The Shark

It was supposed to a minor disagreement

Something to laugh over

He got a visa

He had to travel

He had to raise the money for the ticket

He ran everywhere but could only gather half of the money

He ran to his uncle

I need to travel as soon as possible sir

I got a foreign scholarship

I have a student’s visa to pursue my Ph.D

I ought to commence registration at so and so date

Once the academic session and registration was over

The visa would be forfeited

He was stuck! He cried for help!!

His uncle spoke with a neighbor

The Neighbor was a woman who was well travelled and highly influential

She asked him what asset he had that he could sell

He pointed to his car

The neighbor made some calls

One of the people the neighbor called came around

Saw the his car

“I will pay so and so amount for this car, if you had brought it to my shop it would have been worth far less. I understand your predicament and would buy it at that price  because of this Madam that called me. She is a powerful woman. Nobody says no to her!”

He knew the price was generous. He had put it up for sale for weeks but the price people were willing to pay was insulting

The price the man named was 20,000 more than he was willing to collect

He agreed

He got paid

He travelled!

The neighbor went to his uncle to express her grievance

She took offence that the young man did not come back to say thank you before travelling

The uncle tried very hard to explain. “He had only twenty-four hours left before his admission would lapse. He had to go immediately. I apologize on his behalf. He will call you as soon as he has settled down over there. Please forgive us”

The lady said she had forgiven the young man!

The Uncle smiled

The lady smiled

Time shook its head!

A year later, the lady returned to the Uncle with a list of demands.

Lady: When is your nephew coming come to see his family?

Uncle: In two weeks’ time

Lady: He had called me as you promised and I have never asked anything of him. This are the list of things I want him to bring for me on his return as a token of his appreciation.

She handed a list to the Uncle

As soon as she left, the Uncle called his nephew and told him to get a writing material.

The young man couldn’t believe what he heard.

Young man: She wanted a bus? I should load the bus with a gas cooker, a washing machine, a deep freezer, a fridge and a vacuum cleaner and a generator? Uncle, are you owing this neighbor of yours any money?

His uncle: No!

Young man: How many deutschemarks do you think I earn per hour? I am a student here. I could only do part time jobs at the local spaghetti factory. I have to pay my own transportation (ticket fee to and from Nigeria) and take care of my accommodation here. I also have a family back home that I have to cater for. My house rent at home and the school fees of my children! I am very sorry, your neighbor is not getting a dime of my money

His Uncle: You have to buy her something. This woman is a very powerful woman!!! We don’t fight people like her. Please! We appease people like her. Please, let us appease her

The young man felt there was no point arguing with his uncle. He promised he would buy the woman something

The Uncle went to the woman and explained that he had spoken with his nephew and even though he might not be able to afford all the demands, he had agreed to buy her something tangible

The young man travelled home.

He didn’t visit his uncle, he didn’t call his uncle. He avoided his uncle’s place like a plague

Three weeks after he arrived home, somebody called the Uncle, told him the young man was back in the country

The uncle arrived at the young man’s house very early in the morning

They talked

The young man apologized to his uncle, explained that he didn’t come to the Uncle’s house because of the woman

The Uncle understood.

The Uncle: So where are the things you promised you’d give her?

The young man had just cleared some of his cargoes.

He packed a carton of spaghetti, a carton of baked beans, a carton noodles, a carton of Sardines, a hand dryer and two Walkman sets.

He jumped into the car with his uncle

They went straight to the woman’s house

The woman got angry!

She screamed "Did I complain of hunger! Did I look like a beggar? Imagine! They brought me spaghetti and sardines!!"

The young man prostrated and begged!

He didn’t make enough money to buy a car for himself, he went to Germany to study!

The woman wouldn’t hear it

The young man got angry

Young man: What sort of nonsense is this? Did you give me a kobo for my journey? No! All you did was call somebody who bought my car!!! Were you the one that got me my international passport or visa? How come you are making unrealistic demands like this? And I even came here to beg you and you kept yapping and yapping! Are you God!

The young man stormed out of her house

The woman turned to his Uncle: Tell him I said he will never travel abroad again. He will never complete his studies. He will never prosper again. He has repaid my good with evil, I too will take his glory and sink it in the miry clay!

The young man got home miffed!

His Uncle arrived a while later.

The uncle invited the young man and his wife into a meeting and impressed upon them the necessity of peace and remorse.

The Uncle narrated stories about the extent of the power of the woman both physically, diabolically and spiritually.

The uncle left afterwards

That night they turned to God in prayer

They were afraid the woman’s word will take hold over their destinies and they had no other helper but God

They prayed using Psalm 2

The scripture said “If they asked, God would give them the heathen for their inheritance”

They asked!

A month later, as they were praying in his house before taking off for the airport. His uncle arrived. The woman had mysteriously gone blind overnight. Her family members were running helter-skelter at that moment. Looking for a solution.

The young man travelled that night without any incident

He had since completed his Ph.D and relocated to the USA

He is a renowned lecturer

His wife and children also relocated to be with him

 

Ps: A Christian who frowns at prayer will never shout for joy with a testimony