THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SHADOW - PART 2

After Emeka left all the money and went back to hawking pure water, everybody thought he don craze.

His best friend, Obi, was the only one wey no believe am.

Obi used to watch Emeka when he was rich. He saw the car, the house for Lekki, the girls. Obi said for him mind: "Emeka na mumu. If na me, I for manage the money and forget shadow."

One night, Obi was hawking pure water with Emeka for traffic. The same big black jeep stopped again.

The same man in suit came down, wearing dark glasses for night.

He did not look at Emeka. He looked at Obi and smiled.

Man: "Obi, I hear say you no like how your friend take waste opportunity. You are smarter than him, abi?"

Obi: "Yes o, Oga! I am very smart!"

Man: "Good. I will give you 100 million naira. Double of what I gave him. In return, you will give me your name."

Obi laughed: "My name? Take am! Name no dey put food for table. People go still call me Obi."

The man brought out the same small black bag. He told Obi to write his name for paper. Obi wrote O-B-I.

The man folded the paper, put am inside bag, and gave Obi a Ghana-must-go bag full of money.

Obi became rich overnight. Bigger than Emeka. He bought two cars, bought house for Banana Island.

But after three days, wahala start.

Obi went to bank to collect ATM card. The woman said: "Oga, what is your name?"
Obi opened mouth: "My name is... my name is..." He could not remember.

He went to his mama house. His mama looked at him and said: "Young man, who are you? Why you dey enter my house?"

Nobody remembered Obi again. His friends, his family, even his girlfriend, all of them forgot him completely. Because he sold his name, he sold his identity.

He had 100 million, but he had nobody to call. Nobody to celebrate with. Nobody to say "Obi, welcome."

He was a rich stranger in his own life.

Obi ran to Emeka for traffic, crying: "Emeka, help me! Nobody knows me again!"

Emeka looked at him and said: "Obi, I warned you. I sold my shadow and I lost my peace. You sold your name and you lost yourself. The man in suit does not buy useless things. He buys the things you think are useless."

Obi knelt down for road and shouted: "Oga in suit! Take your money! Give me my name back!"

From inside the black jeep, the man laughed and said: "I already sold your name to a man in Abuja who had money but no name. You cannot buy it back."

Obi left the money for road and started following Emeka, hawking pure water. People started calling him "that boy wey dey follow Emeka." Slowly, slowly, they started calling him Obi again. Because he was doing the work of Obi, people remembered Obi.

That day, Emeka told him: "You see? Your name no be for paper. Your name na for wetin you dey do every day."

Moral: Your name is not just what people call you. Na your story. If you sell am for money, you go become a rich stranger.