He woke up, stood up from his bed, bowed his head, and looked around him. All he could see was his desk set-up with a desktop, laptop, books, and a Bluetooth speaker by the side.

He walked to the window and looked at the neighboring houses. Some were partially collapsed, their roofs torn, surrounded by overgrown grass.

“I’m tired of this!”

“This life!”

“This environment!”

“Same routine!”

“Everyday!”

“This is not God’s promise to me!” he shouted in frustration.

“Arghhh!”

He screamed as he swiped everything off the table in anger.

“I want more God!”

“I’m tired” He says with a faint voice crying on his knees.

“Lucas! Lucas!”

“Is everything okay with you in there?”

His sister Ellen knocks after hearing him scream.

“I’m fine!”

Lucas replies from inside as he gathers the pieces of his project files and gadgets from the floor.

Sticky notes with sketches of car sensors and neural networks littered the floor. His laptop fan wheezed under the strain of five open tabs - one on Python code, another on Elon Musk’s TED talk.

Lucas had been working all night on his startup idea. A Tech startup company that is focused on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Self driving cars.

But he feels limited by his environment, a local community that doesn’t give him the opportunity to connect with strategic relationships and platforms to propel his ideas.

He had shared his ideas with his friends from the community, but they mocked him and told him that’s never going to happen. He had shared his ideas with his parents and sought their approval to relocate to a bigger city where he’d have the opportunity to meet men of influence that would see the worth of his ideas, but they refused to let him go because they’re scared something could happen to him out there

“I can’t be here!”

“There’s more I can be!”

“There’s more to my destiny!”

“I’m tired of seeing the same people with the same mindset!”

“Same lifestyle!”

“Same routine!”

“Perhaps I should try to convince Father one last time.” he says to himself.

He walks out of his room to his parents outside.

“Lucas you’re up!” his mom says.

“Come here, what’s wrong with you ?”

“Your eyes are swollen, Did you sleep well ?”

“Come sit here, let me see that….” trying to make him sit on her lap

“Mom! I’m fine!”

“I’m not a child anymore” Lucas says

“Well you’ll always be my child even if you’re old as your Father” The mom says smiling at him.

Getting up, and going straight to the business that had brought him there, he cuts in.

“Dad, I must talk to you about something”

“What is that ?” His father replies.

“I’m leaving for Lagos on Sunday.”

“What! Are you insane ?!”

“What is this about? Is this about your nonsense technology talks!” His father yells at him.

“This idea has the potential to change our lives forever!” Lucas replies faintly.

“Shut up! And get back into the house!”

“I don’t want to hear this talk about Technology! And Leaving this community ever from you!”

“If you ever bring this to me again! You cease to be my son!” his father yells at him.

Lucas walks away back to the house crying.

“Don’t you think, you’re being too harsh on him” his mom says.

“No, you shouldn’t be saying this, you know what happened to me when I left this community as a young boy and how I almost lost my life because I was pursuing a job in a bank”

“But I think we should give him a chance. I see the dream in his eyes. I see his faith and I know and believe in him.” the mom continues.

“Enough woman!, I don’t ever want to hear this talk about Lucas and his dreams! Dreams! That’s what they’re!”

Lucas walks in his room, sits on the floor and ponders on his father’s words and threats if he leaves.

“What do I do?”

“I can’t let these people stop me”

“They will never believe my ideas as long as they see me here”

“I have to make big moves regardless.”

“God has given me all the ideas I need and they require me to act, or they’ll die within me”

“Hmmmm, now I’ve made them think I was to leave on Sunday.”

“But today’s Tuesday”

“My Father will restrict my movement on Saturday and Sunday”

“Hmmm, what do I do now”

“I’ll leave tonight!”

“Yes! I’ll leave tonight!”

“But who and where do I go to in Lagos” he sits quietly as he continues to think aloud.

“Well, that I don’t know, But one thing I know….”

“This Is not My Rest!”