WHEN TABLES TURN

     “E ra eja, e se be o” “change your ways, for the kingdom of God is nigh” “Juliana, abeg help me bring water from that big drum, hey no no no, no help me put salt, I go come put am by myself ” “Iyana oworo oshood, oshodi oshod, two more chance oshod”.
It’s just 5am and the street of Lagos is already filled with hustle and bustle, We can already hear a lot of people going about their daily business. From the sweet melodious voice of the fish seller, to the angry voice of the confused pastor, mama Kingsley the food vendor is there getting her things together, she probably have some people who are already waiting to buy food for breakfast. The bus conductor who never calls oshodi in full is also there telling his driver to get ready for takeoff since there are only two passengers left. These are the routine I wake up to everyday for the past six months which makes me wonder if the people around here ever sleeps.

     My name is Hassan Bello, the son of a popular business man in Ibadan, Ali Bello,  or maybe I used to be, until my mother confessed that he was not my father.
I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I had everything I wanted In life, since I was the only child of my parents they showered me with love and affection. Gifts and material things were the only friends I had. I never knew the value of people because I believed that I already had all what I wanted, people will only try to take them away from me. The only friend I had in my secondary school days was more like a slave to me, his name was Yinka, I liked him because he was intelligent and he always helped me with my homework and in return I shared whatever I had with him. He was a bookworm and other children didn’t want to have anything to do with him, we got along quite easily because I didn’t have friends too. Moreover, I didn’t treat Yinka like a friend, I always made him carry my bag and whenever he refuses, I would deny him of all the things I used to give him. I was only taking advantage of his poor background.
Yinka’s parents died in a car accident, his rich uncle volunteered to take care of him, but his uncle was rarely home as he was always travelling, he was left in care of his uncle’s wife who maltreated him. She always made him do all the house chores and gave him little or no food at all. Most of the time, he ate remnants from the kitchen. The only time he gets to eat a proper meal was when his uncle was around and he never dared to tell because he would be as good as dead if he did.
Yinka always advised me to treat people well because we don’t know what the future holds for us, but I always told him that my future was assured  because my parents had enough wealth to carry me through my entire life and I was their only child. I never saw Yinka after we left secondary school, he won a scholarship and traveled out if the country.

     My life was at a standstill for sometimes as I couldn’t secure an admission into any University with my poor grades, but I wasn’t really fazed about it, I failed jamb a couple of times until my mother decided to buy my way into a private University. I never took my studies serious, I bribed lecturers for grades, everyday was a party to me, I met some boys who introduced me to hard drugs and smokes, my whole life was a mess. Four years passed and I was able to pay for a certificate that I never deserved. My father gave me a job at his company, I was the managing director,but I managed nothing. All I did was to spend money and party.
I started having some problems when my father fell sick, he got admitted into the hospital and he was there for months. I had squandered all the company’s money and the company was now  in debt. My father managed to fly out of the country to get a proper treatment. While he was away, my mother called me to her room one day and told me to take whatever I wanted and run far away to start a new life, I was confused, I asked her why I needed to run away, that was when she told me that Mr Hassan Bello was not my biological father. I was surprised, then I told her to explain better to me. She said my father was a nobody. He was a driver to Mr Hassan Bello, she took advantage of the affair between her and Mr Bello. She said she came to work as an housemaid in Mr Bello’s house 25 years ago, Mr Bello had a wife and two children them , but he made sexual advances towards her while she was already in love with the driver. When Mr Bello’s wife found out about my mother’s affair with her husband, she threatened to send my mother out of the house but my mother  said she wouldn’t go anywhere. While all these were happening, she was already two months pregnant, her affair with Mr Bello wasn’t up to a month yet , she knew quite well that the driver was responsible for her pregnancy, but she wanted to enjoy a wealthy life. She kept her pregnancy and planned to kill Mr Bello’s wife. She got lucky when Mr Bello’s wife said she wanted to travel to her mother’s place with her children. My mother took advantage of that and tampered with her car. The driver who was responsible for her pregnancy drove them to the village, they had an accident on the way and they all died. Mr Bello saw her as his only hope so he decided to marry her.
She told me that Mr Bello’s sickness was also one of her doings, she has been poisoning his food for months and it was beginning to melt his organs, but she was in trouble because Mr Bello was now alright and he knows her secret, he threatened to lock her up when he returns.
She said he found out about all her wicked acts, how she killed his wife and children and how she planned to kill him too so that I would inherit all the properties.she said she only wanted to give me the life that her parents couldn’t afford to give her.
I never asked for all she did, I was so confused that I didn’t know what to say or do, I left the house in anger and didn’t return until late night, when I got back home, I found her dead. She poisoned herself, I cried and called for help but it was too late.
Mr Bello came back after two weeks and sent me out of his house. I couldn’t bear the shame. I left Ibadan to start a life in Lagos. I realised that my whole life has been a waste. Now is the time for me to reap what I have sowed. I was told to never think it can’t happen to me but I refused to listen.
I walked around the streets of Lagos for weeks, I tried to get a job but I didn’t last more than two days anywhere since I didn’t know how to do anything, I spent all the money I had on me and it was becoming really difficult to survive, I made friends with one of mama kingsley’s girl and I was lucky to get food from her from time to time.  I used to live in a mansion but now I don’t even have a proper shelter. I was beginning to know the value of people, the table has really turned on me. I never imagined this type of life for myself.
     I decided to take charge of my life. It wasn’t too late for me to start again. I started doing some menial jobs to keep up, I made friends with people, most children in the neighborhood liked me because of my fluent English which was the only thing I got as a rich kid, I also educated the children on how to treat people well. I told them to always be good because this life has a way of giving you back what you give to others.
     I got a job in a petrol station as an attendance and I was offered a salary of forty thousand naira, I was happy with my new job, after working for some months, I was able to afford a shelter, I paid for a single room apartment and moved in with absolutely nothing, I just needed a place to rest my head after the day’s stress. I work hard and diligently, everybody at the filling station loved me just for being good. I now realise that we need people in our life. Juliana, mama kingsley’s girl, has been so helpful to me and for the first time in my life I felt attracted to a girl. I found myself thinking more about her and I even worked more in order to pay her back for her generosity towards me.
      one day my manager told me that the owner of the filling station wanted to see me, I was worried because people that has gone to see the owner in the past has always come back with a sad face, I thought I was going to lose my job. When I go to the man’s office, he  look so familiar but I decided to pull myself together.  he said he called me because the manager recommended me. he said he had a new station and he needed one of his staff to be the manager there, it turns out that you are the best man for the position, he said. I was there smiling, at least I wasn’t going to lose my job. He asked me for my name and I said Ali Bello, I saw surprise written all over his face, he looked up and asked me where I was from, ibadan sir, I responded. Then he asked if I knew him before, but I said no, he asked if I knew anyone with the name Yinka. I said I had a friend whose name was Yinka when I was in secondary school.it turns out that the owner of the filling station where I worked is my friend that I didn’t treat so well in school. I became scared once again, but you can’t got up and gave me a hug, he asked me how I became a petrol attendant, he knew my father. I told him my story and now I decided to take charge of my life, he smiled and said I told you, never think it can happen to you.
     Yinka made me the manager of another station my salary increased and how is now able to afford a good life, I expressed my feelings to Juliana and she accepted to marry me.
      This was my life, I did what I had to do,it took me years to restructure my life, I didn’t allow my past and mistakes of my mother take control of me. What if you were in my shoes, what would you do? WHEN THE TABLES TURN.