EXPENSIVE JOKE (SHORT STORY)
I went to see my neighbour, Okwuchi, this morning, on my way back from work. She has been depressed lately because she lost her job and I like to check on her from time to time.
When I knocked, she refused to open the door, so I brought out my guitar from its case and started playing, “There’s An Angel At Your Door,” by Solise. (I play with the night band at RedRose Hotel.) When I got to the stanza that says, “Heaven came to meet you, ‘Cause you’re oh so so special …,” she came out and gave me a halfhearted smile.
We went into her room and I asked if she’d had breakfast. She said she wasn’t hungry. Knowing how much good food can help to cheer someone up, I begged to get her some and went back to my room for a small food flask. A lady by the corner down the road sells the best akara and pap you can imagine and for a hundred and fifty Naira, I bought ten balls of akara and some pap.
When I set the food on a tray in front of the mattress where she lay and sat on the rug beside her, Okwuchi protested that the akara was too much. I argued that it wasn’t but she insisted that I take some. Then I came up with this:
“I have a confession to make.”
“What?” Her curiosity pushed me on. My mission to cheer her up was succeeding, I told myself.
“I’ve wanted you to be mine for long, so I put some love potion in the food. If I join you to eat it, the potion will not be potent enough.”
By the time I finished, her look had changed.
“Bia onye ara a,* get out of my room immediately, and take your stupid food with you.”
“Wait o, …”
She carried the tray outside and started calling the whole neighbourhood, claiming that I want to kill her.
“See idiot and love! It’s Buhari I blame, not you! How will a dropout like you talk love to me if not that Buhari has destroyed this country?”
“I was only joking o! I don’t love you more than ‘Love thy nieighbour’ in the Bible.”
“Did the Bible say you should use charm on people?” She repeated what I’d told her to the women who had gathered.
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(Related: Stay Down – Short Story)
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I told them I was playing with her but my explanations fell on deaf ears.
“No wonder he is in your room morning and night,” Mama Ngozi, our cantankerous landlady, said.
“I was only being a good neighbour.”
“Saint Paschal,” she sneered.
Although I’d eaten an early breakfast before returning from RedRose, I decided to eat the food in question to show them I meant no harm. Halfway through, Okwuchi went into her room, brought out my guitar and bolted the door. But the women stood there and insisted that I eat it all up. It was too much for me and I threw up towards the end.
The next thing I knew, my landlady called her son who was gambling at a nearby pool office to kick me out of the compound.
“You said you would eat the food but you vomitted it out because you know what you did.” By then I was too exhausted to counter the landlady.
One by one, my 10 spring foam, my stove, Ghana-Must-Go and other belongings were thrown outside and they changed the lock.
In all this commotion, Okwuchi did not come out or say a word.
The worst is that I don’t love the girl. I don’t even like her. She is too serious – no friend, no laughter; that’s why I tried to help her. Now see where it has landed me. Just one small joke that another person would have laughed at. Na waa oh!
If I can’t find a room by nightfall, I’ll be squatting with a friend and I hate that, just because of one tingiri joke.
Ⓒ Edith Ugochi Ohaja 2019
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(Related: Help! My Wife Is A Guy! – Short Story)
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*Bia onye ara a is Igbo for “Come, you mad man”.
tingiri means tiny in Pidgin English
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Ah! This is serious oh I can’t stop laughing. That was very expensive indeed he should have waited for her to have at least eaten the food. Chai poor neighbor. This is a comic story?
Glad you enjoyed the story. Have a great week, what’s left of it! You are blessed!
I enjoyed every bit of this short story. Very funny. Some one cannot play with aunty Okwuchi again ?? but there is a moral to this story. Every one should know who he can play certain types of pranks on if not, he could be embarrassed like this our brother.
You’re right! Happy Independence Day in advance, Chiamaka!
This just made me laugh so hard. Moral of the lesson, not all jokes are actually jokes to some people. We should not be joking anyhow but this is so funny
This went from a 0 to 100 quickly.? Certain Jokes should be limited to people we are very close to.
Funny though, when jokes are thrown at us, we should just laugh stop taking every slight words seriously, though I can’t blame okwuchi for her actions.
This story is very interesting.
Moral lesson is that we should mind the way we play or joke. But okwuchi is not to be blamed
Really? Do you think she went too far?
I don’t think I would laugh at any joke thrown at me at such a time. Some are not jokes really. This is a depressed person we’re talking about and if I were her, love would be the last thing on my mind….and then all of that…
Have you ever been depressed?
This really made my night, it’s really funny, simple joke that someone would just laugh at, but people differs.
I really pity Paschal, who had just good intentions. Thanks ma for this wonderful piece
God bless you, Ezinne! Happy holiday!
Lol?????I feel like the girl should have known that it was just a joke na..it’s really funny ,maybe okwuchi is depressed or something because she according to the story it sounds like she is someone that’s hard to please ..and the landlady went to far she shouldn’t have sent him packing after all he paid his rent ..lol
It is stated in the story that the lady is depressed as a result of her losing her job. Do you think that’s the kind of joke she needed at that time?
This fiction is didactic indeed. There are jokes we make sometimes that are too expensive. It thereby necessitates that we should be careful on the kinds of jokes we make as some of them may land one into trouble.
Na wa ooooh
Okwuchi should have known is a joke…
It made me laugh but am feeling so sorry for him because i don’t know how he will manage…..looking for an apartment is not an easy task and just because he wanted to help he ended up losing the shelter he had…too bad.
Hahaha, the joke became a serious issue that would have tarnished his image. People should try and catch jokes sometimes and not take everything serious
I really feel sorry for paschal but okwuchi should have known that he was only joking, okwuchi must be a mean fellow. We all ought to be careful the kind of pranks we play on people, because people differ. Happy Sunday Ma
People don’t see things the same way, paschal just made a harmless joke and okwuchi took it really seriously because of how serious she is. Paschal should learn his lesson.
Quite hilarious!
Mind you, depressed people don’t enjoy such jokes, lol.
Oga joker, steer clear of expensive jokes maka ndu gi.
Joke gone wrong! ??
What a sad turn out…Chai! If he had known, he wouldn’t have even tried to make her happy. Quite hilarious
Lol ! So funny? I pity the poor boy who was just trying to help a strong hearted neighbor.so bad, his joke landed him to a big trouble.we should be careful the kind of jokes we make and the people we joke with.
Poor boy! Just because he wanted to cheer his neighbor up. One should be careful of who to crack a joke for. Some people take jokes seriously that they will even avoid you just because they think you meant it.
Nice one ma! eft me with smiles.
We have to be careful of most joke even though you are familia with the person but know your limit not just joke alone but being careful with our words because it might cost you alot just as we saw in the case of the guy. Have a blessed day ma!
Is a pity! Most times things we think that does not matter actually matter to some people and there is every need to be careful with our words even though you are familia with the person because you may end of with regrets.
Ehya!!! I just pity that guy, his good intention has cost him his accommodation. In this life, we need to mind how we relate to everybody around us because its not everybody that sees joke as a joke. Some people normally see joke as an insult to them
It is very funny
Is this how you used to do, some one cannot play with you…?
Not every one should be joked with, some don’t know the difference between jokes and reality
Na wah ooo… See trouble ooo untop small joke like that.
Frustration can really rob people of common sense.
Moral of the story: stay away from bitter and frustrated people.
Any normal person could and should have seen the humour to the joke and not have taken it seriously.
Lol?…does love portion even exist, haba the girl cpuld have known that its a simple joke.
????? ” Because of one tingiri joke”. This one is hilarious o. I pity Paschal , now he was sent packing because of a harmless joke.
As usual ma, I learnt a lesson which is to be careful as to what we present as jokes.
No be small thing, see frustration ooo??. Okwuchi should have looked for a way to unleash her anger on Buhari who frustrated her, instead of transferring it to an innocent neighbour who is just trying to be nice. Nsogbu uwa is not only money
?????? Chai it is well, one tingiri joke.
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Aunty Edith…why don’t you have a catalogue of best seller novels to your name yet??? This is amazing storytelling right here…I literally made a movie out of it in my head
Thank you for this ma
Thanks a lot for the compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the story, glory to God! Happy weekend!
From small joke to big problem. Aunty Okwuchi did not try at all o… Haba?. So this is how being nice cost such a kind neighbour, his lovely home.
This story has some relation with an incident that occurred in my lodge. Same expensive joke led to a heated argument because the other party just couldn’t detect a playful tone. Also, I feel you ought to know the kind of person you’re dealing with so you know how to play with them. It was already stated that the girl was serious and anti-social, I doubt such a person would take the joke at surface level.
Loolll…. Paschal don enter one chance be that. The truth is that we have to know the kind of people we joke with and prank on, especially if the person is passing through a trying time. Somebody losing his/her job is not funny so you won’t expect things to sound normal to the person. On the other hand, some people are too serious to a fault like Okwuchi, so you have to be very careful on words to throw as joke to them in order to avoid trouble. Also, know the words you use while joking, because people understand things in different ways. I also think that Okwuchi’s reaction to Patschal was just a transfer of anger. Indeed, it was an expensive joke.
“Tingiri” expensive joke indeed. I can’t ????
Hain pascal was just joking now,okwuchi was just frustrated by the country but she took it way too far naw ahan
Well well everystuff happens for a reason
That was way too much, Okwuchi was too extreme. So what if he loves her? And he was always with her, trying to cheer her up, she couldn’t even take things easy and embarrassed him that way. Sighs! She’s way too serious for a human, biko.
???This is a very funny story. Like I used to say ‘everybody dey vex for this country’ so we need to know the kinds of joke we joke with people o. Nice writeup ma
I can’t help but agree with Paschal’s assessment of Okwuchi’s character. Over seriousness even in the face of harmless jokes. And the neighbors’ reaction is an indication of how some people just spiritualize everything. That Paschal threw up after eating was most likely a result of an unsettled state of mind.
In any case, we should be mindful of peoples’ frame of mind before we play some kinds of jokes with them. Not everybody is receptive to all kinds of humor.
? that’ll teach him to mind how he jokes and who he jokes to too.
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But still, in this day and age, can someone really be that serious? And that heartless as to do that to someone who brought you food?
People are wicked in this world. That wasn’t her being serious. That was her being heartless. Right now, I am honestly glad she lost her job. Imagine someone like that in customer service in some big company. They would just lose a lot of people biko.
That’s how a delicious Akara and pap and sugar went useless. That woman no try at all.
This is really funny? but I think the lady is at fault. She can’t even take a joke
It really funny. Her anger made her lose appetite. Well as ford Frick said “keep your anger the decision made is very sound”
Knowing when to use words appropriately won’t put us in danger. The words should be used in the right environment, the expensive joke by Saint Paschal(as used in the text) put him to be homeless, in the course of trying to elevate someone’s out of a grundy mood. I can’t stop laughing.
Some people take life too seriously ???….
Being cautious with our words or actions around people we feel are too serious is very necessary ooo . We don’t know when they might take offence at what we call a joke
This is hilarious! I have a friend that would always say that there are certain people she can’t joke with or even be sarcastic with to avoid trouble because when you don’t really know someone you may not know how uptight they are. So, to save yourself just stick to joking with those you know and are close to. Now this harmless joke from Paschal has made him homeless.
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Nawa oh, it was supposed to be a harmless joke nw??
Aunty Okwuchi should be calming down, its well…Pascal doh,don’t play too much again
??????ah ah, just like that?, People can be humorless. Ha i even got sad reading down, jeez, once again wonderful story ma.
Hahahaha just one tingiri joke just become ? bread with excess yeast.lol
I find the girl attitude irritating. even if he like you. there is not reason for throwing his “not well to do” at his face. an the man is just so funny. you don’t like her but you are singing and joking around.
To help is essential. but, praying before rendering that help is much better. So as to avoid falling into trouble all in the name of helping someone. This is a nice write up and full of lessons too. Thank you ma.
The girl must be going through a lot to have acted that way. I mean it’s just a harmless joke meant to cheer you up. It’s sad his Goodwill led him to be homeless. Too bad.
My mother once told me”You don’t joke with lies” this is because, there’s no serious and joke lies and it can lead one into trouble” this is what happened in this story.
Joke gone wrong! Before expensively joking,we should have studied who ever we want to joke with, to avoid ugly situations.
Hmm, some girls are too serious for my liking. Not everybody likes jokes. Her behavior is very bad.
Okwuchi is not a true friend for me, because even as he already made the joke, she should know her friend right from time.
Hmmm! Not everyone you met that you must crack a joke with,at times is good to mind your own business to avoid getting into trouble, now see where the joke he cracked for fun, lead him into wrongful accusations. Indeed it is an expensive joke.
Lol… An expensive joke indeed
In summary, mind the kind of jokes you make and people you tell them to
This is so funny…some people are too serious in life oo
We should be careful when we say things and make jokes
Not everyone takes things lightly
The story may be funny but there is an important lesson to be leant
Indeed it is expensive joke especially to the over serious and unfriendly ladies. To joke is not bad but we need to know the type of joke and kind of people we should crack joke with to avoid story that touches heart like the example here. Thanks ma.
Lol!!!… I couldn’t stop laughing when I finished the story. The joke was too expensive but I didn’t expect Okwuchi to take it that far. Well we should learn to know the kind of people we tell jokes too so that they won’t humiliate us some day.
Some jokes are way too expensive though, thats why we should always be careful of the kind of joke we make, the guy is innocent but because of his jokes, everyone had to think he committed what he did not.
It’s funny but it landed him in trouble that’s why we have to be mindful of the type of jokes we crack
He will wish he never cross her part but the deed has been done.Actually, jokes is not for everyone
It always good to mind our business. The fiction is interesting…nice one
Lol!! It is good to be kind to people when we see that they need help. It is better however, to find a common ground, a relatable situation with whomever we wish to help to avoid situations like Paschal’s!
She did not take the joke well at all.
This is really funny, I enjoyed every bit of the story, but if am the one, I won’t vomit the food oo
The joke was really an expensive one. He already knew that she’s the serious one that has no friends and hardly laughs. He should have known the best way to relate with her and not with such joke. This story teaches us that we should learn how to talk so as to avoid being a victim of circumstances
People should be mindful of their utterances,some jokes are expensive.
Sometimes we just have to keep our kindness to ourselves cause it might just turn out to be our biggest mistake…. The joke was actually too expensive for someone who’s depressed ?
Lol, I love this one
Saint Paschal indeed… Lol
Nice short story
Interesting piece of art but it doesn’t sound real
Maybe to you! I wonder what sounds real to you. You have not seen where a small matter escalated to what the person involved did not expect? To each his own. God bless you!
Is not really good to joke unnecessary especially to please people with expensive jokes.
People have different perspectives and ways they view things. And not everyone is willing, to take things for granted. A good story embedded with laugh and slapstick, this teaches, heights you shouldn’t take jokes to.
The lady is just too serious, that was just a joke obviously but I guess people are not the same. The women were also too quick to judge but they had no choice, the lady made them believe it.
???this is really funny,,but okwuchi went too far, although is a transfer of agression. In life, one needs to know the type of person we are dealing with ?, so as to use a proper medication (attitude) on them,,, thank you ma.
An act of goodwill turned bad.
She didn’t hesitate to shout. Lol
Funny story
It was indeed an expensive joke
We should mind the way we relate to people not everyone is as funny as you are. Some people are very serious minded
Joke gone wrong! e choke oo . The guy is lucky that he was not lynched,we should know when and not to joke with people especially those serious one.
This was so hilarious, Okwuchi here must be depressed or frustrated. Nowadays people don’t joke with such expensive thing again, the world is full of evil already, so one should be mindful of what he or she say to another.
Lol… A very interesting story. We’d learn to create boundaries even when trying to look out for someone. Some things are better left unsaid too.
This joke is indeed expensive. That shouldn’t have led to all the shame and insults. This is a very big lesson to everyone, know the kind of people you are dealing with to avoid had I known
Indeed it is na expensive
joke there is a saying that when Mr A dance the give him money but when mr B dance he is likely to o beaten.
Okwuchi took it too seriously for me and the compound mates as well behaved soo ignorantly. Paschal should have understood the character of the person he was dealing with, he made the wrong move and now he has paid dearly for it.
Nawa ooo.. This Okwuchi sef.. Well?
Lesson learnt. We should always be mindful of what we say to people because not everyone understands our kind of joke.
No be small wahala oo. For small joke person don lose him house. We should be careful of the kind of jokes we make and the people we refer them to.
Joke gone wrong. Hanty, took it personal ????. This really cracked me up. Huncle only wanted to cheer hanty up, see where it landed him. Chai..
Chia innocent soul paying for what he did not commit very pathetic
Huh? Ah! It was a joke but the person to whom the joke is directed, does the person actually take jokes for jokes? Are you that close to the person for him/her to find out when you’re joking? These and many more should be our concern when tagging our words “joke”.
It could be expensive!
Joke gone soooo wrong??Lol ! So funny? I pity the poor boy who was just trying to help a strong hearted neighbor.so bad, his joke landed him to a big trouble. but we should be careful and know limit of our joke
Lol. I didn’t see that coming at all. I even laughed at his “love potion” statement but then as the story puts it, she is really serious minded and she just lost her job.
You don’t love her
You don’t even like her and u had to go through the stress of playing song for her when she didn’t open the door,you even had to go in search of food for her ??
Uncle talk true ooo
You don’t have to love someone to contribute to their survival and welfare.
A very expensive joke and he paid for it dearly.
It’s funny how little things could stir up controversy.
Oh my, I really feel for the guy. We need to understand people before we can interact properly with them. How do you crack such joke with someone who has no sense of humour?
This is an expensive joke indeed
I can’t stop laughing ??
The guy should know how a depressed person behaves and not try such expensive jokes with her na as long as she is concerned everyone is her enemy ??
This is a comic and an entertaining one, I couldn’t stop reading it I just wanted to read it all up
Nice one Ma.
Just look how somebody’s act of goodwill landed him into trouble. And this story shows that depression, goes a long way in turning people to sadists who never finds even jokes funny.
Sometimes minding your business is the best . Some joke might not be a joke to Some people .You saw what happened to him just because he wanted to help out .
Lol the story is really an expensive line indeed I love the story it made my day
Some people are educated but their level of reasoning is low but it was really funny indeed.
Eyaa ! poor guy, this is how most people end up in trouble trying to help out someone in need. this world is full of mean and heartless people
I can’t stop laughing why did okwuchi do like that. It was just a harmless joke. Only if paschal had known he would have minded his business
I so much love this story,also I think we should get to know people better before throwing any kind of joke at them because they might not take it likely.
take it lightly
Abeg ooo people should be minding their business, no be everybody dey like that kind joke Biko.
Sometimes they are jokes that can lead one in to problem but the lady was too mean.
This, though a serious matter but got me laughing at the end by the writer’s use of tingiri joke. But then, most people are always too serious with life that they do not know when to ease up and give a heartwarming smile. Again, people should be sensitive enough to know how people respond to issues so as to know the length and content of jokes to throw at them.
Some jokes can either make or break a relationship/friendship as the case maybe,especially for a depressed person, what you see as a joke might not really be a joke to them. I felt for the young man though.
I pity the boy. This is how one small joke made him homeless. But he is supposed to know the type of person to make this kind of joke to, not someone who is depressed and serious joined together.
We should know the kind of joke we crack to people especially in their trying times,okwuchi’s reaction to Paschal was just a transfer of anger, one losing his/her job is not nice
This story really made my day. My who you tell your jokes to not everyone may be in the mood T that time.
This is actually very funny though ? well someone like me won’t even take this too serious and even if I did, the least I’d do is reject the food not cause commotion everywhere. Anyways it could be her depression acting on her.. what do I know!?
Some people tend to take things too seriously that’s the reason one has to observe his or her neighbor or friends to know what to avoid.
Hmm….. This is serious, how did an act of goodwill suddenly become a thing of regret? In as much as this is an expensive joke indeed, we should never stop showing kindness to people who are in distress but we should be careful with the words we use around them especially when they are not too familiar.
I believe joke has limit,
Everyone’s IQ differs
An expensive joke indeed..lol. Certain jokes should be limited to people, not everyone takes things the way you do.
Nice piece
I think everybody likes joke,but we have to understand the present mood of the person we are to share the joke with before letting them out.
This life no just balance at all
The joke was expensive but he was trying to be caring, but is also obvious that the landlady didn’t like him and wanted him out and this was perfect t opportunity. I was very shocked when her mood changed.
Whose mood changed? Okwuchi’s or the landlay’s?
Very funny, but one should know the kind of people they crack some kind of joke with.
I find this story funny and interesting ??. But looking at it from a different view, it reveals the true nature of women/ladies who are too serious about little things.
Chai! Good deed replayed with evil. It was indeed an expensive joke that landed him in trouble. Very funny story ma.
What a funny joke these joke really made my afternoon, indeed its an expensive joke, I didn’t see that coming at all,I even laughed at his love portion statement but then as the story put it, she is really serious minded and she lost her job
Okwuchi takes it too serious . Chaii poor Paschal.at times we should just mind our business and stay on our own .
People should be careful whenever we say or make a joke not everyone takes it lightly or the funny.
Not every body laughs at jokes some are just too serious that they do not know when you joke. Just like my roommates sometimes they aren’t just in the mood for jokes and they get upset about it.
This article is so funny, to be sincere no one is to be blamed, paschal was on a helping side and has the right to crack as many jokes as possible to ease the situation, Okwuchi is still not yet out of her depressive Shell to understand the Joke in the right perspective, the landlady and co- tenants also took it personal even by going extra mile of kicking him out of the house….hahahahah…… Although their actions were justifiable so long as as the information supplied to them by Okwuchi was obvious and the way things are going on in the country, I still think he deserves a fair hearing. Thank u ma
Nawaoo, Okwuchi is too serious biko,he was just being nice
We should be careful with the kind of jokes we make and the type of people will make them to. He already knew that she was a serious person he shouldn’t have said it tho. But life teaches is lessons isn’t it, he will learn another day.
Understanding differs, likwise reasoning. The guys approach geared the believe that he put a love portion in that food; steady visitation and romantic way of keeping someone company either by singing for the person or petting the person can be see to mean a lot. Mind what you do, how you do it and to whom
Relationship of all sorts is being kept alive when the people involved know their limit or boundary. Knowing fully well Okwuchi is the serious type and has recently lost her job, throwing such a joke at her in that her state of mind is too risky.
Well you have been thrown out of your house just because you want to be a good neighbour while coming up with an expensive joke.
Well, that escalated quickly! Knowing the kind of neighbor you have, you still decided to tell that kind of joke. lol
This is both serious and funny all at once
Nawa oo some people every little thing serious. I mean, he was only trying to cheer her up and she ended up pouring her frustration on him resulting in the landlady throwing him out. That’s unfair.
This might come off to some people as funny but I really feel for the young man, it’s crazy when your good gestures are misinterpreted.
I can’t stop laughing,imagine Pascal trying to cheer Okwuchi up but she took the joke too serious.
I’m sorry what……… I don’t even know what to say but he should have been careful now he knew that okwuchi never has a smiling face yet he went there
Heyyy! What an expensive joke; but Okwuchi did not try at all… she should at least let him go , instead of alerting her neighbors.
A guy trying to help you … has turned out homeless because of you.
In summary, don’t use love as a joke term towards a woman.
I wasn’t expecting the story to end like this. He was only trying to help and she ended up ruining his day.
Basically, you are not supposed to use love as a joke term to a woman. But I think Okeechobee overstepped by calling on the neighbors, who dealt with a guy that is just ready and willing to help you heal.
Funny enough the guy doesn’t have any feelings for her but tries to help… I know the lady was depress but she calling him a dropout (feels like he is not worthy to be loved)… Well thank God it’s just a story cus I will be feeling sad for the guy..
The lady overreacted and it was not necessary at all and now she turned the young man into a homeless fellow.
This story boils down to the fact that not everyone has the same level humor sense as you. So, mind what kind of joke we make around everyone.
We should watch our tongue and be careful of our utterances.
Lol, the writer livened the whole story by the use of colloquial languages. The “Tingiri”used at the end of the story completely got me busting out so loudly.
I guess Mr John do has learnt his lesson to limit the extent of his jokes.
This is a very funny story. But the lady is kinda over serious. Sha oga Paschal has learnt his lesson. One should be courteous when trying to joke.
The story is both a comic and didactic one which showcases the consequences of expensive jokes .Expensive jokes can have serious consequences for the person who perpetrates them and this is because expensive jokes can be dangerous, offensive, and be misinterpreted in some cases so it’s important to be mindful of others’ feelings while making jokes that are likely to be hurtful or offensive and consider how your words might be perceived by others.
I enjoy every bit of the story but there is a lesson to learn . Not all jokes are actually joke to some person so we should be more careful .
Some people really don’t deserve our care and concern to be honest
It was quite funny. I really enjoyed it. The girl was just to serious. The guy should have known the kind of person she was before saying that. Thank you Ma for this story. God bless you.
Out of frustration Okwuchi got someone that just want her to be happy into trouble. This is why most people find it difficult to render help to others. It’s a pity!!
Not a good thing but most times I myself don’t know how to take in jokes but I’d never escalate like her Biko. Humors are a spice to life. The girl dikwa too mean.
Thank you ma for this humourous piece
So for this little help I was trying to render to someone, I’ve now been rendered homeless.😂
This is quite hilarious some jokes are way too expensive we should be careful with the expensive ones though.
Every one should know who he can play certain types of pranks on if not, he could be embarrassed like this our brother, but Okwuchi is very funny.
There are jokes we make sometimes that are too expensive. It thereby necessitates that we should be careful on the kinds of jokes we make as some of them may land one into trouble. But this story is really funny though.
In life, people are actually different in character and otherwise.
We should learn to know the kind of persons we mingle with and ensure to keep to their desires.
Pascal should have known the kind of neighbor he has before now and made sure he doesn’t step beyond his boundaries.
I enjoyed every bit of the story,it was quite funny.
a) I learnt that before you joke with someone,study the type of person he or she is so you’ll know the type of joke to crack around that person.
b) Sometimes you trying to crack an harmless joke might be misinterpreted by the person causing embarrassment
Nice story. Despite the fact that he was trying to help, look at how bad she treated him. Avoid making silly jokes with just anybody, not everyone will find it funny. Thank you for this wonderful post.
I do tell people, before you joke someone study, the mood and the kind of person u want to joke with, not everyone takes jokes as play
Hmmmmmmmmm
Joke went wrong
This story is really good, and I love your Writing skills Ma.
The story teaches vital lessons, it reminds me of one similar story I read in my primary school
LOL! Seriously, some things are not supposed to be used as jokes. I hope he has found a roof over his head, though.
This is related to an occurrence that took place in my compound, due to the other person’s inability to recognize humor,the same pricey prank resulted to a contentious debate.
Also in my opinion, you should be aware of the type of person you are working with in order to play to their strengths. Given that the girl was describe as serious and antisocial, I doubt she’d find the joke funny on its face
Hahaha but seriously people should really mind people they joke with, not everyone see joke as joke
Very funny lol, can’t someone joke again, lol.
But not every body understand jokes though, so we should be careful on the kind of pranks we play.
This story is a sad reminder of how difficult life can be for people, especially those who have lost their jobs and are struggling with depression. It’s admirable that the protagonist tried to help his neighbor, even if his actions were misguided. The fact that the women in the neighborhood were quick to judge and condemn him without listening to his side of the story is also unfortunate. We need to show more empathy and compassion towards those who are struggling.
Next time he will learn his lessons🤣🤣 expensive joke. Much love Edith♥️♥️
There should be a limit to the way we play, talk or do some other things. Even the most jovial person will take some serious steps in this case; though she overreacted.
Only God knows how ugly Pascal looks, this one Okwuchi went that far to avoid any mistakes, lols 😆
It had nothing to do with his looks but her frustration with her circumstances.
This is serious oh, how can one be so unfriendly that she could not differentiate between jokes and serious talk especially from someone who has always been there to lift your mood. Anyways, arrogance and pride was in play, if not, how can an acclaimed learned person like her not know how to diligently dismiss those that irritates her with their presence.
We should always know how to act right in any condition we find ourselves. She only lost her job, not that her whole countrymen died, haba.
Anyways, we should know the kind of people we joke with and stop trying to make those who do not know our worth to welcome us.
I must say this story is very much funny. The young man’s good intentions suddenly turned against him. This what you should expect when dealing with naive people.
What a funny story! As expensive as the joke was, Okwuchi and her neighbors took it too far. He must have regretted being kind to her.
Okwuchi went too far and besides he was only joking.I believe that the young man will learn how to mind his business not everyone you extend kindness to appreciates it