The Night He Insulted Me

Chapter 1: I Lost Everything In One Week

.My name is Amara. I am 23 years old. I live in Port Harcourt.

If you saw me last month, you would think I have everything. I had a father who loved me. I had a boyfriend who said he would marry me.

Today, I have nothing. In just one week, I lost everything.

It started on Monday morning. My father was sick for two days. We thought it was just malaria. He said, Amara, buy me Panadol. I went to buy Panadol. When I came back, he could not breathe. Neighbors came. We carried him to hospital. By 3pm, doctor said, We lost him.

My father died. My only parent. My mother died when I was 10. My father raised me alone.

We buried him on Thursday. My father's family came from village with a small truck. After burial, they packed his chairs, his TV, his fridge, his clothes.

I said, Uncle, what are you doing?

He said, You are a woman. You cannot inherit anything. This property is for men. Go and marry.

They left me inside empty house. No chair. No bed. Only floor.

The landlord came next day. He said, Amara, your father has not paid rent for 3 months. Pay or pack out.

I had zero naira. Zero.

I called my boyfriend David. We dated 2 years. When he had no job, I stayed. I cooked for him.

I said, Baby, my father is dead. His family took everything. Can I stay with you small?

He said, Amara, I cannot. My mother said I should not bring bad luck woman to my house. Manage yourself. He cut the call.

I sat on the floor and cried until no tears came again. I was truly alone.

My friend Blessing called me that night. She said, Come to my shop. You can sleep there. That was how I started sleeping inside her small hair shop. Wrapper on floor. Mosquitoes biting me.

But that night, something changed. I looked at my small phone. Tecno Spark, cracked screen.

I said, Amara, if you die here, nobody will remember you. You must stand up.

I opened my phone Notepad. I said, This Notepad will be my first office. I will write my pain here.

That writing saved me.

If you are reading this and you are crying because someone left you, because you are broke like me, please don't go. Stay with me in Chapter 2. I will show you how that insult pushed me to make my first money.

My story is just starting.