Yoke Of Love

Friends

Kolawole Adegbola graduated from Lagos State Polytechnic with a Higher National Diploma in Purchasing and Supply at the age of twenty-three; he did his one year National Youth service to the Nation at Calabar, Cross River State.

Kolawole was very handsome, tall, dark in complexioned, and a slim young man from Ijebu-Aiyepe in Ogun State of Nigeria. After his youth service, Kolawole returned back to Lagos in search for a job.

He wrote series of application letters to many private organizations and Government Agencies but no job was offered to him.

There was nothing wrong with his qualification but most of the employers were looking for Applicants with five years cognitive experience in purchasing and supply; and Kolawole was a fresh graduate; why employers refused to employ fresh graduates because they lacked cognitive experience did not make any sense to him; how employers expects graduates to get experience when they refused to give fresh graduates jobs beats his imagination!

Kolawole was a good swimmer; he learnt how to swim at Uren River in Ijebu-Aiyepe Community when he was a student at Aiyepe Grammar School.

On one particular Saturday morning, he had the urge to swim in a swimming pool, and he decided to go to Ikeja Airport Hotel. The swimming pool at the Airport Hotel was an Olympic size filled to the brim with clear blue water.

Kolawole paid for two hours duration at the pool, and he hired a locker where he kept his personal belongings. When he got to the swimming pool side, he noticed some kids swimming and playing hand ball at the children section of the pool; he also noticed some male and female adults swimming at the deeper section of the pool.

Around the side of the pool, some white men and women were just relaxing on their plastic chairs sipping their drinks and watching those who were swimming with keen interest.

Kolawole climbed a higher platform erected above the swimming pool and dived into the deepest section of the swimming pool like a professional swimmer; he deliberately went all the way down to the floor tiles of the pool at the bottom before he came up to the surface, swimming in breast-stroke Olympic style.

One of the white men at the side of the pool, noticed the handsome young Nigerian’s professional style of swimming, he watched the young Nigerian with keen interest.

After one hour in the pool, Kolawole came out of the water; he sat at the side of the pool and ordered for a bottle of lager beer from a standby waiter. Few minutes later, the white man who had been observing his swimming prowess came over and sat down next to the young Nigerian.

Kolawole was very surprised when the white man sat down by his side, he guessed the white man could not be more than thirty-five years of age, the white man was not tall, neither was he short, but he was strongly built like a prize fighter.

The white man noticed the confusion on the face of the young Nigerian; and he introduced himself, “Sorry, I should have introduced myself first before I sat by your side; my name is Steward Buckit, a building construction Engineer”, he offered his hand for a hand shake.

Kolawole smiled softly and held the offered hand in a firm hand shake, and he said: “My pleasure of meeting you sir, my name is Kolawole Adegbola; I am an unemployed Polytechnic graduate.”

Steward Buckit gave Kolawole a reassuring smile and said; “Don’t worry about your unemployed status for now, but what actually attracted me to you is your swimming prowess, how and where did you learn to swim like the way of the Olympians?” Buckit paused, and continued.

“I have been coming to this swimming pool for the past two years, and I have not come across any Nigerian who could swim the way you did today.”

Kolawole was not surprise about what Buckit said regarding his swimming skill, and he replied; “Thank you sir for the compliment, however, I learnt to swim in a big flowing River with strong current in my home town; every teenager in my town must learn how to swim against the strong current of River Uren, otherwise, the powerful current would carry the person to the ocean dead on arrival.”

Buckit opened his mouth in wonder, and said; “Wao! Alright, this is the deal; I want you to teach my seven years old son how to swim for two hours every Saturday here in this swimming pool from twelve noon, and I will pay you money after each training sessions; and again, I will speak to a friend about your unemployment situation; please tell me, what is your Discipline in the Polytechnic?”

The young Nigerian was not actually expecting the white man would help him to get any good job, other than teaching his son how to swim. And the question came as a surprise to him.The unexpected question, made Kolawole to jumped unto his feet so fast he almost pushed Buckit into the swimming pool in his excitement.