The Price Of A Borrowed Life

 

The Weight of Unanswered Questions

Have you been disappointed by life’s challenges? Have you had everything set in motion and at the end of the day life gives you a double setback? Have you been at the top of your class in school with so much prospect, but then life says no, you still have a debt to pay?

What would you do when all your effort is just like you are wasting your time? What would you do when you hardly see any progress in your life even though you work harder and smarter? What would you do when you earn little or nothing and all that you earn goes to paying off bills and taxes?

There are many more questions begging for answers as Eli lay on his bed trying to sort out which of his problems he would have to solve first—and they are many. He had been the best mathematician in his department and everyone had said he would have it easy when it came to picking a career; people had said he would have no stress getting a job due to how smart he is, but then the reality set in.

The Reality of the Struggle

Eli came to understand that he is not the problem, but the government is the problem. They focus more on stealing and thinking of extending their rule than providing the promises they made during their campaigns. He sighs as he sees some of his friends driving the latest cars and living in mansions; those guys weren’t even smart, but they have it easy enjoying life while he struggles as a math teacher in a private school that pays next to nothing.

He has been complaining to his mother about the situation, but she would only say, "My son, don’t be frustrated or give up on hope. As long as there is life, there is hope."

"Hope!" he would exclaim. "Mother, I’m getting old and I couldn’t boast of even a hundred dollars. Every effort is like a waste. How can I live such a life? Don’t you want to see your grandkids?"

"Of course I do," she would say with a longing look.

"See, I couldn’t marry because I have nothing to give to a wife or to a kid. I can’t let my kid suffer such poverty as me. In fact, who would even think of giving me their daughter to marry when poverty is written all over me?"

"My son, be patient. God's time is the best."

He would angrily leave her when she said that. He had had his patience with that phrase, "God's time is the best." Do I have to grow old before His time locates me? he thought, and then he would curse under his breath at how stupid people take religion like it is a saving grace. He swore as he went to see his friend Henry. He thought if he stayed at home again and listened to his mother talk of patience, he would lose his temper.

The Gates of the Highbrow Estate

Henry lives in the highbrow area in town; you have to present an identification if you want to meet him. Even though they are age-mates at twenty-seven, Henry looks like a man in his forties with a bushy beard and a stomach that is bulging with fat. His voice is as deep as a bass in a music instrument and he is tall with stooped shoulders, which everyone thought had to do with his big stomach.

Eli reached Henry’s gate and was told to wait after presenting his identification, and after a few minutes, he was asked to proceed inside because Henry was waiting for him. He hurried off, and when he came to Henry's mansion, he stood there mouth open looking at the modern architecture. The mansion is big and had a set of glass doors that had a scanner; he guessed it had about fifteen rooms from the lay of the land. He hit the bell and the door slid open soundlessly.

He saw Henry waiting for him, sitting on a sofa he guessed cost more than everything he owned in his life including his house. "There you are, my real man," Henry said, standing up as he hugged Eli.

Taken aback by the affection, Eli tilted his head sideway, looking at Henry with a frown. "Is this not too much?" he asked as he hugged him back, not wanting to make it feel awkward.

"Nothing is too much when it comes to you, my guy," Henry said as he gestured for Eli to sit across from him.

"Well, I’m here now and I need your help," Eli said looking at his friend.

"My help? In what way?" Henry asked him.

"My life is a ruin. I’m tired of living in poverty. I want to have a better life like you. I want to have a big boy's life."

The Cost of the Borrowed Life

Henry was silent for a few minutes as he considered what his friend had said. He sighed a few times and closed his eyes as he reflected on his life. What Eli doesn't know about him is that he is living a borrowed life and he would give anything to exchange that. Eli has a life with no problems, but Henry has a life full of problems. He had used blood money to be wealthy by sacrificing his mother, and since then, his life has been one trouble after another. He was warned never to help anyone—not even to give someone water to drink—that the day he gives someone something or renders any help, that would be the day everything would be taken from him and he would run along the street as a mentally unstable individual for the rest of his life.

"You don’t know what you're talking about," he said with a groan as he stretched the muscle in his neck. It has been paining him, and that means his renewal of his charm is getting near.

"What do you mean? I’m dying of suffering and untold poverty!"

"It is still better than my life," Henry said. "You see all this shit here?" he asked, pointing at his house and everything in it. "It is all vanity and it comes with a cost—or rather, a high price."

"At least you're enjoying life. You can get whatever you want, so what is there to complain?"

"Believe me, your life is better than mine," Henry said with a shrugged shoulder.

"Then let us exchange if you think mine is better. Come and wear my shoes for a few days and let me wear yours."

Henry had laughed at that and shook his head. He knew he needed to clear the air with Eli or his friend would find himself in a tight place. Eli is a good guy and he doesn't want him to have his soul hooked by the devil. "My brother, I can't help you because even I need help, but mine comes with a great regret."

The Forbidden Truth

Eli was baffled. "You mean with this big house and the money you have, you can't help me?" he asked.

"Yes," Henry said with his head downcast.

"But why? We're like brothers and I can do anything for you. Why don't you want me to grow too?"

"You're growing, my friend. You just have to be patient about it. They say slow and steady wins the race."

"I'm tired of hearing that word 'patient.' It is annoying and giving me high blood pressure. Please stop that word."

"Have you not noticed I have never given you anything? Not even a glass of water?" Henry asked him.

"Sure, I never put that in mind," Eli said as he racked his brain to see if he could remember any good deed toward him by Henry, and after some time he looked up. "Yeah, you have never given me anything."

"You're a smart guy. You know what that means. So think it through and make a good decision for yourself. I can never say it openly because I’m forbidden to ever say it. I can only give you hints, which I just did. So reason well before you choose my kind of lifestyle."

Eli was taken aback. He knew what Henry meant and he just sat there with eyes wide, looking about frantically. He never thought his friend would do such; he thought his friend was into the oil and gas kind of business, but now, he shuddered as a cold air blew past him and ruffled his cheek. "Who?" he asked as he looked at Henry.

"Who what?" Henry asked him, pretending he didn't know what Eli meant.

"Who did you kill to have this wealth?"

"I’m forbidden to say it. I can only say the one who prayed most for me, the one who sacrificed everything for me, and the one who I failed even after everything she did for me."

"I think I know who you mean. I'm sorry," Eli said.

Henry had a bitter laugh—at first slowly, and then it hit hard. "You're sorry for what you have no hand in? You're sorry for my stupidity and desperation to have wealth? You're sorry because I was weak, eh? Don't be. I was stupid, so let me face my own cross."

"Is there a way out?" Eli asked him.

"No. When you sell your soul to the devil, he will ask for more, and when you can't pay the price again, he would take yours."

"That is nasty."

"True. For those who don't know, maybe. For we who have our souls in tattered shreds, we have learned a hard lesson in the cruelest of ways imaginable."

The Mourning on the Sidewalk

Eli went home, and as he walked along the sidewalk, his mind was in turmoil. He couldn't believe Henry would kill his mother just to have wealth he can never spend. He walked on, not knowing or even caring about those bumping into him; this day had opened his eyes that he needs to be patient, he needs to work hard and think smarter if he really wants to make it in life.

He stopped, and a few people bumped him and others cursed him, but he didn't care. He sat down on the sidewalk and then he started weeping—not for himself, but for Henry's mother. Simi was a good woman; she was like a second mother to him and she had always helped him no matter how difficult his situation had been. She was a woman with an angelic soul.

He shook violently as the sobs rocked him. Some people stood to watch while a few tried to comfort him as he sat there crying his heart out for a woman who was a mother to him. What even pained him more is that Henry never came from a poor family, but pressure from friends had twisted his life. He looked up as a young woman crouched down in front of him and asked, "What is wrong? How can I help you?"

A Heart Full of Gold

He just shook his head and with a sigh, he stood up and was amazed to see the number of people watching him. His throat tightened and he looked at the young woman and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled each and every one of you. It wasn't my intention, but my emotions got a hold of me. I have been struggling to have a stable job, but it hasn't been easy, and I just learned I have lost a woman who was like a mother to me. She had a heart full of gold and she was the kindest person I have ever met. I'm okay now, please forgive me," he said with a bow.

The crowd was silent for a moment and as he turned to leave, a man called out, "Hey, I work on an oil rig. The job is hard, but the pay is great. Would you be interested?"

A New Beginning

Eli stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the man, and with a shout, he hugged him. "Yes, I would be interested!"

"That is great," the man said. "My name is Patrick, and here is my card. Call the number tomorrow and you would be directed to our office—and then, a new beginning."

There was a cheer from the crowd as Eli started crying again. He knew what the man had done for him was not an easy thing; getting a job on an oil rig is one of the hardest things and it needs connections. He just stood there and looked up at the sky and said silently, "Thank you, Mrs. Simi. Even in death, you look after me."