Gift for Dr John.

I visited a popular market in Jos, Nigeria to get a pair of shoes. While walking around the market to get my choice, I ran into a shop selling office handbags.

"Wow, this bag is beautiful," I said to myself as I paused for a few seconds to peep properly into the shop.

"Come inside, I have nice and quality products." The shopkeeper invited me in with a smile.

My mind was divided. I had vowed not to buy things unplanned for.

"Just go for the shoes you came to get." My mind instructed me.

As I moved a step forward, another thought struck my mind; "what if the price is within what you can afford with the shoe?"

After a little back and forth, I dashed into the shop to at least feed my eyes and have the knowledge of the prices. I was checking the bags with their individual price tags. A brown leather bag got my attention. It was exactly the type used by Dr John.

Sighting the bag immediately brought to my memory the unfortunate encounter that Dr John had with his bag the previous day.

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Dr John was my most favorite lecturer a few years ago when I was in year 3 in the university. He is a jovial person who was the favorite of the majority of his students.

In a department where most lecturers weren't friendly or compassionate with students, Dr John proved to be different. He struck a balance between being friendly and being professional at what he does.

After rounding up his lecture on that fateful day, he arranged his books inside the bag and in the process of zipping it, the zip got spoiled. Looking at the bag, it was obvious that the bag had rendered services more than the value for which it was purchased, hence it was time to replace it. We joined him to make some attempts to fix the zip but all our efforts proved abortive.
Two of my course mates helped him to pack his books and the spoiled bag to his office.

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"I need to get this bag for Dr John," I concluded as I asked the shopkeeper to bring the bag down from where it was hung.

We negotiated the price and I loved the quality of the bag for the price attached.

Before making payments, the thought of how I was going to deliver it to Dr John came to my mind. Buying such a gift for lecturers was not allowed in my department. The head of department used to remind lecturers and students always.

Without reaching a resolution of how I was going to deliver it, I bought the bag. I left the shop and got a pair of shoes that primarily took me to the market and returned home.

On getting home, I was busy thinking of how I was going to give him the bag. The idea of delivering it to him anonymously came to me.

The following morning, I left for the campus in the early hours of the morning.

"Good day Dr. I wish to replace your bag that got spoiled in class two days ago. I am one of your students in year 3. Please, accept this from me as my little way of appreciating the good personality that you are. Thank you Sir."

The above short note was written on a piece of paper and fixed to the side of the bag. I assumed that he could identify my handwriting if I wrote it myself. To avoid that, I pleaded with my friend in another department to have the note copied in his handwriting.

I went straight to the office of the head of the department. Every lecturer had his name tag on a pocket in the wall mounted mail sorter. My prayer was to have the opportunity of dropping it into the mail sorter without the notice of any lecturer or student.

Luckily enough, I met a cleaner working in the office.

"This bag is for Dr John. I wish to drop it for him in his box." I told the cleaner who was working in the office.

I folded the bag and dropped it in his box.

During his class with us the following week, he acknowledged the message.

"I received a message from one of you last week. I appreciate you for the message. I will be glad to know you before you exit the school after graduation."

The whole class was in total confusion of what the message could be. Majority that commented after Dr John left the class predicted that it must have been a text message. I joined them to agree with such an assertion.

My heart was filled with joy that the whole thing worked perfectly as I planned.

For the following two years that I spent in the department before graduation, Dr John was using the bag. Each time I saw him with the bag, I smiled and felt fulfilled that I was able to touch the life of the awesome teacher.

Upon our final examinations and on the day of defending our thesis which marked the conclusion of the degree program, Dr John brought back his request.

"Someone delivered a beneficial message to me two years ago." He quoted the day and month. "I wish to remind you that I am willing to know you now." He stated during his final address to us after the thesis defence.

I met him in his office later that day to reveal the identity behind the bag gift.

"This is wonderful. I lack words to appreciate you." He was full of praise as he hugged me warmly.

He asked me to check back on him the following day.

By the time I got to his office the following day, he prepared an appreciation letter that he delivered to me.

"The gift I got from you might not be the most expensive that I ever received from someone but from all intent and purpose, it is the best gift that I ever received.

"In my little way of appreciating you, I present this to you." He handed the letter to me and a box of gifts.

I opened the box when I got home and it was an expensive professional textbook.

Till date, the textbook remains the most valuable gift that I ever received from any individual.