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***The bed you're sitting on, do you remember who bought it for you?*** This thought knocked my mind so hard when I sat down to think of who to write about, with regards to this prompt.

Yes, the bed I was sitting on was a gift from my boss, Mr. Kingsley, a stranger who turned into a father and brother. People doubt whenever I tell them that I and Mr. Kingsley are not related biologically. Our bond is so thick.

It all started when I gained admission into the higher institution. The first step of socialisation I took was joining the church's ushering unit in that city, where I met Mr. Kingsley as the head of the unit. I was a church boy from home, so my activeness didn't slack when I joined the unit. I gave it all I had, serving God and mingling with people in the unit.

After the first two years, I travelled out of the city  for Industrial Training (I.T.), which lasted for a year as per academic policy.

When I resumed after the one-year break, I reported back to the ushering unit in church and continued serving there.

On that particular Sunday that I resumed church, Mr. Kingsleyy walked up to me after the end of the church service and asked, *"Do you know how to iron clothes very well? I want you to work with me in my new laundry business I just opened."*

I looked at him very surprised and tried to quickly comprehend what really pushed him to approach me but nothing serious appeared as a good answer on my head 

*"You mean the ironing of clothes to that professional standard?"* I replied to his question with a question, and he nodded his head

*"If that's the case, my answer is no, I don't think I can iron clothes to that standard,"* I replied, feeling ashamed.

He smiled and  looked at me from my shirt to trouser.
*"Who ironed these clothes that you're putting on?"* He pointed at my wears..

*"I was the one, sir."*

He smiled again and said, *"I've been observing you and how stretched you keep your clothes. You'll work for me, Jooor. I just need someone I can trust. Don't worry, I'll straighten your hands when we start."*

That was how he won me, I joined him in the laundry business. I would close lectures and move straight to the workshop to iron clothes, and I usually get my lunch there.

From there, we became very close, and he entrusted the work to my hands whenever he wasn't around, and I delivered very well in those moments.
I became a part of his household because his wife was down to earth too.
_____

When I was done with school, I left the city  to a faraway land, for a one-year compulsory service for all graduates. All through the period, he was calling to check on me, and I felt so good.

After the one-year service, I began job hunting, which was not easy at all. I was going from one interview to another, and the frustration and disappointment made me throw away my appetite for checking on people.

On one of the days of travelling ***here and there*** for interviews, my phone rang, and it was him calling.

*"Hello sir, good afternoon sir,"* I said as soon as I picked up.

*"Kingsley! You don't call anymore; that's so bad of you,"* he queried, and I told him what was happening, *"Sir, please don't be offended. Things have not been well since I graduated, that's why it's been hard to remember calling people."*

*"I understand, my dear, and that's why I called. Since you don't have a job yet, why don't you come over to the city to manage the laundry?"* he said, and my mind quickly rejected the offer because I'll need to rent a house.
*"Okay, sir, I've heard, but accommodation will be the issue because I don't think I'm ready to rent any house there right now. Those houses are expensive, you know."*

*"Do not worry, I will make arrangements for everything. All I need to know is whether you're interested or not."* He replied

*"Okay, sir, I'm interested,"* I replied, and we ended the call.

The following week, I reported to the city, and to my surprise, he offered me a room in his three-bedroom flat where I lived and was going to work from there. Not only that, I was fed from their pot all through my stay there.

When I'd worked for a few months and was about to move into my own rented apartment, he insisted that I take the foam in the room I stayed, into my new house so that my expenses would reduce.

In this unfamiliar place, Mr. Kingsley, who was once a stranger to me, has transformed into a beloved figure, a guiding presence resembling both an older brother and a father.