“As a result,” the manager continued, “everyone here will be laid off.”
For a moment, no one moved. Then the shouting began.
“What?”
“You can’t do this!”
“What about our salaries?”
The manager raised his hands helplessly. “We will try to settle outstanding payments. But the company no longer has funds to continue the project.”
Oena felt the world spinning. Laid off. The words echoed in his mind.
His job was gone.
Later that evening, Oena walked slowly home. The usually noisy streets sounded distant and muffled. His thoughts were heavy. How would he tell Chidinma? How would they survive?
By the time he reached their apartment, the sun was already setting. The door opened before he could knock. Chidinma stood there smiling.
“You’re late today.”
But the smile faded when she saw his face.
“Oena, what’s wrong?”
He stepped inside slowly. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he sat down.
“The company is shutting down,” he said quietly.
Chidinma blinked. “What do you mean?”
“We’ve all been laid off.”
The words hung in the air like a storm cloud. Chidinma slowly sat beside him. For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Then she gently held his hand.
“It’s okay,” she said softly.
Oena shook his head. “No, it’s not.” His voice was filled with frustration. “I worked there for six years.”
“I know.”
“What are we going to do now?”
Chidinma looked at him calmly. “We will figure something out.”
Oena looked at her with tired eyes. “You always say that.”
“And we always do.”
He sighed deeply. For the first time in years, he felt completely lost. But Chidinma squeezed his hand reassuringly.
Whatever was coming, they would face it together.
Little did they know, this was only the beginning of the storm that would test their love in ways they could never imagine.
The days that followed Oena’s job loss felt strangely quiet. Before, mornings in their small apartment had always been full of movement—Oena rushing to dress for work, Chidinma packing his lunch while reminding him not to forget his documents or helmet. But now everything had slowed down.
Too slow.
Oena woke up later than usual. Sometimes he sat silently on the small couch, staring at the television without really watching anything. Other times he walked outside pretending to search for job opportunities. But most days he returned home with the same defeated look.
Chidinma noticed the change immediately. Her husband, who used to laugh easily and speak confidently about the future, now carried a quiet heaviness in his eyes.
One evening, she found him sitting alone on the balcony, staring into the dark street below. She stepped outside and leaned against the railing beside him.
“You didn’t eat your dinner,” she said gently.
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