08.04.04 When Brenda's Resistance to Growth Weighed Down Richard's Future A Fictitious Story

When Brenda’s Resistance to Growth Weighed Down Richard’s Future – A Fictitious Story

Richard, a young and disciplined civil engineer met Brenda at an engagement celebration one evening. She was part of the organising team, displaying a radiant energy that drew his admiration. The man had been praying for a partner who would match his aspirations for progress and development, a woman who valued steady growth and purposeful living; but the engineer was not in a hurry to get into a deep relationship. So, although they exchanged numbers, the couple kept their friendship simple, taking time to understand each other without rushing into anything serious.

Then Brenda’s father passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind a substantial bond that matured in her favour. Overnight, she had more money in her account than she had ever handled. And, with cash in hand, she felt empowered, independent and unstoppable; deciding to build rental units immediately. The first time for Richard to hear about the project was when she called him. “I’ve bought a plot already… We start building next week!”, she related with excitement. “That soon? Have you done feasibility? Approvals? Soil tests?”, he asked. Her response was the last thing he could have ever imagined. Apparently, a TikTok guy had sold her property, claiming that it was prime land and highly on demand.

Richard visited the site, only to discover that the land was swampy, requiring serious groundwork before building. Yet the project was already in progress. No drawings. No contractor. Just a group of casual labourers guided by a self-proclaimed ‘builder’. “Brenda,” Richard warned. “This land needs proper reinforcement. The foundations are not safe. You need a structural plan.” But she insisted that the guys knew what they were doing since they had built many rentals in other parts of the village. Yet each time something went amiss, for example, cracks in the foundation or collapsing trenches, Brenda would call Richard in panic; only to dismiss his professional advice as ‘too expensive’, ‘slow’ or ‘unnecessarily complicated’. In fact, one of Richard’s fellow engineers had passed by the site and warned candidly that the building would not stand the first rainy season. “Engineers complicate simple things just to make money,” Brenda had retorted.

Meanwhile, the building continued: crooked walls, uneven floors, cheap materials, name it! But Brenda was thrilled. “At this rate, I will be collecting rent by Christmas!” she thought. However, when Richard sensed the impending doom, he tried to distance himself though she would call him for ‘a second opinion’ whenever cracks appeared or workers vanished with her money.

Then came the heavy rains, sending one corner of the building to tilt visibly. A popular TikToker who had rented one of the units recorded everything, commenting that the rentals could collapse anytime and mentioning that they had been built by Engineer Richard. Within hours, the clip went viral with netizens accusing him of negligence, corruption and endangering lives. Richard’s phone buzzed nonstop with colleagues calling in shock and clients asking for clarification. A senior engineer from the professional body called him directly. It was a nightmare.

Richard drove to the site immediately and for sure, the structure was visibly tilting. Tenants were outside shouting. Brenda was in tears. “Richard, please talk to them! Tell them you helped with the building and that you will fix the problem!” He froze. Helped? He had done everything to stay out of it, giving only general advice whenever she panicked. And now she wanted him to own the disaster? “No, Brenda,” he refused firmly. “I will not attach my name to this.” He looked at the collapsing structure; signalling every warning she had ignored and the shortcuts the builders had taken. Needless to say, her fixed mindset had created a saga that was now threatening his professional credibility, years of hard work and reputation.

The professional fraternity required him to issue a statement. So; he had no choice but to draft a detailed report proving he had never been the engineer nor approved the site and had warned Brenda repeatedly about the structural risks. This was also featured on the news and the TikToker had to record another clip apologising for the erroneous information shared earlier, thence clearing his name.

God had answered Richard’s prayer by showing him the kind of mindset that he should never get involved with. Undoubtedly, Brenda’s approach to life, her resistance to planning, refusal to grow and spontaneous decisions without thought had branded her as non-marriage material. From then on, he distanced himself until their friendship disappeared down the horizon.