The Life of a Job Seeker: Episode 6
The Life of a Job Seeker: Episode 6
EPISODE 6: The Promises
Confusion at its peak!
“How on earth could you be pregnant? Are you kidding me? Common! Are you a kid? I expected you to have done something to ensure that incident did not result in pregnancy. So, who among us do you want to hold responsible?” Femi asked in anger.
Kobi who was already trembling implored Femi to calm down explaining that his reaction would only make matters worse but instead, he flared even more. However, when Femi realized that Mr. Atuka, a Military man known for strict disciplinary actions was related to Nadia, he had no choice but to become calm and find ways to settle the issue amicably.
“It is shameful enough that you guys raped me and got me pregnant out of wedlock, but how do I return home after our POP next week to tell my Parent that I am pregnant and I don’t know who is responsible for the pregnancy?” Nadia sobbed.
Femi pleaded that she aborted the pregnancy to relieve them a lot of stress. But for Nadia, abortion wasn’t an option. Ever since she lost a friend of hers to abortion while she was in secondary school, she had always feared it. “What if I die? What if my womb gets damaged and I am never able to conceive afterward?” she yelled! “I can’t abort the baby neither can I tell my parent of it. My father is very strict and he would probably disown me and have you guys arrested if he becomes aware”.
After so much deliberation, curse, and disputes, they came to a concession.
The Concession
Nadia agreed not to return to her parent in Lagos nor inform them of the pregnancy until she puts to bed. In the meantime, she agreed to tell her parent that she was offered a job by her PPA and she won’t be able to visit home for some time.
Kobi and Femi promised to remain with her in Sokoto until she puts to bed. They agreed to tell their family that they were pursuing a decent job, hence they would not be able to return home for a while. The plan was to buy enough time for Nadia to put to bed so that they could figure out who among them was the father of the child. Once the father was identified, he would accompany Nadia to her family to apologize and discuss the best course of action for the child’s care. To ensure they do not fail their promise by abandoning her, Nadia moved her belongings to the luxurious apartment to live with them. Do you think this was a wise decision they took?
The Beginning of Job Hunt
In the meantime, the three started sending applications to different organizations but they were not getting invited for interviews. Soon Nadia realized that the 2 guys were poor, and the luxurious apartment wasn’t even theirs but Kwasi’s. They relied on her for money until she became exhausted. When things got tough, the guys confided in Kwasi who helped them renew the house rent and also gave them about N100,000 to manage in the meantime.
Guilty Conscience
Kobi couldn’t bear lying to his family and girlfriend. He was unsure whether or not to inform Sophia about it. At one point, he thought telling her would put an end to their relationship; at another, he thought it would be worse if she found out later. He confided in his best friend Faruq, who encouraged him to tell her the truth.
Kobi mustered the fortitude to tell her about it after considerable contemplation. “Sophia was disappointed when she learned the news. How could you do such a thing to me? She yelled in dissapointment. For 4 weeks she didn’t pick nor return his calls or messages. But deep inside, she yearned for him. The more she tried to ignore her feelings for him, the more she missed and craved to be with him.
Indeed, love is crazy! “Why am I so crazy about him even after he broke my heart?”, she cried. Since she couldn’t bear to lose him to another woman, she sent him a soft message to express her disappointment in him and to initiate another apology from him so that they could reconcile. Soon she forgave him and they reconciled. She promised to stand by him even if the child turned out to be for him as long as he didn’t marry Nadia.
Plan B
When things grew tougher, Kobi remembered his Uncle’s promise to get him the best job during his convocation. He pleaded with Nadia and Femi that they allowed him go home to discuss the job with his uncle. He promised to send them money from his salary and also visit them by the end of every month. At first, they disagreed, but later they agreed as poverty began to strike them the hard way.
Kobi’s conscience wouldn’t let him hide the secret from his family when he returned home. He explained the whole incident to his mother and siblings who were very disappointed. “So, after working hard to train you through school, rather than rewarding our hard work by getting employed, taking good care of us, and having a blissful wedding, you opted to return from your service as a broke, jobless, and confused moron who doesn’t know whether he is a father of a child or not”, his mother yelled. But then, the did was already done. Kobi apologized to them, promised them he would be great in life, and compensate them for their effort in a good way. He also explained his plan to visit his uncle for the job he promised him during his convocation.
The Visit
Before kicking off for the 2hrs journey that Saturday morning, Kobi dialed Mr. Julius’ number to inform him that he would be coming but when the phone rang, Mr. Julius assumed Kobi must have called to beg for money, hence he did not answer.
Impatient Kobi zoomed off to Mr. Julius’ house. Kobi had just gotten off the bus and was walking down to Mr. Julius’ house when he dialed Mr. Julius’ phone again by accident. He was about to cut the call since he was just about 20 feet away from the house when Mr. Julius picked the call.
“Good morning Uncle, I called you earlier to let you know that I would be coming to your house today to…….”. Kobi had not finished talking when Mr. Julius responded “No, don’t bother to come because I am not at home, I traveled with my family to Abuja and we won’t be back till next month, do take care of yourself”. And then he hung the call on him.
Stunned by the response he got, Kobi stood by a tree close to Mr. Julius’ house pondering what to do next. He was about to dial his Uncle’s number again to explain why he called earlier when he heard his name from a tender voice; Uncle Kobi! Uncle Kobi! He turned to find out who was calling him. Lo and behold, it was his little cousin Blessing, Mr. Julius’ 7-year-old daughter. Kobi walked towards the little child and asked; how come you are here? Where are you coming from? Where are Daddy and Mummy? She responded innocently; I came out to enjoy my bicycle ride. Daddy and Mummy are inside the house.’ Kobi became perplexed as to why his Uncle would lie about his traveling.
While he was still debating whether to go into the house or just return home angrily, Blessing hopped off her bicycle and dragged him by his shirt to the house happily.
The Surprise
There was nobody in the sitting room when they arrived at the residence. Kobi sat on the sofa while Blessing ran into the dining room screaming joyfully; “Daddy, Mummy, guess the surprise I have for you”. “What surprise do you have for us, my Dear?” asked Mr. Julius and his wife. “My surprise is in the sitting room”, she replied happily.
They followed her to the sitting room to see what lovely surprise she had in store for them. They were completely taken aback when they discovered Kobi in the sitting room. Shocked, Mr. Julius inquired; “How comes you are here, Kobi?” Kobi responded, “I was close to your house when I called you earlier, Uncle, and I was ready to return home when I happened to see Blessing on the way, and she told me you were all at home and not in Abuja”.
Mr. Julius retorted, “Therefore you think I lied to you, so you came to confirm it, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m not in Abuja right now, but I’ll be there with my family this evening, so you shouldn’t have bothered to come”. Blessing, surprised by her father’s comments, interjected, “but, Daddy you promised I would begin my dance lesson here tomorrow, why do we have to go to………”, before completing her statement, angrily Mr. Julius responded, “will you get inside!”
“Anyways why are you here?”, Mr. Julius turned to Kobi and asked again. Kobi responded; “I came to greet you and also to give you my CV and other credentials for a job opportunity”. Mr. Julius responded furiously, “Kobi you are a man, you should be able to go out there and search for jobs yourself. You should learn to be independent. When I was your age, I hustled to get myself a job”.
“But Uncle you promised to get me the best job during my convocation”, Kobi responded. “I did?”, Mr. Julius asked in amazement. Obviously he had forgotten that he made a promise to Kobi.
“Don’t worry, Kobi; if I hear of any employment openings that match your qualifications, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, just hold on to that copy of your CV and credentials because you will need as many copies as possible for submissions to various organizations in your job search”.
At this point, Kobi realized that his uncle’s promise to get him a job was an empty one. Lesson 1: Do not rely on promises.
Mr. Julius offered Kobi N1,000 for transportation back home. “Take this and extend my greetings to your mother when you get home. Humbly, disappointed Kobi declined, don’t worry Uncle, I have sufficient money to return home. He picked up his credentials and left. He was lost in thought as he returned home. So, what do I do now? Should I return to Sokoto to search for a job and await my fate when Nadia puts to bed or do I remain in Niger to continue my hunt? If you were in Kobi’s shoes, what would you do?
For this and much more Information relating to employability skills, employment opportunities, career advancement, and entrepreneurship development; Join our Telegram and WhatsApp groups, and also follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
