INSPIRE AFRICA SERIES: The Sweetest Revenge – Olatorera Oniru

The fuel for revenge burns high and far. The desire for revenge has few limitations. Some loose their well being, some loose what’s most important to them. People get consumed by the urge to payback and are unable to regain their happiness until they are satisfied with their act of revenge.

5 years ago, a friend, Kemi had a great job. Her good friend, Lara, was jobless with endless bills and borrowed $1,500. This wasn’t a big deal to Kemi then, she earned over $7,000 on a monthly basis. Kemi never asked for the money back. She expected Lara to give it back ethically as soon as Lara was able to regain her financial strength. She trusted Lara. As life moved on, they lost touch. Kemi focused more on growing her career and Lara looked on to get married.

A few years forward, a recession hit, Kemi lost her Oil & Gas job. She had never experienced a recession before neither had she ever been without a job or monthly income. 3 months into her unemployment, she was terribly overwhelmed and scared. She was running out of cash very fast. She regressed from having over $50,000 in her savings to barely having $500. Her bills were stacking up and stacking up fast. Her family still needed her financially. Friends still needed her financially. Hell, she needed herself financially! In the midst of her challenges and desperacy, Kemi found the courage to contact Lara for her money back. She’s naturally weak at asking people for anything especially financially, not even if they owe it to her.

At this point Lara is married to a mogul and financially happy. They agree to meet up. Lara is unaware of why. They simply greeted and agreed to catch-up over drinks. Lara Arrived in a $120,000 SUV. Dressed in a dazzling kaftan with large pure 18K gold flower earrings and make-up that enhanced her true beauty. In kemi’s eyes, Lara would be her new savior. That one person she needs to get her out of the hell-trap, suicide-inducing hole she has been pushed into. Kemi needed money, she needed financial assistance. She was desperate and seeing Lara so well-off gave her immense hope.

A few minutes into the jovial reunion, Kemi summoned the courage to ask for money. She explicitly requested $15,000. A big sum of money but nothing she fathomed Lara couldn’t give. Afterall when she was driving a $20,000 car, she was able to give Lara $1,500 thus if Lara is driving a $120,000 car, she should be able to give Kemi $15,000.

Lara casted down her ability to help kemi. She retorted she wasn’t financially buoyant. More saddening, she immediately turned cold. She looked at Kemi as though Kemi was another beggar on the road. She forgot how selflessly Kemi had given her a loan a decade ago. She forgot how similarly desperate she had been when Kemi came to her aid and never requested the loan back. Kemi reminded her. Lara insisted she would not help Kemi.

Kemi was burnt. She looked at herself – no make-up, dressed too simple. She did look like she was suffering. She wondered what had become of her. She was slapped in her face by her greatest fear. The fear of seeking financial help from anyone. She didn’t expect a no from Lara. They parted ways.

Kemi spent the next 2 weeks thinking of how to get back at Lara. She sought the help of lawyers. Too expensive and she had no written agreement regarding the loan. She stalked Lara’s home and family. She got even more hurt seeing Lara happy. She was angered each time Lara came back home with shopping bags. The only person that could assist her with her financial troubles could care less about her. Here she was getting overly consumed by thoughts of revenge rather than seek other alternatives to her happiness. She initiated getting thugs to beat Lara up and steal her SUV. The plan was futile. Kemi got really broke and downcast. She stopped communicating with people, she had downgraded from a 4 bedroom duplex to a small half-bedroom at the back of a stranger’s house. After a few weeks of self-hate and depression. She woke up to an urge to get her life back. She had no choice. She had to stop getting more broke and less successful with planning a revenge. She would be better off regaining her own success than trying to bring Lara down. She vowed to move on.

Kemi cleaned up her looks very nicely and naturally. She started eating few and well. She fed her body and her skin with natural products she could pick up freely. She went for daily runs. She drank a lot of water. She looked great. She resumed applying for jobs. She resumed communicating with people. During one of her evening runs, she bumped into a Chairman of a leading Oil & Gas company. She had seen him a month ago but didn’t have the confidence to approach him. With her waist flatter, her hips thick and fit, her skin smooth and clear and her mind a bit less stressed, she was much more confident now. She felt and looked happier now. She looked progressive. She looked like someone that would once again be an asset to anyone she approached. She approached him. They chatted. Kemi was offered a major contract. That contract opened doors to hundred more contracts.

Although Kemi went through the hardest phase in her life, she got back on her feet by taking care of herself. She gained wisdom. She gained strength. She gained the ability to move forward regardless. With more money, came looking even better for Kemi. She bumped into Lara who asked for forgiveness and invited her to an end of year party. At the party, she met Lara’s husband who gave her a contract. Looking good has continued to bring in many more contracts for Kemi. Kemi had a friend that lost his fiancée to another man, a week before his wedding. Devastation un-tell-able. She gave him her life’s biggest lesson as advice to help him move on: The sweetest revenge in life is looking your absolute best and being your absolute best. This is your chance to focus on you, be you, move on and be greater than you ever were.

With Love,
Olatorera Oniru
www.Olatorera.com