Danger In Ecstatic Happiness [Non-Fiction]

I don't do too well with a mix of happiness and money. Mistakes always happen.

Happiness is one emotion I'm always weary about. Experience has taught me to be cautious whenever I'm almost overwhelmed with this much-desired emotion.

I love being happy but on this particular day, I wish I wasn't. At least, not as much as I was. I was an undergraduate, schooling and working at the same time, thanks to my accommodating boss.

It was not strenuous work as such but one that involved the use of computers. All I had to do was sit comfortably in my office chair and type away on my keyboard. My school timetable was flexible, so I was able to juggle it with my work.

During my third year at the university, my boss ran into a hitch and was unable to pay staff salaries for more than five months. It was terrible, especially for the married men and women among the staff who had family responsibilities. I, on the other hand, had my parents cushion the effect of the hard time.

It was a lackadaisical attitude at work during this period. Some staff who could endure the hardship and make it to work often resumed late or whenever it pleased them. Some staff stopped coming altogether, believing our office was about to fold up due to financial distress.

The little work that came in from clients at the time was done by any staff available, which made our boss very unhappy. Sometimes, I would resume work after school and complete the tasks of three staff combined.

Our boss threatened to fire some staff for their lethargic attitude to work but he didn't because he was that type of person —understanding and accommodating. And if he did, it would be hard to get a replacement willing to work without pay.

Then the situation at the office changed within a week!

A major contract that our boss had been pursuing for some years pulled through and work began in earnest. The office was paid upfront by the state government which enabled our boss to pay all outstanding salaries.

^Source

That payday was a joyous day at the office. Within a few hours of the news spreading, every staff member was present and accounted for.

The accountant paid everyone in cash. Our bags held bulky brown envelopes. We were ecstatic. A staff member immediately declared, "Lunch is on me, guys!" He made a call to a restaurant we often visited and packed lunch was delivered to the office. It was like a mini party that afternoon.

My boss added a little sum to my pay because he was impressed that I stuck around despite the discouraging situation and also to encourage me for the work ahead. The sight of this huge sum filled me with euphoria. I couldn't keep the smiles from my face or the spontaneous burst of laughs.

Then I remembered I had a lecture that afternoon. Amid the celebration, I made a snap decision not to attend. This was the beginning of my mistake.

I was kind of rich…and hilariously happy. So I called my parents and told them about the lump sum payment. They advised me that I should spend wisely but first, "What are you waiting for? Take the money to the bank immediately." My Dad almost yelled on the phone.

Ugh. I glanced at the receiver as if I could see my Dad's reaction, and quickly dropped it back on the phone like it was searing hot. I wasn't going to let him spoil my mood.

I leaned back in my office chair, swivelled around in circles just for the fun of it and took my sweet time chatting happily with some staff before heading to the bank. I wish things were modern back then so I could make the deposit via my phone or computer system without physically going to the bank.

When I got to the bank, I was super nice to the cashier, picked a savings teller to fill in my details and the amount to be paid in. I filled in half the sum but entered the wrong account number. I exchanged a "9" for a "0" and my money was paid into another account.

At the time, I did not know. And the cashier assumed I was sending the money to this unknown person.

The following day, thanks to my friend who paid back the money I lent to her, I went to the bank to deposit this money. That was when my account balance was shown to me and I couldn't believe my eyes.

"No. This is impossible," I told the cashier. "I paid N39,000 into my account yesterday."

Confusion flooded my head. There was a sickening sensation in the pit of my stomach such that I couldn't stay still. I paced a little while explaining to the cashier that I should have more money in my account.

I produced the carbon copy of the payment teller from the previous day and that was when my mistake was pointed out —I'd given my money to an unknown person!

This mistake took close to a month to fix unlike now where it can be sorted within a day or two. Back then, the banking system was a little slow. The bank made considerable effort to reach the account owner who was a bit reluctant to give the money back.

I feared I would never get my money back. Thankfully I did and learned my lesson to always stay calm when ecstatically happy.