"Maybe if man could get whatever he wish for without stress or pains, maybe life would have been better... Or maybe harder... Or could it be the same?"
In a room and toilet self-contained, sewing machines are set in a row closed to the window facing the back yard. Adjacent to the sewing machines is a weaving machine situated towards the toilet used as the store for the tailoring shop. Piles of useless and useful clothes are on the floor in the store with the door partially closed. Directly opposite the window is the door that lead to the hallway. Close to the door is a ironing table which is also used for cutting clothes. This table is situated just adjacent to the weaving machine. A manikin is erected at one side of the shop-directly opposite the weaving machine where different art works were hung on the wall.
Mathew, the owner of the shop sat at the extreme end of the shop partially backing the manikin, sewing while two other young men, appeared to be his apprentice sat with different machines, also working. A voice was heard from outside of the room from the window which drew the men attention. "Victory" called Mathew.
"Yes". Victory replied.
"Look at the window".
Victory looked at the window with some air of wonder replete with high confusion. What was he looking for? Or what was he looking at? Why looking outside at all? It was strange. Though it wasn't a strange thing for Mathew to call him out like that. They were in the same level in the University and they were more like a friend, so it's easy for them to be less formal. But this time around, what exactly was he supposed to see outside was a problem. He gently and slowly looked at him from his shoulder with a confused expression before returning his gazed back at the louvre lining on the window.
"That's our new tenant"
He became more confused. "Who are you talking about?" He asked.
"Can't you see the girl with her mother?" He asked impatiently.
At this point, things were getting clearer to him. He was supposed to look at those people who passed through the backyard from the window and not the empty space. He didn't know. Truthfully, he saw a woman and a young lady of about sixteen years of age with a pail walking through the backyard, but he never pay attention to them. They were new to him, he had never seen them before so he never thought his boss would have interest in them to the extent of calling his attention to them. He cleared his throat but talked in a very low voice.
"Oh, i saw two people walking pass the window but i never pay attention to them. Who are they?"
"They are our new tenant". "Actually, not they. She is our new tenant".
"The mother right?" Asked Victory.
Mathew giggled a bit and used his left palm to wipe his wet nose. "No, the girl. She's too small to stay alone right?"
"The girl?" Asked Victory, feeling rather surprised. "No? Not too small anyway. I think it's good for her."
"Good for her? What do you mean by that?" Asked Mathew.
By this time, Victory was far in thought. Every man with his own fate. Imagine this small girl in the University. He thought so hard on his life and how things had been for him. When he was like the girl, he was still at the secondary school. In fact, he was still at the junior secondary school. How many times had he repeated in his life? Four times! Four whole years wasted. Another year wasted without promotion nor repeat. Now five years altogether. If not for those wasted years, he should be done with his master's programs by now, he thought. The girl must be a lucky girl.
For all these while, Mathew had stop sewing. He watched him wandering around in a wasted land of thought. He stood up gently beneath his sewing machine and walked lightly to where Victory was sitting.
"Is there any problem?"
Victory jotted back to life. It was a bit embarrassing. He felt ashamed and tried to cover up things.
"Is there any problem?" He repeated the question.
"No. No problem. I guess I was lost in thought, fantasizing over that pretty lady".
"Are you for real? You mean you wanted to sew your hand because of a lady? Be careful. Listen, that girl is my speck, so she's no go area."
"Who wanted to fight with you over that small girl?" Victory thought. He had rather be lonely without a girl than to date such a small girl. Either lucky or unlucky, the girl is just too small to go into any relationship.
"But to be frank, Mathew must be crazy. Is he really thinking of dating that little girl?" Victory thought. "He must be out of his mind. Why thinking of such nonsense when he have a girlfriend?"
The mother greeted them through the open door in the hallway. They both turned around to see who was greeting as the lady come to full view.
"Wow!" Exclaimed Victory. "This girl can't be sixteen" he thought.
They gently looked at one another, perplexed.
