**People are always quick to jump into conclusion based on the scanty information acquired from just eye service, they assume they know everything about your life with limited knowledge which usually revolves around the negative and sadly, I too I'm a victim of this shallow mindset.**

![1001786705.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/coderaikiri/23yThCQBk5ca6vGrwyjkGQidJWvZw6j867VMcAmqQPvANpNkf9m9cwbgHvmhEwTxBvumh.jpg)

So last week I needed to purchase an extension socket as the one I had at home got burnt due to the unnecessary power surges caused by the rain. I stepped out of the house hoping it was going to be a brief walk because I had a lot to do that day. It took me roughly 5 minutes to get to the store closest to the house but unfortunately the shop owner told me the very product was unavailable and the only person he was certain had that very brand was kinda far. He gave me directions to the location and off I went not expecting to do anything other than buy what I came for and head straight back home.

 When I got to the place, the first thing I saw was the exact thing I was searching for so I immediately knew I must be in the right place. I walked straight to the manager of the shop, told him what I was looking for and asked for the price. While we were still bargaining, I couldn't help shake off the feeling that his face looked oddly familiar and to top it off he was being way too nice even for a customer. After realizing that I still didn't recognize him, he called me by my surname and told me his elder sister was actually my classmate back in secondary school. That was when it all clicked, finally it all made sense to me now. His name was James and back then in school he was known for being a chronic late comer. I started asking questions starting off with : 
"is this your father's shop or do you work for a relative". 

![1002066057.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/coderaikiri/242DSbzX9qs742xQmjhFPXWeTUp1AXy5A4NFLxLAc8zZdTbnyzmSmc5pgUtHYJ1PfFFsV.jpg)

He immediately laughed and responded that the shop was actually his which came as a shock to me because I was not expecting him to own a business that young. James narrated how he had served under his uncle for years even while he was still in secondary school as a *Nwaboy* ( this is a really popular situation in the Igbo tribe of South Eastern Nigeria where a young boy goes to serve a relative for an agreed upon time frame after which he is settled with money to establish his own business) and was settled last year. 
While he was telling me his story, I began to understand why he acted the way he did back in school. I always thought he was just point blank unserious with academics but that very day it became clear it was not easy on him  managing both worlds together. As I was about to leave, I asked him for his account number to pay for the item but he declined, he told me that the socket is a gift from him and he won't collect a dime from me. I tried persuading him to collect the money but all my efforts proved abortive. I took his gift, left the shop with a smile on my face and a new lesson learnt:
"Never assume you know someone until they tell you their story".

We were all so quick to Judge him as being unserious and lazy but here he was with a back up plan that clearly worked for him. I am really happy for his achievements, it is not easy acquiring that level of growth at his age and I pray he keeps going bigger than he already is.
Thank you all

All pictures are taken by me
The last one is john