Anna's hustle

Mummy's trouble

"Look at this lazy girl," said Mrs Adeniyi barging into Anna's room."No wonder you don't want to come back home. Is this how you sleep all day?"

Anna almost started to cry when she saw her mum. "What have I done again?"

"It's Sunday Anna, don't you go to church?"

"Is that why you are shouting?" Anna asks her mum. She knew her sister in law would have gone to church with Rose while her brother was in his bedroom.

"When last did you go to church Anna?"

"Mum, I do go to church, it's just that today I'm so tired." Anna was up at night preparing the sketches she will present for her interview.

"You are going back to Lagos with me tomorrow," her mum said.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replied and Mrs Adeniyi starts to pull her ears. "Mummy stop it. Oh God, why can't you leave me alone?"

"Isn't it too early for this?" Robert asked joining them. "Mummy, what happened again?"

"She is taking after you. She no longer goes to church but sleeps like a dead person on Sunday," she replied.

"Mummy please, not now. Leave Anna alone, you are disturbing me," he said. Anna dashed out of the room and went into the bathroom and locked the door.

"Make sure you remain there. Lazy girl,ĺ said Mrs Adeniyi.

Mrs Adeniyi left the next day which was Monday and Anna hurried for her interview.

"You again, what are you doing here?" Martins asks when he sees her.

"I came for the job interview," Anna replied.

"Did I not give you a reply last week?"

"You are not the boss and so you can't decide," Anna retorts.

"Martins, let her see Auntie D," said the guy who was helpful last week.

"Jide, mind yourself. Madam will prefer a professional, not a child," Martins said.

"What's going on here?" A lady asks coming out. She looked so elegant.

"Aunty D, she came to apply for a job," Jide replied.

"Then why didn't you send her in?" Aunty D asks.

"Martins here thinks she is not qualified," he replied.

"Martins, behave yourself. How can you just judge her without giving her a chance?" She asks. Turning to Anna, she says, "come with me. And Martins, don't let it repeat itself again."

"I'm sorry ma," he said as she went into her office with Anna.

Debby sat behind her desk and faced Anna. "Have a seat."

"Thank you ma," Anna replied sitting.

"I'm Deborah and I own this place," Debby said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Adeniyi Anna," she replied.

"Alright Anna, how long have you been a tailor?"

"Well, I learnt tailoring when I was in secondary school. I started in Jss two and finished learning after secondary school. I have not really done it commercially but I do make clothes for myself and family."

"What can you do to convince me?" Deborah asks.

"You can give me a task ma, Anna suggested. I even made this dress I'm wearing."

"Really? So if I give you a cloth to cut the pattern right now, will you do it?"

"Yes ma."

"Alright, come with me." Debby leads Anna to one of her work room and gives her a cloth, scissors, measuring tape and chalk. "Show me what you can do."

Anna starts to work while Debby sits watching her. Other staff including Martins also came to watch. Deborah watch Anna cut the pattern accurately without any problems, she didn't even mind that she was being watched. When she was done, Debby was impressed.

"Congratulations Anna, welcome to Didi's stitches," said Debby. "You are officially a staff."

"Oh, thank you very much ma," Anna replied happily.

"Let's go back to my office to talk and tomorrow, you can start work officially. You will start by sewing the cloth you just cut."

Anna followed Deborah excitedly to her office.