I remember my grandparents telling me that life is not as it seems. I asked them what they meant by that, and it was the first time I heard the phrase "all that glitters is not gold."
It was my first day at the university, and I was so excited. It was a different world entirely. I got to my departmental block, and I saw so many students, and I was just wondering how the lecturers coped with all the different characters and behaviors. Everywhere looked rowdy, and it seemed like no one really cared about how disorganized everything looked.
I was lost, as I could not find the registration office for my department. I saw this tall young man dressed in a fine dark shirt. I approached him and introduced myself. "I'm Ani," I said. He looked at me and replied, "I'm Steve, so how can I help you?" I was happy he responded because, with how everyone else was behaving, if he did not respond to me, I would have no issues. I told him my little challenge, and he smiled. "Don't worry, I will take you to the office; we are in the same department," he said. At that moment, I was happy because I had someone who was willing to show me around.
Steve and I became close friends, and we shared a lot of common interests apart from school; he was into sports as I was. He was one of the best goalkeepers at the university and also played volleyball. I was on the school volleyball team and also on the football team. So we were practically together every day.
Steve had a car, and everyone was always wondering how he got such an expensive car. Well, for me, I thought he came from a wealthy home. We had been friends for six months. Steve, you haven't invited me to the house, or you are hiding something from me?" I said. Steve replied "Let's go to my house then". We got to Steve's apartment, and it was so beautiful that it looked like a small palace. I said to myself "This guy is from a wealthy home". The chairs were made of quality leather,his refrigerator was well stocked, and his wardrobe was filled with expensive clothes.
Steve, you are a rich guy," I said. Steve looked at me and smiled. He said "My man, it's not what you think; a man must get his hands dirty sometimes". Well, I did not understand what I meant by that statement. I just nodded in approval. I was just carried away by the beautiful house, gadgets, and all the classy furniture in the house. "My birthday is this Friday,so I'm officially inviting you," Steve said to me. Yes, I will be there," I said, replying to him. I was excited when Steve invited me to his party; that meant I was his close friend.
I got to Steve's apartment around 7 p.m. that fateful Friday. I saw some of our colleagues, and we exchanged pleasantries. I asked about Steve, and I told him he was with his main guys. Well, I understood what that meant. On seeing his "main guys", I was a bit confused because they were all dressed in expensive clothes and their wrist watches were all so expensive. I thought to myself that their parents must be very rich.
It was a bright Monday morning. I got to school, and I saw students in clusters. While it's a normal thing on campus, this time it was different. One of my friends, Fred, asked me, Ani, it seems you don't know what happened last night." I looked at Fred, and I saw he was serious. "What happened, Fred?" "Steve has been arrested for armed robbery." I laughed and said to him, "You must be joking?" Steve brought out his phone and showed me the news. I was shocked. At that moment, I recalled what my grandparents had told me. At that moment, I learned that "all that glitters is not gold".
From that day on, I learned to appreciate the little I had. And not to be greedy, because you might see someone with all the good things in life, but the source of his wealth might be questionable.
