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IT TAKES JUST ONE

It was 9 pm.

I was still sitting. Four hours down the line and I had not stopped thinking, I was at a loss of ideas. I was my type of Job, watching everything I had worked for crumble right before my eyes. It was a Thursday night and I was clueless. For one last time, I stopped, stood up and paced in my room. Tomorrow was going to be the launch date for the application I had spent the last six years of my life working on and three years before that, planning. A few days ago, this would have been a different story.

I will lift mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.

I was at the cusp of victory. I was finalizing the last lines of code for the groundbreaking application I was developing. It was an idea I had crafted and worked on for nearly six years. I had put the team together painstakingly and everyone who attempted to play smart with me was weeded out. This was my big break and the company I was working for had signed an agreement to let me incorporate if I pulled this off. I wasn’t taking any chances. Since it wasn’t a major arm of their company, it would be better if they worked as partners with the developers and future owners of the project.

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

However, we had to source for funds on our own, while juggling it with a reduced company responsibility. Jiro my assistant was also my second-hand man. At the early stage of the project, Jiro had helped me conceptualize a business plan and strategy offering. We got rejected a few times until a multinational company decided to sponsor us for this particular project. We initial had issues because the product was revolutionary in the industry. Because it was a cash-intensive project, we needed cash injection milestone points of the project. From a team of two, we had grown to a mammoth start-up of fifty-six people, all working on the same project.

As a Christian, I had prayed severally, and I could remember clearly that it was after a personal vigil I had after an initial setback that the doors opened for me and the sponsorships began to come in. I hadn’t stopped praying, I made my principles clear and even if I had problems with some of my funders early on, we finally got along, principles intact.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; with the right hand of my righteousness.

My personal life was going great. My fiancé, Beatrice, the love of my life was cheering me on. Whenever we met to talk at our favorite place, the way she’d look at me, there was no doubt that she loved me unconditionally. I loved her too. The plan was in place. Once I delivered the contract and cashed out, we would get married. Nothing could be sweeter. I trusted her so much that I would breakdown the plans I had both for my little company and my current project. I couldn’t be more grateful. I knew she was meant for me the first time I saw her walk into the church. She was beautiful and t didn’t take long for her to become a cog in the fellowship. She was beautiful spiritually too. We became close and while we talked, she fitted everything I wanted in a woman. It didn’t take long, I decided she was the one I wanted to be with. I followed the due process and engaged her.

Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

The pastor called me a few days before the engagement. Amongst other things, he was specific about telling me to allow God to lead me. He expressed concern about how Sis. Beatrice had come from almost nowhere and in a twinkle of an eye, I wanted to engage her. I felt there was no need. I loved her, she loved me God would approve of it. Moreover, I had whispered to God a few prayers before I started the step after I was and desired her. The pastor smiled and made sure to pray a lengthy prayer of guidance before I left. I still felt it was unnecessary. I grudged about it when I left his office. I even made a joke with it to Beatrice. That night, I was in a dream. A woman walked up to me. We smiled and chatted but I couldn’t see her face. When we finished, we shook hands and parted ways. As I proceed, I discovered that my right arm had vanished. I woke up.

Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:

The signs began to come slowly. Jiro started to behave strangely exactly one month to the end of the project. Right from time, I knew that Jiro was a polarizing personality but I was excellent at team management so it wasn’t difficult to rein him in. However, in the last four weeks, we started to have unresolvable issues. He began to be different from the person I had always known and trusted. Maybe he was going through personal stuff I wondered. I let it slide. Not once, however, I started to feel a different vibe from some of the leaders in the team. A division that was uncalled for and new. However, it was slight so I ignored it. One of the things that bothered me, however, was that Jiro became too secretive for my liking. He started to have these meetings with people I was planning to see before me. After he had stepped in, he would return to me. When I eventually mentioned that I wanted to go and see such and such a person, he would say he had already done so. Then he would produce a document to that effect. As my second in command, I assumed that I might have told him at some point.

Three days to the launch of the project, we test ran the application to make sure everything was ready for industry launch. As the lead person for the project, I stood in the room for one last time to look at the project, at the end of the day. I felt uneasy. I tried to leave but something stopped me. I came back and sat at the table, with my system, I reviewed every line of code. I spent the whole night and 12 hours later I had discovered about five mistakes that jeopardized the integrity of the project. They were major errors but the only certain functionalities could lay us bare. For some reason, I slept off before I could affect any of the corrections. I hurried home to dress so that I could be around on time to show the other team members the errors before I fixed them.

As I finished dressing, my phone rang. Beatrice was on the other end. She sounded very concerned.

“It’s urgent David. I need to see you now.”

“Where are you? I’m coming straight away to you.”

‘Meet me at the eatery where we normally meet.”

I rushed to the place. She was seating already seating at our favorite spot. She cast a forlorn look from the window. I immediately sat opposite her and took her both hands.

“My love, what’s the problem?”

‘I don’t think we can continue this” she said, eyes turned away. There was a hint of mockery in her voice. She didn’t even hide it. I was stunned to silence. When I eventually found my voice, there was only one thing that I could say, amidst the sudden coldness that had engulfed me.

“Why?”

“I’m not feeling it, David. Love isn’t there. I’ve just been pretending, hoping that the spark will return.” She kept stoning me with daggers. This was a year and two months into our relationship and six months into our engagement.

“When did you find out?” I asked.

“About four months ago.”

“And You said nothing up until now?!” I was irritated and agitated. Just two days ago, we had dinner and everything seemed fine. How did I miss this?

“You are a nice person. You will find someone else.” She pulled her hand from mine and walked away without looking back.

“I wanted to go after her but I couldn’t get myself to stand up.” I watched her leave. The tears dropped from my jaw. She couldn’t even apologize. Not once did she show remorse. I remembered the pastor’s advice. Was there something the pastor knew that I didn’t?

I wiped my face with the handkerchief in my hand and headed for the door. I had a project to fix and deliver.

I got to the office only to see a strange development; I was picked up by law enforcement agents. I was accused of bribery, extortion, and misappropriation of funds. As long as the investigation was on, I had no part in the project. My name was to be suspended from every document that had my name on it. My next in command was to take over the project.

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

I ran up and down, wondering what to do. I needed someone from the inside to work for me since I was barred from stepping onto company property. After trying to pull in a few favors, I got a box with all my office items inside. After racking my head and worrying, that’s when I remembered to pray. Not that I thought it would make any difference but I had to try. That was the only option I had.

“Lord, what’s going on?” I started to cry as soon as I opened my mouth. I stayed that way for forty-five minutes. When I stopped, I stepped out to get dinner that barely ate. I returned and lay down, wondering what would have happened.

Two days to the presentation of the project and Jiro had not even contacted me. That was when it dawned on me. Jiro must have a hand in this. For that whole day, I made no progress. I decided to see Pastor Sam. As soon as I stepped into his office, he heaved a sigh of relief.

“I’ve been waiting for you, David. You’ve been on my mind and I’ve been praying for you.”

I unloaded everything to him. He nodded his head, picked a piece of paper from his table and handed it to me. “God said that is for you”. I opened it.

They that hate the shall be clothed with shame, and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

I didn’t understand. How could a grieving mind learn to hold onto the promises of God? “Lord help my unbelief I whispered.”

I stepped out of his office still as heavy as I came. I didn’t get what I wanted. I didn’t even know what I was looking for. Just the bible verse. I went home and opened my Bible to that point and left it on the table. I lay on my couch and slept off.

I saw myself walking on a cliff. There was a box in my hand. Someone was approaching behind me. I heard the footsteps but I didn’t turn. Someone was in front of me, pointing and waving a finger at me, indicating that there was someone behind me. I didn’t heed the warning. When I eventually did, the person snatched my parcel, injuring my foot in the process. I couldn’t chase after him. As I let out a cry of pain, the person warning me developed wings, went after the thief, collected the parcel and came to me. As I knelt, he held the parcel up and said, “Stand and See the Salvation of the Lord.” As I made to stand up, ignoring the pain in my legs, I woke up with a start.

I had a clarity of thought. I went to my phone as someone possessed. There was a message waiting for me. Luis had texted me. “I was able to help move the venue of the meeting. You should be able to attend. The time is 3 pm, Calsius Conference Hall. Find me when you come.”

Luis was one of the team members I hired, he was now a team head. His case was peculiar. I hired him as a way to help out his family, even if he was below the required certification. He was too skilled for me to ignore him. I bent the rules for him. We didn’t maintain contact after that, just the professional level.

And the Lord shall help them and deliver them.

I dressed up and headed for the venue by noon. When I got to the venue, I met Luis, who brought me up to speed. Jiro had this already planned. He had his guys in the accounts department who had falsified the accounts to make me feel guilty. However, it was difficult to implicate me since I had my record and proof. In other to complete the frame up, Jiro intercepted my meeting with some investors. With that, the proof was enough to implicate me. It was then it hit me. I never mentioned the days and schedule of the meeting with investors. I only told them, fifteen minutes to the meeting, so that I could go with a team. How did he find out? I kept it to myself.

Luis continued his narration. Jiro did a clean job. However, there was a loophole, which was only discoverable after he, Luis had gone to dig up evidence. Still, there was one problem. The ethics committee wouldn’t be reviewing the case until after the application had been commissioned. Jiro would be the person to sign and get the contract I had worked so hard for. Where was my help going to come from?

It didn’t take long for me to get the answer as to who revealed the venue and date of my meeting with investors. Jiro walked in, hand in hand with Beatrice. Jiro stopped by and was a little shocked to find me there.

“Seems you finally made it. I’ll be crowned today. Isn’t it, my love?” He turned to Beatrice. I was speechless. I was blindsided. I should have listened to the pastor. I shook my head in pain. The deed was done.

The presentation started, I sat down in the crowd, against all my instinct that was asking me to leave. There was nothing for me here. Jiro had wanted this right from the first time I introduced the concept to him. It was now I put together all the clues he had unknowingly given. I was clean so it took him this long. The one part of my life I became slightly careless was where he used to nail me down. Unbelievable. To think that I couldn’t see through Beatrice for all the time I knew her.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

In the middle of the application, a user raised a question about one of the faulty functionalities. Unknown to Jiro, he put on the interface for the functionality and the program hooked. The presenter immediately called for a recess, noticing Jiro’s perplexity. When they went into the room, Luis came out to find me.

“I know that you know what’s wrong.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve prepared your whole career for this. There was no way we could let a scheming fellow take what was rightfully yours.”

I was shocked. Femi ushered me into the room. I blindsided them and watched as the investors protested the choice of Jiro’s as the presenter. I had been the head of the team they had interfaced with. They protested with as Jiro’s weak defense couldn’t stand. His case was not helped by the glitch that was craftily hidden from the potential users. It would amount to throwing the funds of the investors into the drain.

When I was eventually spotted, my team members came to welcome me. The hadn’t seen me in a while. Only a few knew what had transpired. Jiro protested my presence, on the back of the investigation. The investors would have none of it. Their line of reason was that since the project was not run by the company, and that the idea was mine, I should be allowed to finish what I started and not allow an unproven allegation to derail a project that had had considerable time and effort put into it. The internal process could continue afterward, but not at the detriment of their money.

I fixed the glitch, aced the presentation and got my reward for a work well done. With the new evidence Luis discovered, I was cleared. With Jiro’s scheming exposed, he was too ashamed to continue.

As I stood in front of the church to testify, with tears in my eyes, there was only one fitting description of what I had experienced.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

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