Deadline — Hive

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I thought of different possible solutions at that ungodly hour as I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. It was a cold night, but I was sweating profusely. My sewing machine sat in the corner, staring at me like a servant who just decided to disappoint its master. Ejike's senator wear (traditional wear) for his traditional wedding hung loosely over my neck. The clock on the wall kept ticking, each tick felt louder than the last one. A sigh that It was dragging me closer to the deadline.

"Dang it!" I cursed as I sat in my makeshift workshop at the back of our family house.

I didn't want to believe that my sewing machine would decide to break down on my first major work I had struggled for months to land after becoming my boss as a tailor.

My first major client chike, who also happens to be my childhood friend and had trusted me of all people to make his clothes for his traditional wedding.

I looked at the time, it was 9 pm. I had roughly ten hours to deliver that clothes to him for his traditional wedding which was the next day.

"Why did I not work on this earlier? Why did I have to wait till now to start?" I asked no one but myself as I sat alone in my workshop.

"Guy, why are you talking to yourself?" I heard a voice ask from behind.

I turned to see my brother, Emma standing at the door. I sucked my teeth "This sewing machine chose now of all day to spoil. And I need these clothes to be ready by 7 am tomorrow," I replied.

"Then work on it, na", he said, looking me in the face.

"If I can work on it, don't you think I would have done that since?" I asked, trying so hard not to get angry.

He walked inside the shop and sat on a stool. "Then go and call Mascot to help you", he continued nonchalantly.

"Does he repair sewing machines? " I asked with eyes wide open.

"No, but he's a tailor too. An aka ochie (expert) for that matter. He should be able to detect the problem"

"But that doesn't mean he can repair.."

"Mtchew," Emma sucked his teeth as he stood up to leave. "See this one. I'm trying to give possible solutions, still, you're fighting my ideas."

"Wait na," I pleaded.

"Wait? For you, there's no time to wait. Go and call him" he stopped at the door.

I quickly phoned Mascot, who lived next door, and luckily, he was willing to help after I had explained my predicament to him. In a few minutes, he arrived at my workshop.

I watched as he touched a few spots, tightened a few bolts and cleaned out some parts. Then he asked me to try again. I got in and in one kick, my sewing machine roared back to life.

"You're lucky I slept at home today. What if I had worked overnight at my shop," Mascot asked as he turned to leave.

"I guess God made you come back to save me today", I replied, trying to be jovial. "How do I pay you?" I asked.

"Pay who? Oga go and sew your clothes. Na tailors like you dey give us a bad name. (It's tailors like you that give us a bad name)."

"How?" I asked, confused as Emma chuckled.

"You have a cloth as important as this to sew for your first major client. But you chose this night to start sewing it. What if you couldn't find someone to help with your sewing machine? You would have disappointed him" he explained.

Emma chuckled again.

I couldn't argue with him or yell at Emma for chuckling at such an odd moment. Mascot was right and I realised I took a big risk. I let Emma see Mascot off to the gate while I returned to sewing the clothes. Working tirelessly that night like a possessed man.

By morning, Ejike arrived and he loved the work I had done with his clothes. He put it on and it fit perfectly, needing no adjustments.

"Now I look like a man ready to go take his bride," Ejike said, admiring himself in the mirror.

I smiled, proud of a job well done. If only he knew how I struggled last night to beat time and deliver his clothes.