No matter how poor you can be, there are some insults you cannot take and if someone tries them with you, you’d think of suing them even though you know so well that you don’t have the money. This has happened to me so many times but there is one event that I can’t forget and I’m about to share it with you all.
When I was serving my country, I worked in a school and I was opportune to meet so many people especially the rich ones since it’s a big man’s school. One afternoon, a teacher called me and asked if I’m interested in holding an extra lesson for a pupil. I didn’t even think about it twice. I had to accept the offer because I know I’d be able to make more income. I spoke with the mother of the child and she agreed to pay me fifty thousand naira which is equivalent to $35 here and this a lot of money here though.
I began the lesson and didn’t miss a single day. Even when I’m very tired and I’m supposed to go home to rest, I always make sure that I make it up to the boy. I knew I was doing it for money but I really want to teach the boy in a way that he will understand and the parents will be glad. After a month, I reminded the mother of the child about my salary and she promised to pay. I continued the lesson for an extra week but she didn’t pay me my money so she asked me to stop the lesson with the child until we resume school again.
I kept on calling her for my money but not in a way that will get her angry since I wasn’t doing that everyday and she paid me after a three weeks. It isn’t fair and the most painful part of it is that she paid me forty five thousand naira instead of fifty thousand naira. It’s painful and made me feel less of myself that if I were rich, she was never going to try that with me. I spent a lot of money on transportation and spent hours to teach the boy because I’d have to beg and pet the boy before he agrees to have the lesson so why should I be paid less.
I was like, “I can actually sue this woman”. If I had done anything wrong she could have told me instead of deducting my payment and since then, I vowed not to ever step my legs into their house anymore.
Would you believe that she started calling me when school resumed again? I aired her and not respond to her texts or pick her calls because that’s exactly what she did to me when she hasn’t paid my money. I texted her several times and called her but she didn’t respond to my texts. I also stopped working in the school because I was done with my service and I don’t have the plans to continue working there.
Someday when I grow up, I think I’d have to sue some people if they ever pay me less or late. We all have reasons for working so they must know that we need the money and not delay payments for at most two weeks.
