Walks of life

Finding the solution

Joannah's POV

It's 8:45pm, we have just finished having our dinner and Lin and Jo are cleaning up the dishes and the kitchen while I clean the dining table. Mom is in her room going to bed being an early sleeper.

After doing my thing I go straight to the kitchen to see what these two fellas are doing. I know they like playing around whenever they get to do something together. That's how they are always

Laughing, making jokes, teasing each other and that game of theirs makes everything slow as they work but today isn't the day or time for that

I like it when they are having fun am not a spoiler and I enjoy seeing them happy and having a good time because life is timeless.

Hey guys,Lin and Jo turns to me with serious facial expressions as if they have not been laughing and making jokes minutes ago. sorry I have to cut that little fun moment of yours but you wind up with the cleaning please. I tell them and they get to it right away.

Like I thought, they were playing.

And don't feel bad for interrupting you two with whatever you were doing but you guys need to fill in the bursary registration forms and according to what am seeing right now you two look like you forgot about it already.

Mentioning about the forms they all start to get to business I let out a small chuckle and leave the kitchen after them replying with OK in unison. I went up stairs to my room to get the forms . I was looking forward to taking them to the agency first thing on Monday morning.

Because I was told if you delay to take them back after the deadline the chances of getting the scholarship will be slim.

I come back with the forms and I find Jo and Lin already seated on the dining table with their pens in hand ready to fill in the forms.

OK guys, read through and I will help you out where you get any problems . I hand them the forms and they start reading through.

Do you think they will give us the bursaries before first term begins? Jo asks.

I don't know Jo but first things first let's get this done first then we will see what happens next.

They fill the forms, I read through and everything is perfectly fine.The registration forms don't even have anything so complicated. Just names, address, current school, class, performance details and the reason why you are requesting for the bursary then your parents details and signatures.

I will be keeping them in my room for mom to sign on then I will be taking them to the agency on Monday.

They both say thanks at once and they look at each other, could you stop copying me?

Lin asks pouting her lips. No you the one who copied me, Jo replies to her dramatically and they burst out laughing.

Am just standing there like am watching a comedy show right in front of me.

So what are you guys going to do right now? Jo asks both of us.

Sleep, we both reply in unison and then bust out laughing. Come on guys, the night is still young we can play some scrubble how do you see, jo asks wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Okay we can play but only one round, I say as I make my way to the library corner to keep the forms there for a while.

Lin gets up to bring the scrubble board and Jo goes in the kitchen to get us some snacks and drinks. It has always been his thing he always does that maybe it's his appetite.

We usually watch movies on this kind of lazy day when there is no school, no house work, revision done but our DSTV subscription expired two months ago and mom hasn't paid for it yet because we have to spare the little money she has remained with till she gets another job.

We started playing the game but my mind was not really fully in the game. I was just thinking of how am going to help mom out with the bills that we hadn't paid in two months.

Two months might sound so small but the money was too much. We have utility bills we hadn't paid in these two months like electricity, water bills and we don't even have enough groceries or food in stock. Mom has been a very good steward in paying everything just in time but ever since she got laid off from work she hasn't been able to keep up with all the payments.

She is a professional lawyer and she has been working under one of her professor at his firm as a senior lawyer for 6 years now.

Everything was going on too well for us, going to one of the prestigious schools in the country and living in a uptown state where only rich people reside.

Alot of people can't know that we are just living here in this house or residence as keepers for one of our mother's friend uncle Tom.

Mom had planned to get us our own home but she couldn't afford a home with the school tuition at the same time. She had planned on waiting till we all finish our A-levels then she starts saving up for the house.

But God had different plans, she got laid off from work and now we don't even have enough money for the tuition for both my siblings at once.

Thats why I have made up my mind to start looking for work again as soon as possible so that I don't make it a dead year for any of my siblings.

After finishing my A-level I had decided to look for a job in my vacation but no one wanted to hire Un experienced, Un skilled and a teenager. I was 18 years but they just made it an excuse not to hire me I guess. So I stayed at home as I waited to at least turn 19 or 20.

But still I haven't got anything permanent. In 2015 when I turned 19 years I got a job as a mobile money service provider which was got for me by one of my mom's friend. But I quit that job due to the high risks and threats which put my life in danger. During that period I had worked on that job, more than 10 people in the same field where murdered or beaten up so badly just to take the money from them. Those who survived the robbers said that when came to you and you resist to give them what they wanted which was the money, they would stab or worse kill you on spot then later run off with whatever they could find you with.

When uncle Tom came back from the US for vacation, he did not find me at home and mom told him that I was working at a mobile money store. He wasn't happy about it. He blamed mom for letting me do that kind of work which she knew all about its disadvantages. He got so worried about me that he told me to quit on spot when I got home and that's how am still home and haven't found anything yet to do again.

Mom and Jo usually would pick me up at my work place at 8pm just to be sure I reached home safe but it was located in the industrial area where alot of people from different places came to work every day.It was a really busy place and I was making alot of transactions each day which earn me alot of big commissions though I was just Un employee. It was way far from our home. People here were mostly from the ghettos where me and my family used to live before we moved in to uncle Tom's place.

Many young men and women come to these places looking for what to do in order to earn a living. But some of them turn into bad people, adopt bad behaviors due to peer pressure, lack of guidance, too much poverty due to unemployment and unavoidable responsibilities they get even when they are under age. They turn into the unstoppable squads that break the laws and start stealing from people. And when they get with other bad companies they end up being first class robbers, scummers, thugs and this leads many to prisons. But it's a very long chain because each day the squads breed and new groups are formed.

Mom was so worried about this kind of life before we left but am glad we did. All of us were so grateful to uncle Tom who helped us out by giving us his home to stay. But because of the type of job I had got, I had to go back and work in the same environment because we needed money and areas like this had potential clients and that was my target.

A penny for your thoughts please? Jo waves a hand in my face and flicks his fingers and brings me back to earth.

I swear Annah you would have told us you didn't want to play, your so lost in your own world and you haven't played anything, Lin adds on.

You know what guys please let's go to bed, I think am so tired.

Okay then, let's go Lin replies as she collects all tiles and racks on the scrubble board and puts them back to the library.

I get the forms and head for the stairs. I look at the stairs right in front of me and jolt of paralysis strikes me.

OH not now I think I have been sitting for too long and right now I feel like my own legs cant carry me to the bedroom am feeling so lazy.

Need help Madame, jo asks

No thank you sir, I can handle it please.

Okay then good night, he says and runs up the stairs leaving me alone in my lazy state.

Before I know it I feel my whole frame lifted in the air. Damn this masculine man I knew he won't leave me alone. After all he does it to us most times.

But I guess knowing me too much he knew what problem I had for not moving. This palarysis effect happens to me almost every time but I don't know whether it's a serious issue. I don't take it as a health threat. Mom said she experience it too so I think its normal.

Hey what, don't you want a free ride to your room mom's princess, Jo ask while chuckling.

Sure I do like the ride to my bedroom but I know you will get back to me calling me a weak chick. Jo is now giving me a piggyback and when we reach my bedroom he puts me down like I weigh nothing to him. Ho ho ho your as light as a feather. And your as strong as an ox I tell him and he gives me a proud smile. Hope you don't talk behind my back to your friends for being lazy not to be able to take myself to bed. You know today just happened to be one of my lazy days, I tell him trying to hide the fact that I was about to sit on the stairs for a while till I felt better, So will you? I ask him while pointing out a finger at him to make my point clear but in a joking tone.

No, how can you say that? Your hurting me jo puts a hand on his heart to feign being hurt. I just laugh at him and wave my hand to dismiss his drama. Bye drama king have a great night please. Likewise princess.

I go to my room lock it behind me a thing I never forget to do nomatter how tired I maybe. This house is so large to me and I haven't got used to it regardless of the fact that we have been living here for years now. I know why it's like that though. It's the outcomes of living in the ghettos you have to be alert at all times on the security.

I go straight to the bathroom and take a shower, brush my teeth, do my business and head to bed. I pray, thank and ask God for protection, guidance, forgiveness and support then drift into my dreamland.