“I am not sure who you talking about because we don’t use first names here, we use last names, but if you know where to find her you can go ahead,” she said, smiling sweetly as she spoke.
I later found out the last name of the official and she informed me that the individual had not arrived at work, but I could sit and wait.
“I sure she would come in just now, so you can sit down and wait,” she said again in her chirpy voice.
She is the guard persons are asked to report to when they enter the compound and to say that her appearance and mannerism contrasted the environment in which she operated is to put it lightly. Her uniform was sharply ironed and her hair and makeup up to speed, but for me, her best asset was the manner in which she responded to persons, many of whom appeared to under stress.
I have always said, and I have witnessed it many times, that persons who visit government offices for assistance often leave feeling worse than they arrived because of the treatment they receive at the hands of the officials. But if that government office is to be judged by one of its lowest of employees then those who visit will leave feeling better than they came.
As I sat awaiting the arrival of the official, I wanted to see, I could not help but strike up a conversation with this guard.
I asked her if her manner was usually that way or whether she was just in a good mood that morning.
“No, no I try to be like this every day I come to work. Look, I am a Christian and I know my God would want me to smile and do good for people when they come here,” she answered.
“Sir, you know you have to stop here whenever you enter the compound,” she said to a man, breaking off from speaking to me in a blink of an eye.
Informed by the man what he wanted she was quick to assist him.
“Look go there where you see that person is sitting and then you would see a blue door, knock on it and see if you get the form. I just sending you there because you want a form but if you don’t get through then you have to come back and join this line.”
“Good morning, aww baby is sleeping,” the cheery voice jolted me out of my thoughts as she spoke to an employee of the office and who had a little girl cradled in her arms.
“It is not easy here. Don’t think it is easy, but I does ask me self if I do things to make it worse for people how it helping me. I can’t help me, many people come here and is problems dem have and is not like I don’t have problems, but they didn’t come for me to give dem my problems,” she said.
I pointed out that there must be some mornings when it was difficult to smile and be nice.
“Some mornings?” she asked. “Girl you mean most mornings. But you see when I enter that gate, I just leave it down and come and do what I have do. Some mornings it is just for me to just sit down and cry but a lot of the people coming here come with tears. How I could cry to them?”
I asked her if she had children and if she worked night shifts.
“Yea I have children and you know how it goes, I don’t make a lot of money, but I have to try and look after them because is me and them alone, two boys and one girl, and they have to live. Thank God I don’t work nights so when I come in the morning, I know I going home to be with them in the afternoon,” she answered.
“Good morning,” she said to a woman who was speaking quietly to her, I could not hear the woman.
“Yes, you went here last week, and you didn’t get through? That is bad man because I know you coming from far, but you have to go back, and I hope you get through this time,” she told her.
The woman left, and two other persons entered the compound and once again she dealt with them kindly and pointed them in the direction they needed to go.
I told her what a good job she was doing, and that God will bless her.
“I just doing my job and if God bless me, I would be happy because I could do with some blessings. But I thankful because I get to see a New Year, today is the third day of 2019 and me and my children alive and well. We don’t have it all but we all here and we living and that is a blessing,” she answered.
Our conversation was broken again by a member of the public and this time it was a senior citizen who enquired about a document.
“Well I not happy to tell you this but you have to join a line and I know it will be hard for you, but this place don’t have senior citizens first because most of the people who does go there does be senior people,” she told him.
The man gave a resigned smile and thanked her before he shuffled off to join the line.
She looked at me and once again beat me to the punch.
“You waiting a long time now but just now [name of the official] will be here, she does usually be here by now, but she must get a lil delay this morning,” she said to me.
I asked her how long she has been working as a security guard.
“It is a while now and I thankful that I here most of the times, but it is not a easy job but what can I do? I have to work, I don’t have much education and I don’t work do no domestic work, people does take advantage of you. I try that a ready and right now I just want me children go to school and take dem education. Is not that I can’t read and write but I don’t have no paper to my name and that is what I does tell me children every day, take you education and get you paper nobody can’t tek that away,” she said.
I nodded in agreement.
“Oh, you in luck now look she coming around the corner right now,” she said to me with a bright smile. The official was approaching.
I wished her well and as I left, I could not help but smile and that smile remained with me for the rest of the day. She reinforced what I knew but don’t always practice; a smile and a kind word can go a long way.
