Tears of an Orphan
Episode 9
© Francis Mary Solomon
It had been two weeks since Caleb wandered through the streets of Lagos, searching desperately for something to do for himself.
The uncompleted building had become his only shelter.
Sometimes, he had frightening encounters with stray cats that prowled the place at night. Their glowing eyes, hissing, and sudden movements made his skin crawl. Yet, he stayed there, curling himself on the hard ground, whispering prayers to God not to let him die in that place.
Hunger gnawed at him, and loneliness pressed heavily on his chest.
Again and again, some street boys approached him, trying to persuade him to join them. For many days, Caleb refused. He clung to his mother’s teachings, telling himself he wouldn’t give in.
But one evening, too weak and tired, he gave in.
He thought to himself, Maybe God has not been fair to me. If He loved me, wouldn’t He have given me a job by now?
One of the boys smiled and pushed a bottle of beer into his hand.
“Just drink a little. If you do, I’ll give you a job,” he promised.
Caleb’s heart trembled. Should I? he thought. But his empty stomach and hopelessness were stronger than his will. He took the beer and drank.
That was how it began.
Through this friend, he got a small laundry job. And from that moment, he started moving around with them until he finally became their friend.
Caleb turned into a street boy. Though sometimes he regretted his actions, he had no other choice than to keep following them, just to maintain the job.
His friend, Brian, gave him the job because he too was a launderer. They did the work together. Whenever they earned, Brian gave Caleb a portion of the money. That was how Caleb began to gather a little income.
After two weeks, Caleb finally moved into Brian’s house. They stayed together, contributing money for food and other expenses.
Brian had been a wonderful friend to him, yet one thought kept troubling Caleb’s mind: Why does such a kind and good man drink so much?
He wanted to ask, but fear held him back. He didn’t know if Brian would be offended. So, he kept quiet.
During the day, they worked. In the evening, they went out drinking, smoking, and hustling on the street.
Brian loved Caleb dearly because he found him hardworking and respectful. Brian was also the leader of their gang, so he treated Caleb with more favor and generosity.
When the others saw this, they became jealous and angry, wondering why Brian gave Caleb so much attention.
Thank God Caleb’s mother had trained him well. He already knew how to use the washing machine and other laundry tools, so the job wasn’t too difficult. He dedicated himself to it.
But each time Brian offered him a bottle of beer, his heart sank.
The first five days he drank, Caleb felt disgusted and weak. He never wanted to be a part of that lifestyle. But to keep his job, he obeyed his boss’s bidding.
Still, he kept hope alive. Sometimes, the rich men who brought clothes for washing and ironing gave him extra tips when he did the work well. He would hide this money for himself. Unlike the others, he never used it to buy drugs or beer—most of what he drank came from Brian’s hand.
That was how Caleb struggled to survive—half surviving, half regretting.
Meanwhile, in Lagos town, Samuel attended a party.
His friends had invited him, and when he arrived at the club, the place was full of lights, music, and dancing. Beautiful ladies filled the floor.
But his eyes fell on a particular young lady.
She sat quietly, not dancing, her attention buried in her phone.
Precious felt bored. Her friend had deceived her, saying it was a birthday party, only for her to realize it was a club. Since she wasn’t used to such places, she chose to sit quietly, sipping her drink gently, while distracting herself with a game on her phone.
Samuel turned to his bodyguard, who was also his closest companion. Though officially his guard, he was more like a brother and friend to him.
“Hey, Prince Samuel,” the bodyguard said in a low voice. “I don’t think you can do anything over there. Remember, you’re a prince. You can’t just marry anyone except royalty. So what’s your plan? You just wanna play with her? She looks innocent, bro.”
Samuel smiled and shook his head. He replied in his smooth American accent:
“Man, I don’t care about all that royalty or culture crap. I love her, and I feel attracted to her. I wanna know her more and see if I can spend the rest of my life with her. And if I can, my mom and dad’s culture won’t stop me from marrying her.”
Without another word, he walked towards Precious.
He gently touched her shoulder, and she looked up, startled.
For a moment, she froze. It had been long since she saw a young, smart, and handsome man like him.
He was tall, fair, and broad-shouldered. He wore blue jeans, a red polo, and on his left wrist, a Rolex gleamed under the light.
His smile melted her heart instantly.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I startled you,” Samuel said, his American accent wrapping around each word.
Precious felt butterflies dancing in her stomach. She didn’t expect him to sound so charming. Quickly, she composed herself and greeted:
“Good evening.”
“You look so beautiful… and honestly, I’m attracted to you,” Samuel said boldly.
Precious’s heart leapt, but she wore a straight face. She didn’t want to appear cheap.
Samuel pulled a chair and sat beside her.
“Hey, relax. I’m not rushing you. You’ve got the whole world to think about it. But I just want to be honest—I like you. And if you agree, I’d like you to be my wife,” he said.
“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t think I’m interested. I don’t even know you, and just like that, you want me to accept you?” Precious said firmly.
“Hey, don’t be offended. I’m just telling you how I feel. Okay, if you don’t like me, can we at least be friends?” Samuel asked.
“Okay… you seem kind. But remember—it’s just friendship. And by the way, I have a boyfriend,” she added, just to test him.
Samuel chuckled. “That’s fine by me. Totally fine. So, can I have your number? Since you’ve got a boyfriend, I won’t bother you about a relationship. But I really wanna be close to you—you look kind, friendly… and I love your sense of humor.”
Precious blushed, though she tried to hide it.
“Thank you… So, can I know a little about you?” she asked.
“Okay, we’ll talk about that later. For now, I just want your number. I don’t want you ghosting me,” he said with a smile.
Precious laughed. “I won’t ghost you. I already told you—we’re just friends. I’ve accepted your friendship. Why would I ghost you?”
She collected his phone and typed in her digits.
“Thanks,” Samuel said, grinning. “But wait… before I save it, what name should I use?”
She smiled softly. “Precious.”
“Precious…” he repeated, looking into her eyes. “That’s a beautiful name. Suits you perfectly.”
Her cheeks warmed, and she quickly looked down.
“Now, can we go to the dance floor? I wanna dance with you,” Samuel asked.
“No, not today,” she said gently.
“What do you mean by not today? And by the way, you’re sitting here all alone. If you didn’t wanna dance, why’d you even come to the club?” Samuel asked.
“I was deceived.”
“Deceived?”
“Yeah. My friend told me it was a birthday party. I didn’t know it was a club. When I realized, I just decided to sit here and wait for her. Thank God I had my phone to keep me busy, until you touched me.”
“Oh wow, that’s bad of her. But honestly, it worked in my favor. If you hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have met such a pretty damsel,” Samuel said, smiling.
Precious blushed again.
“Okay, anything for you, darling. Since you don’t wanna dance, how about we step outside, find somewhere cool, and sit?” he suggested.
“Okay, that sounds nice. But let me inform my friend so she won’t get worried if she doesn’t see me,” she said, standing up.
She looked around but couldn’t find Juliet. She dialed her number, but Juliet didn’t pick up. Precious returned to Samuel and said:
“I didn’t see her. But I know she’ll call once she notices I’m gone.”
Samuel nodded, and they held hands as they walked out, with his bodyguard following closely.
The moment Precious noticed the guard, she realized Samuel wasn’t just a random rich boy—he was wealthy, powerful enough to move with security.
When they reached a quiet spot, Samuel signaled his guard to wait while he and Precious moved a little further to catch fresh air.
“Hey, earlier you asked for my name, but I didn’t ask for yours,” Precious said, smiling.
“Oh, my bad. I’m sorry, dear. My name’s Samuel,” he replied warmly.
“Oh wow, what a nice name. So… is that why you keep your hair like Samuel in the Bible?” she teased, pointing at his dreadlocks.
Samuel laughed heartily.
“Wow! That’s funny. You know, I’ve never thought of that. But you’re right—I just love keeping my hair this way. I love my dreads,” he said, touching one strand.
“It looks good on you,” she complimented.
“Thank you. So, can I ask you something?” he said, looking into her eyes.
“Go ahead.”
“You told me you have a boyfriend. Then why didn’t you invite him? Since your friend deceived you, you two could have spent time together. You look so innocent… so why don’t you like clubbing?”
To be continued…
Inspired by the Great Teacher.
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Stay blessed till we meet in the next episode.
Written by: Mary Francis Solomon.