The hard lesson.

"Wow, see this dress, it's very elegant and classic." Musa called my attention while he was scrolling through his social media accounts.

"How much is it?" I asked him.

"180000 Naira."

"You always admire things that are beyond your power. That's too expensive for you to view, not to talk of admiring it."

He hummed to the music playing from my phone without giving any further response.

Musa and I graduated from the same University and it had been five years of no commensurate job. We were doing menial jobs to survive.
I was rounding up the plates that I was washing, lost in the thoughts of when our stories would change for the better when I got a tap on my shoulder. I came back to the present reality.

"Joe, we need to make money whatever it takes. Our mates are riding multimillion Naira cars. Let's get our hands dirty and get this money. We are aging."

I turned my head up and saw Musa standing with his shirt hanging on his shoulder, waiting for my response while he used his left hand to cover his mouth while yawning.

"Musa, I don't want us to be too hard on ourselves. Let's do all we can to get rich but let our efforts be legitimate. Let's live according to our means while we work hard to live our dream. Let's avoid being desperate."

"I never told you I was going to do money rituals or blocking the highway with AK-47 to forcefully collect people's possessions." He interjected.

"You are going too far. That's not what I meant. Your monthly income is less than 30000 Naira while mine is lesser than yours and I don't think it's good for us to be wishing to get a trouser and shirt for 180000 Naira presently else we are biting more than we can chew. Let's tread softly."

"You possess a negative energy. If you love suffering, I don't. I will soon blow," he declared. "Wherever they dip their hands to get the millions, I am gonna do that."

I went silent for some seconds, imagining what came over Musa for sounding the way he was.

"Guy, I think you are hungry. Check the rice if the water has dried up." I instructed him in an attempt to change the topic of discussion.

As he walked towards the pot, I shook my head. My intuition told me that sooner or later, the new found love of quick money by Musa would land him in trouble.

He dropped the rice and in another few minutes, I prepared the stew and we had our dinner.

Musa's phone beeped and it was a message from a company.

"I have been invited for an interview tomorrow." A visibly excited Musa jumped over me to hug me.

The multinational company was a dream place of work to many in the state. The remuneration and conditions of service makes it a top ranked company.

"Wow, that's the kind of news that I like hearing. It's a matter of time and diligent efforts, we shall live the kind of luxury life that we envisage." I remarked.

The following morning, Musa prepared very early and set out for the journey to the company. It was located at a distance of about an hour from our abode.
We spoke twice while on his way to the company before he became unreachable. I tried the number several times without success.

I went to work and I made it a point of duty to dial his number at intervals of about 30 minutes. Nothing was heard from him till I returned home in the afternoon.

"What would have happened? Did his phone go off due to lack of power in the battery? What should I do?" After a few minutes of thinking of what to do, I decided to take the next available taxi and head to the company.

I picked my phone and ID card. I was stepping out when I thought of picking his picture in case I would have to report to the police of a missing person. I picked the picture and booked a taxi.

My phone rang from a call from an unsaved number. I picked the call and it was Musa.

Panting like someone that ran a marathon in the desert, he pleaded with me to come and pick him.

"I am in AZ junction in Ikun. Please come and pick me."

"Ikun? What took you there?"

"Joe, please just come and get me home. I borrowed this phone to reach out to you." The call dropped.

Ikun was far ahead of the town where the company he went to attend the interview is located. I was perplexed.

"Please, you will be taking me to AZ junction in Ikun," I informed my taxi driver.

On getting to the junction, I alighted immediately, looking around to get a glimpse of Musa. After a few minutes of scanning my eyes through the vehicular traffic and pedestrians, I saw Musa walking up to me tired and exhausted.
The shirt was flying on his trouser. The buttons were loose and his tie was nowhere to be found. The white shirt had become something else. I looked at the feet and there were no shoes.

I couldn't believe my sight. "What happened?" I exclaimed.

"It's a long story. Take me home, I just escaped death by the whisker."

Realizing that his energy had been drained by whatever experience that just came his way, I supported him in the car and we headed back home. It took many minutes for him to calm himself down from the heavy panting.

"Joe, you warned me." He started after gaining stability to talk.

"Warn you? How? What happened?" I asked.

---

"As I left home in the morning for the interview," he began narrating the details. "I took a taxi to the company's junction.

"While waiting for the next available commercial motorcycle to take me to the company, a young man approached with a small gold-colored stone. He requested for an address where he claimed that the rare gem could be traded for thousands of dollars.

They pay in US Dollars. It could be as much as 200000 dollars per gram. What I have here is more than 20 grams. He explained.

"I told him that I didn't know the place that he was asking for. Another man walked past us. His attention was called by the owner of the stone and he was asked for the same address to which he agreed to know.

My friend, this is a huge amount of money that I would want you to benefit from. Let's locate the address to sell the stone. We will all be made for life if we do this successfully.

""This is my time to ride Mercedes Benz and mingle with the big boys in town." I thought as I agreed to follow them to sell the stone.

"The next available taxi was stopped to take us to the address. For another 30 minutes, the car was traversing through the interiors of the town. It navigated through many routes that would be hard for a first time user to trace. We arrived at the house, located in the outskirts of the town.

"The person with the knowledge of the address led us inside the big and deserted building. At one point, we were asked to drop our belongings and at another, we were asked to remove our shoes before we finally arrived at the room where the acclaimed trader was seated.

"Immediately we got into the room, the language of communication changed among these men. It dawned on me that I was the only stranger and the victim of their evil plan. I looked at the door and I saw a broad chested man standing at the entrance.

"They would talk and laugh while my fate was hanging in the air.

""I am in danger," I declared to myself.

"I summoned the courage to walk through the storm and escape. I didn't know where the energy came from. I picked up a race and forced myself out of the room and building. One of them held my tie to pull me back but I was able to overpower him by expanding the tie and taking it off my neck. That was how I found myself in Ikun after hours of trekking."

---

"Hmmmmm.... You know I told you. You heard of thousands of dollars and you left your interview to pursue quick riches. Well, God has given you a second chance to work or your orientation." I responded to him.

"You warned me, Joe. I have learned my lessons the hard way. Henceforth, I will only strive to make money legitimately and I will not be desperate while doing that."