THE DECISION
CHAPTER 1
My name is Favour.
I am the daughter of Mr and Mrs Matthew. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother.
At the age of 13, I made a decision that would change my life forever.
I decided to leave my family and go live with someone else.
And I knew, deep down, that I would have to leave all the love I had ever known behind.
It started when my brother was barely one month old.
My mother’s younger sister came to our house one afternoon. We called her Auntie Grace.
She was looking for someone. Someone to come and stay with her and help her in her house.
One by one, everyone refused.
"She’s too young."
"I have school."
"I can’t leave my mother."
The room went quiet. Auntie Grace looked disappointed.
That’s when I stood up. My legs were shaking, but my voice was steady.
"Don’t worry," I said. "I will go and live with you."
Everyone turned to look at me.
My mother covered her mouth. My father frowned. My sisters pulled at my dress.
"Favour, no," my mom whispered. "You’re just a child."
But looking at my little courage, something in them changed. They were worried, yes. But they were also proud.
Even though we all knew life wasn’t going to be easy where I was going.
#### *4th January 2021*
The door opened in the evening.
An old woman walked in. Her skin was dark, but not too dark. Her wrapper was old, and her face was tired.
At first I didn’t recognize her.
Then I looked closer.
It was my mother’s aunt. My great-aunt.
But she wasn’t here to say hi.
She and my mom went to the corner and talked for a long time in low voices.
My heart was beating fast. I already knew why she was here.
After a while, she turned to me and said,
"Favour. I came to pick you up. Tomorrow is the day you will travel."
The house went silent.
My mom started to cry. She pulled me into a tight hug.
"My baby," she whispered. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
I nodded, even though tears were falling down my face.
"I’m sure, mommy. Everything will be alright."
That night I didn’t sleep.
I packed one small bag. One dress. One wrapper. My school sandals.
That was all I owned.
As I lay on the mat, I thought about my baby brother. He was only 1 month old.
I thought about my sisters. About my mom’s cooking. About sleeping in my own house.
I was 13.
And tomorrow, I was leaving home.
I didn’t know what was waiting for me.
All I knew was this was the beginning of...
*My World of Pain.*
_TO BE CONTINUED..._
