Everyone always remembers the feeling of trying something new for the first time, whether it's a kiss, a game, a vacation, or first love. One of the things I can never forget is the first day I went to the bank to deposit money, and it turned out to be a terrible experience. Hello Hive-naija.
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It was 2015, and I wasn’t staying with my parents but with a family friend. I have been living with them for more than 8 months without knowing that all those money I saw on the floor and on the table were tests to check if I was a good child. I still frown at those tests to this day because if I had fallen for one of them, I would have had a bad name following me.
On this faithful day, Big Daddy called me and asked if I had been to the bank before, and I said yes without thinking twice. The funny fact is that I have been to the bank with my dad when I was younger, and we actually went to use the ATM machine, but I have never gone inside the bank for any kind of transaction.
He was like, "You would go to the bank and deposit this four thousand five hundred naira into this account." It was like I was given a Gulder Ultimate Search kind of task to do. What would I do? How will I do it? Who will I meet in the bank? All those thoughts were just running around in my mind, so I decided to ask a simple question: "Sir, who should I give the money to when I get to the bank?" It was there he knew I was a novice when it came to that matter.
He gave me an old teller he had used before; it has the same as the account number I was going to deposit with but with a different amount. He explained to me where to go, how to fill out the form, and where to submit. I got all the details perfectly and went to the bank like a man about to go collect his master's certificate. I got to the bank, and the security staff welcomed me with high esteem. My shoulders were touching my ears, and I was feeling like I had achieved something none of my siblings had achieved before. I went into the bank, and everywhere was looking so white and cold; it felt like I was in the streets of London. I looked at the teller and went to the cashier to request a deposit teller. She gave it to me, and I hurriedly copied what was in the previous teller into the new one.
I gave it to the cashier with a big smile on my face and bounced out of the bank like a man of great valor. I got home and told Big Daddy everything had been sorted with the receipt from the teller. Just 20 minutes later, he called me and asked how much I had deposited into the account. I was shocked because what kind of mumu question is that? It was four thousand five hundred, which he gave me, so I told him the amount. He brought out the teller and showed me the alert he got.
It was four thousand naira I filled out; now I remember just copying everything from the previous teller and not changing the amount. At that moment, there was a kind of expression in his eyes like, "Finally, you finally stole money, and I have caught you." I just told him I was coming, took the teller, and headed back to the bank. I got to the bank and told the cashier that I had made a mistake, but she refused to acknowledge me. I wanted to shout, but I was scared that if I did, I would be thrown in jail. She asked for the teller, and I gave it to her. She was like, "You filled 4,000 and gave me 4,000 naira. Now you are bankrupt with many lies saying you gave me 4,500.” I felt like a thief in the bank and I couldn’t argue because I was so young. I came outside of the bank and headed home. It felt like I had been robbed, but I was held for the theft. I would never forget you, cashier lady.
