Sammy and his wife Sarah were sitting on the bed in their room, looking worried. Sammy kept nodding his head sadly.

“Now that I have been sacked at the block industry, what will I do now? We don’t have any other means of income. What are we going to do?” asked Sammy.

Sighing, Sarah replied with a calm tone, “Darling you have to calm down, please stop before you hurt yourself. You have been pacing about all day. Do you want to kill yourself? If you keep this up you might also lose your life. Besides, you were paid peanuts. ”

“At least I earned something, half a loaf is better than none. I must do something. I will visit my friend William. He will have an idea or at least tell me where to find a job now,” he said picking a plain green shirt.

“Before you go, will you have something to eat? We don’t have much but I managed to buy some beans,” Sarah said.

“Never mind, I am not hungry. I will eat later. He was leaving the room. “Oh God please have mercy on us,” Sarah prayed silently.

At Williams’ house, the pair were sitting on the bench. “Will you continue to look at me, my friend? I need help urgently. I was sacked from six different jobs in a month. This sickness of mine will be the death of me,” he said almost crying. William was now staring at the sky.

“Please don’t say such things, just because you have asthma does not mean it will kill you. People who have it can also live long.”

“Only when using the prescribed drugs at the right time and avoiding some things and places. I am lucky to still have my inhaler. I will soon run out of it. When it does, what will I do then? I can’t even afford to buy an inhaler.” William tried again to persuade him to be optimistic.

“You will learn how to swim when you reach the river. Let’s leave that for now, Sam. I have spoken to a friend he will help you to get a new job.”

“Thank you so much, my friend,” he said touching William’s hand, before wiping his tears from his eyes.

It is busy in the warehouse with everyone working at Sammy’s new workplace. Men are carrying bags of different commodities into the warehouse. The supervisor is walking around majestically keeping keen eyes on the workers. “Hurry up, work faster. You are too lazy, walk faster, quite lazing around. I am not getting any younger standing here.” He said rudely to the workers who stopped to catch their breaths.

A worker scowling glanced towards the supervisor before moving back to the warehouse. Groaning under the strain of the load he is carrying. “He is just standing there talking while he thinks I am lazy.”

“That’s life for you my brother. Those who work are blamed while does who don’t are praised,” someone said.

Observing the two workers talking, he yelled at them, “What is going on over there? Stop gossiping like women and get back to work, shameless men!” A loud thud was heard followed by gasps and yells. Sammy was beneath bags of rice and unconscious.

“What is going on over there? Get him out immediately. What a fragile man. Why is he here when he does not have the strength to work?”

Minutes after regaining consciousness, Sammy knelt in front of the supervisor begging him for another chance but he insisted on dismissing him. “Look here young man, you had your chance and you blew it. You are aware that several men are waiting to have this job. Moreover, you did not seem to have what it takes to work here,” he said and walked away from Sammy to reprimand a group of workers before returning to Sammy. Sammy’s thoughts were tumbling and rolling.

The supervisor returned. “Alright, I will let this go but remember I am watching you. A single mistake and you are out of here,” he said pointing at his face.

“Thank you, sir,” Sammy said elevated and happy.

Tell us: What do you think of friends that put others at work?