đChapter One: The Boy Who Liked Numbers
âTunde Ajayi was just like every other small boy in Mushin, Lagos. His house was a one-room face-me-I-face-you. Rain used to enter from the zinc roof, and they used bucket to collect the water when it leaked. There was no generator, only candle and lantern. But still, Tunde was always happy.
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âHis mummy sold akara in front of their house. Every morning, as early as 5:00am, the smell of hot oil and beans would fill the air. People would line up to buy. His mummy used to shout, âTunde, go bring water!â âTunde, turn the fire down!â âTunde, help me calculate their change!â
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âTunde was fast with change. If a customer brought âŠ1,000 and bought akara worth âŠ220, he would quickly say, âTake âŠ780 change,â before anybody else even counted. Sometimes, older people would stop and look at him.
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ââYou sabi quick count money o,â theyâd say.
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âBut it wasnât just about money. Tunde liked numbers real ones, big ones, even the ones that didnât make sense to other people. When children were outside playing ball or running around, Tunde would sit with chalk and a small wooden board. He would write:
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â2 x 4 = 8
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â50% of âŠ500 = âŠ250
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ââŠ100 + âŠ300 = âŠ400
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âPeople started calling him âCalculator Boy.â Even his mummy laughed and said, âMaybe you go be bank manager one day.â
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âBut deep in Tundeâs heart, he didnât just want to work in a bank. He didnât even understand what he truly wanted yet. He just knew he loved numbers and somehow, those numbers were calling him to something big.
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âThe Man in the Suit
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âOne hot afternoon, something happened that changed everything.
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âTunde was sweeping in front of the akara stand when a black car stopped. A tall man wearing suit and glasses came down. His skin was fresh, his shoe was shining, and he wore a wristwatch that looked like it could buy a whole street.
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âHe came closer and said, âGood afternoon, madam. Let me buy akara and pap.â
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âWhile Tundeâs mummy was packing the food, the man looked at Tundeâs small chalkboard. He saw all the numbers written neatly on it.
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âHe bent down and asked, âWho wrote this?â
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âTunde looked up and said, âI did, sir.â
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ââYou like numbers?â the man asked.
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ââYes, sir.â
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ââHave you heard of Wall Street?â
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âTunde shook his head. âNo, sir.â
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âThe man smiled. âItâs a place in America where people work with numbers every day. They buy and sell companies, money, and stocks. Maybe one day, you will work there.â
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âTunde laughed, but that name Wall Street entered his head like a dream.
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âAfter the man left, Tunde kept whispering to himself, âWall Street... Wall Street... Wall Street.â
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âThat night, he couldnât sleep. He kept thinking, "What is Wall Street? Why did that man say I might work there? Is it because I love numbers?"
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âHe didnât have a phone, so the next day, he asked his friend who used to go to the cyber cafĂ©, âPlease help me search âWall Streetâ on Google.â
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âThe Dream Begins
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âFrom that day, something inside Tunde woke up. He started going to the cafĂ© himself. He would carry âŠ100 - âŠ50 for browsing and âŠ50 for transport. He used it to read online articles, watch videos, and look at pictures of men and women on Wall Street.
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âHe saw pictures of people wearing suits, standing in big buildings with many computer screens. Some were shouting âBuy!â and âSell!â while others were smiling after making plenty money. Tunde didnât understand everything yet, but he could feel it this was what he was born for.
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âHe didnât know how or when, but one thing was sure one day, he too would wear a suit and stand on Wall Street.
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âNot to take a photo.
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âBut to trade.
WAIT FOR CHAPTER 2 đ