Everybody changes. This was the topic my cousin and her friend were arguing about as we had our feet scrubbed and massaged.
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“Forget it!” Ama, my cousin was saying, “Once a man hits small money and possibly, fame, even his walking steps will change”
Cynthia, Ama’s friend, burst into sudden laughter.
“What did you say, Ama? That every person changes when they get money? My father didn't change! He continued withholding his money even after we knew he had gotten a job with an oil company!”
I couldn't help but join Ama in her hysterical laughter.
“He needs deliverance, Cynthia. It's a shame you don't pray much. Maybe he would have changed by now”
Cynthia attempted to reach Ama in the next seat and give her a good smack but the lady at her feet sent a warning glance, causing her to sit still against her will.
Ama was laughing uncontrollably now, completely ignoring the fact that the lady at her feet had paused massaging her feet.
When the laughter died down, Ama wiped laughter-induced tears off her face.
“Frankly speaking, Cynthia, many of my schoolmates do not speak to me anymore because they have more money than I do”
“I've met some nice people” It was the first time I was speaking since we started the foot massage so everyone, including the ladies at our feet, stared up at me.
“So you can talk!” Cynthia asked wide-eyed. We laughed again.
“Who did you meet that made you speak to us? I almost forgot you were here” Ama asked.
“It was a guy, Ejiro,” I could see him in my mind's eye as I began speaking about him. He always had huge frames around his eyes, as if the glasses were passed down from one of his big-faced ancestors, his shirts too were big but not as bogus as his trousers which according to my best friend, he always tied with a belt.
“Mmmm…was he a lover?” Ama was raising her brows and dropping them rapidly, a sly smile on her face.
“He wasn't” I snapped at her. “He was the one-time class governor during my first year”
Cynthia and Ama were listening with rapt attention now, I could tell that even the ladies who had stopped scrubbing our feet and were now bustling around the shop were listening too.
“So who was this Ejiro guy?” Cynthia asked.
“He was the one guy whose money and an important position failed to change. It was like pouring water off a duck's back”
Ama was going to say something but I had only begun my story and didn't want her to interrupt so I went ahead, automatically shutting her up.
“He was the weirdest guy in my class. He had this language factor that caused him to pronounce the letter R as L and vice versa. So the bigger guys in my level used to make fun of him,”
“Ejiro was really smart, and he was a good actor so it was natural for lecturers to like him. Every time it was examination period, they led Ejiro to a part of the school and asked him to tell them where the questions would be taken from…”
“I don't understand. How would he have such information?” Ama asked, I shrugged
“They felt he would since he was close to most lecturers. After the examination most times, those guys would harass Ejiro, saying he misinformed them.…”
“But that's totally unfair!” Cynthia cut in
“I know. At the end of the semester, Ejiro still came out as the best. That's why they thought he was lying” I replied.
“So how does it relate with what we were talking about?” Ama was obviously getting irritated.
“He was elected as class governor towards the end of the second semester and those guys, the ones that picked on him, got scared that he would deal with them”
“He didn't?” Cynthia asked, wide-eyed. I shook my head
“He was still his usual weird self. I heard those guys offered him money countless times but he refused. He didn't become harsh or wicked towards them either. He got a scholarship to study abroad after that semester so he dropped the post and left our school.”
Cynthia and Ama exchanged surprised glances
That position that many others have abused today, didn't have the same effect on Ejiro. As I said earlier, it was like pouring water off a duck's back”
My story left everyone pondering on the kind of person Ejiro was, as I had pondered severally myself. Others had used the post for their selfish purposes but Ejiro had stayed true to his nature.
That was the reason I held on to the fact that no one changes, instead, it was every situation that revealed their true nature.