Emmanuel Ugwu @ugwu

My family decided to put together a big grocery bag for me after I have complained, lamented, cried and pleaded. What did I not do..
I was so happy because my food supplies had run low for over 2 weeks before, and I couldn’t wait to see what they had picked out for me.

When they brought in the big bags, I could hardly contain my excitement. My heart raced as I imagined all the yummy snacks and meals I could make. I couldn't wait to unpack everything. These days, ordinary roadside food vendors sold a plate for at least #1700, anf this amount had dug a big hole in my pocket.

As I opened the bags, I started taking out all kinds of goodies: melon seeds, rice, and my favorite breakfast cereals. But the best part was yet to come. When I reached the bottom of the bag, there it was ! a big bucket of onions!
It might seem funny, but I just love using onions in my cooking. They make everything taste so much better and just the other day, I went to get just a ball of onion across the street and they sold one little thing to me #300, I couldn't stop regretting that day.

I carefully took the bucket out and looked at it with a big smile on my face. The onions looked so fresh. I imagined all the delicious dishes I could make and how I wouldn't have to be spending that too much just to buy onion.

Whenever I was on my phone whild laying on the bed, I knew that was stretching my charging cord. I guess I didn’t realize how much I was pulling on it. One moment, it was working fine, and the next, it just stopped.
I needed to get a new one, I had been wanting a chance to replace the old one that just got spout because it was slow in charging. So I resolved to use my last 500 Naira for that.

To me, 500 Naira wasn’t a small amount, but I convinced myself I could remove it from my daily budget. After all, it was as of I spoilt the charging cable intentionally.

When I got there, I approached the counter and asked for a charging cord. Immediately, they started talking in foreing languages and calling prices that left me baffled.
Because how can wire be sold for 2,000 Naira, 3,000 Naira, and even up to 4,000 Naira! I couldn’t believe it.

I explained that I only needed a charging cord to plug into my charger, but they didn’t seem to understand the difference that I was making from whatever expensive appliance that they were stating those costly pricesfor.
After a lot of back and forth, I reluctantly decided to buy a cord for 2,500 Naira.

Till now, I am shocked.
Ordinary charging cord?
Even this one that I got for 2500 isn't that original.

I had been moving some things around when I caught sight of a familiar figure passing by, it was all these people that carried sewibg machines in hand, someone who sews and patches clothes.

I had this one short in mind that I've been wanting to stitch but my head was occupied with a million other things, but the sight of that tailor triggered the need to have the work done. I made my way to the bag where I had sput away clothes needing repair, thinking I’d find just the one.

As I unzipped the bag, Wetin my eyes see shock me. I hadn’t realized it until then, but aside that one short that i was looking for to repair, there were several more clothes that I thoufht I lost. Some were favorites I had worn often, while others were gifts that I had set aside due to small tears or loose seams. I couldn’t believe my eyes. So I just picked the bag itself and gave it to the tailor.

When all was said and done, the repair cost me just 1,000 Naira. I'm calling it just because the price was way lesser than the value of those clothes. Now, I had my seven good clothes back, hot boy in town.

Today was the day of our seminar presentation. Pheeeew 😞 I was feeling both excited and nervous. But I had worked really hard to prepare. Day and night, I was reading these materials like I don't have life.
I wanted to impress everyone with my knowledge.

When it was time to present, my orher classmates started showing their PowerPoint slides on the whiteboard. As I watched my classmates present, I noticed that many of them added beautiful images and nice backgrounds to their slides.
my own presentation was different. I didn’t have any images at all. My slides were plain, and I worried that they might not catch anyone's attention.

Despite this, I focused on my demonstration. I spoke clearly and passionately about my topic. I shared important points and explained everything in a way that I hoped they would understand.

After everything, i finished my presentation and answered questions which I was sure I did justice to and when I was done, I was surprised with their loud reactions.
Even though my PowerPoint slides weren’t as impressive as some of the others, my demonstration stood out in a special way and their loud clapping proved my point.
It's actually sweet to read.

I remember the day clearly. I had just finished washing my clothes and left them outside to dry. That evening, I was preparing to go for a night vigil, but I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I kept thinking, "What if it rains?" But I brushed the thought aside, thinking it would be fine. Despite the feeling, I went ahead and headed to the vigil.

Around 1am, I ended up falling asleep at a friend’s place not too far from the vigil. It had been a long day, and I couldn’t fight the tiredness. By the time I woke up the next morning, everything around me looked drenched. The signs of heavy rainfall were clear. All I could think about were the clothes I left hanging outside.

I rushed back home, fearing what I might find. As I arrived, I noticed some of my neighbors' clothes scattered on the ground, soaked from the rain. I prepared myself for the worst, already feeling disappointed at the thought of my freshly washed clothes lying in the mud. To my surprise, none of my clothes were there. My confusion quickly turned into worry.

It was only when I saw my neighbor that I found out what happened. He told me he had woken up around 2am when the rain started and decided to bring my clothes inside. I was so grateful, I thanked him over and over. His small act of kindness saved me a lot of trouble and frustration.

I couldn’t help but think back to the feeling I had before leaving for the vigil. I should’ve listened to my gut. But, in the end, I was lucky that my neighbor was thoughtful enough to step in and help.

Two weeks ago, I wrote a story. I thought it was good, but I felt like it wasn't good enough to win the writing competition. I really wanted to win.

The day after the competition, I was a little sad. I didn’t want to check the comments about my story. But then, something wonderful happened. I saw a message from someone who read my story, the main Admin!. He said comforting things and the words made me kind of hopeful. Their words made me smile

After reading that message, I felt inspired to write another story. I wanted to do my best this time. Then, yesterday, I woke up and checked my messages again. Guess what? My story won a prize in the competition. I couldn’t believe it.

I don’t want to talk about how much I won, but it was a good amount! Maybe it was 2 thousand or even 3 thousand. I just feel very, very happy. What matters to me is that people liked my story.

Thank you so much for all the love and support. Please keep liking my stories! I have a fun surprise coming soon. I will do some giveaways.

A week ago, I poured my heart and soul into writing a story that I truly believed could win the competition. I spent countless hours crafting the plot, developing how to convey my story, and making sure every word felt just right. Yesterday was the big day, the day the competition would be decided, and I was so anxious to see how my story would perform.

As the clock ticked down, I stayed awake, watching the numbers lag painfully behind. I had reached out to all my friends, both near and far, asking them to support me by liking my story. They did, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Despite their best efforts, my story wasn’t gaining the attraction I hoped for or needed to qualify.

My phone had died earlier in the night, which meant I missed out on precious time to promote my story. I managed to wake up around 11 PM, uncertain and worried, only to find that everyone I knew was already asleep. I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me as I noticed that my friends had all gone offline. I sent out links to my story, but it felt like shouting into the void; there was no response.

The anxious feeling inside me grew as I watched the clock. The competition was set to end at 1 PM, and as each minute passed, my heart sank a little deeper. My story was still lagging behind in likes, and I didn’t know what else to do.

Well, I lost the game but then, I could still try again right?

As I was leaving class today after a lecture, I watched somd studente from another department rush off to their business exams.

Everyone was moving quickly and their faces tense with worry. Suddenly, I noticed a short guy running with all his energy. While everyone else was just Hasty, he looked like he was running for his very life.

We couldn’t stop ourselves from laughing at the sight. It was a moment that cooled the tension due to stress that was in the air.
To describe the guy and what made the view such a funnily one was that, this black short guy had very baggy plain trousers on and tucked in with his afro hairstyle. It was all funny.

I headed home, still chuckling about the guy who raced like he had a deadline to beat, papa been carry the exam for head.

I was returning from a friend's place wheb i caught a site that made my day, this place was well-known in the neighborhood for selling fine sand, strong blocks, and bricks for construction. It was a building construction industry or whatever you choose to call it.

While I passed by, I noticed something interesting. A man in a nice suit was standing at the counter, looking very out of place among the piles of sand and bricks. He seemed wealthy, and his shiny shoes looked out of place in the muddy area. He was talking to the seller, who looked like the manager of the site. They were having a lively conversation.

The site manager, with a friendly smile, was explaining the types of sand they had. He bent down and grabbed a handful of fine sand, holding it up dramatically as if it were something very special. I was curious about what the rich man would do next. Normally, someone like him would just look and nod, thinking about the quality of the sand for a project.

But instead, the rich man looked a bit confused. He paused for a moment, frowning slightly as he stared at the sand in the site manager's hand not knowing what to do.
But rather than stepping back or acting like he didnt know what to do, he also stretched his hands for the site manager to pour in the sand.

I couldn't hold my laughter any longer, though I knew it was unciviliced that I should laugh, but I did and the site manager broke down lauhing off his breath.

Normally, the sand buyer was supposed to just observe the fine sand closely but he decoded to play with the sand just not to act like he was a novice.