No One Is Above Getting Cheated...

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Why do people cheat?

This is a very simple question and it, of course, has an equally simple answer; people just want more than they should have. That’s the long and short of the entire thing. You have something, but you’re not contented and so you want more!

For cheating to take place, there have to be at least two people involved. That’s why single people can’t cheat, they don’t have anyone to cheat on. And in other areas of life, when people cheat it’s because they are not satisfied with the little they are given and try to make sure they get more.

This reminds me of my childhood, back then when my Mom bought things for my baby sister and me to share, I always shared it unequally. If it was ten in number, I’ll split it 6/4 in my favor and when she complained I told her simply that I was her senior and it didn’t make sense for us to share things equally. Funny enough, my elder sister also does this to me.

But all that is tiny instances of cheating among siblings that can be easily overlooked. When you come to the mega stage that is real life, you’ll be shocked at the amount of cheating that goes on every day! Everyone you meet will try to cheat you! From drivers to conductors, traders, customers, businessmen, and beggars!! You’re not safe anywhere, so you have to shine your eyes, you have to hold what’s yours tight because the moment it leaves your grip, the possibility of you getting it back fades away like a dream.

I’m the kind of person that loves my money, so before I let it go I have to be certain that it would travel the distance it was meant to and achieve its required aim. As a result, once I get a trusted person I can work with, it’s hard for me to make a switch. The person might charge me an arm and leg for the services rendered, but as long as they’re trustworthy, then I’m good with them.

Well, for my generator guy, I used to believe he was trustworthy. He has been fixing my generator for well over a year now, and what made me like him was that he could come to my place at 9 PM if my gen had issues. Although, he didn’t live too far away, so that was a bonus. Whenever my generator developed a fault, he was the first I called all the time and things were going well.

One day though, I think a few months back, my gen was acting up and I called for him as usual. However, I also asked him to buy me engine oil because the one in the tank was already finished. I told him my preferred brand and assured him that when he came I’ll reimburse him. I was so busy that period with work that I didn’t have the time to go out and get this for myself. Even when he came with the oil and started working on the gen, I didn’t pay much attention.

Anyway, he set to work and after fixing the problem, he poured in the new oil. Then he turned on the gen to give it a test run, everything was working fine. Later on, I paid him his money. Both for workmanship and buying the oil, he left and I continued with my work.

That night, when I tried to turn on my gen again, it came on, but went right off soon after! I tried again and it stayed on for no more than ten minutes before sputtering off once more. I was confused because this looked like a new fault which didn’t make sense because I was yet to use the gen after the latest fix. I struggled with the gen for about an hour and the oil never crossed my mind because I knew I just bought new oil, so it was never to be a problem.

But then, I began to see how the signs were all those typical of an engine low on oil and so decided to check. To my shock, I saw that the oil in my generator was black and looked like it had been running for months. There was no sign at all that the oil was new.

Confused, I picked up the bottle of oil he left behind and saw that what remained still looked good. He bought the brand I asked for, but what was the problem? I poured out the bad oil and poured in a fresh one. Then I turned on the gen; it stayed on for about an hour and died later on.

It was then I realized that the oil this guy got me was the problem. He didn’t buy the original oil I asked for. He bought these roadside oils and poured them into the bottle of the brand I wanted. And seeing as he was the one to pour the oil, I believed he was the one to break the seal. However, upon closer inspection, I saw that everything about the bottle looked old. Even the wrapper was dirty and torn in several places, I just didn’t notice this before.

This guy bought terrible oil for me that could have destroyed my engine! I got so mad that I called him that night and gave him an earful, he kept assuring me that he bought the right oil but it was only as a way to defend himself. The roadside oil is cheaper, filling up the bottle wouldn’t take up to #500, but for the brand I asked for, they sell it #1600. So, he wanted to make even more money off me. I paid him in full for the oil and still paid him for his work.

It hurt me that he could do something like that to me. I even gave him the benefit of the doubt and went ahead to buy another oil myself( the same brand I asked him for), I emptied the tank of the defective oil and poured it in. This time, I was the one to break the seal. And when the gen worked perfectly, I knew that the guy cheated me!

When I looked at how far I had come in my relationship with the guy, it hurt me because the guy knew his chops and he was reliable in the sense that I could call him and I would be certain he would turn up. Not like those artisans that keep making promises but never show.

However, this singular act of his put me off for good! That night, I could barely function because most of my devices were low and needed charging. I had to go to bed angry that night! Since then, I’ve never contacted him again and I won’t. If he cheated me once, there’s the possibility that he’ll do so again and this time my gen might suffer for it! I’ve found another mechanic to fix my gen, also close to my place, but this is one of those guys who work as if they’ve made all the money they want and don’t pay attention to customers. Feeling relaxed as if they’re doing you a favor by working for you.

I’m still on the lookout though for someone that will be more reliable, and if I find them, it will be hard getting myself to trust them because I’ve already been burned by that before. So far, I’m still searching, and I hope to find some one day.

After all, when it comes to business, trust is not important. What’s important is the deal both parties make.

Well, I guess we’ll see how things go.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{This post is inspired by the second topic of this week which is Cheats. Feel free to try it out.}

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_{N.B: All images are mine!}

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