CHAPTER 3-The Opportunity That Shouldn't Exist
266 Words
The news arrived like gossip always did.
Uninvited.
Uncertain.
And impossible to ignore.
“They are looking for workers in the palace.”
Amina paused, the cup in her hand hovering mid-air.
The women at the well were already deep into the conversation.
“Girls from villages like ours?”
“Yes, cleaners, helpers… small jobs.”
“Ei, but those places are not for people like us.”
Amina didn’t speak, but her ears sharpened.
Palace.
The word alone felt too big.
Too far.
Too impossible.
But something about it refused to leave her mind.
That evening, as she swept the compound, the thought returned again.
And again.
And again.
Until it became dangerous.
“Auntie…”
Abena didn’t look up. “What is it now?”
Amina tightened her grip on the broom.
“I heard they are looking for workers in the palace.”
Silence.
Then a dry laugh.
“And what does that have to do with you?”
“I… I want to try.”
That got her attention.
Abena turned slowly, her expression unreadable.
“You?”
“Yes, Auntie.”
“For what? To go and embarrass yourself?”
Amina’s chest tightened, but she held her ground.
“I can work hard.”
Abena stared at her for a long moment.
Then she shrugged.
“Do what you want, a university student turned palace maid,” she said dismissively. “Just don’t come back crying when they reject you.”
She turned away, already uninterested.
But Amina stood still.
Because for the first time…
She had not been stopped.
- Writer
