Chapter 1:Before I was old enough to remember
410 Words
My mother was born into extreme poverty .the kind of poverty where survival came before childhood. She grew up with two elder brothers and two sisters ,and from a very young age ,they learned nobody was coming to save them .By the time she was thirteen ,she was already fighting for her life,life was deep that education was a luxury .she never went to school ,not because she didn’t want to but because survival came first.
She tried learning tailoring but even that came with a price ,her parents couldn’t not afford.the boss uses that poverty as a weapon,pushing her girls towards men in exchange for money,something my mum refused .she chooses dignity over survival and walked away .
She found work selling food ,it wasn’t a dream job ,but it gave her one thing she had missed for a long time -food .that small relief mattered
That was where she met my dad,at first life felt like it was improving,he had a car he does cab with ,he then opened a shop for my mum. ,after they started dating .Hope returned. Children came ,me ,my sister Devine and later a bby boy prince .
Then one day my dad disappeared
No goodbye
No explanation
No support
My mum was left with three kids ,no money no help .hunger forced her back to her parents house in Benin ,where even family could barely help. Sometimes my aunt would secretly give her kids food just for my mum not to find out they were food in the house.
Only one woman -a neighbor -showed consistent kindness,feeding me and my siblings when she could .that would stayed in my memory because kindness was rare .
My mum was broken not defeated ,she went back to Lagos in search for my dad but to no avail,instead circumstances forced her to leave Nigeria entirely,Leaving us behind with her elder sister in my grandparents house .i still remember the last moment :
.30 naira for me
.20 naira for my sister
A goodbye I didn’t understand .Then tragedy struck .
My baby brother prince ,died on my aunt back -silence,helpless and unforgettable ,I was only about three to four years old then ,but the memory stayed .year later my dad returned and took me and my sister back to Lagos .my dad had serious anger issues,he beats me often ,I don’t really remember the reason why ! A woman later came to leave with us
- Writer
