Once at my age of 24, I made my first radio call. I am Emeka, and to be honest with you, I didn't expect my voice would have any effect, but it was not until that night.
The rain was pouring down all day on Thursday. The air was still dirty with the wet dust. My little room, my usual place of retreat, was silent except for the radio. The program was City Whispers. Nola, the presenter, was indeed very soft-spoken. She was asking the listeners to contribute their pieces as if they were writing their hearts out.
I was without work for almost a whole year. The printing house where I used to work has closed down. Initially, I was applying to different positions daily. With each rejection, my spirits sank lower. Finally, I stopped looking at my inbox. Even Caleb, my best friend, was exhausted of trying to cheer me up.
That evening, resting on my hard mattress, the silence overwhelming me. I had no food in the fridge. My phone was getting only spam calls. I hadn’t talked with anyone except shopkeepers for weeks. Not overthinking, I made a call to the radio number.
“Good evening, caller. You’re live on City Whispers,” Nola said.
My voice shook. “Hi… I’m Emeka.”
“Hi, Emeka. What’s on your mind tonight?”
"I'm exhausted," I said. "For the last few months, I haven't had a job. I keep applying, but I never get a response. It's like I don't exist."
There was a moment of silence. Nola then put her hand on the shoulder of the person she was talking to. "You count. It may be a time when you feel very alone, but you are not totally forgotten. There are thousands of people who are now listening and some of them can relate to you."
Another voice interrupted. "Hi, Emeka. My name is Ada. I am also unemployed. You are not the only one."
One after another, more voices spoke. A taxi driver who was unable to get a job, a mother who had lost her job at the supermarket, and an elderly man who had been pushed into retirement. Each of those voices seemed to be touching me.
I was left with the silence in the room when I had finished signing off. I cried, though they were more like tears that slipped down my cheeks. Caleb, who was half-asleep on the floor next to me, opened his eyes.
“You called the radio, didn’t you?” he asked.
I nodded.
He smiled. “That took courage.”
The next morning, my phone buzzed with messages. Strangers sent encouragement, job tips, and even offers of lunch. I didn’t take most offers, but their kindness lifted me.
A few days later, Caleb and I were walking past a plaza when a woman stopped us. She had short braids and a folder under her arm.
“Are you Emeka?” she asked. “The caller from City Whispers?”
“Yes,” I said.
She smiled. “I run a community program that connects people with local businesses. I’d love for you to join.”
For the first time in months, I felt hope.
I joined the program. It wasn’t a job yet, but it gave me purpose. We learned resume writing, public speaking, and small business skills. Caleb came sometimes, teasing that he was there for the free snacks.
One evening, I found a message from Nola.
“Hi Emeka. Your call inspired many people. Would you come on air again and share how you’re doing now?”
The next Thursday, I sat in the studio. My hands shook until Nola smiled at me.
“So, Emeka,” she said, “last time you called, you felt invisible. How are you now?”
“Still jobless,” I admitted, “but not hopeless. That night showed me people care. I’m learning and trying again.”
Listeners called in with advice, job leads, and support.
After the show, Caleb grinned at me. “You’re famous now. The voice of the unemployed!”
A week later, an email arrived from a small printing shop. They had heard the show and wanted to meet me.
On the interview day, I wore my only ironed shirt. Caleb handed me his polished Sunday shoes. “These will give you confidence,” he said.
When I went to the shop, I was totally transformed. I don't know if I got the job or not, but I am definitely not the same guy that once wept in the dark by myself.
That night, Caleb and I gathered under the shade of the umbrella tree which stood behind our house. It was sunset, and the sky was violet. The breeze was making the leaves shake.
"No matter what will be," said Caleb, "you are the victor that you have set." Gone is the time when you had to rely on others to speak for you. Now, you are the master of your own voice."
I looked at the first stars. The world didn’t feel so heavy. “Yeah,” I said. “I think I have.”
Three weeks later, the call came. I had the job.
When I told Caleb, he hugged me so tight I could hardly breathe. “I told you, man! One day, you’d get your shot.”
That Thursday night, I called City Whispers again.
“Well, if it isn’t Emeka,” Nola said. “What’s the news?”
“I got the job.”
The studio erupted with cheers. Nola’s voice softened. “Your journey inspired us all. You’ve reminded everyone that even in the quietest nights, hope whispers.”
While the radio was making a humming sound in my room, I smiled. I could see me now.
Perhaps a listener a bit farther away, who was feeling lonely, would have a tiny glow of light in his heart. A few years after that night, I still remember it. I don’t remember it with tears, but with thankfulness. It was not only the case of work.
It was about reaching out when I was feeling disconnected. And I found out that a very small and quite dim light can still revive you.
