Joe and Steve were two ordinary friends trying to navigate the tough economy. One afternoon, while walking down the road, they witnessed something that sparked an unusual idea.
A heavily pregnant woman was struggling to walk when a kind stranger stopped, handed her a thousand shillings, and said, “Take a motorbike and buy yourself some tea.” The woman, full of gratitude, blessed him and continued her journey.
Joe and Steve couldn’t believe what they had just seen.
“Wait… so pregnancy can make people give you money?” Joe asked, amazed.
“Of course,” Steve replied. “People feel so much sympathy for expectant mothers. Some even get free food.”
Joe’s mind started racing. “That’s a business idea! Imagine, she was given one thousand shillings for nothing. We can’t waste this chance.”
At first, Steve laughed it off. But by the end of their conversation, both had agreed, they were going to fake a pregnancy.
The very next day, Joe stuffed clothes under his shirt to mimic a baby bump. Steve added powder and lipstick to make him look pale and worn out. After checking himself in the mirror, Joe was ready.
It worked like magic. On the road, people rushed to help him. By the time they returned home, they had shopping bags and money, all given out of kindness.
Joe smirked as he held a loaf of bread. “I told you, life is about being smart. Look at all this, we didn’t even spend a cent.”
Steve nodded. “Sometimes, survival is about being clever.”
The scheme became their new normal. Every day, they set out with the fake belly, returning with food, money, and gifts. For a while, it seemed like the perfect plan.
One morning, they woke up late and hurriedly fixed the fake bump. But in their rush, the disguise wasn’t secure. Clothes began falling out as soon as they left home. Joe scolded Steve for not fixing it properly, while Steve blamed Joe for rushing. Still, they managed to carry on with their routine.
But fate had other plans.
As they waited on the roadside one afternoon, Joe spotted police officers approaching. His heart skipped a beat.
“Steve, they’re going to catch us,” he whispered.
“Relax,” Steve replied. “Just act weak. Pretend the pregnancy is weighing you down.”
The police stopped to help. “Let’s get this woman to the hospital,” one officer said.
Joe resisted. “No, no… the baby doesn’t like uniforms. I can feel it.”
But the officers insisted, lifting him into their car and driving straight to the hospital.
At the hospital, Steve grew restless while waiting. Moments later, the doctor appeared, with Joe standing beside him, no longer “pregnant.”
“This is no woman,” the doctor announced. “He’s a man pretending to be pregnant. Look these are the clothes he had stuffed inside.”
The police were furious. “You have a lot of explaining to do. Let’s go to the station.”
And just like that, Joe and Steve’s fake pregnancy hustle ended in the very place they feared most, under arrest.
What started as a clever way to survive quickly turned into a trap of their own making. Joe and Steve learned the hard way that shortcuts and deception may bring quick rewards, but they also come with consequences.
Kindness is meant to uplift, not to be exploited.
Walking Shadow Poetry – Grow from what’s meant to kill you.
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