Trust is a powerful feeling and I have experienced how quick it can tighten a relationship. With trust involved, people can go all out for one another not minding how it would affect them.
On the other hand, it can be quite terrible when broken. I have seen lovers, siblings and best friends become enemies because of a broken trust. It's a complicated feeling and it's not surprising when some people find it difficult to trust, everyone definitely has a story to tell.
I was seeing a movie with my family one evening when I had a knock on the door. I went to check who it was and it turned out to be Lekan, a neighbor's apprentice.
He started living in that compound with his boss about a year ago and we easily became friends because I didn't like how his boss was treating him. Lekan's boss always punished him for even the slightest of mistakes which I considered as wickedness.
My family embraced him and mom treats him like a member of the family. It wasn't like we had enough for ourselves but we just couldn't ignore him. Our relationship got stronger and I was at the point where I could vouch for Lekan. He was {well-behaved}, hardworking and very respectful, a lot of people liked him for that.
"I thought you guys went to work," I asked, surprisingly seeing him at that time of the day.
"We came back early. I want to show you something," Lekan whispered and went straight to the backyard.
I followed him wondering what he wanted to show me and immediately we got to the backyard, he brought out a purse from his work wear.
Lekan unzipped the purse, brought out two phones and some ID & Atm cards.
"I found it on my way home," He stuttered , his hands fidgeting with the purse.
"And you picked it?" I asked, taking the items from his hands.
Lekan was silent while I checked the ID cards and the owner turned out to be a matron at a general hospital.
"Did you even read these things?" I asked , hoping he checked who it belonged to.
"No, I couldn't. I just picked it up at the bus stop and was coming home," He replied.
"We have to return this immediately," I said to Lekan and rushed back inside to wear a polo.
"Who are we returning it to?" Lekan asked and I didn't have a response for him.
I told him to just hold on to the purse, hopefully the owner calls so we can return it and he agreed.
The owner of the phone called about 15 minutes later and Lekan brought the phone when it rang.
I picked up the call and a female voice started begging me to please help return the purse because she had all her life inside it.
I calmed the woman down and told her the purse was in safe hands so she narrated how it must have fallen from her while on a bike.
I did well to ask the woman some questions which she answered correctly and scheduled a meeting for 7pm that same day at a nearby busstop.
Some minutes before 7pm, we left the house and arrived at the meeting point. The woman called again and finally located us.
I narrated how Lekan brought the purse home and the woman almost knelt on the road to thank Lekan. I gave her the purse and she opened it to verify the things inside.
The expression on the woman's face changed while checking her things but I couldn't tell why. She paused, took a quick glance at us, then looked away.
"Is anything wrong, ma?" I asked.
"It's nothing serious." She replied sharply.
After checking, she thanked us again and left.
I felt glad being able to help the woman because some days ago, my mom's phone fell from my pocket in a bus and I couldn't get it back. The person kept deceiving us until we just let go the phone so I knew what would be playing in the woman's head when she didn't find her purse.
"People are very funny," Lekan said to me as we were returning home.
"Why do you say so?" I asked.
"That woman can't even give us money for the help and stress," He replied.
"Don't tell me you were expecting something because I wasn't, what if we meet the woman in the future needing her help?" I asked.
"Anyway, thank God I was smart. I saw some money in the purse and kept it," Lekan replied and I honestly didn't believe my ears.
"You took money from the purse," I stuttered.
"Yes but don't worry, we will share it equally. I left it in my bag at home," He replied, feeling happy and I was disappointed.
It dawned on me why the woman’s expression changed after checking the purse and I wished I wasn't involved in the whole thing.
"What if the woman recognizes us? Wouldn't she be thinking that I am a thief?" A lot of thoughts crossed my mind and I was really unhappy , imagining her pointing me out as dishonest person someday.
I told Lekan how disappointed I was with his actions and he tried apologizing but I was too angry and didn't listen.
I stopped talking to him but didn't tell anyone what he did , not wanting to ruin things for him with my family. My mom was still good to him and slowly, he withdrew from our place too.
I probably overreacted and even if overlooked what he did, he can't win my trust again. I understood he was struggling with so many things but taking what doesn't belong to him isn't the way to go about it.
All Image Are Mine.