ONCE UPON A LAZY YOUNG NIGERIAN MAN
He smelled about as pleasant as puke coming straight from the belly of a sick automobile. He was not to be ignored, for he took his seat right next to me. My stomach churned in retaliation, offended by the strong odour from the accumulated grease and dirt on his work clothes.
But something about the way he lounged in the seat beside me in the bank's waiting area caught my attention- his demeanour was a fascinating blend of congeniality and defiance. I struck a conversation with him (quite out of character for me) and the pleasantness with which he replied belied the defiance in his posture- sprawled in his seat with a seemingly deliberate disregard for the hostile glare of other bank customers.
His crime? He was an automobile engineer (as I had called the mechanic earlier, to which he smiled indulgently, his sense of importance heightened) who had been hurried up by his boss to deposit the day's earning without a chance to freshen himself up.
As soon as I was able to recover from my initial pettiness (why, he smells so bad!... Oh no, he's coming over here... God, are banks not supposed to be formal institutions for civilized people?), I began to notice qualities in him that I could emulate.
I saw the pride he had in his vocation. He had told me that it was not his job to make the daily deposits but he had to do it until his colleague in charge returned from her leave. He seemed to be more content dealing with car engines than facing haughty cashiers in overstarched shirts.
I saw grit. And yes, he spoke fairly good English too, a telling sign that though a mechanic, he didn't resort to 'razzness' (sorry, my vocabulary fails me here).
I saw confidence, the kind that didn't seek permission from other people before making oneself comfortable. The kind that knew it's worth beyond it's work.
I also saw courtesy. His confidence was not haughty. I requested for a snapshot with him, but then he humoured me with three (even though I wasn't exactly what you'd call pretty that day)😂.
He's my hero. It's because of him, and others like him, that I can respond to our First Citizen's blab about the Nigerian youth being lazy with a calm attitude. Why? Because each time I see these pictures, our Grandpa's speech becomes a joke to me, nothing worth my rebuttal.
I'm booking this lazy young Nigerian man for my next week's MCM.
Cheers to us lazy folks. 2019 is near!
21.4.18
But something about the way he lounged in the seat beside me in the bank's waiting area caught my attention- his demeanour was a fascinating blend of congeniality and defiance. I struck a conversation with him (quite out of character for me) and the pleasantness with which he replied belied the defiance in his posture- sprawled in his seat with a seemingly deliberate disregard for the hostile glare of other bank customers.
His crime? He was an automobile engineer (as I had called the mechanic earlier, to which he smiled indulgently, his sense of importance heightened) who had been hurried up by his boss to deposit the day's earning without a chance to freshen himself up.
As soon as I was able to recover from my initial pettiness (why, he smells so bad!... Oh no, he's coming over here... God, are banks not supposed to be formal institutions for civilized people?), I began to notice qualities in him that I could emulate.
I saw the pride he had in his vocation. He had told me that it was not his job to make the daily deposits but he had to do it until his colleague in charge returned from her leave. He seemed to be more content dealing with car engines than facing haughty cashiers in overstarched shirts.
I saw grit. And yes, he spoke fairly good English too, a telling sign that though a mechanic, he didn't resort to 'razzness' (sorry, my vocabulary fails me here).
I saw confidence, the kind that didn't seek permission from other people before making oneself comfortable. The kind that knew it's worth beyond it's work.
I also saw courtesy. His confidence was not haughty. I requested for a snapshot with him, but then he humoured me with three (even though I wasn't exactly what you'd call pretty that day)😂.
He's my hero. It's because of him, and others like him, that I can respond to our First Citizen's blab about the Nigerian youth being lazy with a calm attitude. Why? Because each time I see these pictures, our Grandpa's speech becomes a joke to me, nothing worth my rebuttal.
I'm booking this lazy young Nigerian man for my next week's MCM.
Cheers to us lazy folks. 2019 is near!
21.4.18
Comments
Post a Comment
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Do share.