THE LONG WALK HOME.

Going to work week in and week out was becoming tiring, I knew I was running low on cash, I had to borrow some money from my mum to go for a job I was not paid to do. That morning was one of the most stressful days of my life, and I had woken up very tired, with no motivation whatsoever to go out. The only thing I felt like doing was going back to bed, sleeping my life away, and waking up to find food ready for me. But I knew that was only possible in my fantasy world, and as a result, I had to carry my heavy self to the bathroom when I realized my body wasn't even ready for a bath, but the moment the water touched my body it was as though I was receiving a thousand lashes to do the needful.

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Taking my bath was the easy part, getting ready for work and realizing the food I had hoped to eat for sustenance throughout the day was finished. My siblings had done justice by eating and taking all of it to school, leaving the dirty dishes for me to view (obviously because it would be a sin to wash them). In frustration, I picked up my heavy work bag and took the money my mum had left for me that should only take me a good distance close to my office and a good distance back home (if well spent). I could just create a mental picture of my life for the next 10 hours. The trauma of hunger had already overwhelmed me. I felt helpless not knowing what to do. My stomach especially was more helpless and I could do nothing about it.

Reaching the office, I hoped my boss wouldn't come to work so that this poor intern could have all the time in the world to sub through his sorrow. But Unfortunately my wish as well as any other wish I had that day was blown away into the wind when my boss came in and asked if I had 300 naira on me, he asked so hastily and authoritatively that I didn't think twice about giving him what I had on me, which turned out to be my all in all. I guess it's easy to guess what goes on from here; if you were thinking he never returned to the office that day, you are very correct he never returned, and I was completely out of airtime.

I stood at the front of the company and looked up and down, all the staff had been sent on different official duties, leaving the intern to close early and return the next day for work. I knew If I had to get home that day, the only way would be walking 100km. The thought of it alone was scary, but I knew I had two options, stay in the office and wallow in hunger, or walk 100km for Hope of food. I started the walk little by little, I wished I could cry, I wished I could beg someone on the road who might turn out to be a good Samaritan. But I was never built that way, my pride stood on my shoulders as I took every step back home.

It was a 4-hour 48-minute walk to my home, and the only thing I could see was myself dying if I did not take anything at that moment. Everyone at home thought I had probably had to stay overtime at the office until they saw my face and needed no prophet to explain that I had been through hell and in split seconds, I had moved from feeling like I was suffering to feeling like a hero for trekking such a distance. My office to my home three towns apart, I thought of it for a moment, and I knew I had broken my own record for which I gave myself an honorary name chairman of the trekkers association. I ended up eating where I sat when I came back. I stayed there for about two hours only to realize getting up was an issue.

I had fallen sick right away. The next day became worse, I couldn't go back to the office, and I was super happy about it because that would mean no one was going to be working that day. I couldn't pick up the numerous phone calls from the office, so my mum picked up and explained directly to my boss why she wouldn't allow her son to step foot outside his room that day, or any other day as long as I said I wasn't feeling well. I stayed home for two more days until I decided to pity my boss and went to work after three days only to discover they had broken the office open so work operations could commence. I had no regrets, and was still super happy I did what I did.

THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO THE INK WELL'S CREATIVE NONFICTION PROMPT