The Price of Pride

Kola was not lazy.

Life was just hard.

Every morning before sunrise, he mounted his Keke Marwa at Ogolonto, Ikorodu, driving all the way to Ebute. Sun or rain, traffic or police wahala Kola worked. His hands were always rough, his back always tired, but his heart was soft.

That was how he met Titi.

Titi was beautiful sharp eyes, big dreams, and hunger for more. She wanted to go to school but had no means, no sponsor, no connection. When they started dating, Kola fell deeply. He always asked her one question:

“What do you want to become in life?”

“A successful lawyer,” Titi said without blinking.

From that day, Kola made her dream his own.

He drove longer hours. Skipped meals. Saved every extra naira. He paid her fees, bought her books, rented her apartment, and stood by her through every semester. When school stress broke her, he encouraged her. When money finished, he found more.

People laughed at him.

“You’re sponsoring someone who will outgrow you,” they said.

Kola smiled and kept driving.

Years passed.

Titi graduated.

She went to Law School.

She was called to the bar.

The day she wore her wig and gown, Kola cried like a child. He proposed to her that same week, believing love and sacrifice meant something.

Titi laughed.

“You’re below my standard,” she said calmly.

“I just used you to get to the top. Go and find your mate.”

Kola’s world collapsed.

The Rise No One Expected

Heartbroken, Kola moved on quietly. He returned to his Keke, not with anger, but with determination. One evening, a kind elderly man noticed his honesty and discipline. Conversations turned into mentorship.

The man helped Kola set up a small business.

Small became medium.

Medium became big.

Kola stopped driving Keke not because he was ashamed, but because life had moved him forward. He became a respected businessman, known for humility and kindness.

Meanwhile, Titi married an old, rich politician luxury, status, and influence. She thought she had won.

Until the man died.

The family turned against her. Properties were seized. Accounts were frozen. She was sent out with nothing but clothes and pride she could no longer wear.

Back on the streets, Titi remembered Kola.

Too Late Is a Destination

She found him successful, calm, married.

Kola had found Bimpe a woman who respected him before wealth, who loved him without conditions. They were happy.

Titi begged.

Kola listened politely.

Then he said gently:

“You taught me a lesson.

She is my reward.”

He walked away.

Moral

Never mock the ladder that helped you climb.

Some people are foundations, not stepping stones.