Fix It Now or Regret It Later: A Story About Taking Action
It was this fateful Friday morning in the city of Ilorin. I was in the kitchen preparing rice for lunch after having a long stressful morning attending house chores. Living in a small, quiet apartment was enough for me, especially since I had the opportunity to always get my privacy.
Remembering I needed to get something in the bedroom and walking towards the room, I noticed something on my ceiling: a black patch.
Wondering what it was, I said to myself "What can this be?" I instantly touched it but still didn't understand what it might be.
That fateful day in the evening, my niece Tope was passing by along our streets and branched by to deliver the shoes I bought from him a few days ago.
Trying to use his presence to gather more knowledge about what was hanging on the ceiling. "Tope! Do you have an idea what this is?" I asked him
"I don't have any idea about it", he responded.
To express my fear, I told him. "I am worried too"
"Big bros, don't be afraid, I think you should call the attention of the landlord to it as it is looking like a water leak' Tope replied
"That's true; I will check it out then because right now I am so busy", I responded.
Of course, I was busy right at that time. Trying to prepare my lunch and also trying to attend to my tasks.
"All right, big bros, but I think you should attend to it as soon as possible also. Remember that a Stitch in time saves nine". Tope responded in a bit to counsel me.
After that day, I was so busy with a lot of activities, most especially in the office, and I eventually forgot about the patch. I was trying to attend to my schedule and not only that but also trying to help my younger brother with his NECO exam ahead.
But this fateful evening after so stressed out for the day, I was on my bird just trying to take a nap when I heard a dripping sound. I was so tired that I tried to ignore it, but I noticed that the sound was getting more frequent. Rising from the bed, I went to the sitting room to find out what was wrong.
Coming to the sitting room, I saw water spreading all over the floor. It was at that time I realised that the small patch I saw the other day, which Tope advised me to handle, has become something bigger to the extent that the ceiling has become too sag.
At this point, I knew it was time for me to call the attention of the landlord to it, which was Mr James.
"Why didn't you bring this matter to me earlier?" Mr James responded after tabling the complaint on his table.
"Well, sir, I was busy with other issues that I forgot", I responded.
"You were busy, but right now, you are no longer busy when the patch has become bigger? Well, you will need to pay for the repair cost," Mr replied in an annoying tone.
And, of course, the next day, the carpenter came to repair the patch that had become big.
"Oga, This patch is big oo. You should have attended this when it was still at the small stage, " The carpenter told me after examining the work.
"Why do you say so?" I asked in curiosity.
"The wood for the ceiling has been damaged. Now we need to get a new ceiling, which will cost a lot."
"Like how much?" I asked about anxiety.
When the carpenter told me of the cost to replace the whole section of the ceiling, I couldn't believe it.
I began to remember the words Tope told me. Truly a Stitch in time saves nine. Assuming I have responded to this patch issue when it was still at a small size, it will not result in this huge expense right now.
Since that day, I always make sure I attend to issues when they are still at the earliest stage.