"How A Text Message Stopped Me From Committing Suicide A Day To Christmas" - Man Speaks Out

It was in the afternoon. On the 24th of December. I just came back from work having been sacked from my job. My boss has really been a pain in the neck for the past few months. He kept on over working me while still paying me less. For the past 4 years I haven't gotten a salary increment. Yet I work like a horse. The frustration really got to me. Collecting just N10,000 as a Security Officer living in a city like Lagos is just not the gate way to heaven.

From waking up as early as 3 am to prepare for work to rushing to catch the early morning bus inorder to beat the sunrise traffic is really a hustle. Most times I get to work early enough other times I get there late. My wife on the other hand has not really been on the patient side of life when it comes to matters that concerns the family. We have no kids yet but still things were difficult.

Every day she keeps on nagging and complaining that I'm not providing enough for the family. Sometimes she doesn't let me rest as her constant nagging pushes me to sleep at work most days. According to her, my input in the home is too small compared to what I promised her when we got married. Yes...I know I made so many promises to her but that was when I thought there was going to be a bright future for me but as the reality stands at the moment, there isn't a glimmer of hope. 

I'm not one to compare myself with others but most of my friends whom we finished school together all have well paying jobs. I went to meet some for help but all to no avail. All they kept telling me was "Whenever I see an opening, I will let you know". This is what I kept hearing for years. I kept on reminding them for months until I gave up.

My family members have also been adding their own dose of frustration to mine. Every month, I get calls to send money back home. Despite the fact that I told them I'm not too financially strong, they kept saying "You are in Lagos. Money dey Lagos. Even shit dey sell well for Lagos". Sometimes we end our conversation shouting on each other while other times I hang up. Sometimes I even wonder if they want me to start selling shit because I never understood the meaning of their "shit" statement.

These kept going on for years. The bills kept coming. Sometimes I paid. Sometimes I couldn't. The landlord on so many occasions threatened to throw us out of our one room apartment. The apartment was quite cheap though in a bad state but it was what I could afford. Most times my salary came early, most times it came late. Most times I paid, other times I begged. Things just grew from bad to worse.

My wife on the other hand whom I thought loved me started going out with married men. Initially, I had no idea due to the fact that I leave so early for work and come back so late at night. I got the information from some of my neighbours who pleaded anonymity. I had to carry out my investigation and then discovered it was true. I confronted her and she couldn't deny it. I was heart broken. I couldn't believe my loving wife could do such a thing to me. I cried all night. For weeks, I wasn't myself at home. I kept on transferring unnecessary aggression on individuals at work till information reached my boss and I was sacked.

Noone knew what I was passing through. Noone knew my pains. Life had turned from bad to worse. I became a shadow of myself. I left the office holding my sack letter in my hand not knowing where I was going. I planned to end this frustration of mine. My wife had packed her things and left the previous day to live with one of her sugar daddies. As I walked home, I went in to a shop close to my house and requested for Sniper. I had no money on me so I promised to pay the seller the next day. He was reluctant to give me because I had bought some other items in the past and had not paid up till date. He shouted on me but still gave me the Sniper hoping I would pay up someday. 

I collected the Sniper. Went into my room. Locked the door. Sat down on the floor and started crying like a baby. I was so depressed, frustrated, angry and just wanted to take my own life as fast as possible. I couldn't bear it all any longer. I looked around my empty one room apartment which contained just a bag of my clothes and a small mattress on the floor and it reminded me of how much a failure I had become in life. 

At that moment, my whole life from my childhood flashed right before my very eyes. The pain grew so much that I carried the sniper, opened it and as I was about to pour it into my mouth, I heard the sound of a message come into my phone. I was reluctant to drop the sniper so I just held it in my hand while I checked my phone.

As I opened my phone, I saw a message that read..."Hello, Timothy. It's me Frank. I hope you can still remember me. We were in the same class in the Univeristy. I was going through my contacts today and saw your number. It's been a while. How are you? I just thought I should check up on you after all these years. I have really missed you. Where are you now? I'm hoping we can catch up on old times one of these days. Let me know what you think. I will be expecting your reply. Stay well and have a blessed day. Good to reconnect with you again and before I forget, Merry Christmas in advance...Frank".

After reading this message, I slowly dropped the bottle of sniper I was holding in my hand. I was able to recall who he was. We were both in the same class back then in the University. I felt so loved that somebody from nowhere could still remember to check up on me. That thought gave me an unexplainable joy. I felt loved. I felt remembered in this bad situation I was going through at the moment. This message just saved my life.

I could imagine the thousands of people who were going through worse situations than mine. Some have taken their own lives as an escape route out of the depression and sadness they felt inside. Depression is real. Frustration is real. It affects our Mental Health and unpleasant situations of life triggers them. We all are not so strong emotionally to bear awful things going on in our lives. We all should endeavor to reach out to one another. It could just be a simple text message. Just reach out. For you never know the lives you might be saving. Show love to somebody today. 

With so much joy in my heart knowing that somebody had me in mind in this trying time of mine, I picked up my phone with hope for the future. Hope that all will be well. Hope that I will come of my unpleasant situation strong. That little act of love from an old classmate saved my life. 

I picked up my phone and replied his message saying..."Hello Frank. Yes I remember you very well and I'm hoping to seeing you aswell. Thanks for sending this text message to me for this message just stopped me from committing suicide just now. God bless you".