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No More Brotherhood
by Dr. Derrick Lim
2007-12-17 09:03:20 |
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“One who polishes other people’s shoes at one’s risk will have oneself to blame.” The struggle of a man begins at birth. Moses Johnson, a brilliant young chap, who was the hero of the play, grew up in a slum. Even though he was from a religious and focused family he was optimistic about his future. Despite the fact that Moses did not have an academic breakthrough and financial assistance on time, his faith still remained strong.
While struggling to achieve his academic goal, he went for an apprenticeship for one year, which he later used to have the means of a livelihood. During that time, Moses also worked with stressful industries under the umbrella of Lebanese who used all the member of staff as slaves. In a nutshell, he was admitted into a higher institution of learning outside of his residential state. He was not only good at his course of study but also a disciplined scholar.
The young chap stayed with his neighbourhood friend before finding another means of accommodation. On one nice occasion, he met one of his old secondary school friends with whom he lived with for some months. The school tuition was not paid on time due to the financial backwardness of the family at the time of his success. The friend collected nothing from him, but always used his philandering act to disturb his academic and spiritual movement in life.
The philanderer always created a chance for his fiancée who lived beside his room. The Lady (Fiancée) had a room mate (female) whom the philanderer was making a personal debate on the person to date before finalizing on choosing the second.
When Moses was not conducive with his living, he left the room with him despite the fact that he had paid half of the house rent to him. God’s favour later came at the side of the optimist who mingled with another caucus of friends at the same department where he was accommodated freely. Wilson Jones, his main room mate who accommodated him, always did good to him, providing some of his needs at the convenient time. The optimist appreciated Wilson’s good deeds, because “A friend in need is a friend indeed”.
Oladayo Dickson and Richard Amos were the remaining room mates; four grown-up male children living in a room. It was so nice and friendly for the quatrain living together without any procrastinated commotion. They all helped one other financially, academically together with other means of livelihood. But Moses Johnson was the best egg-head among them who always assisted them in every academic difficulty. Not that the triplet were mediocre but they were average students who took academic with levity hands. He was known at the department as a scholar who rendered assistance to those who were academically backward or bankrupt. His association with the nice friends elevated his financial needs from grass to grace.
Owing to his brilliancy and good deeds, his English Language lecturer mingled with him because he was absolutely outstanding on the course. This prestige grew like that of a palm tree. Even though the students counted the Language Lecturer as a sadist, Moses looked at him as a disciplinarian and a man who loved the brilliant ones. With the influence of the English Lecturer, another lecturer, a woman who also mingled with the young chap, ninety-five percent of the students disliked the two lecturers; looking at them as sadists but they were disciplinarians.
Moses scored the best mark in the woman’s (lecturer’s) course; he was called and awarded for his brilliancy. Sometimes the lecturer would take him home in her personal car, giving him money whenever he was financially handicapped. Even, with God’s favour at his side, the lecturer loved him to the level that the scripts of his class and other higher classes were in control of him. She did not engage in favouritism and nepotism but his brilliancy gave him the chance to hold the key of control.
At the tragic scene, a take-home assignment was given three times; each consisted of ten marks with the total of thirty marks. The Creator also gave Moses the key of success to score the highest mark in the department out of the total of six hundred and seventy five students. Not that he was the best at the department but one of the best. Everyone took him like an egg that must neither be cracked nor broken, he scored seventeen and a half out of thirty marks; despite the marks, he was the best of all. The lecturer gave him his department (Level) work to record.
Owing to his magnanimous attitude with his good friends who scored poor marks, he managed to give them marks for them not to fail the course. It was because any poor mark in the continuous
assessment of the woman’s course would lead to failure in examination. It was tragic when the woman discovered Moses' deviant behaviour by giving his friends marks. She shouted thus: “Did you change the marks or not?" Just tell me the truth. “I changed, changed, changed the marks Ma, just to assist my friends,” said Moses.
“So, because you scored the best mark and you are promoting your friends that cannot study hard,” now our relationship like a mother and a child has ended today!" said the lecturer. The most painful part was that Moses’ lecturer (The woman) wanted to write two textbooks with him, who wanted to make the percentage to be seventy percent for her and thirty percent for Moses. This deviant act jeopardized his chance. She was a lecturer in United Kingdom, America and Brazil, a very nice woman who loved to elevate the young scholars.
Moses lamented and wept bitterly and lamented thus, “Sorry Ma, I did it in order to assist them, I collected nothing from them and this is just a brotherhood.”“Well, I can’t write books with you again, because you are not worthy to be trusted,” said the lecturer, “You must be disciplined for this, I can’t fail you because you are brilliant. Do you want me to discipline your friends or you?” asked the lecturer. Moses replied, “Ma, I can’t ask you to mar any party’s career, but judge me according to God’s will.” The expression made the lecturer forgive him but the opportunity he had with her was lost.
The fateful day was the day of their first semester examination when the fire burnt the bush. When the Samaritan got home with a sorrow mind, one of his room mates said, “Na only you won get good result for department wey you dey come back from school by this time of the day.” They knew not what happened to him and he calmed down his tension in order to avoid commotion because Moses was a hot-tempered being. This bad news was kept in his mind for good four months, sharing it with nobody before the result came out. He did not tell them because, if they failed the course, it might lead to inter-war between the lecturer and them.
God so good, Moses and his friends did not fail the course and he told them his trauma. Moses lamented thus, “I use brotherhood to me mar my future golden opportunity and uncommon favour. I was born without a silver spoon and this opportunity passed me by.” He believed that God would still elevate him. Moses re-tightened his belt after his friends and him finished the school and prayed to God for divine favour and God continued to do him good as a Reward. “If I had known, I would have said no to brotherhood that marred my golden opportunity”.
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