My Life

Chapter seven

Ire’s POV

Getting back home from college was a joyous occasion for my parents, their daughter was now a graduate and an architect now, but I was too thinking of my next move that I didn't even live in the moment to enjoy all their attention, i had done my internship with a private company in year three and now am seriously considering going back to work for the firm, have been home for two months and nothing seem to be forth coming, been the kind of person I am who hates been idle I picked up the phone and called my former boss who said I could come work for his company and I told him to give me some time to pack up, I moved their and started working with him, things were fine for a while until he started frustrating me at the job, he claims to be a Godly man but will drop hints of ungodly things for me to do for my own gain according to him, I stayed and worked hard believing things will get better but had to leave when it all became unbearable, I went back home and was fortunate to meet one of my dad’s friend who wanted to build his family house so I discussed with him and persuaded him I could handle it, of course he didn’t think I could handle it seeing that i was still too young to have all the necessary experience and wasn’t willing to take a chance on me but I was a stubborn girl who knows how to go for what I want and believe in and so I kept disturbing him and with much pleading from me, he decided to give me a chance but with the condition that I have to complete the foundation with my own money and if am able to do that successfully, he will reimburse me and also pay for the project's completion, I agreed and we went to a lawyer who sealed the deal for us.

Now I was a fresh graduate with little or no money of my own but I wasn’t smart for nothing, for the past four years I have been saving a thousand naira per day and that total into one million four hundred and forty thousand naira which will go a long way with this project, so challenge number one was solved, now on to the second one, I had little or no practical experience so I decided to go to the vendors who sold materials that I’ll be needing, first I went to price the setting out materials, I bought a digger, long tape, square and lines that I’ll be needing for the setting out, of course I had already done the design for the building next I went in search of quarries, making enquiries about granite and sand, then I went to the cement store to enquire as well, I also asked if they knew competent masons and carpenters and they gave me the number for four of them, so I called each of them that night to interrogate them and see who I could work with among them, I was able to settle for one of the mason and one of the carpenter.

The night before the setting out, I did a lot of online researches and brush up my notes concerning setting out of building plans, so on the deal day I went to the site, a labourer had cleared up the site a day before and I must say he did a good job, he even burnt up the bushes by the sides so we can be safe from snakes and the likes of them, anyway with the help and experience of the mason and carpenter plus my own little knowledge we were able to do the setting out though it was tough because we couldn’t get the square for one of the sides, the mason wanted us to leave it but I insisted and so we finally got it after 4hours under the scorching sun we finished with the setting out, next day we marked out the points for the building column, after which we got labourers to dig and by the end of two weeks we had successfully laid the foundation and did the floor casting, Mr Iko, my dad’s friend was surprised at the speed and accuracy of the job, he couldn’t believe that I was a fresh graduate, he paid upfront for the project fee and only held back ten percent of my own fee till the project is completed, took us five months but we finally finished with it, painted and ready for them to move in, he was so impressed with my work that he wanted me to handle the furnishing of the house , this was huge because he's well-known for his taste and affluence in the society but I have always been someone who loves a challenge, so though tired and exhausted from constantly thinking and planning ahead for the just concluded project, all I wanted then was to rest for a week, I decided to push myself further, so I did my research on furniture, I went to the places where they sell furniture material and they recommended some furniture man to me, I called and spoke with them and also checked their work portfolio, I finally settle on one who I noticed has good finishes from his work portfolio and his packaging method was top notch, I collaborated with him, I sketched and he produced and in two weeks we were done, Mr Iko was elated, he gave me an unplanned bonus for the job well done and even recommended me to his friends, this was the beginning of my success in my career, his friends did call with offers and I took some and dropped some of the offers but first I took a week break to rest and get my head back in the game, life was really good to me, but in all these, I was getting tired of staying with my parents though they were not disturbing about getting married but folks who came around often ask them when their daughter will be getting married, in their own words “when will Ire get married does she not know that a woman is like a flower that needs to be plucked before it withers” shaking my head at their guts, I wonder what they are talking about, plucking!!! perhaps I should pluck them out of their seats and out of our house so they can marry their own house.