Eight
Love is war, war is love. When you fall in love, many obstacles, nay,
enemies, rise against you and your beloved but your patience, confidence and steadfastness
make you win the war … – Anonymous…
Adeolu accompanied her to the waiting cab, which was parked
just outside the gates of the Mall. As she waved him goodbye, Ade could not but
laugh at the big fish his playing hook had caught. It was time to go home and
tell Layi over the phone what the day had offered him.
He hummed to the tune of his favourite Fatai Rolling Dollars
song, Won Kere Si Number Wa as he
twirled the keys to his car. He unlocked it, checked if nothing was missing and
zoomed off to his beloved home after paying for the parking ticket.
Adeolu is what could be best described as a self-made man
but he hates to be called or tagged as such. The story of his life tells one of
the many struggles that he seriously hides under the canopy of his present-day success.
At 30 years, Adeolu lives in his own house – a five-bedroom duplex
in the Shangisha area of Lagos State and has a three-bedroom flat in the Isolo
area of the state, which he had put up for rent. He had to pack into the house
to save him the cost of exorbitant rent which he was paying in Magodo Phase Two
for a four-bedroom duplex. He bought the houses for a cheap price and with his entire
savings because he believed it would rise and he would get back his savings
since he wouldn’t be paying rent again. He loved houses which had ample space
because ever since he earned his first thousand, he had been dreaming of raising
his family in an environment free of noise and which offers the best physical
and health benefits for his children especially.
“I will give my children the best things money can afford
but they will never be spoilt in the least. I learnt prudence and financial
independence from my parents despite the hard life we witnessed then. My children
must be religiously and morally upright while getting their rights from me. They
must know that life is not a bed of roses and nothing they get comes easy. They
have to earn what they use because many are out there who are better than them
but haven't got their kind of opportunity,” he always tells Layi, who seriously
agrees with his line of reasoning.
His parents, for their help towards his success, and his
other siblings, live in a six-bedroom flat built for him in their home town,
which is not too far from Lagos. Another two-bedroom flat, which was also built
for them by Adeolu, brings in monthly income for them. They have a 200 model
Toyota Camry for their running-around. Their prayers have kept him going.
Despite his seeming wealthy status, Adeolu lives a prudent
lifestyle and hates noise-making. He owns two cars – a Toyota RAV 4, which he drives
around town, and a Honda CRV, which only goes out once in a while. His cars
were black in colour.
“I fought and slept and romanced sufferness for years. Poverty was my wife for many part of my
growing up and the success I have achieved today is nothing but the grace of
God and the persistent struggles of my parents,” Adeolu always tells his listeners
when occasion calls for it.
“My mother will take the most credit for my success because
she was the one who encouraged me in those years when I have thought it would
end. My father also deserves kudos for telling me that he cared not where I ended
but still finding means to provide the school fees for my primary to university
education.”
He was the first child in a family of eight. His father, who
was a civil servant and small-scale businessman, had two wives. His mother was
the first and had three of the five children – Adeolu and his brother –
Olalekan. After Lekan’s birth, his mother couldn’t give birth to another child
and Adeolu’s father wanted female children, hence the marriage between him and
Adeolu’s step mother was born. Madam Tinuke gave birth to three children – two
females, Adeola and Aderayo, and a male, who was the last child of the family,
Aderoju.
The children were very gifted in intelligence and everything
about each one of the five was fast. At the age of six, they were already in
Primary One. Their father’s business was quite booming and prosperous till he
was suddenly retrenched from work for some unknown offences when Adeolu was
just about eight years. Thus began the struggle to keep the children in school
and maintain the family’s feeding need. Mr. Adelaja cherished education and
would do all within his power to see his children stay in school, including
changing them from private schools to the public ones.
It later became so tough that Madam Tinuke left her children
for their father and her senior wife. Adeolu could remember well the incident
because he was already in secondary school – he was in JSS three. The eldest
then, Adeola, was just six years old while the last, Aderoju was two.
“Iyaale mi (my
senior) I can’t continue with this suffering, I have to go. It seems you are
attuned to this kind of life. I can’t let my beauty become washed off with
sufferings of this kind. You have the children, I will go and sort myself.
Thank God they already know I am their mother, so when they grow up, I will
explain to them and if they like they can forgive me. For now, I need to get
out of this house,” Tinuke had said when Adeolu’s mother was pleading with her
to change her decision about quitting the marriage.
When the going was good, their father had built a
four-roomed house on the piece of land he had inherited, which still stood
beside their present home in Adeolu’s hometown. That eased the burden of the family.
Adeolu’s mother took the children as hers and raised them as she would hers. Adelaja
later came up with the sharing formula of paying only school fees for the five
children while Adeolu’s mother took care of the domestic needs. It did little
to help because she only had a little shop where she sold variety of daily
needs. That was how they were raised till Adeolu got out of higher institution –
the University of Ibadan – where he studied Banking and Finance.
Adeolu’s friend, Layi, who he had met in secondary school,
was from a better family than theirs and their friendship had stood the test of
time. Layi contributed most to what
His income comes from a variety of sources. He learnt
quickly that he had to stand on his feet after his NYSC and as such he had
began the work of project writing and consulting before he left UI. People from
every field brought their Degree and Masters projects to him to help write and
he charged them reasonable fees, which went sky high after he left school. He had
also added project management to his portfolio after he did a course in it
during his Service in Rivers State.
Along with Layi, he also had a supermarket with three
branches in Lagos. They sold in wholesale price and there was hardly no product
they failed to have. Adeolu along with Layi also invested heavily in the delivery
of petroleum products to homes and offices. They have a supplier who gets the
product for them to deliver to the end users. The supplier provides the tanker
for movement of the products and sells to them at a reasonable price while
Adeolu and Layi add their profit for getting the customers.
He also dealt in the stock market and foreign exchange
market. He was always monitoring prices on either his laptop or i-Pad. He sells
and buys even when he is eating. At that age, Adeolu had two Masters in
Accounting and Insurance. He was an agent for a few insurance companies. When new
products come, he is always working with his sweet mouth to convince people to
take up policies for him to get his commission.
“When poverty teaches the way it taught me, you will have
your fingers in many pies as I have them,” he tells Layi, who believes the
Supermarkets were enough an avenue to earn money for them.
His business card tells the story better. ‘Jack of all
trades, master of all’, read one of the appellations on the card.
He got home, dropped the keys and his tablet on the table
and whisked out his phones from his pockets – a blackberry and an android phone.
The time was a few minutes to nine. He hadn’t speed as he was driving home. The
light traffic on the road also eased his journey. He needed to gist Layi about
the day’s catch. Summary would be enough for Layi tonight while he would
explain the details when they meet. They would surely check what was going on
at the Supermarket the following day, so he would have time to explain to his ‘brother’.
He also needed to call Lola because that was another task he
could not afford to miss. But before those, he needed to fix something for dinner.
He lived practically alone apart from his security, who opens the gate for him.
He cooks his food and cleans the house himself despite having paid helps, who
come once in two weeks. Although the house was hardly dirty, he does the
cleaning everyday.
He looked into his kitchen white chest freezer and brought
out the leftover beans ha had there. The microwave oven was soon humming while getting
the food hot. He left the kitchen to remove his clothes and he dialed Layi’s
number. He picked on the first ring.
“You no dey allow person enjoy this your caller tune before
you pick. See your head like P,” he said as he wriggled out of his trousers in
the passage leading to his room. His shoes were downstairs.
“Go get your own or make you take the song do your ring
tone. Olodo,” Layi replied.
“Na you I been wan call to know if you don reach house. Abi you
still dey on top your wakawaka,” he continued.
“I don reach jare. Thanks bro. I even wanted to gist you
that’s why I called you now but I will tell you the summary and I will disclose
the details later plus I will also hear your day’s tale too,” Adeolu quipped.
“Oya shoot. I know that your day must have been fun for you
not to call or flash until I did around eight o’clock. It was unusual.”
Adeolu briefed him of how his day went and gave him the
information he needed to know about Lola’s arrival thereafter, he ended the
call and dialed Lola’s number.
