I fell on my knees and begged mrs Badmos. “mummy please forgive me if I did anything wrong.” i pleaded.
Beat me, punish me but please don’t send me away”.
She was soo angry, all the Hatred she had for me came rushing out. She told me how she wanted me gone the first day but her husband threatened to end their marriage. She told yemisi to pack my things cause I was on my knees pleading with her to let me stay.
Yinka came in from school as they were dragging me out “mum what did she do, leave her alone mum please stop it” yemisi shouted at her to keep shut but she didnt. ” You are wicked she screamed” they turned on her gave her severe beating and locked her up in her room.
They came back for me dragged me to the gate and told the gate man never to let me in. I looked around and discovered I was back to square one. I cried and screamed God why me. My name is happiness but why do I get only sorrows. I cried till all the tears in my eyes dried up.
After seating down at the gate for hours. I decide to move on. I looked at my stuff and was grateful to see my dads bag along with my few possession. Its the only reminder I have of my dead parents and I didn’t want to lose it. Besides my admission letter was in the bag.
I gathered my belongings together and stood up. Something fell from my pocket and I saw it was the money that chief gave me that morning. Immediately I knew what to do. I sat down and counted the money It was N50,000.
I brought out my admission letters looked at both of them. One is unilag and the other ABU zaria. I decided to go far away. I needed a new leave so I went to the pack and boarded a bus to Kaduna. From that day I took Hold of my destiny.
I got to zaria the morning of the next day. I knew if I must survive I had to be wise. The money with me could barely pay for my registration and I needed accommodation.
I walked around the campus. The view was really beautiful and I fell in love with the institution. If I must survive here, I would need a job. I took part of the day searching for any kind of work that would sustain me.
That same day I got a job as a part time assistant in a business center. Though the pay was really small, it would put food on my table. All I needed now was were to stay.
By evening, I was really tired and needed to sleep. I walked around looking for a suitable place to lay myself, I couldn’t afford to spend any money on hotel accommodation . I asked around for the chapel and was directed. That was where I spent my first night at ABUzaria.
Early the next day I went to work. I worked so hard such that owner of the business center was impressed, that same day she gave me a spare key to the shop.She told me she normally close around 5pm but i should leave around 5:30pm after cleaning up the place.
I told her it was okay with me. At exactly 5:30 pm I was about to leave and a thought struck me. “Why not sleep here, its not as if you have anywhere else to go”.
That was how I started sleeping at my work place. My madam didn’t know because she leaves me at the shop and expect me there before her.
I finished my registration and started lectures, I was studying Bio chemistry,life was going steady. I made few friends and each time they wanted to know were I stay I always discouraged them.
Some months later my madam got to know I sleep at the shop. She was angry with me for not telling her my situation. She told me to pack up and come leave with her.
That was how my accommodation problem was solved. Not only that aunty christy ( that was my madam’s name) became my big sister. She bought me handouts, paid for my practicals and even paid my semester fees.
We became very close and she was always encouraging me to work hard. She told me her story which was almost similar to mine and how she held on to God and never gave up.
I was open with aunt christy, I could tell her anything and she likewise.
A seminar was to be held in my school on “youth development and empowerment”. I really didn’t want to go but my friend and class mate Dora urged me to come.
At the seminar a speaker caught my attention. Very young, handsome with a nice smile. 6ft tall and chocolate in complexion. I didn’t pick his name when he introduced himself. to be frank I didn’t hear anything he said I was so enamored by him. He was fluent in english like someone who was not based in nigeria. He seemed familiar but I have never met him in my life.
Who is this mystery man?
Stay tuned for next episode….