The Princess’s Affection

Chapter One - Bianca Shiola’s POV

Growing up as a child hadn't been all rosy and easy for my family and me. At that time, dad was still alive and had suffered in sponsoring my education, believing that I would get a job that paid more than what my father used in sponsoring my education when he was alive.

While I was in secondary school, I was always ridiculed by my friends for the way I behaved, and sometimes I would want to change my ways. But luckily, the pressure was not much until I entered the university; then I knew what the meaning of peer pressure was.

I got tired of being good, but when I remembered that my family depended on me, I did everything possible to make them proud. I kept the candles on and read books, trying to burn the candles and become someone in life. I eventually graduated from the university with first-class honours, and my dad was proud.

My mother couldn't make it due to being hospitalised when I was in JSS3, when she was hit with an illness that needed medical attention. Since then, she has always been at the hospital and couldn't come to any events held in our various schools.

Dad had always tried his best to make himself available for both his sick wife and his children. When he came to the university that I had graduated from, he was a proud father, and I was celebrated by him. At that time, I had a little business that I was running until a tragic incident happened that made me lose everything.

Life became hard, and I couldn't start from the beginning as I had lost everything in a fire outbreak that destroyed all the goods that I had gotten from what customers had purchased from me, and when that happened, I had to find ways to refund their money back to each person who asked me to buy some things for them.

Then, in my national service year, I ran a side hustle that sustained my family and myself. But what broke the camels back was when my dad died after I had finished. Like two years later, when everything seemed to have started working out for my family and me.

But you can say that life can never give you something for free without taking something away from you that is precious and worth an effort. Like the death of my father, the whole responsibility of taking care of my siblings and sick mom fell on me.

When dad was still alive, it was a 50/50 shared responsibility, but as he is dead and late now, the whole responsibility is mine and no one else. I cried like I was going to join him because his death pained the hell out of me. The money that I had for business was never enough to pay for my father's burial rites.

Luckily, my only friend and sister from another mother helped me sort out the remaining money for my father's funeral expenses and that of my mother's medical expenses because I didn't have any money left on me to help pay for the remaining expenses that I owed.

Ola, who is like a sister to me, I had met her back in my first year at the university, and her family took me like their other child and daughter. I really appreciated them and her, because without her assistance, I don't think I would have been able to meet up with the agreement to be paid for my dad's funeral expenses.

When we became friends, I never knew that her family was popular, and I didn't care, as I had a purpose and aim that made me want to be at the university in the first place. We then kicked off and became friends after our university days. Our friendship became a solid foundation and were closer than ever.

She has always been there for me and my family and decided to take responsibility for helping me pay for my mother's medical expenses. She took care of my mother like her own mother. Sometimes, because of how ashamed I was, I would tell her to stop caring about helping me. But she would tell me how fine it was for her to take care of my mother, my family, and me.

The shame couldn't allow me to accept that I had to seek jobs elsewhere. Her parents would offer me job opportunities in their companies, but I would adamantly refuse it, as I didn't want to seem ungrateful about everything that they had done for me. So, I began seeking and searching for jobs in order to provide for myself and my family.

I left home and went to Lagos, where everyone said that it was the land of job opportunities, and I decided to try out my luck in finding a job or landing one for myself. I applied to several companies, got rejected by some, and others promised to get back to me, but I never heard from them after that.

I felt stupid, and sometimes the pressures of change kept coming, but I had faith in God that one day everything that I saw bad would be perfect and worth my expectations of waiting on Him. I had my rent almost due and was so sick of everything that wasn't working out for me that I got tired of everything, including life.

My friend helped me out with my rent, and I wasn't happy one bit that I was entirely dependent upon her and she wasn't of important . How would I be able to provide for myself and my family, who depend on me? I was so sick of everything, and sometimes I was in pain and depression, and my anxiety about achieving my goals kept growing each day and night that passed by.

I even sometimes met my schoolmates back at the university, working for big companies or sometimes for companies that they run, and when I came asking for jobs. Life indeed had different paths for me, and most times, they would pity and sympathise with me, and I hated it so much. I didn't really want that, and it made me angry and disappointed in myself.

How could I blame myself? I sometimes thought to myself that maybe life was indeed painful and sometimes had a partiality complex towards those it wanted to favour, and I was among those it never wanted to favour.

I eventually got a job working in a local restaurant, was able to send some money to my siblings for their upkeep, and had some left with me that I used to take care of myself and not starve to death. I was really reducing lately, and I couldn't stop it due to how life treated me.

Some nights, I would starve myself and cry myself to sleep, as I didn't have much money left. I would take what I had left with me and send it to my siblings, and I would trek from my home to where I worked. I would wake up so early to trek in order to get there on time, and if Ola found out how I starved myself, She would send me money and assist me with my siblings upkeep.

I couldn't thank her enough for all she had done for me in my most difficult and desperate times. I would thank her and the creator who made me. When she had come to pay me a surprise visit, she found out how slim I had begun and complained until I had an ear full.

I had to promise her that I would never starve myself like I had and make sure that I would eat and get myself in check, especially my mental and emotional state as it was before everything happened. But who the hell was I kidding? How could my mental and emotional states be good when all this was happening to me each single day?

I decided to let the sleeping dogs lie by crying myself to sleep in order to wake up earlier and go to work before my madam comes to work. If anyone dares to resume work late, their salaries will be deducted for lateness as a punishment. But if one keeps coming late, just know that month, there wouldn't be any salary given to the person.

Falling into a dreamless world of sleep, I just prayed that tomorrow was full of happiness.