The festive periods was close, the first term school sections were over as Gloria's mum and siblings prepare to travel to their home town for Christmas, first Julie wanted to reach her own hometown being Gloria's maternal home, to see her family before heading to her husband's hometown, they both are from the same state and local Government, Gloria's parents both met at the northern part of the country where Gloria's mother was working before getting married and relocating to Sangota then Lagos, During this festive period, almost everyone came home to celebrate and see loved ones, cook together, eat together, argue, go out for visitation and also sometimes fight. After spending a week at their maternal home they went to see their father at their paternal home and also spent weeks there too, although Gloria feels board at her paternal home because most of her cousins do not come home and her father's sisters don't like her mum then, at this point, Gloria's mum had no friends, its always one meeting to another with quarrels and arguments, just as if her fathers sisters are having issues with all the married women in the family but Gloria's mum was hated the most because she was an outcast, she tried to make them love her but they always tell her to leave their brother, they call her all manner of names, some times threatens to take her kids from her but her husband would decline as he can't fight them because of his profession, this problem lingered for long as julie always finds it difficult to reach her husband's home town because of that. It got to a time that Julie's husband no longer have time to see her untill their is a holiday or she travel with her kids to his home town, Gloria would stay months without seeing her dad and when he comes he only spends few days and he lives, but it all looks okay as her mum never gave a complain, fight or report him to anyone, some times Julie cries at night as she keeps her pains to herself, no one understands what happened and why he decided to leave alone, it got to a time he askes Julie to send Gloria home for holidays to stay with him, but once Gloria gets home, he sends her to either his sister or his church members to stay and when the holidays are over he goes to pick her up and send her back to Lagos to stay with julie, Julie started struggling on her own with her kids, she sold footwears, clothes and even different kind of fish to feed and train her kids, sometimes Julie get support from her neighbors and friends who comes to visit her, things became difficult for her in Lagos so she decided to relocate down to the east with her kids, Gloria at this point was okay with the decision as her only girlfriend Ij and Ij's sister traveled to london for studies. Gloria was grown and at this point at the end of her primary school, Julie was excited as she got a job in a boarding school at the east as a matron, and her salary was good, so she immediately relocated to east with Gloria and her siblings, Gloria finished her primary school in the east, and entered secondary school, this time she was so good to school that she got gift of different kinds and also recognized in her school as an intelligent girl, she goes for competition for the school, debates quize, she was also selected to go to the governor's careers seminar heald at the government house for student, even when it was time for waec, Julie changed Gloria to another Government school at her SS2 where she became the senior prefect of the school for girls, she was giving a certificate of merit as a dedicated student. At this time Gloria's father was still stay on his own and visits anytime he wants, it was time for her to take her waec, there was no money as her mother work could only pay for her school fees and that of her siblings, she was sad, it was almost late entry for waec and she could pay, her principal called her in front of the teachers in a meeting and asked why she hasn't paid, she explained what was happening and how it was difficult for her and her mum, the principal then asked her to come with her mum the next day, she went home and explained to Julie what her principal told her. The next day her mum followed her to the school, the principal then told Julie, because your daughter is a good girl and one of the best students, the teachers have decided to help pay her waec alone but she can pay for the neco, my mum was so happy that she cried at the principals office, Gloria's form teacher consoled her and julie left, Gloria was very happy and read her books always promising she won't let them down,. Gloria was 13yrs at this point, and was about to take waec, but she looks like one whose almost 20 because of her composure, manner of approach and communication, at the end of that term, Gloria traveled to onitsha to see an elder cousin who promised her NECO fees, when she got there it was her first time to travel and get to the direction of the house...............,.....

This was a Friday evening, the sun had gone back into the sky and the weather began to get dark, a woman named julie, she's a Christian and ha never been absent in church, she was pregnant and already due. she dressed up on her maternity wears and steps out that evening going to church for virgil.she was married to a pastor, who was not currently living with her, he was under a pastoral school ready to be given a church to grow, they wear both dedicated to their religion. when julie reached the church, she got into labor and immediately was rushed to the hospital. at 09:30pm that night she gave birth to a girl, every one was happy, the message got to the church and they celebrated that night at the virgil, her husband was happy and had to rush home after four days to see them. before now, julie had a daughter before getting married so she lived with her and her new baby, After seven days she was named Gloria by her parents, but due to she was born during a virgil, the church named her precious jewel, on her fourth to fifth month, things became had that julie being her mother couldn't afford to feed easily she started an akara business in front of her shop to support the home, he husband was not around and he also didn't have money, i cant really tell what was happening but we would find out, julie struggled and got a teaching job she used to add to her income, after some years, she left Sangota and moved to Lagos where her husband was stay, when she got there, she joined the evangelist group called the MOPO, they travel from place to place for evangelism and also her husband travelling from one state to another, at this time Gloria already has two younger ones being a boy and a girl, she takes care of them when her parents where away, her elder sister, sometimes comes home to spend the weekend with them, and then go back to her house. One fateful day, Julie's first daughter by name bless, brought the man she wants to marry home, her step dad was not happy with her because he found out that he was older than him,he told bless that she can't marry a man that older than him, and also she was just 21, she refused and got began to say ill words to her step father, reminding him his not her biological father, this got her stepdad angry and he disciplined her, she left the house for police station, telling the police men that a man brutalised her, the police men came home with her and arrested her stepdad, at this point her mother was mad at her as she told her to do whatever she want and not to involve her and the husband anymore, Julie's husband was released and they came home, this act from Julie's daughter bless hurt her husband so much because he cared so much for her. after few weeks he traveled and julie lived with her kids, in Lagos where they lived, they had neighbors and they also help julie to look after her kids when she's away. Gloria was seven year old and can be able to some house chores, as she grew up alon with her siblings, when her mother travels for evangelism, during school periods, Gloria wakes up early as three o'clock to boil rice, yes she boils rice, warms up the leftovers, dish there lunch in there lunch boxes and wake her siblings to bath them, she gets them ready for school before five o'clock as their school bus comes into the estate at 05:30 am, the name of her school bus driver is Peter, he comes to Ikeja where Gloria lives and picks them up before going to festac, she was also very intelligent and bold in school, her younger brother was always disturbing her at class as he cries all the time calling her mother who was away, she would leave her classroom to go calm him down, they school closure time daily was 04:30 but due to the traffic and drops they get home at 07:45 pm. 2004, Bless finally married the man she wants and her stepdad had no choice but to bless the marriage as she ran out of the house with no one knowing where she went, Gloria was at this time still a little girl but was confident, bold, intelligent, she was gifted with different gift from her neighbors, her parents friends and also loved, Gloria loves to listen to her elder ones and also respect them, Gloria helped her mum from a little age, sometimes she hawks fruits to help her mum when she was financially down and the husband was no where around. Gloria later had a friend who was their landlady's daughter, Julie's landlord was a family friend who gave them a house to stay in one of their buildings in Lagos, so his wife was my mother's friend, seeing that Gloria's parent are not always around and Gloria sometimes feel bored, the landlady allows her driver to bring her kids to come stay with Julie's children for weekend with the landlady's younger sister aunty Uju. Aunty Uju was a very tall, fair and pretty aunty who always looks out for Julie's and her sister children, she was kind and sometimes Gloria feels she was harsh and her sisters children complains about the same thing. to be continue