Didi had every prospects of making it in life. His level of intelligence was unmatched and easily noticed by the people of his village. It was easy and common for passersby to stop, watch with glee and listen with rapt attention the words from that child prodigy–Didi.
Who’s child could this be? was often what was said about him. But one thing limited the growth of Didi Adam–Poverty. His parents had died while he was very little and was raised by his grandmother who also died when he turned 11years. As a results, his education was truncated.
Left alone to fend for himself in a busy village, he did all manner of odd jobs for people who normally paid less than the deserved price. He desired to be educated but had no one to cater for his education. He would sneak into classrooms to listen to the lesson taught but this mostly ended bad for him as the teachers would beat him mercilessly whilst the pupils heckle him as though a thief caught red handed.
Insisting that he wants to get educated, he visits some ‘friends’ who had the means to be educated for some of the lessons but they turned him down always.
15 years on the heavens opened and rained blessing on Didi when he helped a blind stranger get to the village clinic. When the blind woman was diagnosed with food poison. He willingly offered to help the poor lonely blind woman get better. He took proper care of the old lady until she fully recovered.
One midnight she sneaked into Didi’s hut deposited a white sack and left without a trace. In the morning Didi realised that the old woman was a blessing in disguise the white sack was full of gold with a note thanking him for the help.
With a deep sigh of relief, his days of destitution was over! He registered with an adult education in a top school in the city studied and hard and 7 years later he became an Engineer. On his return to the village, he threw a party and invited all his new friends from the city. The elders and people of his village also came although they were not invited. Surprisingly, they offered to give him the title (Chief) because his current status according to them befitted that title. He was even offered on a silver platter the princess of their village as wife.
By Portia Hutton Mills