A DREAM COME TRUE ( Student's inspiration to success in education, Chapter 8)

It's another week of the inspirational story that can lead to student's success in education.

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Asuama used to pass by a house occupied by American missionaries every day on his way to work. The white missionaries also used to notice a young man who was very punctual to his duty and neat in appearance. He would leave for work at 7am and would come back by 5pm. What attracted Asuama to the missionaries was his humility and sense of responsibility as the missionaries secretly found out even as young as he was. Asuama never knew that he was being studied by the white men, and they had developed deep affection for him. For two weeks, he was indoors after the snake incident. He only came out in the evenings to buy a few items. After he had started to recollect himself, he came out of his hibernation. He began to socialize again by visiting old friends and acquaintances. One day, as he came back from visiting a friend, he was invited by one male missionary who was leisurely reading a newspaper at the balcony of his house. Asuama wondered what he had done wrong for a white man to call his attention, and his heart missed one or two beats. He stood there transfixed in a moment like a pylon, contemplating either to heed the invitation or move on. As he was about to move on, the man was humble enough to descend the stairs to meet Asuama on the ground.

"Hello, young man, how are you?" the missionary greeted.

"I am fine, sir," Asuama replied.

"I am Williams Johnson, a missionary from the United States of America on mission here in Nigeria," the white missionary introduced himself briefly.

"I want to make you my friend, may I know your name and what you are doing for a living?" The man went on with all amounts of sincerity.

"I am Asuama Atanguma Esenowo. I am not working at the moment, "he answered. The man appeared to be alarmed.

"You are not working, how do you cope in life... living with parents?" he enquired. From the intonation of the missionary, Asuama learned about the man's sincerity and deep concern about him. So Asuama opened up.

"I was working before with the rubber -plantation firm, but I had an accident," Asuama said, pulling off his trousers to show the man a deep bandage wound on his heel.

The man appeared to believe him and sympathized with him. He then became closer and opened up. The man then asked Asuama if he would like to work for him in his house. Asuama hesitated a while and appeared to be calculating the proposal by fidgeting his sandals on the sand. The man noticed it and asked him if he was thinking with his feet.

Asuama stopped instantly, summoned courage, and looked at the man in the eye,

"Please, sir, let me go home and think about it," he replied.

"How long will it take you to give me feedback, one week or two?", the missionary enquired.

"Two," he answered.

"Ok, don't fail to let me know, bye-bye and have a good night," the man concluded the interaction.

Asuama, in his characteristic way, went home, fell on his mat, and started meditating deeply about the pros and cons of working for a foreign missionary. How would his parents, especially the mother, receive the news? What would become of his future and ambition to further his education? Should he pack and go home to continue his search for palm kernels there in order to save some money for his education? His thoughts were running riot, and he was greatly disturbed. In his cloudy and troubled mind, he was carried away by sleep.

In his sleep, he dreamt of a white man driving him to a far distant school and got him registered there for classes. He saw himself struggling to acclimatize in the new school, and later, he was appointed the senior prefect of the school. There was jubilation and applause when his name was called by the principal. He was asked by the principal to stand up for recognition. As he stood up, he was smiling broadly. As the principal cleared his voice to give a brief profile of him, there was a knock on the door, which momentarily cut short his dream. He woke up and was still smiling broadly. With a push of the door, Effanga bumped into the room while Asuarna was groping around in the room with heavy sleep in his eyes.

"Didn't you sleep last night for you to be dreaming at this odd time of the day. I'm going home tomorrow morning if you have any message to deliver home, "Effanga announced after scolding him a bit as if he knew what Asuama was passing through in the dream.

Asuama did not even utter any word nor greet him. Perhaps he was not happy with Effanga, who came to disrupt his "sweet" dream. He looked at the-time, it was 7.30pm. He reached out for a sheet of paper and started scribbling something on it, and he was fast regaining his consciousness. He was informing his parents of the proposal by an American missionary to hire him as a house-help in Ifon. He asked them to send a reply of approval through Effanga to him, He reached out for an envelop, thrust in the letter, sealed it with his saliva and passed it to Effanga, Effanga was patiently waiting for him all this time.

"Don't tell them what happened to me!, and when you come back, don't fail to see me the following day," Asuama commanded.

"Yes 'Oga', but be informed that the foreman said you should try and see him," Effanga announced as he stepped out of the room into the dark street.

The foreman at the rubber plantation had really missed the services of Asuama at the farm and had been longing to see him to assure him that there would be no more snakes in the plantation. But once Asuama had taken a stand on something, just like his father, it was very difficult for him to change his mind. He again resolved never to go back to his job at the plantation, and he stuck to it.

That is the end of chapter eight. See you in chapter nine.

I am @udyliciouz