Every month, Jide's salary enters his account like a View Once message on WhatsApp.
On payday morning, he feels rich. By afternoon, reality starts collecting its debts.
Rent balance. Electricity bill. Transport. Data subscription. Feeding. Family responsibilities.
Before the salary can even settle in, alerts begin flying out faster than they came in.
By the second week of the month, he's already calculating how many days are left until payday. By the third week, he's applying for salary advances. By the fourth week, he's rotating between loan apps the way Maresca rotates his squad.
One app is calling and threatening legal action. Another is sending reminders every few hours. A third is offering him a "special loan" with enough interest to fund a Japa plan.
Yet every Monday morning, Jide wakes up before dawn, squeezes into traffic, and heads back to his 9-to-5.
Not because he loves the job.
But because bills don't care about motivation quotes.
And somewhere between surviving, borrowing, repaying, and surviving again, he keeps hoping that one day his salary will finally last longer than his responsibilities.
To every hardworking 9-to-5 warrior fighting this silent battle: may your income someday outrun your expenses. 🙏