STORYTELLING THE BOOKS OF PROVERBS

CHAPTER ONE

"It's easy money, a truckload of top-quality loot," he said and winked at me.
The other guys nodded in agreement. They had been drinking long before I got to the bar. I was still on my first bottle.
"What do we have to do?" I asked.
"We will do the hard part of ambushing them on their way from the bank. You go just be the driver."
"Will there be guns?" I asked.
"Yes na, we go raise hell, so that nobody go try form Super Man or avengers when we dey operate," he said aloud, and the others laughed.
He added, "join us for the time of your life. Cos with us, it's all brotherly love, equal sharing no cheating."
"Make I go ease myself, I dey come," I replied.
I stepped out of the compound the bar was in and entered the makeshift urinal erected on an open gutter.

"The more you get, the less you are."
I turned sharply to see who said that.
It was a lady with the gait of a headmistress. She looked back and I took a sharp breath. She was beautiful enough to be stunning, yet with a mature look that commands respect.

I felt wetness on my leg, so I turned back to finish what I was doing and I zipped up.

She stopped in front of the bar and spoke out loud:

"Young minds, how long will you wallow in ignorance? How long will you feed your cynicism? How long will you refuse to learn? I'm ready to invest in you, to teach and train you. I'm ready to tell you all I know. But una dey form "too woke", say you no see me or say una no understand my yarns. I hope say you no go laugh or yab this my advice, cos the day you go need am and call for me, I no go answer you, and no matter how hard you look, you no go see me. You hate knowledge and have nothing to do with the fear of God. You waste your time on schemes that promise easy money, and your minds fill up with cobwebs of foolishness. Don't you see what will happen? Carelessness kills, complacency is murder, and if you say you are killing time, you are committing suicide. Anyway sha, I don talk my own, whoever listens to me, will live safely and will be secure, without fear of evil."

She stopped, looked at me briefly, and then walked away in the opposite direction.
I stared at her retreating form. This was my first time seeing her, but I have heard about her before this day. The people in the hood call her "Lady Wisdom."

As I turned to walk away from the bar, I heard someone call my name.


Inspired by King Solomon
Source Code: Proverbs 1

CHAPTER TWO

She: Quitting your job was a bad decision; this crisis of COVID-19 has now made it worse. We are heading for rock bottom.

He: Rock bottom? Is that not a good place to start?

She: How is that one a good place to start?

He: At rock bottom, we can sink no further and that forms a good foundation to build on.

She: You don turn philosopher, abi? I am tempted to say my husband has gone mad o!!!

He: Oya come, let’s reason together, what are the facts? What are the options?

She: Fact is that we are broke, so broke we can’t even compare ourselves to church rats. Cos with churches now on lockdown, the rats have “ported” to greener pastures.

He: What are the options?

She: I no know o, you tell me.

He: R.T.I.A.C.L.S.S

She: What is this one now? Your kolo don dey mature o!
He: Receive, treasure, incline, apply, cry out, lift, seek, and search for.

She: I am still waiting for the sense in all this your nonsense.

He: Let me put it this way, what do we want? Why do we want it? How bad do we want it?

She: We want money na, abi what else?

He: What brings money? What is the principal thing?

She: Yes, I know wisdom is the principal thing, but do you know the address of the University of Wisdom or where is the College of Education for Wisdom located?

He: R.T.I.A.C.L.S.S

She: If you don’t start making sense I will tell my father to return the dowry to you.

He: If we know wisdom is the principal thing and we truly desire it, then we simply seek out the wise ones physically and through their books. After all, he who walks with the wise will be wise, and a wise King once said that if we:–

1. Receive his words
2. Treasure his commands
3. Incline our ears to wisdom
4. Apply our heart to understanding
5. Cry out for discernment6. Lift our voice for understanding
7. Seek her (wisdom) as silver
8. Search for her as for hidden treasures
Then Lady Wisdom will be our close friend, brother knowledge will be our pleasant companion, good sense will scout ahead for danger, and insight will keep an eye out for us.

She: Hmmm.

He: The fact is we are at rock bottom, but as I said earlier the rock bottom is a good place to start. And since we have options, let’s exercise them.

She: Hmmm

He: Can you trust me enough for us to try these options together?

She: Well, my father would have spent the dowry by now, so I am stuck with you. Besides, I need to stick around and ensure this “Lady Wisdom” is not a lady that her parent named Wisdom.

He: Nah, this wisdom is no physical woman.

She: I believe you, but I am also here to ensure it stays that way.


Inspired by King Solomon
Source Code: Proverbs 2

CHAPTER THREE

“Babe, I’m hungry o.”

”Hungry ke? You just ate less than an hour ago. At this rate, you will need new trousers cos of your expanding waistline.”

“I am sha hungry, and after the meal, me and you have unfinished business in ze oza room,” I said winking at her.

“Haaa, no be me and you o. You better go and jog like other people are doing,” she replied and ran into the kitchen as I tried to grab her.

My phone rang as I got up to go after her.

I picked it up and said, “hey Alex, how you dey?”

”Boss, I dey bam o. How are you are doing sir?”

“I am good, can only get better,” I replied.

”Abeg boss quick one, I have read some of what you have written but I still dey burst my brain on how to successfully emerge from this ongoing crisis. Any pointers for your boy?”

”Hmmm..well, there is this Simon Sinek’s video I watched recently and he said, “What value are you offering to people who buy your product and service, how will you do that in this new changing day and age? The opportunity is what would we become and not how to preserve what we had.”

"OK. I dey with you baba," Alex responded.


I continued, "in this time and season, there is disruption everywhere and by the time COVID-19 is over, things won't revert to (the old) normal, there will be a new normal. The present-day jobs as we know it won't exist anymore, so new jobs will have to be created. Also, consumer habits and behaviours would have changed."

“How Sir?” He asked.

”Well, it is said that it takes 14 to 21 days to form a new habit and about 90 days to make it permanent. Most countries are on a minimum of 14 days lock-down, some lock-downs are more than 14 days and for those on an initial 14 days, extensions are very likely. Thus, new habits and behaviours are being formed during this lock-down period. Most pre-COVID 19 marketing strategies might not work post-COVID 19.

”So what are the practical things I can do in this present time and season?”

”Well, some things don’t change, and the things that don’t change are more or less principles. Let me share some with you:

Don’t lose your grip on love and truth; carve their initials on your heart.

Don’t withhold good from those to whom it is due. Never walk away from someone who deserves help. What goes around, comes around.

Don’t envy the oppressor and choose none of his/ her ways (i.e. don’t adopt inhumane methods).

Get wisdom and gain understanding through books, videos, audio materials, etc. Depth is key, so ensure you pay special focus to your craft and not on ongoing trends. 5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding. Don't assume you know it all.

He kept quiet for a moment and then he said, "Boss, wait small, let me get you right; I should gain understanding, but lean not on my understanding? Is that not an irony?"

I smiled as I replied, "well, good wisdom divorced from God can become a snare. Besides, if your wisdom and understanding were enough, you won't have any problem to contend with, would you? You probably would have created a vaccine or cure for COVID-19, right? Not leaning on your understanding means revelation is required from time to time. And revelation comes from God."

He queried further, “so my brain no go need to think again be that?”

“No o, you won't suspend your thinking when you get the revelation; you still need to think it through to see it through. These are times some humans who study innovation and change lives for. And just to be clear, innovation is trial and error. It is a clever way of solving a problem that involves experimenting. And when it comes to change, it is your preparation for it and your response to it that matters most.”

“Ok, so if I get you right, I should get ready for change and be willing to innovate once the idea or revelation show face.”

”Exactly, be ready and willing to re-invent yourself, so you can seize the opportunities that will surely arise from this crisis.”

”Ok boss, I think my brain don receive air. Let me go and meditate small, and I will get back to you if I have more questions.”

”You go pay for this consultation o.”

”You na boss na, you no need my money.”

”If I hear…!!!”

”No issues sir, I go do the do.”

”Ok, go and sin no more.”


He laughed, "thank you, sir. My regards to madam and the children."

Inspired by King Solomon
Source Code: Proverbs 3

CHAPTER SEVEN
“No matter how hard you search, a man’s destiny can never be found on Google.”
This line had been on his mind for a week. He had heard it on YouTube while watching the performance of a poet called Habeeb Ajijola.
“Baba God o, pick up, pick up,” he said silently, lifting his hands to the sky as he walked down to the bus-stop.
He had finished his afternoon shift at the bank where he was employed as a security guard. He had joined the bank six months earlier after two years of been jobless. The pay was not much, but being six feet tall, dark and handsome made him a favourite of the female staff and customers of the bank, so he got plenty of tips. And being a ladies man, he knew how to turn on the charm with his smile and well-spoken English.
He stood at the bus stop alone for over 5 minutes before remembering Okada and Keke Napep had been banned over the weekend. He shook his head as he thought about the distance he had to cover to get a bus that will take him to his area.
Just as he was about to start walking when he noticed a white Lexus SUV with tinted glasses reversing to the spot he was at. The car stopped beside him and the window came down. He stooped to look inside the vehicle.
His eyes first caught sight of her exposed thighs, then her cleavage (as exposed by a low-cut blouse) before he saw the face of a beautiful light skin woman smiling at him. He liked what he saw, so he smiled back.
“Good afternoon ma,” he said.
“Good afternoon dear, how are you,” she replied.
“I am doing well ma.”
“Where are you headed? Maybe I can drop you off.”
“I want to get a bus to Lekki gate and then another to Ketu.”
“I am going to Gbagada, would Iyana Oworo be okay for you?”
“It’s perfect ma.”
“Ok, come in.”

He opened the door and sat down beside her.
“Hope you don’t mind if I quickly branch home to pick up my bag and stuff before we head off,” she said as she engaged the gear and drove on.
“No problem ma.”
“You work at the bank?” she asked.
“Yes.”
He glanced at her and their eyes met briefly before she turned back to the road.
“You are a handsome young man,” she said.
“Thank you ma.”
“Your girlfriend is a lucky girl,” she said smiling.
He chuckled and replied, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“You don’t? A fine boy like you! I don’t believe that,” she exclaimed.
“No romance without finance ma,” he replied, and they both laughed.
She stopped the car in front of a huge gate, honked twice and the gate opened sideways.
“Hope you don’t mind coming inside to have a drink or two, while I quickly shower and change.”
He glanced at her left hand and saw the wedding ring.
“I don’t want no trouble ma,” he said.
“My husband is not home’ he is away on business, and he won’t be back for a month,” she replied smiling sweetly.
He was quiet and did not move.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him, boldly took his arm, and said, "I've prepared a romantic dinner. For today I scanned around if I would see you, hoping to catch sight of your face—and here you are! I've spread fresh, clean sheets on my bed, colorful imported linens. My bed is aromatic with spices and exotic fragrances. Come, let's make love all night, and spend the night in blissful lovemaking!"
With her enticing speech, she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him.

Immediately he went with her, like an Ox goes to the butcher shop, or like a male Goat lured into an ambush and then shot with an arrow. Like a bird runs into a trap, he did not know it would cost his life.
For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.


Source Code: Proverbs 7