The world seems a lot brighter these days. The sun smiles, and even when the clouds gather and the rains pour, they feel like soft kisses on Chukwuemeka’s skin. He often remembers those Sunday mornings, sitting in the front pew, right in front of the pastor. 

“The Lord is still in the business of transforming destinies. The Lord can change your life in an instant!!! Shout Hallelujah!!!”

The whole congregation would stand up and scream Hallelujah in unison, and right on cue, the influential women in the church, unfailingly marked by their excessive makeup and “loud” jewelry would rush to the altar and drop slim envelopes with heavy content on the floor. Chukwuemeka would sit still, looking around like a stray dog in an unfamiliar environment. “The Lord” has been in the business of changing destinies since he started attending this church a year ago but for some reason, “The Lord” always skipped his destiny. Perhaps, his destiny was too much work for “The Lord”. 

What strength could he muster to scream Hallelujah when he came to church with an empty stomach? Where would he get a slim envelope from, when he is a living slim envelope? How could he bring yams and goats for thanksgiving when all he had on his table for food was “garri” and groundnut. Sugar was considered luxury. How could he dance vigorously when his back ached from sleeping on that poor excuse for a bed back at that poor excuse for a home? He felt the church would be a place of help but he went in and out of that church for almost two years and it still seemed like no one saw him. 

“How far bro… I get one update oo” 

Wole always had “updates”. Chukwuemeka met Wole when he was still a newbie in Lagos. Wole became an elder brother to him and they’ve been together ever since. Wole’s updates were always concerned with money and to be honest, that’s all that mattered. Chukwuemeka was 26 at the time but he always felt less than a man as a result of his terrible financial reality. 

“How far bro… I get like 2 sure odds” 
“How far bro… E get this new racket wey I want make we run”
“How far bro… You just dey waste this your fine face. I get sugar mummy update oo”

The updates were endless. However, Wole was not wrong. Chukwuemeka had beautiful facial features. He had that sexy dark skin that women drooled for, full lips that looked like they were calling you to kiss them but unfortunately, they were almost always dry. He had eyes that looked like a portal to another dimension. His face was simply beautiful. It’s a sad reality however, that women ignored his face and focused on the slimness and shallowness of his pockets. His eyes had depth, but you couldn’t say the same about his pockets. As Wole always said, “Na money be fine bobo”. 

Looking back from here, Chukwuemeka can only laugh. One of Wole’s updates worked and here he is three years later, lying in his king-size bed, in his luxurious apartment, with a “bad bitch” to keep him warm for the night. It’s on these nights that he wishes that Wole was still here. Wole was ambitious to a fault. His ambitions often overshadowing his loyalty and this is something that always kept Chukwuemeka on his toes when they stayed together. That ambition birthed greed and in that quest, Wole betrayed the brotherhood and as a consequence, lost his life. Chukwuemeka often feels guilty. It feels like he betrayed Wole because he owes everything he has to his updates. 

His “bad bitch” turns over and runs her finger down his chest to his stomach. He looks up to the ceiling and says a silent prayer to “The Lord”, thanking Him for finally transforming his destiny. In an instant, he’s under the sheets and proceeds to enjoy the dividends of his deep pockets, by his rhythmic and timely deep thrusts.