From grass to grace

"You're beautiful" he said but I kept walking.

"I said you're beautiful" he repeated this time sounding more tense. He doesn't look like a street boy neither does he look like a jobless person. He was dressed just fine.; infact he was very handsome, he looked very neat and organised but why the compliment? I thought fine boys think very highly of themselves. What was he doing in an area like this?

"Thank you" I replied cause I was already getting scared of the intense look he gave me when he complimented me for the second time.

"You're welcome and please take care of yourself" he said and left, heading for the tiny road that lead out of the street. Why would a stranger be concerned about how i took care of myself?

As he walked to the road, I saw a heavily built man, he looked like a bouncer. He opened the door of a Limousine and the stranger man hopped in.

"Wow, seems he's a rich person, but what did he come to do in this filthy rural area?" I thought.

He signalled for the bouncer looking man and he bent slightly as the stranger whispered something into his ears. I wondered what he was telling him and realized it wasn't my business so I turned and walked towards the direction of my house but heard somebody walking rapidly behind me as he shouted

"Miss! Miss!!"

As he got closer to me, woah it was the bouncer looking man, he was so tall and huge. I had this expression on my face that screamed fear.

"Boss, said i should give this to you" he said

His voice very deep, thick and scary. He stretched his hand forward, it was an envelope and it was quite big.

"Uhh, w_w_why?" I said after much trouble, my voice was very shaky. He didn't even say a word and just opened the polythene bag in my hand, dropped it and walked away.

"Excuse me sir! I don't want this" I shouted but he didn't even look back. What was in that envelope? Well I'm sure its money and if it was, it was a very huge amount of money.

"Mama! Mama!!" I screamed as I ran to the little hut where I and my mother live.

"Mamaaa!!!" I screamed even more. You want to know why I screamed so much? You'll see

"What is it?" my mother said as she came out of the hut.

"Mama look" I said as I handed her the polythene bag

Looking at me with disgust on her face.

"Oh, so you want me to cook whatever you bought abi?"

"No mama, just open it first and see"

She opened and brought out the envelope

"What is this? You've started collecting trash from people for money?"

"Mama this is precious trash, very valuable. Open it first now"

She didn't want to open it at first cause she felt it was one of my pranks. As she felt the envelope with her hands to know the content, her eyes starts to widen, she now understood what i meant by precious trash.

"Ewoooo, Sandra!" she said as she opened the envelope and brought out five huge bundles of money. She dropped them on the ground.

I frowned. "Mama why did you drop it on the ground now?" i asked and was about to pick it back up but she held my hand.

"Where did you get that money from?" she asked with her hands on her waist.

"Mama, somebody gave it to me"

She put on a fake laugh and then put on a confused face.

"Somebody gave it to you? In this slum? Who has that type of money in this slum and Is even giving it out? Who?"

"Mama i don't think the person that gave me this money lives here oh cause he looked rich. Do you know all those cars you see celebrities in?"

"Which one?"

"That looooong one" I said making emphasis with my hands so she would understand

"Yeeess, I remember" she said and looked at me with a confused face

"What is that type of person doing in this area?"

"That was the same thing I wondered when I saw him enter the car"

"But why did he give you this money?". After she made that statement I realized the money was still on the ground and I was about to pick it up but she stopped me again.

"Mama what is it? Let me pick it up"

" No, what if it was blood money"

"Leave that to the person that did the blood money it won't affect us" I was about to pick up again but she stopped me

"Wait. Why would he give you such a huge amount of money just like that? Or did you?"

"No, why would you think such irritating things about me? Do I look like a prostitute? Prostitutes are not even paid even close to half of this money"

"But why?"

"Mama, I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that I get to continue my education and we can even move to the city" I said and picked up the money, this time around she didn't stop me.

"That's true oh, but what if the man comes back for something in return?"

"I didn't ask for the money, he gave it to me and even if he does come back, we would've left this slum"

"Sandra are you sure? Why did you collect the money anyway?"

"I didn't his bodyguard put it in the bag"

"He even has a bodyguard?"

"Yes naw, rich people don't move around without protection"

"Nawa oh. We thank God sha for this blessing. Ehen! I hope mama Ugochi did not see when they give you the Money?"

"No, but what if she does, what can she do?"

"I'm just saying oh. Cause they can use all these their witchcrafts. The same way they used it on your Father".

"Mama, don't be scared of mere humans when we have God. Only God knows what really happened to daddy, if he was killed, his culprits will never have peace and if it was God's time, it was God's time okay?"

She was already teary eyed as she sat on the stool close to the door of our hut.

We didn't live here all our lives, we moved here after my Father's death beacause all his properties, his money was taken by his brothers. They don't even care if I and my mother were still living all I know is that everything they snatched from us won't last in their hands. Its either they misuse it or gamble it away. They were all drunkards, gamblers and fraudsters. I felt pity on their wives one day when one of my uncles came home drunk and beat her up till she had bruises all over body. You're lucky if you have relatives that care about you, but these days strangers are the ones that show concern more than your own family just like this man I met today. I don't know him, he doesn't know me but why did he give me money? Well I have no idea but he has made I and mama's life better.