Greetings!
One thing that's very scarce in our time now is trust, people now see trust as a scarce commodity and this is because people cannot just be trusted with anything again.
This issue of trust has really caused me dearly in this my over thirty years journey on the planet earth. I have trusted people with my life, and every other aspect of my life, but one thing I have got from people is disappointment which used to get me hurt and pained to the marrow.
Some time ago, I trusted a friend of mine with a project I was carrying out in my village. Although I would have undergone and carried out the project on my own, just because of my busy schedule, I decided to employ the services of a childhood friend of mine who we have been together with for a very long time.
When I called Segun that I wanted to see him, he didn't really know what I was calling him for, Until he got to me. So, when he got to our meeting place, I told him that I wanted to start the construction of my building at home so that whenever I come home, there would be a place to rest my head.
So, when he heard about this, he responded and says,
“Sam, that's good of you and since I'm around, I would make sure I see to the construction of this project of yours and let me you, all you need to do is to count on me, you have not to worry yourself.” “Thanks,” I replied.
So, since he had promised to help me handle the project and coupled with the trust I have over the time had in him, I didn't even bother myself to think twice about what I had wanted to embark on.
So, without wasting much of my time, I started the project and I sent a reasonable amount of money into Segun's account to help me use the money to mobilize workers to the site and immediately he got the alert of the money sent to him, he notified me and I was happy to have a person like Segun as someone who would be helping me to supervise and manage the project.
Lest forget, I would have preferred making use of my parents to help me supervise the project, but both of them are no longer staying in the village, but had moved with me to the city.
So, for this reason, they were not in the pole position to help me manage the project, but since Segun was still at home and with our past relationships, then there should be no cause for alarm, saddling him with the responsibility.
Although my parents warned me about my decision, I insisted on making use of him to help me handle the project as I believed in him and also since I would be paying him, I think that would do him.
When we first started the project, Segun, my friend was really doing well as he was really up to the task. Segun at the start would do video calls with me, he would send me voice messages and even send to me the breakdown of all that had been spent on the project on a daily basis.
With how he was handling the project back then, I was happy and confident in his ability to help me with the project and adife from that, I have started to think of how to start another project in the neighbouring village, the one which I also believed he would also help me manage the same way he had be transparent with the current one.
I went to brief my parents about the development and they were equally happy about the progress of the project which they have been advising to embark on a very long time ago.
However after Segun's months of transparency come another months of insincerity.
What I noticed when he started this was that he no longer does video calls to me and aside from this, he was not accountable with his daily analysis of what was spent on site again. This he stopped without any explanation to me and whenever I called to ask if everything was going on well on site, his response would be that would call you back.
So, when I had noticed this, I decided to visit the village and what I met on site was so disappointing as nothing has been done since the last video call he made with people when the project was three months old.
I asked for his whereabouts, but I was told.that he had relocated his family to the city and that he could not be traced as he didn't tell anyone before he relocated to the city.
It's so painful as everything I had spent on the project later became a waste, but thank God he didn't sell off the property.
When I got back to the city, I briefed my parents who were never disappointed in his deeds. But thanks to God, I'm now done with the project with the help of an independent contractor.
But for the whereabouts of this friend of mine, Segun, I have not heard or seen a light of his since then.
Thanks for reading.
Picture is Ai generated.