If Wishes Were Horses And Horses Wishes...

Mr. Roberts Jiri is the chairman of Igaa town's union meeting Onitsha branch. He seems to be one of those few that came into this planet with a special gift so pronounced that all acknowledged it. Without any effort from him, he mastered or rather the act of public speaking rinsed in local idioms and proverb mastered him. He can hold and sustain interest and attention when speaking in public. 

He is just 5’5 in height, fair in complexion, relatively well to do and married to one of the beautiful woman Igaa town has to offer. That seems to be where his gift from birth starts and ends. He isn’t the richest but for sure, one of them. 

He can pull crowd with his speeches that most in his towns union meeting believes that whatever comes out of his mouth must be the best solution to whatever problem is facing the union. His words must be reason he was made chairman of the union.

Like I hinted earlier, he has his limitations he kept wishing he can wish away. He can’t speak in any other language outside that his local language neither can he write in any language at all including his. 

Whenever his envious colleagues wish to tame him and create a breathing space for themselves, they would switch discussion to pidgin English, that Africanized English most speaks in Africa which Mr Roberts founds difficult also to speak. Most of his friends couldn’t stop wondering why he just can’t switch and transfer all those his speaking skills from Igbo to English and become a great speaker. 

Those around him knew well that to be a great speaker like they believed Mr Robert to be, you needs to master and acquire the qualities they see in the man. You must possess a rich variety of words, idioms, proverbs. You must not be boring, you must not be arrogant, you must not be timid, no complex of any kind. You must be able to make people laugh every 15 minutes or less throughout your delivery.

All those Mr Roberts possessed but once in the presence of the educated, he fall victim to the complex “don’ts”. Inferiority complex. He kept assuming wrongly that those before him were far better than him and were noticing his shortcomings that existed only in his head. The people he usually worry about were busy studying his skills that can’t stop mesmerizing them. Another problem of Mr Roberts is not being able to read anything written or printed in any language including his. But good speeches covers multitude of many shortcomings.

Whenever he is speaking and mesmerizing his audience and those that felt threatened wants to create space a little for themselves, they would jot one nonsense down and went and place it for to include in his speech. They knew for sure he won’t be able to read that unless someone else did for him. 

    “ I have told everyone in this our meeting not to interrupt me whenever am speaking no matter whatever. It takes focus away from the points you are making and makes you lose your trend of talk”

Focus and trend of talk became another thing noted in capital letters by those studying the man’s strategy openly and secretly. That his line of defense no matter in the voice it was delivered always becomes another study point. Most in the meeting always became angry with those interrupting him for according to them, it takes their attention away from what they are focusing on. Funny, right? 

He has this weakness of believing that he is inferior once in the midst of some certain people while those certain people always believed that he is Guru that needed little retouching. Most of them would just sat there with jotter on their laps mastering how he does his business. But just like in most things, nature is nature and acquired, acquired. When it comes to idioms and proverbs and other innuendos the man lines his speeches with, acquired has no chance. Not minding all his gift, Mr Roberts always believed wrongly in the midst of these certain guys that they are steps ahead of him. 

The secretary of that Union meeting is squirrel like man Mr John Icha. He is a graduate and a teacher in one of the second tier secondary Schools in the city there. An introvert by nature. He can read and write in two different languages but his problem is that he can’t talk to hold interest in any of those languages. In fact, he founds talking to too exhausting. Many kept wondering how a man that can write in the flowing way he does easily could not make what he puts down to come out of his mouth in the same way. If you can write it, for sure, you can say it. But not Mr John. He have tried a thousand times to say it and in each, ended up talking to himself at times that: “ Excuse me, pardon” became the most used phrase in that meeting. Some that thrive in gossip had even started wondering how he is faring in his profession.

          “ what’s wrong with him, can’t he focus?”

That is their usual line when Mr John becomes subjects of their gossip.

   “Can’t you focus?”

But many knows that it’s not being able to garnish his speeches with idioms and proverbs that made him tongue-tied. He can focus actually. The man himself is one of those secret students of Mr Robert and had been wondering how the man can be so illiterate and yet able to master all the speech protocols and so confident in their delivery. He once confided in his wife that he can do anything to acquire Mr Robert's gift.

     “ I just realized that there are certain things education can teach you and certain things nature can give. If I have this Mr Robert’s skill, I would for sure contest for the chairmanship of our local government area. I can’t just risk spending my retirement savings on election I needed to talk to convince voters. I have tried, it isn’t just in me”

Mr Robert on his side would while talking and talking still ogle Mr John’s dexterity in putting words down. He kept wishing for the man’s gift.  

     “ Imagine being able to write and having ability to speak two languages like Mr John. I tell you, I will contest for the governorship of this state” he once confided in his wife. “ But I have tried. It isn’t just in me”

 Both kept secretly ogling each other’s gift and they have all tried and it isn’t just in them. None have ever made serious effort or stopped to reason properly why it isn’t just in them and channel effort towards it just being in them. They dream and dream, wish and wish without any physical effort directed towards that end. 

Mr John as educated as he is, knowing fully well that dreams without corresponding action is kingdom of losers still prefer to swim in it while no one have ever asked Mr Robert with all his money why he have not employed private teachers to make his wishes a reality.

 Both found reasons and excuses why they can not be chairman and governor and both are well equipped to be both yet, they prefer to dream and wish.

 Those that believed that talking or writing is easy have found out that talking and writing rubbish can be easy and requires only dream and wishes while to talking sense and writing what sustains interest requires effort.

  I have tried and it isn’t just in me are arenas you find losers in great numbers in. Achievers takes steps.