The last apprentice.

Benny was the last of Mr. Yinka's apprentices, the best and most successful shoemaker in the whole of Kitipa town. He was a role model to many kids, not just in Kitipa but to kids in neighboring towns as well.

Pa Yinka, as many would call him, was in his late 60s and planning retirement already. He no longer had the strength to continue working, but it bothered him a lot how everything he had built wouldn't vanish someday because his children were abroad and weren't interested in that line of business.

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He stopped taking apprentices after his 67th birthday two years ago, but Benny was an exception. She walked into Pa Yinka's workshop looking helpless, and he just couldn't turn away from her.

"Are you lost?" Pa Yinka asked after offering Benny some food and drink.

"No, sir. I am not lost," her voice muffled as she munched on a sausage.

Pa Yinka paused, relaxing on his seat, and watched Benny empty the plate in front of her.

"Thank you, sir. This was my first meal in the last three days, and I have been surviving on fruits on my way to Kitipa," Benny said, kneeling in front of Pa Yinka.

"Rise to your feet, young lady. But you shouldn't be on the street like this. How about your parents?" Pa Yinka asked.

"I wished for a different life, but this is what I've got. I am an orphan, and nobody is willing to help me where I came from because everyone believes that I am cursed," Benny replied, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Cursed! Why? Why would they say such?" Pa Yinka stuttered and sat upright.

"Everyone says that my birth brought bad luck to my family," she stuttered and burst into tears.

"What about your parent's family?" He asked.

"They also believe that I brought bad luck and wouldn't even take me in," Benny stuttered, wiping her tears with a scarf.

"It's okay, young lady. Sorry for everything you have been through, and I am thinking, is there any way I can help you?" Pa Yinka asked.

"My name is Benny, sir. I am 16 years of age, and if you allow me, I can help you clean your premises every day in exchange for food and shelter," Benny replied and knelt before Pa Yinka again.

"Please, stand up. I am not sure if accommodating you would be a good idea," he replied and requested that Benny follow him to the King's palace some minutes later.

Pa Yinka explained Benny's situation to the king, and being a reputable person in the town, the king gave his consent for him to be her guardian pending the time the police will verify her story.

Benny couldn't thank Pa Yinka enough for the help, and she did her work diligently at the workshop, cleaning the place thrice every day.

She took the task of running errands at the workshop, and Pa Yinka started growing interest in Benny. He tipped her whenever she went on an errand for him and she was promoted to making his meals.

One faithful morning, the King's messengers showed up at Pa Yinka's workshop to tell him about their digging on Benny. Everything she said was true, and Pa Yinka decided to adopt her as a child after thinking about it thoroughly.

She was stopped from doing the cleaning job but Pa Yinka enjoyed her cooking. He enrolled her in an evening school and life took a different turn for Benny.

Whenever she was not doing anything, she would hang around the workshop and watch Pa Yinka's apprentices working.

One fateful morning, Benny approached Pa Yinka and begged him to teach her how to make footwear but he refused.

"It's men's job. You can't do so just focus on your studies," he replied but Benny didn't stop asking. She spoke about the desire to learn at every opportunity she gets and Pa Yinka eventually gave up on being adamant when Benny returned all the tips she received from him as payment for the apprenticeship.

Pa Yinka allowed her to start working but didn't treat her special. He even did worse, coming up with a means to ensure that Benny always takes the short straw.

She got the toughest tasks always just to make her give up but she didn't flinch for a moment. She would learn at the workshop during the day, go to school in the evening, and still return to complete her pending tasks at the workshop.

About two years passed and Benny became one of the best apprentices at Pa Yinka's workshop. Customers would come asking specifically for Benny; they wanted her to be the one doing their work, and she gradually became famous.

She was going about her work in the workshop when she noticed about 20 short straws in one of Pa Yinka's lockers but it meant nothing to her.

Later that day, Pa Yinka had some tasks for his apprentices and, as usual, requested that they pick a straw; whoever picked the short straw would do the most tedious work.

He called Benny in first, and the other apprentices started laughing, knowing that Benny would definitely choose the short straw; some of them even called her short straw.

She picked a straw, and it was automatically the short one, so there was no need for others to pick anymore. Pa Yinka shared the tasks, leaving Benny with the toughest and she never complained.

Benny was doing her thing when she thought about the short straws she saw earlier.

"Has Pa Yinka been cheating all this while?" She sighed heavily and looked in the direction of Pa Yinka's office.

She noticed he wasn't there and left her tasks to check the straws again.

"They are all short, so no matter what I choose, I will end up bet getting the toughest tasks. I might be wrong," she stuttered, putting the straws back in the drawer.

Benny returned to her task but couldn't take things off her mind. While having dinner with Pa Yinka at night, she decided to ask about it.

"Pa Yinka, I noticed all the straws in your drawer are short ones. I am just curious," Benny stuttered.

"So? What's the problem?" He replied.

"The straws should be long and just one short one. I think that no matter which straw I pick, it will always be the short one," Benny said, putting her food away to focus on Pa Yinka.

"Hmmm, I have some things to tell you after dinner. Make some coffee because it might be a long conversation," Pa Yinka replied.

Benny immediately excused herself from the table to prepare the coffee, her mind wandering about while in the kitchen.

She made the coffee, and upon returning to the dining, Pa Yinka retired to the balcony, so she went there as well.

"I am sorry for treating you unfairly all this while. I started with a different motive but along the line, I saw a different reason to keep pushing you to the extreme at the workshop," Pa Yinka said, sipping from his coffee cup.

"I don't understand anything you've said," Benny stuttered.

"When you decided to become my apprentice, I felt like it wasn't the right thing for you as a lady but you were persistent. I decided to make the work difficult by making all the straws short so that you would always get the toughest tasks when you pick. I tried to make you quit, but you didn't, and instead, you grew to be the best among my apprentices."

Pa Yinka sipped from his coffee again and reached for Benny's hands.

"My intention went from seeing you quit to making you the best and I am proud of how far you have come because I have my career successor already," he replied.

"You have intentionally made me choose the short straw always," Benny asked, withdrawing her hands.

"Yes, and I am sorry about everything," Pa Yinka replied, and Benny couldn't stop laughing.

The laughter slowly faded into tears, and she knelt before Pa Yinka, thanking him for not just pushing but also believing in her.

"Without you, I wouldn't have been here. Only God knows what my life would look like," Her voice trembled.

"Let's just say you are my answered prayers," Pa Yinka replied, feeling emotional. He drew her closer and hugged her.

A few months later, Pa Yinka retired and made Benny the successor of his workshop. She flourished and expanded the business across different towns.