FEMI THE BIG BOY

You know as a teenager while growing up there is always a hunger to show yourself as being among or to have a sense of belonging especially if you weren't born with a sliver spoon and your parents are just struggling to make ends meet, but you always find yourself among rich kids and you feel intimidated everytime. This was my experience while growing up and my parents were able to take me to a very good school, full of rich kids because they want the best for their children but due to my selfish desire to feel among, I did something very bad one day, let me narrate what happened. That day in the evening, I sat on our outdated sofa twisting my fingers nervously, the television was on but I wasn’t watching, all I could hear was my mother pacing in the kitchen muttering to herself. The truth is I had done something foolish, earlier that morning I had taken her 5,000 thousand naira without permission or will I just say, I stole it. I took the money to impress my friends at school by paying for everyone’s snacks after lessons, they hailed me as "Big boy" and for one glorious evening, I felt like the king of the world but by evening when I got home my mother was already looking for her money.  My mother known as Mama Femi discovered the money is missing I panicked and I lied, I said “Mummy maybe it fell out of your bag” but my mother had eyes sharper than a hawk’s, she searched every corner then turned and looked at me, she said “Femi tell me the truth, did you take that money?”, I swallowed hard shaking my head “No Mummy I swear.” She sighed long and deep as if she had already caught me and she said “It’s alright, your father will handle this when he returns”. Those words were heavier than a death sentence. Everyone in our compound knew my father’s reputation, he was not one to shout or beat unnecessarily but when he is angry, his silence alone could break you. So I waited, each tick of the clock was a drumbeat in my heart, my younger sister, Kemi eyed me curiously and said “Brother, you are finished today" she whispered and laughed sarcastically. By exactly 8pm the sound of my father’s old motorcycle echoed through the street. My chest tightened as he walked in, tall and commanding, his white shirt stained with the sweat of a long day. After greeting my mother, he noticed the tension in the room, "What happened?” he asked and Mama wasted no time by saying “The 5,000 thousand naira I kept for market things is gone and I suspect your son” The living room grew still, my father’s gaze shifted to me and he called “Femi” “Yes sir” I stammered, he said “look into my eyes, did you take the money?” This was the moment I could lie again but something inside me broke maybe it was guilt, fear or maybe I just knew there was no escape. My voice trembled “Yes daddy, I took it”,my father leaned back slowly, folding his arms then asked me “what did you use it for?”, I confessed “I bought snacks for my friends". The words sounded stupid the moment they left my mouth. My mother gasped, throwing her hands in the air and said “You see your life?, you want to impress outsiders while your own family suffers” I buried my face in my palms wishing I could vanish. Then came my father’s verdict, he didn’t shout nor did he raise his hand, he just simply said “Good, now you will face the music".  I didn’t understand until the next morning. He woke me up early, handed me a tray of puff puff and said “Since you like to buy snacks for others, go to the junction and sell these, you will work until you repay every kobo”. I thought he was joking but he wasn’t. By 9am I stood at the street corner with the tray balanced on my head, my schoolmates walking past in shock, some laughed and others whispered. “Big boy don turn puff puff seller” one shouted, my cheeks burned hotter than the frying pan back home but there was no escape I had to sell, smiling at customers, bargaining with strangers while my pride crumbled. It took me three days to repay the money. By the end, I was tired, humbled and wiser. The evening when I dropped the last 200 hundred naira in my father’s hand, he looked at me and said “Now you know what it means to work for money, never again steal what you did not earn”, I nodded as he hugged me with tears stinging my eyes. From that day, I swore never to repeat that mistake, whenever temptation whispers in my ear I remember the laughter of my classmates and the weight of that puff puff tray on my head. That was the day I truly learned what it means to face the music and to be satisfied with whatever level my family is and be proud of it, now I'm Femi not a big boy 😂. Thank you for staying with me this far, I hope you had a good read, see you next time 🤗 Noted: All pictures are generated on Meta AI