I guess as individuals, we have all felt the heat of maybe mom's stares or someone else's gaze. I have been in that phase, where I had this attitude that everyone around me must notice. I visited my sister in Lagos, and we know how crowded Lagos can be.
It was one afternoon in their shop. Since the shop was attached to their building, the compound had other residents. The problem actually started because of my mindset. I saw the other tenants as low class and not qualified to speak to me, a very childish attitude I had then. This made me speak authoritatively whenever they come around. One of them seemed to like me, even with the attitude I used to display, she failed to hold that against me and I took advantage of that.
Her aunt had a noodle spot adjacent to our shop. I had been secretly getting free plates from this girl. Even when she didn't want to, my appearance and manner of approach would make her comply. Her aunt had been complaining about a shortage in the business. Sometimes, she felt she had used the money to buy food and let go of her thoughts.
Source
So, one day, I was alone in our shop as usual, and I had sneaked out to arrange my usual with this girl. Unfortunately for me, my sister came into the shop and sat waiting for me, hoping I hadn't gone far.
My mind never thought I would be heard because my eyes were on the road, checking if her aunt was coming, so we could changedl the topic. I never thought my sister would be the one to catch me red-handed. She waited and heard everything and she voiced out, "I heard everything."
Immediately, I recognized my sister's voice. Her no-nonsense attitude scared the hell out of me. As soon as she entered, her eyes were fixed on me. Her voice was so loud that I felt sad and embarrassed. She expected me to take accountability for my actions, but I refused, trying to push everything onto the girl.
"So this is what you have been doing. You heard that woman complain every day about not making enough profit, and you will sit here and act innocent," her words hit me hard in all parts of my body, and I felt a pang of guilt for my actions. As she left angrily, I knew that wasn't the end.
Later that night, she brought up the topic when everyone was present. Although she didn't raise her voice very loud since it was night, she spoke in a way that made me understand my actions. Her husband also talked a lot about honesty, and in the end, I went to the woman the next day and told her everything.
I started by apologizing for my behavior and actions. I promised her I would pay for everything I had consumed. She told me not to do so but always learn to practice honesty and understand the impact of my actions before carrying them out.
"Imagine if I had met you two first and shouted 'thief,' do you know the implications, especially if I had recorded everything you two said?" Everything that happened made staying there uncomfortable for me; I felt humiliated. Being called out comes with embarrassment and humiliation, but being open to learning from our mistakes is the most beautiful thing about being called out.