Amara sat on an executive chair in her supermarket, taking accounts of her sales the previous day. Her shop was located in a busy part in the city of Enugu, Nigeria.
Her best friend, Chika soon arrived her shop wearing a broad smile on her face. "Amara my friend! How are you doing, I know you have sold millions of naira." She teased.
"Not just millions, I even sold billions." Amara replied sarcastically.
"What are you still doing in this shop, when there a lot of opportunities outside this country."
"I'm comfortable with what I earn from this my shop, at least I make an honest living."
"See I know, but they are a lot of people outside this country who make your annual income in just a month, build houses here in Nigeria and buy exotic cars." Chika said to Amara.
"But even if I decide to travel out of the country to a better place, I don't have the connection."
"Don't worry about that my friend, that's when I come in. I have the connect to take you along with me to Canada. All you have to do is make up your mind."
"I'll think about it." Amara responded.
Later that evening when she got home, she explained what happened at the shop to her mother who was listening with rapt attention.
"I'm not sure this a good idea my daughter, going to a land you don't know for the first time. What if the land doesn't favour you?"
"It will mama, others have been making it there, why would mine be different? I will just give it a try." Amara spoke trying to convince her mother into letting her.
"No problem if you say so, just be careful out there." She advised her daughter.
The following week was filled with excitement for Amara as she broke the news of her departure to her friend's. "I will soon be travelling out of this country , at least I will get to do something tangible with my life." She told her friend's excitedly as her expectations were high.
Amara had already began packing her clothes in preparation for her expected departure.
"Are you very sure about this your trip?" Her mother asked her.
"Of course Mummy, Chika's travel agent assured me. He said I can balance him the remaining payment once I get to Canada."
"Alright my daughter, if you say so."
3 days to her departure, Chika's agent- John called her. "Good day madam, concerning your flight, you would have to wait a little more as your visa is yet to be ready."
Amara's face twisted into a frown. "This wasn't what we agreed upon, I have already paid the money you requested from me and you gave me a date I was due to travel. Why the sudden change."
"I'm I the one manufacturing visa? If you can't wait then forget about the trip." John replied her in a rude tone as he ended the call.
Amara began having double thoughts. "What if I'm being scammed? I don't think Chika would do such a thing to me, I have known her for years now." She thought aloud to herself.
The next day, John called her demanding more money. "Madam you know how all these things work, they are demanding more money at the embassy and they are a lot of immigrants so it's survival of the fittest."
"No problem I will send the money you requested by this evening." Amara hurriedly sold her goods from the shop at an auction price and even sold her refrigerator and some furnitures at home to be able to pay the travel agent.
It got to the day she was supposed to travel, she called John but he's number was switched off. Her heart began racing as she hurried out of her house and took a cab to his office. She got there and found it locked.
She began asking neighbors around. "Please have you by any chance seen the man that owns this office?"
"Oh, you mean that fraudster? You are the 4th person coming here today to ask of him."
"4th person?"
"Yes, you are the 4th person, he has eloped with people's money. He claimed to be a travel agent which he is not."
Amara's leg's began shaking uncontrollably. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her. She managed to reach home where she just sat on the couch helplessly.
After a while, she decided to call Chika.
"Hello Chika, Mr John has eloped with all my money I suffered and sacrificed to get. At this moment I'm completely shattered, I don't know what to do."
"Are you serious... that's how some of this travel agent's behave but I didn't expect such from Mr John." Chika replied.
Amara immediately sensed the guilt in her voice. "Did you know about this?" There was a long silence over the phone.
"I trusted you...why would you do this to me you betrayed me."
"Im sorry Amara it's not what you think."
"The deed has already been done, I don't have much to say to you but karma will definitely catch up with you." Amara said as she hung up the call.
She sat all alone, feeling used. There was no store, no money, no visa.
"My expectations have been cut short." She said to herself.