BREAKTHROUGH IN A RECESSIONIt was 6 o’clock in the morning,”griiiiiiiiiing!!!” my phone rang.“Daddy…daddy, you have a phone call” my little pretty daughter Miriam ran to give me the phone. I knew already it was my secretary Grace.“Sir… will you be coming to the office this morning?” she eagerly asked. Cos she knew I barely visited the office in the morning.“Hmmmmm… I might. But why do you ask?” I replied.“Errrrrrm… sir, you must have forgotten you scheduled to meet with a client this morning at 8 o’clock”.“Ohhhhh… Thanks, I will be at the office soon” I hung up.Already, I had a lot synchronously running in my head. I barely slept at night. I kept discerning on the way out of my condition. Business wasn’t supple as projected. This epoch in my life, as a spouse should be the most resilient. So many liabilities on my shoulder. How would I cope with my five children? Three of my kids in the high school while the eldest of them, Gloria is in the university, studying law. I also have a sick mom laying on the hospital bed. Mrs. Smith doesn’t seem to be responding hastily to treatment. So much bills to pay. My employee’s salary for this month is due and yet to be disbursed.“Gushhhh! This economy recession must have cuddled, kissed and caressed me”.I used to be recognized for my unvarying contribution in the church, but now, I barely pay my tithe. The church must have noticed the hush. I could recall the other Sunday, after service, the pastor urged me to wait for a brief dialogue. He spoke to me fervidly as he conferred the heavens.“Brother Johnson” he called.“Could you open to the book of Malachi 3 verses 10”I already knew it was the usual.“Bring ye all the tithes into the store house…”We diverged from one chapter to another verse. I had no interest. That wasn’t my problem. I wished he knew what I was going through.I was losing my faith in God. I hopped church activities. I had already lost interest.“Who should I go to?”“Where should I run to?”My head clouded with thoughts. It seemed as if the Lagos traffic was in my head. I felt like blaring. I felt like wailing… The thought of suicide sprung… It delimited my sense of cognition that I virtually yielded.“Arrrhhhg!!! The devil must be at work”Staring left, right, front and back, I saw no place to settle my ruminating and undulating head. But I had a pretty wife, slim, average height, glowing fair, dark haired, decent, caring and highly spirited Clara, who at no time had left my side. She is an angel for a wife. Her mollifying prayers during the devotions stroked the heavens. Her words gave me coziness and life.I met Mr. McCoy, my new client at exactly 8am as scheduled. My breakthrough came when he offered me a whooping contract worth millions of naira. Now I have a thousand reasons to leap in gratitude. The current recession may look clingy, but it didn’t halt my breakthrough from realisation.

Bio:Maduabuchi Innocent Azubuko is a writer, IT Consultant, Blogger and Graphics designer. He graduated from Anambra State University (ANSU), currently known as Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) with a degree in Computer Science. He has a keen interest in art and technology, and has designed/written several poems and stories such as Tears and Emotions, Echoes from my past and of recent Breakthrough in a Recession. He owns a blog at innkotech.wordpress.com where he writes on technology. He also offers consulting aids for clients on technological issues.