Being a fear-tackler is the first step to become a strong woman

PART ONE “At a very young age, you forced me to move out of my parent’s home and turned my life into a living hell. You were ungrateful ,rude and greedy. I didn't get a chance to mourn the passing of my parents. Instead of showing me love and expressing your compassion, you stole the belongings of my parents. Olivia, I was only ten years old!10 years! Oh, how wicked you are! I had to stop going to school and take on a lot of duties. I have experienced s****l abuse frequently since I lacked a home and food” says Avery, as she began to have hiccups and goosebumps while her tears fell continuously like a steady. Her voice shaking and tears of sorrow left a moist trail on her skin and wiped them away with the palm of her hand. “Please pardon me. I behaved rudely and selfishly. I feel embarrassed even to look at you because of what I did, but I can't go back in time to change anything. I'll keep making an effort to ask for forgiveness. Please find a place in your heart to forgive me. Peace in my life would result from your forgiveness” says Olivia, with her head bowed down with her red and puffy eyes showing sadness.” I am a strong lady, and no one will be able to take away what God has planned for me. Although I will pardon you, I will never forget what you did to me”. Says Avery as she slammed the door shut, leaving Olivia in the house. Abele was born in a small village in Ghana called Phola.She was a carefree young lady with a keen interest in business who did well in school.She spent so much time concentrating on her studies that during the summer holidays she would become lonely and bored. All her teachers knew that she was a hard-w**********l and determined.She was raised by her grandfather who was ageing. Abele’s relationship with her grandfather was solid.They felt at ease around each other and talked about everything.Her granddad was always willing to assist her with housework and school duties. Abele did not have friends and she hardly went out. It was a Friday morning when Abele woke up early in the morning to go to school to fetch her results.The sun was shining brightly, birds were chirping, and the leaves of the plants were drenched in dew. She looked at herself in the mirror with a bright smile and started speaking her clan’s names and praising herself. “Yes! I know I did well and I will make you proud, grandpa. I am a hard worker. Trust me Grandpa. “adwumaden”, Ghanaian language . Abele expresses herself with a confident smile. “I am proud to say that you did exceptionally well with all of the work you have been doing.Remember that hard effort and perseverance are the keys to success. Abele, you are certainly a blessing to me. I will always thank God for blessing me with you," the old man adds as he pats Abele's shoulder, demonstrating his faith in her. Abele continued to fix her hair and eat breakfast before heading to school. She was immaculate. Her room was usually pristine, and she made sure she did her housework first thing in the morning. Her house was usually fresh-smelling. The majority of the people in the hamlet liked her because she was courteous and kind to them. She would assist other children her age with their schoolwork. "Good-bye, Grandpa. I'm going to school. Have a good day," Abele says as she closes the door and heads to school. It was a gloomy day and the road was congested since people were on their way to work, school, and other places. When she arrived at school, it was completely full. Everyone was nervous because they were eager to check their results, but Abele was smiling and cheerful. "I guess you're the only one who isn't nervous, how are you doing, Abele?" says Usher, Abele’s classmate, as she walks towards her with a folded piece of paper.“Why should I be worried when I know I did incredibly well? I'm confident and I know I performed well” says Abele with a confident smile.They then proceeded to stand in the line to receive their results from the teacher. “Could you please exit the queue, Abele, I have a message from you” says Abraham, Abele’s teacher. Even though she was confident that she had passed her tests, she started to be nervous and sad.She then exited the line and took a seat close to her teacher. Everyone got their results except for Abele. Little did she know that she was going to receive good news. It was getting late and everyone was going home except Abele and her teachers. She became impatient as she saw people leaving and decided to ask the teacher for an update on why they asked her not to leave and wait for her results. “Good evening Sir. Teacher Abraham told me not to leave home yet. I have been waiting for my result ever since this morning. What could be the delay to my results? Did I fail my tests? Is everything okay? What could be the delay in this?” said Abele in a quavering voice. “Everything is okay, Abele. Please be patient. We have a lot of work to do, but I can assure you that we will definitely get back to you in a short period of time. Please bear with us. She was all alone and took a chair and waited. Abele was starting to lose hope that she had passed her tests even though her instincts were saying the opposite thing. After a few minutes, one of the student teachers approached her and told her to come inside the staff room. She kept on wondering why they were delaying her results and followed the student teacher to the staff room. The staff room was fully packed. The Minister of education, her teachers and some of her classmates. “Good evening everyone. I would like to thank everyone for coming here.Finally, the day has arrived” said the minister of education with a bright smile and welcoming everyone in the staff room. Abele was confused and had no idea why she was invited here. Abele was stressed and panicking because it was late and worried about her grandfather. “Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success” the minister said as she called Abele on the stage and handed her a certificate with gifts. Abele was speechless and burst into tears of joy. She was given a laptop and a smart- phone. Her results were amazing and she was the first learner to pass with distinctions. Her teachers were happy and proud of her. “Keep it up Abele”, says one of her teachers and offered to take her home.