Write a story which ends with the words, "Had I known, I wouldn't have believed him."

A Costly Trust

He called himself Uncle Fred, and he arrived in our neighbourhood with the confidence of a wealthy man. His shoes shone, his car gleamed, and his words flowed like sweet palm wine. He told everyone that he ran a big import company in Lagos and that he was looking for smart young people to help him expand his business.

My mother, a petty trader who had saved for years, was among those who listened. Uncle Fred promised that anyone who invested with him would double their money within three months. He spoke of ships, of containers, of contracts with foreign partners. He even showed us photographs of a large warehouse said to be his.

I remember warning my mother gently. "Mama," I said, "we do not really know this man." But she waved my caution aside. "My son," she replied, "a serious man like Uncle Fred cannot deceive a poor widow." One evening she withdrew all her savings and handed the money over, receiving in return a smart-looking receipt and a warm handshake.

For the first few weeks, Uncle Fred remained friendly and reassuring. Then his visits grew fewer. His phone began to ring endlessly without an answer. One morning we learned that the fine car had never been his, that the warehouse belonged to another company, and that dozens of families had handed him their life savings. By nightfall, Uncle Fred had vanished from the town as quietly as he had come.

My mother wept for days, and I wept with her, not for the money alone but for the trust that had been so cruelly betrayed. If only someone had told me from the beginning who that smiling stranger truly was. Had I known, I wouldn't have believed him.