When I moved to a new neighbourhood recently, I had vowed I was going to be so stiff and hardened against my next-door neighbour –a household comprising of seven people: the father, a teenage girl child, and five young boys, the eldest among them being also a teenager. I was determined to show them a kind of attitude that would make them not come near me.
I had vowed that the only time they would hear me speak to them was when I wanted to greet them, or they wanted to greet me, either in the morning or whatever time of the day I would see them. I had a valid reason why I took this decision. The lady who lived in the apartment I am now residing in told me about her experiences while she lived there.
My stay in this building was miserable. My brother, could you believe that my room was always broken into and thoroughly ransacked many times whenever I went out, either to work or to somewhere else, and my valuables were always stolen including money?
She said in a mournful tone, with the pains of that awful experience reflecting on her face as she spoke on.
Her prime suspect was the eldest son of this next-door neighbour, who is about 19 years of age. Whoever she suspected was just an allegation because she never had any evidence to substantiate her claims, until one fateful day when the unexpected happened.
The young teenager she had been suspecting had a misunderstanding with his younger brother, and the younger brother, in annoyance, publicly disclosed not just to her but to everyone present that it was his elder brother who was responsible for the havoc that had befallen this lady many times.
I feel you should know about what has been happening in this apartment that you are coming to live in. It was the same experience that the guy who lived in this same apartment had, long before I moved in, she said cautiously.
While this information sent cold shivers down my spine, I appreciated her for her courage to pass such useful information to me. It will help me to be more careful, at least. I pondered as she made to leave.
This was why I made up my mind that I was going to be stiff with them, now that I am their neighbour because I had thought that the best way to stop him from breaking into my apartment when I was not around, as he did to others who had lived here before me, was to be cold and unwelcoming towards them.
I knew the entire family could not be thieves, but my closeness to a family member could give almost the entire family access to my closet. In that case, the best way to avoid any form of closeness was simply to keep that distance. I muttered.
Many days after I took that decision, I heard, first, a gentle tap on my door which eventually graduated into a loud knock while I lingered to respond.
Who's there? I fired angrily, even when I could recognize from the voice that it was one of them, either of the two youngest, perhaps.
Bro, it's me, Bright. Please, can you help us with your gas cylinder? We ran out of gas as we were cooking. The shaky little voice responded.
Bright, my gas cylinder is empty. I don't have even a drop of gas in it. Sorry. I said hastily.
It's fine, Bro. Bright replied wearily as he ran away.
I did not, of truth, have gas in my cylinder, but there was an electric hot plate that I had been using in place of gas. I didn't want to give him because I perceived that it could be one of the routes through which they can have access to me and I was deliberate about sealing it off with unkindness.
As soon as Bright left, I couldn't get myself free from the feeling of compunction for turning him down.
How could you do that, Mfon; is that the best way to tell them that you are a Christian? How about when you pray, and they hear you, Willn't you sound like a tinkling cymbal, knowing that you do not have charity? A soft voice from my heart spoke to me.
My eyes met with Bright's as I quickly rushed out to empty my bladder, which was already heavy with urine. He had squeezed himself into a corner on the balcony, visibly looking weak from hunger.
Bright, come, this is an electric hot plate, you can use this in place of gas. I said as I handed over the hot plate to him after giving him instructions on how to use it. I extended that act of kindness to them the following day by cutting their hair, which made them look bushy with my clipper, and I felt satisfied when I saw those expressions of excitement on their faces.
I was so happy the day I came back and found out that one of them had removed my clothes from the rope and kept them safe for me when the rain fell, and I knew I was able to make a family from strangers the day I came back and they told me, Bro, we have missed you, where have you been? After being away for two weeks.
I know no one's going to break into my room and steal anything because I have taken a precautionary measure by putting a protector behind my door. I'm sure a protector behind the door could have saved those who lived here before me.