Who Stole My Money?

By Austin Allens

IT was Monday morning. The high-ups were already in their offices when I arrived in Okada, I made straight for my office where I met a young man waiting. The youngman recognized me as his primary four classmate before the war. We ran into each other. No. we collide in a warm embrace.

Let me say that it took the deliberate effort of a christian brother to separate us. He thought a fight had ensued following the back slapping from both of us. Whereupon an envelope from my immediate senior sister was slipped into my hand by the visitor who was in a hurry to get back to base. You can trust these military men.

I tore open the envelope to discover a whiff of money which my sister said she would save to buy a sowing machine. I was tempted by the denomination but held myself from spending the money. My sister could make up her mind the following day to take back the money and I would be thrown into confusion. So I resisted the temptation.

As I counted the money behind the closed door, I heard a tap. Not even the ‘hold-on’ I yelled at the visitor could prevent the door from opening. I hurriedly threw the money into an open drawer and eased the drawer closed. The visitor turn out to be somebody form outside who needed assistance. Even though the urge was there to close the door, I sheepishly followed the visitor to the office of who he was looking for. It was while the duo were discussing I remembered that I left the money inside a drawer and my door was not locked.

It is pertinent to let readers know that I was suffering from constipation before I got to the office that Monday morning. I had eaten some salad too many the previous day. A christian sister prepared the salad and the temptation was too much to resist when the salad was served. I ate with both hands like an infant. I could not got o the toilet few hours later. This was what I carried to the office the next day.

However, when I remembered that I left some good money in an office that was not locked, the speed with which I left the visitor could be better imagined.

On my arrival, I met two fresh visitors waiting. I had the urge to tell them to excuse me. But I was yet to open my mouth when one of them opened up.

“Sir, I have a project that I am writing and I was directed here by the receptionist who said you can be of help,” she explained.

I was not in the mood to discuss such thing. I ordered them to the next office to enable me tidy up certain things and pray before the day’s work commences. They reluctantly moved out.
Having searched where I thought I kept the money and found nothing, I became so pressed that I would have emptied my bowel on my pants.

I took action. I opted for the toilet’s key and zoomed past the visitors. I swept past the one who thought I was leaving them to attend to other matters that morning. I tried frantically to open the toilet door which refused to open despite all efforts. When eventually I succeeded in depositing what was in me, sweat broke out of my tempo. I had to spend sometime to be myself before I returned. The visitors followed me into the office a second time and I had to allow them remain although not without a remark of “I told you to give me time to pray just now”.

To this, one of them replied that we could pray together since they were also christians. After the prayers I told them my predicament. None offered explanation.

“Could it be that my money was in the pocket of one of those visitors?” I asked myself. I could not provide immediate answers.

It was while I was looking for my reading glasses I came across the money, scattered in the drawer like a protesting lots.

I grabbed the money and re-counted. I ignored the visitors and I had to put a call through to my sister to ascertain the figure. It was correct.

I did not waste further time in calling one of the intern students, Mr. Anthony Oligbo to pay in the money immediately.

However, I was taken aback when one of the visitors demanded an apology, saying that I was suspicious of them.

Shocked, I rose to walk out the boys from my office.
“This is my office. I would not have a lay-about insult me in my office. I warned that they keep shut until they leave.

This was when the Holy Spirit ministered to me that I should not vent my anger on innocent people.

But who would have believed that the money was stolen? Who would have believed that I foolishly followed somebody to another office when the money was stolen?

This is why those followers and the people we follow should take their time to sort out certain things. There are times you are too busy to answer calls and yet such caller would think you are proud or wicked.

May God not give me powers that I cannot control.