The journey begins
628 Words
Ijeoma sat quietly on a small wooden stool outside their one-room apartment, staring at the fading evening sky. The air was heavy, not just with harmattan dust, but with thoughts she couldn’t escape.
It had been months since her mother was buried.
And since that day, everything changed.
Her father had left without a word, abandoning her and her younger siblings like they meant nothing. Now it was just her — a young woman trying to survive in a world that never seemed to give her a chance.
“I have to find a way…” she whispered to herself, holding back tears. “My siblings cannot suffer like this.”
Her phone suddenly rang, breaking her thoughts.
It was her friend from Abuja.
“Ijeoma! Are you still in Enugu? You should come here. There are better opportunities in Abuja. I might even get you a job where I work.”
Ijeoma hesitated.
“Abuja…” she repeated softly.
It sounded far, unfamiliar… but also like hope.
After a long silence, she finally answered, “Alright. I will come.”
Two days later, Ijeoma boarded a bus to Abuja with nothing but a small bag of clothes and a heart full of uncertainty.
She didn’t know what awaited her there.
But she knew staying back meant starvation.
So she chose courage over fear.
The city was nothing like what she knew.
Tall buildings. Fast cars. Busy streets. People everywhere chasing success.
Ijeoma felt small.
But she didn’t stop walking.
Her friend helped her settle for a few days and soon, she started searching for work.
After days of rejection, she finally got something.
A cleaning job at a large, well-known company:
ALABAMA Business Enterprise.
She didn’t care what the job was.
All she cared about was survival.
Her first day was overwhelming.
The building was massive — glass walls, polished floors, expensive furniture everywhere. It felt like another world.
“Just clean carefully and don’t disturb anyone important,” the supervisor warned.
“Yes ma,” Ijeoma replied softly.
She tied her scarf properly and picked up her cleaning tools.
This was her new life.
On the top floor of the same building, Akachukwu sat in his office, staring at documents he couldn’t focus on.
He was the CEO of ALABAMA Business Enterprise — respected, powerful, and feared in business circles.
But his personal life was a mess.
His marriage to Chelsea was falling apart.
She was rarely home, always involved in her own world, spending more time outside than in their marriage. The house felt empty even when she was there.
And the worst part?
The constant arguments.
“Do whatever you want, Akachukwu. I don’t care anymore,” she had said earlier that morning before walking out again.
He leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply.
For the first time in years, success didn’t feel like enough.
Later that afternoon, Akachukwu stepped out of his office to head downstairs.
The corridor was quiet.
Except for the soft sound of cleaning.
He turned the corner…
And stopped.
There, on her knees, cleaning the marble floor carefully, was a young woman.
She looked tired, focused… but there was something different about her.
She didn’t look like someone who belonged there.
Yet she worked like someone who had no choice but to survive.
Ijeoma looked up for a moment.
And their eyes met.
For a brief second, the world around them seemed to disappear.
Neither of them said a word.
But something had already shifted.
Something neither of them understood yet.
Akachukwu finally looked away first and continued walking.
But for some reason, he couldn’t erase her face from his mind.
And Ijeoma?
She quietly lowered her gaze again… but her heart was beating faster than before.
- Writer
