Alex, who lived with his parents in the apartment next to mine, was living a perfect life according to my judgment. His parents were government workers who I can categorize as middle-income earners. Alex attended the most expensive school in the town.
"My dad has ordered three pairs of Christmas clothes for us. I can't wait to get my Adidas shoes," he boasted while we were discussing our preparation for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Back home, my dad pleaded with my siblings and me to make do with the clothes we had.
"As you can see the situation on the ground now. My major concern is feeding the family. Hopefully, my income will improve very soon and I will update your wardrobe beyond your expectations," my father pleaded with us in our living room.
I turned to my side to look at my sister and I saw eyes filled with disappointment.
My mum walked in and added her voice.
"You are old enough to be told what is happening to us right now. Your father lost 40000 Naira to fraudsters recently," my mum explained.
My dad winked at her to stop but she didn't. "Your dad is not in a good state of mind now and he needs our support."
I felt sad for what my father was going through immediately.
"Sorry, Dad," I sympathized with him.
"I never wanted to tell you. I will be fine," he stood and hugged the three of us together.
Though I understood what was happening to my family, I was envying Alex's family.
From the standard of food to the gadgets in the house, Alex's family is living life at the top level. A life that I envied a lot. When I went back home, I informed my mum of what Baba Alex, as Alex's father was popularly called, promised to buy for him.
She sat me down to talk me into appreciating what I have.
"My son, don't envy anyone. Always strive to be better than your previous self. Envy has misled many people. Don't fall victim. The lives of the people you are envying may not be as rosy as you assumed. Go and ponder over this and appreciate whatever your father could offer you. Be assured that we love you."
I spent a few days thinking of what my mother told me.
The next day, I visited Alex. We took over the living room, running from one corner of the room to another - our usual way of playing when we have the house to ourselves alone. It was a hide-and-seek game. I ran towards a door leading to one of the rooms to open it to hide there. Alex followed me immediately.
"No one enters that room except my father," he cautioned as I held on to the knob trying to open it.
"What do you mean?" I stood with my hands on my waist.
"My dad warned my siblings and me not to ever enter the room," he repeated himself.
I was surprised and I kept wondering what would have been in the room that warranted making it out of bounds for every other person by Baba Alex.
Christmas came as expected and the appearance of Alex was elegant. Within me, I wished I was privileged to have similar clothes and shoes. Surprisingly, Alex's father wasn't around on Christmas day. The whole celebration was not as elaborate as it used to be. Alex was only allowed to put on his Christmas clothes but wasn't allowed to join us, his friends, to visit people within the neighborhood like we used to do. I visited him and spent a little time with him before going out to join other friends when all my efforts to have him follow me proved abortive.
On the morning of boxing day, my mum came to wake me up from a long sleep. It was 9 am when she woke me up.
"Only God knows where you went to yesterday that got you so tired. Get up, my friend."
I raised my blanket off my face to register my complaint.
"Mum, I need to rest more. I am still dizzy," I murmured.
"If what is happening outside now is a case of emergency, that's how you would continue sleeping until you get entangled in danger."
"What's happening outside?" I flung my blanket and stood up.
My mother didn't say anything further as she left the room.
I frantically searched for my slippers and ran outside to see what was happening.
My arrival outside the house was welcomed with the presence of highly armed policemen. About two vans were parked with scary-looking policemen standing in strategic positions. Crowds gathered to feed their eyes on the development.
"Mum, what's the problem?"
"They have entered the house with Baba Alex in handcuffs. We don't know what is happening yet."
"Handcuffs?" I asked with my mouth wide open.
I was contemplating what would have called for handcuffs when the police who led Baba Alex inside the house came out with him. He stood with his hands cuffed behind him.
Two policemen began to pack cartons out of the house. I counted about five big, well-sealed cartons.
The cartons were arranged in one of the vans. Baba Alex joined three policemen in one vehicle and the whole team zoomed off in convoy. No one understood what was happening. We were left to guess what the problem would have been.
The following day, the right information about what transpired went viral. Baba Alex was arrested on Christmas Eve. There was a case of mixing equipment that was newly imported by the government agency that he was working with. All those suspected were arrested and their houses were searched in the course of the investigation.
The equipment was found in the room made out of bounds to his family.
Alex and his mother became devastated. Investigation revealed that Baba Alex had been living large on the proceeds of such stealing for years. It was an unbearable disgrace for Alex and his mother.
On my next meeting with Alex, I was moved to tears when he spoke.
"I wish my father didn't indulge in this. I have become the son of a thief."
I had to console him to take heart. I lacked what to say. I went back to my mother to appreciate her for the way she and my dad held their integrity in high esteem. My perception of life changed for the better. Indeed, my assumption that the grass was greener in the other side was wrong.