Promises are a big deal. Some might not understand it, but it isn't just like every other normal statement. It is meant to come sincerely from the heart and has a weight not only on the person who makes a promise but also the person it was made to.
Promises made should be kept because a broken promise leads to broken trust.
Some people genuinely make promises, without deceit, with intentions to fulfil the promises made, but due to one thing or the other, they can't keep up with their promise. At the same time, some want to keep the promise but they don't try or are too lazy, and some don't even hold values in their words.
I can't remember making any huge promises, but before I used to lie and make little promises just for jokes. Now I try my best not to make promises I can't keep, whether jokes or not.
Just today in class I was with a one thousand naira note. I brought it out because I was hungry and needed to buy snacks. The lecturer was taking more than his time.
I didn't know when my cousin took the money from my hand, and we were just playing as I hassled with her to get the money back. When she told me she was hungry I then made a promise to give her five hundred naira if she gave me the money. I made the promise just so she could return the money, I never planned on giving her the money. After the class, I remembered I made a promise to myself to keep any promise I made as long as I could. So I kept the promise I made to myself and fulfilled the promise I made to my cousin.
I did it because I noticed I started developing the habit of easily making fake promises under the guise of jokes and plays. And I knew it wasn't right.
Many promises have been made to me that have never been kept to date, like how my mom and dad always promised me a bicycle every time I performed well in academics, but to date, I have never owned one.
But I think the most painful promise broken was by my mom.
Back when I was in boarding school. We had a visiting day on Sunday two weeks before vacation.
I was expecting my mom, but on Saturday, when I made a call, she told me she wasn't going to be able to make it. She then sent some money and promised that when she came to pick me up for holidays the next two weeks, she would buy me bole (roasted yam and pepper sauce), my favorite roadside food, on the way home.
I looked forward to the day and had a countdown in my heart. On closing day, I was fully prepared, beaming with joy as I waited for my mom.
My guardian called me to the staff room. On reaching there he first gave me a flask of delicious white rice stew and chicken to soften the impact of the fall before he landed the devastating news.
When I was done eating he called me Mom and gave me the phone. I was about to ask my mom how close she was when she told me she wasn't coming again because our finances weren't good. At first, I didn't believe it and thought it was a joke. But eventually it wasn't, I cut the call on my mom while she was talking, I held all the tears back, and gave my guardian his phone. When he was done consoling me I went straight to the hostel and let out the cry. I cried till it was dark, when I was done I carried my things from the class where I kept them back to the hostel and resumed my crying. The food my guardian gave me was the only thing I ate that day.
The next day, I understood that she didn't have the money to fulfill her promises, but it still hurts me that she broke her promise.