09/09/2026
๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐โฆ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐
I was 16 years old.
And honestly? That K350 felt like I had just signed a contract with Real Madrid. ๐๐ญ
Back then, I was working as a waitress at a Somali restaurant in Ndola.
My job was simple:
Make coffee.
Serve food.
Clear tables.
Smile at customers.
Repeat.
And most of the timeโฆ I was wearing an apron.
But the thing I remember most about that job wasnโt even the work.
It was the people.
The Somali community was incredibly kind, respectful and hardworking. I was fascinated by how close and united they were as a community. They genuinely looked out for each other.
Now, because the restaurant was near the market, my boss would often send me to buy small things.
And every single time I walked past this one boutiqueโฆ
I would slow down.
Not enough to be obvious. ๐
Just enough to admire the beautiful clothes in the window.
The dresses.
The jeans.
The tops.
I loved fashion even then.
But as a 16-year-old waitress in an apron, those clothes felt very far away from my reality.
One day, I finally gathered enough courage to go inside and ask for prices.
Big mistake.
The customer service was terrible.
The two sales ladies barely acknowledged my existence.
I asked questions.
One-word answers.
No smiles.
No enthusiasm.
No interest whatsoever.
Eventually, I just walked out.
Embarrassed.
Disappointed.
And a little sad.
Then payday arrived.
My first salary. K350.
To this day, I still remember holding that money in my hands.
Because it wasnโt just money.
It was proof.
Proof that I could work.
Proof that I could earn.
Proof that I could contribute.
So I took a day off and asked my mother to es**rt me back to the market.
This timeโฆ
There was no apron. ๐
No restaurant uniform.
I wore nice clothes.
And I carried my precious K350 in the back pocket of my jeansโฆ
Making sure a little bit of it was visible.
For motivational purposes. ๐๐
My mother and I walked into the SAME boutique.
And suddenlyโฆ
A miracle happened.
The same sales ladies who couldnโt hear me beforeโฆ
Could hear perfectly now. ๐ญ๐
โCan I help you?โ
โWould you like to try this one?โ
โThis would look beautiful on you.โ
โWe also have it in another colour.โ
Amazing.
Customer service had apparently been healed overnight. ๐
But the funniest part?
They didnโt even recognise me.
So naturallyโฆ
I did what any slightly petty 16-year-old would do.
I tried EVERYTHING on. ๐๐๐
The outfits I had admired from outside the window for weeks.
The jeans.
The tops.
The dresses.
I was having the time of my life.
Then eventually I looked at them and said:
โMy mom and I are just going to run a quick errand. Weโll come back and buy them.โ
And thenโฆ
WE LEFT. ๐๐ญ
Immediately after leaving the shop, my mother and I burst into laughter.
Not because we wanted revenge.
But because life had just taught me a lesson I would never forget.
We went to another boutique instead.
Bought two pairs of jeans for K65 each, used the remaining money to buy relish for home, and went back laughing the entire way.
But years later, I realised something.
The real lesson wasnโt about those sales ladies.
It was about people.
Sometimes people donโt respond to who you are.
They respond to who they think you are.
Your clothes.
Your title.
Your car.
Your status.
Your appearance.
And thatโs why kindness matters.
Because you genuinely never know who youโre speaking to.
The waitress in the apron.
The student with no money.
The quiet person in the corner.
The intern.
The customer asking too many questions.
The person who doesnโt look like they can afford anything.
Life has a funny way of changing peopleโs circumstances.
The person you overlook today might be sitting across from you tomorrow in a completely different position.
And honestly, you shouldnโt need to know someoneโs future before deciding to treat them well.
Moral of the story:
Treat people well before they have something to offer you.
Because character is revealed by how you treat people who canโt do anything for you.
And trust meโฆ
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐. ๐ค
Now Iโm curiousโฆ
๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฌ, ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐? ๐๐
