Caleb Enyindah had experienced many ups and downs in his twenty-seven years on earth. He had known prosperity, having been born into a wealthy home, but all that had crumbled into fond memories when Caleb’s father died. Mrs Enyindah was left crippled by the vehicle accident that took her husband’s life, and things had taken a hard turn for them all. Just like that, Caleb, his mother and his lone sibling had been plunged into poverty. One so debilitating that his sister died as a result of complications resulting from poorly treated malaria.
He had barely survived a childhood which had been filled with hungry nights and days spent between sleeping at his school desk and hawking fruits on the streets. He had grown up rough and he had grown up tough, but he was made of good stock and with maturity, bloomed into a handsome, fair-skinned young man. Looking at him, no one would have suspected that as a child his head had been covered with persistent eczema and his skin had been blotchy with scars and spots from bedbug bites.
On a Friday morning, Caleb walked in through the gates of the Briggs residence, deep in the heart of the posh GRA Port-Harcourt, and all eyes followed him. He was tall, over six feet in height, with rock-hard abs and muscles bulging beneath the sleeves of the blue shirt which hugged his enviable upper-body lovingly. Long legs filled out the pair of snug dark jeans into which his shirt was tucked and dark-blue sneakers completed his ensemble. His smooth skin, slim fingers and glistening beard made him look sophisticated and urbane, but his looks were mostly a result of good genes and a careful physical regimen. The wallet making his back pocket bulge was mostly empty.
Poverty had been riding on Caleb’s shoulders all his life and it had finally led him here. He could not afford to fail.
“Good morning.” he greeted the security men at the gate to the big house. “I’m here for the interview…”
A brisk nod and snapped fingers interrupted him and he hurriedly fished out his national ID card. One of the security men collected it gingerly, as though afraid it would bite —and frowned down at the card. He eyed Caleb, and then returned the ID card, using another head nod to let him know he could advance down the driveway that led into the large compound’s grounds. As Caleb walked forward, he could hear the man muttering into a walkie-talkie that had been tucked into his belt.
That was the first of many security checks. It was a long driveway that led further in and Caleb broke out into a light sweat by the time he reached the house. On the way, he had to flash his identification at two more security stops before he finally reached the towering edifice where Chief Hanson Briggs and his family lived. All the uniformed guards had walkie-talkies and he suspected they radioed ahead to inform their colleagues of his imminent arrival. The Briggs home was famed for its tight security.
At the main house, Caleb was ushered into a foyer by a slim girl in a too-tight skirt, where he found four other men were seated by an office door and waiting. Judging by the fact that they were all clutching large brown envelopes just like him, Caleb guessed they were also interested in the employment opportunity that had brought him to Chief Brigg’s home. He greeted the other young men and eyed them surreptitiously, then relaxed, a confident smirk on his face. The other applicants looked like the state of his wallet- desperate, hungry and hard-used. Based on outward appearance alone, he had this in the bag.
#
His confidence was shaken about an hour later when his interview began. He strutted into the small office confidently when he was called in last and made sure to offer handshakes to the man and woman waiting to cross-examine him. The woman was middle-aged, with a stern frown on her face; but she softened a little when Caleb smiled at her. He was not surprised—he had that effect on women.
The man was another matter entirely.
“My name is Benson Adewale and I’m in charge of security here. This is Mrs Sonye Nathan- she runs the house and its staff, so if you do get employed, you will be directly working under her.”
Caleb turned another high-wattage smile on the woman. “Well, I look forward to working with you then, madam.”
“You don’t have the job yet.” Benson growled, his tone tart. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Caleb opened his mouth to apologize but Mrs Nathan beat him to it. “Oh don’t be so hard on him, Benson. He just sounds confident to me.” the woman returned Caleb’s smile. “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself? You don’t have to be formal.”
Caleb took a deep breath and launched into the backstory he had come armed with- how he was a graduate of Computer Engineering but had decided to apply for the position of driver to Chief Briggs to make ends meet; how he had grown up in Lagos and relocated to Rivers State after he finished his mandatory youth service year there; how he was a team player and had no problems with authority. He spent almost ten minutes talking and when he was done, Benson grunted.
“No driving experience?”
Caleb hid his annoyance well. “None as a professional driver, sir. But I’ve been driving for years and I even learnt and am qualified to drive a truck last year- I have that license here. So I can drive anything with wheels, really. I also have zero record of accidents.”
Benson grunted again and leafed through Caleb’s documents slowly and the young man felt his unease rise. He wondered if Benson was in the military. The man had an air of toughness about him and although he had on a simple t-shirt and black jeans, he was wearing what looked like military boots. The man made Caleb nervous, mostly because much of what he had told them were lies and manufactured history. The only truth he had uttered was the fact that he could drive and had never had an accident.
However, any suspicions Benson seemed to be having had totally flown over Mrs Nathan’s head.
“Well, if anything, you seem overqualified.” She said chirpily as she beamed at Caleb. “To be frank, among all the applicants I’ve interviewed so far, you’ve impressed me the most. What I need on my staff is someone who can take orders, is honest, knows his boundaries and has great work ethic. I see nothing here to show you don’t have all these. But I’m only half of this interview process. Benson decides the rest.”
She and Caleb turned to Benson expectantly, but the man merely grunted again and pointedly closed the file containing Caleb’s photocopied personal documents. He leaned forward and stared at Caleb over steepled fingers, his gaze suspicious. “We’ll be in touch.”
Caleb made sure he flashed an extra bright smile at Mrs Nathan before he left the office. He seemed to have won her over, but Benson was a problem. Caleb had lied about having no problems with authority. He hated being talked down to or ordered around, but he needed the job.
He strolled down the long driveway that led out of the grounds of the Briggs home, his smile gone, envy churning in his stomach as he admired the lush surroundings. One day, he vowed silently, he would live in a home as large as this one.
Right now, one thing could make all his dreams would come true. He just had to get within striking distance of the well-protected Chief Hanson Briggs. Too much effort had already gone into getting this far.
He could not afford to fail.
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