out and while they were celebrating their freedom, I was stuck in the classroom, waiting for my seminar preparation to finish.

The reason I couldn't leave was that I had a seminar coming up next week, and I needed to gather a lot of information for it. As I sat there, I noticed how the clock seemed to move so slowly. It was hard to focus on my research with everyone else enjoying their time off.

I felt frustrated at first because my department had this high standards, and I was trying hard to meet them. Sure, the pressure pushed me to do better, but at that moment, it felt like a burden. My friends were out having fun, while I was facing more work ahead of me.

Even though all these bothered me, I was determined to make the best of my time, I took my laptop and headed to the library. It was my favorite place on campus, filled with the smell of books and a quiet atmosphere that helped me think. I knew I could really focus there but not at home where I would while away 70% of my time on my phone screen.

Inside the library, I began to search for books and articles that would help me with my seminar topic. I wanted to find information that would support my ideas and make my presentation strong, you know how it goes.

I spent an hour at the library, reading through different resources and taking notes but not actually progressing with the seminar article.

Many years back, when I was still in the secondary school, there is a time I almost lost my life because of show off, to please my classmates and other people around, and it would have been the end of my life in a twinkle of an eye if not for God. I shiver whenever I remember the incident.

One day on my way back home from school with my classmates, we decided to branch a nearby stream and have our baths, at least to make us feel refreshed since the weather was very hot. The stream was big and wide, some part of it can cover a 5 feet human being. I knew very well that I wasn't that good in water when it comes to swimming.

It all started when my classmates climbed a high ground just beside the stream, jumped and dived into the water using their head, it was fun to watch but I knew I couldn't do it. But all of a sudden, they started laughing and taunting me that I was too scared to do it, and instead of me to admit that I couldn't dive into the water from such a height, I decided to try it for the first time, just to show them that I can and quench the laughter.

I climbed the high ground and dived into the water with my head, what followed next wasn't funny. I jammed my head so hard at the bottom of the water, it was as if my head splitted into two, the pains was out of this world. I had no idea that the sand under the water could be that painful to collide the human head with, it was as if I hit my head on tiles. I tried to raise my head out of water but I couldn't move, the effect of the hit on my head paralyzed my body.

My classmates noticed and dived into the water to save me and took me out of the water, it was so serious that I started bleeding from my nose, I had made myself a more laughing stock to the people I was trying to please and showoff. I slowly felt better, wore my clothes and went straight home, my parents scolded me and banned me from stopping at that stream on my way home from school. I was taken to the clinic for some checkup and treatment. Right from that day, me and showoff don't take the same path.

A long time ago, after I completed my secondary school education, I was not so sure about what comes next in my life, the only thing I had in my head was that I want to proceed to the university to study Civil Engineering. I don't think it would have turned out to be a smooth and successful run if changes were not made.

We grew up and lived in villages (developed ones) our whole life, never even seen a bank as at then, and there was a lot I did not know. My father knew what was ahead; I want to be a Civil Engineer, and that is not achievable with a village based life, smartness and exposure are very vital, and so he sent me to live with my uncle who lives in the city.

I endured a little while of taunts and laughter during the early days of living with my uncle who has grown up children, because I must admit, I really behaved like someone who has never been to a city before, I would spend all my time looking at buildings, cars and many others whenever I went out with my uncle, of course I had never lived in such an environment.

I remember going to the bank for the first time with my cousin, and I found the entrance door to the bank very amusing, the way it opens and you step in, the back closes and the front opens for you to step inside the bank, same process while going out. While my cousin was still inside the bank, I went outside and came back inside the bank, up to four times, just to pass through the door that I referred to as a spinning door and saw as fun.

I was very fast to adapt this new environment, only three months with my uncle and I drove his car without anybody's assistance, learnt to move around on my own and I explored places like airport, stadiums and many others, including the bank. I didn't need anybody to follow me around or guide me on how to navigate my way anymore. I met very important and prominent people and built connections with them. I learnt a lot to the extent that it can truly be said that I'm ready to take on the course I'm studying now, I acquired lots of knowledge on areas I never knew before, developed myself when it comes to boldness and other basic and necessary attributes to the best I can.

My father till date is proud of the decision of sending me to live with my uncle. A good and fertile ground to kick start my Civil Engineering journey.
At times I imagine how I would have behaved like if my admission into the university is what brought me to the city for the first time, tragic.

I had been looking forward to my jollof rice and fried plantains all day. After a long week of lectures at school, I decided to treat myself to my favorite meal from EazyFood. The delivery was supposed to arrive within an hour, but after two hours passed, my stomach was crying, and I noticed a missed call from an unknown number.

When I called back, the delivery man told me he was outside, but when I asked which gate, he ignorantly mentioned “the big gate” near a “yellow building.” None of this made sense, and I quickly realized he was lost. Frustration building, I tried guiding him over the phone, but it was clear he had no idea where he was and he didn’t even have Google Maps.

Annoyed but starving, I put on my slippers and went out to find him. After wandering for a bit, I finally spotted him near a completely different set of gates, nowhere near my building. He pointed to a purple coloured house and called it “yellow,” holding out my food with a foolish look.

I sighed, took the bag, and handed over the money, too hungry to argue. Back in my lodge, I finally sat down to eat, though the frustration had almost killed my appetite. As I took my first bite, my appetite quickly jumped back in.

Despite the frustration, the jollof was as delicious as ever, and by the end of the meal, I realised that half of my life saving was gone just because I felt like giving myself a princess treatment.