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Exhilaration flashed in John's eyes, dilating his pupils to the size of two saucers. He was filled with excitement as he read through the email inviting him for an interview in Success Group of Companies, Lagos. 

Lagos is a city that John and his peers love to live and work. 

He received the email on Friday and he was scheduled to have the interview on Monday.

As soon as dawn on Saturday, John packed out his clothes for laundry.

"If I should get this job...," he shook his head. The thoughts of the good things that would come his way if he eventually got the job occupied his head. "I will change the life of this woman. In fact I will take her to the city to live with me. He grinned as he thought of what he would do for his mother."

He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned his face backwards immediately. 

"What has taken your attention that you couldn't hear my steps?" 

"Luke, you should know what I am thinking of. You nearly scared me."

"Congratulations buddy," Luke congratulated his friend.  "I came back late from the farm yesterday. That's why you didn't see me." 

Luke was the first person that John informed of the invitation for the interview. They were childhood friends who have been together throughout their lives. They attended the same primary school, secondary school and university. They share similar ambitions of working in Lagos. 

"So, when are you leaving for Lagos?" Luke asked. 

"Tomorrow."

"Have you gotten someone in Lagos that will house you for the two days that you are going to spend?" 

"Hmmmmm…" He held his breadth for a few seconds before responding. "Not yet."

Mike stays in Ibadan which is a one hour journey from Lagos. I plan to go to his place tomorrow. By Monday morning, I will commence the journey to Lagos early. The interview time is 10 am. 

"Have you contacted him? Luke inquired. 

"I have tried his phone number several times but it was switched off."

"What if you can't reach him today? What will you do?" 

"One thing that is sure for me is that I will attend this interview on Monday. Even if it warrants me going to a church and begging them to shelter me for a night or two. Why are you being negative?" John was becoming uncomfortable with tune of the conversation. 

"It's not safe to go to a city like Lagos without a clearcut arrangement for accommodation. I can't." 

"You need to defeat the fear of the unknown if you really want to grow in life. This village is not where we are supposed to return to after acquiring our degree. Do you see any prospects in this village?" John asked.

"You are right. Opportunities are easier to come by in the city. But I hate to be stranded for any reason." Luke concluded.

"You need to change your mindset. Be ready to take risks to better your life. You only live once. It is good that you take a calculated risk to make your life experience worthwhile and fulfilling," John advised Luke.
 
His mind was made up. John was not able to connect with Mike before setting out for the journey the following morning.

"Ibadan or Lagos? Which park are we going to?" Luke, who had come to see John off to the park, asked. 

"I couldn't connect with Mike. I am going to Lagos."

The journey to Lagos took him seven hours. With Mike's number still unreachable, the only option left for John was to look for a church to stay for the night.

He fetched his phone when he got to the park and went through the mail again. The interview was to take place at the corporate headquarters of the organization in Victoria Island (VI). 

"Ipaja! Ikoyi!! Pamgroove!!!" The rowdy voices of conductors calling passengers to their vehicles with the names of the town that they were heading to rented the air. 
 
"VI VI VI," a bus came whose conductor was calling Victoria Island.

John hopped into the bus with his bag strapped to his arm tightly. His phone was safely placed in his pocket. He had had a lot about the escapades of thieves in parks and buses. 

"Hold your change ooo," the conductor said at intervals. 

The conductor stood by the door facing the passengers. 

"Give me your money from the backseat." 

The passengers passed their transport fare one after the other to the conductor. Whenever it was the turn of a passenger to alight, the bus would only slow down without halting movement totally for the passenger to alight. The same applies when a passenger is boarding the bus as the journey proceeds. 

"We are approaching banex junction now. If you are alighting there, signify," the conductor announced. 

"Please, don't forget that I am stopping at cele bus stop," John reminded the conductor.

"Why didn't you talk before now?" The conductor flared up. "We've passed the cele bus stop for quite some minutes now." 

"I informed you at the park. I am a new person in Lagos," John complained.

"Mr man, go down. I am not thinking of you alone," the conductor created a space for him to alight.

John nearly missed his steps as he jumped down from the vehicle.
 
"I am truly in Lagos where everyone is for himself," he lamented as he wiped his face with his handkerchief. 

He approached a food vendor beside the road to seek direction. 

"The company is about two kilometers from here," the woman responded after telling her the name of the company. "Are you going to see someone there this time of the day?" 
 
"No, I have an interview there tomorrow. I want to know the location and probably look for a church to spend the night," John explained.

"My son, Peter, also has an interview there tomorrow. You don't need to go there. My house is on the next street," and she pointed in the direction. "You can stay with us till you are done with your interview."

To John, the offer of assistance came too easy and suspicious. 

"Thank you, Ma. But ...."

"My son," the woman sensed the countenance. "I know that trust is difficult in our present world. I can take you to my church so that you can be sure that my intentions are clean."

"I never doubted your intention, Ma." John's face beamed with smiles as he appreciates the woman.

John was welcomed with open arms to the house. 

"I have some questions from past interviews here. We can study them together," Peter invited him to his reading table after dinner. 

They studied for some hours before retiring to the bed.

The interview was in two parts, written and oral. John was with infectious smiles as he answered the interview questions. The past questions that he was exposed to the previous night were helpful beyond his imagination. 

He spent another night with his host after the interview before returning to the village.

"I pray that both of you will be considered," Peter's mum offered prayer. 

Luke was handy to welcome John and get the feedback of his experience in Lagos, especially how he was able to cope with accommodation. He met John at home a few minutes after his arrival.

"Life is about taking a courageous step," John began to narrate his experience. "Everything was made easy for me. My bus took me beyond where I was supposed to alight. It was a blessing in disguise. While trying to get directions to where I was going, I met a woman that housed and fed me. Luckily for me, the woman's son, Peter, was scheduled for the interview the same day. He gave me some study materials about the interview. 

"If I pass that interview, 80% of the credit goes to that study material. You see life? Don't be too comfortable with your present position else you won't grow. You only live once and you have to take on every opportunity that presents itself for you to grow."

Luke was nodding his head in response. He was dumbfounded. 

Three weeks later, John was offered the job. Peter was equally employed. 

The turnaround in the life of John began.

"I have been hearing about how someone could find his feet by defeating the fear of the unknown. You have proven it to me in practical terms," Luke told his friend. "I need to look beyond my present comfort zone. I need to explore every opportunity that presents itself. In your words, we only live once."
 
John left the village and resumed his dream job in Lagos.</div>