Unbreakable

chapter 3

A New Life I Was Not Ready For

The day we arrived in Lagos, everything felt different.

The city was loud, busy, and full of movement. Cars were honking everywhere, people were rushing from one place to another, and the air itself felt heavier than what I was used to back home.

I had heard many stories about Lagos, but seeing it with my own eyes was something else entirely.

After the long journey from Kaduna, my body was tired. The trip had taken almost six hours, and by the time we reached my aunt’s house, all I wanted to do was lie down and rest.

At first, everything seemed calm.

My aunt welcomed me into her home, and I tried to settle in quietly. That night, as I lay down to sleep, I stared at the ceiling of the unfamiliar room.

It was the first time in my life that I had slept so far away from my parents.

For the first time, I truly felt the loneliness inside my heart.

I closed my eyes and tried to be strong, but deep down I missed my family so much. I wished I could return home the next day.

But life had already started moving forward, and there was no turning back.

The money my aunt had brought with her from Kaduna did not last long.

Within a week, most of it was gone.

Soon after that, reality began to show its true face.

My aunt started expecting more from me. At first, it was small things — helping around the house, cleaning the rooms, and assisting her with daily chores.

But slowly, those small responsibilities began to grow bigger.

Since my aunt was pregnant, she needed a lot of help. I tried my best to support her because that was the reason I had been brought to Lagos in the first place.

But sometimes, the work felt too heavy for someone my age.

Before I knew it, I was doing almost everything in the house.

Not long after we arrived, my aunt suddenly fell sick.

She stayed sick for almost a month.

Because of that, most of the work in the house fell on my shoulders.

At only eleven years old, I suddenly became responsible for many things I had never done before.

I woke up early every morning to sweep the compound, wash plates, cook food, and clean the house.

Sometimes I also had to go to the market to buy things.

There were moments when I felt completely overwhelmed.

But I tried not to complain.

Back at home, life had been different.

When I was living with my parents, I was never alone with responsibilities like this.

But now everything had changed.

Sometimes when the house became quiet at night, I would sit alone and think about my family.

I missed the laughter of my siblings.

I missed my mother’s voice calling my name.

I missed the feeling of being a child.

But here in Lagos, childhood was slowly disappearing from my life.

Even though I was still going to school, life outside the classroom was much harder.

After school, I had to rush back home immediately to continue the house chores.

Cooking.

Cleaning.

Washing clothes.

Fetching water.

At my age, many children were playing with friends after school.

But I did not have that kind of freedom anymore.

Sometimes I asked myself one question:

Was this really the life I had imagined when I agreed to come to Lagos?

At that time, I did not fully understand what was happening.

All I knew was that life had suddenly become much heavier than before.

And deep inside my heart, a small part of me began to lose hope.

But even in the middle of all that struggle, I kept moving forward.

Because sometimes in life, you do not have the luxury of giving up.

You simply continue.

One day at a time.