A very long time ago, I think when I was around 13, I had one silly belief or let's say, I didn't what to believe what was already happening back then. I'm not sure if it was just me who had that thought...
That when I hear that someone was robbed or someone stole something, I would always conclude that the thief is a guy or a man, never a lady π
I know it would seem like I'm discriminating or painting the male gender black but no, you won't blame my younger self back then and the thought that "Women are weaker vessel, can't have that much confidence" I believed while growing up π₯΄
Why am I saying all this? My belief died after an experience from my secondary school early days.
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I was the quiet kind in class, had only one friend who I chatted with in class and we blended really well as friends but then, the two of us couldn't help but notice one of our class mate who has so many friends around her and she spends on them so well. We had concluded that she had a rich dad who gives her a lot of money when she goes to school, nothing could be any truer than that, we thought π
This girl would have make up on for classes and also buy for her fellow girlfriends who feel so proud that they had such a rich friend, they would make so much noise in class, they literally do whatever they wished to do with no much discipline given to them. We thought again that, maybe her dad had some influence in the school.
While they were all acting up different vices that one's kids shouldn't have, my friend and I and I'm sure a lot of others were jealous of the fact that she had so much money to spend at such age. And to think that back then, dad would always give me 200 naira to school which was more than a enough to eat a lot during break time (When Naira still had some value), I was still wishing I had much like the girl to spend with my friend too.
Days turned into months, my friend even got tempted to go beg the girl for money but I couldn't advice her to as I felt the girl would be too proud about it and announce to the others how she helped my friend, I was glad my friend didn't go for that option that day, she found a way later.
It continued until one day, the girl didn't come to school. All her friends couldn't hide how hungry they were as they didn't eat from home thinking their rich friend would spoil them with money that day π they had to leave school early because of that. The next day, same thing happened and they became wise to bring their own foods or money.
It was a month later we heard the news from a girl who lived close to the supposed rich girl, she was arrested by the police for attempting to steal from a neighbor's house. Considering the fact that she looked bigger than her age, she wasn't even pitied to be too young for an arrest. It turned out that her dad isn't even rich at all, and she's been stealing all the little money he is able to gather up for savings.
You needed to see how wide our mouths went opened hearing the news π myself especially couldn't believe the fact that a small girl like that could actually steal from her parents, talk more of going into another's house to steal.
So the lessons I learned that time was more, I realized anyone could steal and not everything people show in public is actually the truth. I also figured that I could have even more than those parading themselves to be rich. It was a sad experience when I think of how that small girl has put a hurdle to her life herself but it was an experience for me to learn and become a better person.
Indeed, not all that glitters are gold.
