The dilemma of Mr. Adams

Picture Credit: Cliparts

Permit me to share with you the story of a man I know. This man, Mr Adams, is a man I’ve actually known all my life: right from being a bubbly young man with so much promise to bring the shadow of his once great self.

Now, pardon me if I am unable to furnish you with details of Mr Adams’ life; but this much I will oblige you:

He was once a very wealthy and influential man that once sat on the board of a financial institutions and an oil company. He lived the dream: I mean, he went to his dream school, got his dream jobs, and even ended up with his dream girl. Considering he came from a very modest background, this was quite the feat.

He used to live in his palatial mansion in Ikeja with his wife and triplet children: two boys and a girl; and he had his retinue of servants which included two housekeepers, a gardener, two security details, two drivers and a bouquet of security dogs.

His kids were given some of the best education money could buy, and considering the fact they were in their mid-twenties, they were spoiled silly. The best their education could do for them was help them discover an array of things they could waste money in. Each kid was entitled to a basic allowance of half a million naira monthly to cover expenses (of course, other amounts could be milked based on how each kid played his or her card) and they were also entitled to annual summer trips without fail. Other trips were a bonus.
The staff were all well-paid too. They acknowledged they were the lucky ones as they were paid well above their industry average, and the Adams could count themselves lucky for the commitment and dedication of their staff.

Madam Adams was a sight: Proud, snobbish, and cantankerous. She had grown from her timid, homely self into a loud, vindictive madam, no thanks to the increase in wealth and status gained through the years. When it came to feeding her pride, no amount was too small… And she somehow managed to fuel this same negative character in her husband. To her, he was bigger and more important than the Jones…

The Jones were their next door neighbors. As a matter of fact, even though Mr Jones was a couple of years Mr Adams’ senior in school, they maintained a close friendship. As a matter of fact, Mr Adams owed everything he boasted about to his charming, more privileged friend who at every point left the doors open for Mr Adams whenever opportunity opened them.

Then the tide turned…

Perhaps, it was the need to get ahead with the Joneses; perhaps it was the need to date an overbloated, and over-entitled ego, but Mr. Jones made a spate of huge investment mistakes. It started with a big one – the others were in a panic attempt to shore up the loss of the first one.

Next we knew: the Adams were in the hole for millions.

Assets started to vanish one by one in a matter of years. Properties and cars in other locations. The summer homes abroad? Well… Winter came for them.

The Adams took the blow quietly and with a smile. They kept up appearances: they turned up at events with brand new automobiles; they traveled for summers, they out-spent the Joneses; they maintained the allowances for the kids and the home…

But the staff salary started coming in a little later than it used to. Suddenly, it became a lot later than they used to. Next we heard, security dogs started getting called away to other secret missions until there was only 1 left. What good is 1 dog being manned by 2 security men? One was asked to leave.

One day, Mr Adams had a talk with Mr. Jones that he’d had enough fun with the city life and wanted to enjoy retirement in a more serene, suburban life.

He bought a 3 bedroom apartment in Badagry, and sold his 8-bedroom mansion in Ikoyi.

Because of this change in accommodation, the domestic staff all had to go.

But the Adams remained proud as ever. The children’s allowances remained the same all through, and the elderly Adams didn’t keep their spending down, even though all they now had was the fortune left from the sale of their house. They knew something would yield one day, so they had to be patient even as they maintained their circle to ensure visibility when opportunities came knocking.

One night, Mr Adams had a talk with his wife explaining how dire their situation was. As a matter of fact, there would be a lot of changes going forward: No more summer trips, no more allowances, no more inordinate spendings and the expensive lifestyle.
Mrs Alli wouldn’t hear of it. She chastised her husband for thinking like a poor man; and stated that on no occasion should their lifestyle reduce because it’s an admission of failure. What would the Joneses say? Did he want Mrs Jones to mock her? Or would he want his kids that had always rubbed shoulders with the Jones kids to now be subservient to them? She told him he had to do what it took to keep that lifestyle going. She had already conceded the step down in their living conditions. That was as far as she was prepared to go.

The man painfully kept up the lie, as he resorted to borrowing from various institutions. He invested some and spent the rest, but no investment could keep up with the spending and even his house in Badagry was already fair game.

As he turns Sixty in less than two weeks, Mr Adams considered his grim reality: He currently lives in a tastefully furnished 3 bedroom bungalow in Badagry on an acre of land overseeing the sea; with three spoilt, useless kids that paint Lagos red in their choice cars, living the large life; and with the promise of unending wealth. There’s a splattering of businesses he started years ago, as well as some stocks and bonds, as well as a few other assets even I can’t track…

None of all these is actually his anymore…

What do you think he should do / have done?

Should he cut every allowances, and start new businesses? Or should he keep with the appearances with the hope a business deal from the upper echelons fall in his laps?

Kindly share your thoughts.

Your comments are highly appreciated.