Episode 8: Life’s First Storms
498 Words
Episode 8: Life’s First Storms
Finally, I wrote my final university exams. I completed my project and defended it. I signed all my clearance forms and left the university as a proud graduate.
I thought life would reward me now. But challenges were only beginning to unfold.
I traveled to Abuja to stay with my maternal uncle, Uncle Sunday, who lived in Masaka — a bustling town just outside the city, popular with students and young professionals.
It was here that I started seeing Patience more often. Every meeting, every conversation, every smile we shared… my love for her kept growing.
I was hoping to land a good job immediately. But life had other plans.
Instead of waiting idly, I decided to start teaching at Cornerstone Complete Education. I handled Mathematics for SS1 to SS3, Further Mathematics for SS1 to SS3, and Computer Science for JSS1 to JSS3.
When salary day came, I heard nothing.
Finally, I confronted the school owner.
“No money now, Tony,” she said casually.
I asked, frustrated, “Why? Are the students not paying school fees?”
She looked at me sharply.
“How many students have you brought since you joined us?”
Anger boiled in me. I left the office fuming, wondering how this was fair.
A week later, after much drama and confrontation, she finally gave me my salary — just #15,000.
I felt humiliated, frustrated, and tired, but I refused to stay in a place where I wasn’t valued. I resigned immediately.
During all this, Patience was far away in Abuja, yet her presence kept me going.
She would call me in the evenings, her voice calm and reassuring:
“Tony, don’t be discouraged. You’re talented. The right opportunity will come.”
Her words warmed me like a fire in the cold.
And sometimes, we just laughed together over the phone, forgetting the world for a few moments, our hearts connecting across the miles.
I waited for NYSC mobilization, hoping that would give me a fresh start.
The first batch passed. The second batch passed. But I wasn’t mobilized.
I traveled back to my university to find out why.
Only to discover… my name had been carelessly omitted.
My exam officer pleaded for forgiveness.
“It must be counted as the will of God,” she said.
Meanwhile, Patience worried silently.
She sensed my frustration through our calls and messages.
“Tony, I know this is hard, but don’t lose faith,” she encouraged.
Her patience, understanding, and love were a light in my stormy days.
The third batch was already approaching, and I couldn’t meet up because the senate had to vet the results.
Finally, in Batch C, 2014, I was mobilized — two years after I had graduated in January 2012.
Life hadn’t been easy. But through it all, Patience and I held on.
Our love, tested by distance and circumstance, remained my constant.
And I knew… whatever storms lay ahead, we would face them together.
- Writer
