The Future in Her Hands (2)

The university was quiet when she arrived on Sunday at noon. She entered the Catholic church by the gate and sat down on the seat at the back of the church. Later in the day as she went out to look around, she noticed students were already coming in with their luggage. She took her Ghana-must-go and headed in the direction where she saw the cars with the luggage going, which she learned was where the hostels were located and where would later become her home for the next 6years. The hostel provision store was open when she got there, and she was thirsty. She walked into the store to buy a sachet of water, she was drinking the water greedily when a chubby girl walked into to the store to buy soft drinks. She introduced herself as Tina and asked her if she was living in the hostel too. Chiadi told her she just got admission and she didn’t have a hostel yet. Tina then invited her to stay in her room as her roommates were not coming back till the upper week and by then a hostel would have been assigned to her.

Tina she later learned was a 2nd-year medical student, who would later become her best friend over the years and, would be there for her during all her troubles and her success, giving her words of encouragement. She would also sit in the crowd with Chief Osita who later took an interest in her life and became the father she never had and cheered when she got the award for the best graduating student in the school of medicine and got several offers from the best hospitals in the city.

1st year and the 2nd year where the hardest for Chiadi as she had to adjust to city life. Living on a little stipend that was barely enough to cover her feeding, talk about buying other necessities. There were some days she went without eating because there wasn’t enough money to eat, buy textbooks and work on assignments at the same time. It was during her 3rd year when her performance report had gotten to her sponsor Chief Osita who could not believe such a genius existed, decided to pay her a visit. After hearing her story, he took it upon himself to make sure she never lacked anything. He would invite her to his home during holidays and breaks, his wife was a wonderful woman, who treated her like the daughter she never had. They opened their home to her, and she never had to go back to the house which was never a home.

It was Chief Osita who after she graduated with the best result had told her to choose any university of her choice abroad to further her education if she wanted. She has chosen to further her studies in the UK and he happily sponsored her. She made sure she didn’t disappoint by coming out the top of her class. She had come to see Chief Osita as the father she never had and would be forever grateful for the many opportunities he had given her.  Chief Osita was overjoyed when his son who had a thing for her from the first time he saw her, asked for her hand in marriage.

She thought he was crazy when Osita Junior asked her out, even though he hadn’t been around much, he had grown to love the woman she had become and he wanted to be a part of her life. Chiadi had argued that she wasn’t ready for marriage and he had insisted that he would be there to support her dreams and would not stop her from achieving her goals. He went on to shower her with so much love, gifts and, attention that at the end of the day he won her over. He was a smart, caring and loving man. He understood her dreams and Chiadi fell in love with him.

She had wondered what it will feel like going back to the village and facing her aunt again after years of being away. Chief Osita had assured her that there was nothing to worry about and they were all going to be with her on that day. She will never forget the look on her aunt’s face when she ran out to see the fine luxury cars parked outside her compound on the day she and her fiancé Osita junior and his relatives, had arrived in the village to seek their consent to marry her. She had seen her peeping through the faded curtains to see who it was and what they were doing in her compound. Chiadi was sad when she learned her uncle had died years ago after a brief illness. She never got to repay him for the kindness he had shown her and in years to come she would honor his memory by building a hospital in his name.

Her aunt was dumbfounded. Chiadi had changed so much and even spoke with so much sophistication, that she almost pinched her to make sure she was real. She couldn’t believe her eyes.  Chiadi caught her staring at her countless times and the only thing she could think of was that she looked old and worn out. Her aunt had shamefully collected her bride price and other gift items and have been marveled when she sent them a flight ticket to attend the white wedding months after.

Years later Chiadi will tell her daughters her story and encouraged them to take their fate into their hands and decide that what they want to be. She would let them know that she didn’t allow any obstacle or anyone stand in the way of her dream, she had done whatever it took to make it. She would later become an inspiration to young girls who wanted to become something in life. She received many awards and recognition and her name became a household name. Her story became one to be told to young girls who refused to go to school.

The Future in Her Hands (1)

Chiadi stood by the side of the road, underneath the makeshift shade, that wasn’t so much of shade after all. She had gotten caught in the rain on her way back from the market to buy food items for their visitors, It was supposed to be the day of her marriage introduction. She listened as the rain poured heavily on the roof, the rhythm sounded like the beating of drums at the village square during the new yam festival, the sound was a bit soothing and made her forget for a while. Half of her dress was drenched from were the roof of the shade leaked water but she didn’t seem to notice. She closed her eyes and prayed, she prayed the rain will keep the suitors from coming for her hand today. She didn’t want to get married, she wanted to go to university and become a doctor. She had passed her senior secondary exam and her jamb exams with flying colors and had secured admission at the City university which had always been her dream.

Her success didn’t come as a surprise; everybody knew she has always been a bright child. Her teachers in school not only sang her praise, but they also loved her because she was beautiful, smart and always eager to learn. She also passed the local government scholarship exam which was given by the richest man in the village Chief Osita Okafor. She was so happy about this and had already started packing her bags to resume school when her aunt told her that they have found a husband for her and they were coming to pay her bride price. She was 19 and she didn’t have any interest in getting married which she told her aunt, who had called her an ungrateful child. She had taken her in after the death of her sister who got pregnant out of wedlock and died in childbirth, leaving Chiadi all alone. She accused her of not being thankful that they had put her through primary and secondary school and not being content. If she got married to Thomas Obi, the rich trader from the neighboring village, she will help out at his shops and also pay them back for raising her.

Chiadi never met her real parents, her mother had died giving birth to her and her mother’s sister, her aunt had taken up the responsibility of raising her, as her mother got pregnant outside wedlock and there was no other person to do so and she did not have a choice. She reminded Chiadi of this almost every day which made her feel as if it was her fault her mother died. The best time she ever had was in school, she loved going to school and she never missed it for anything. Even when she was sick, she kept quiet and suffered in silence as she didn’t want to stay at home and be with her aunt who would accuse her of being sick to make her spend her hard end money. So she will keep quiet and bear the pains to avoid these accusations. She would never forget the first day she got her period, she had stained the worn-out sitting room sofa. She didn’t know what was happening to her and she was scared. She got a beating from her aunt, who never cared to explain to her what it was and was more concerned about her stained sofa. That was the day she also got banned from ever sitting on the sitting room sofa, her place was on the floor.

According to her aunt, she had no right to have dreams and aspirations. She was a girl and getting married and bearing children was what her dreams should be about and what she was born for, but her aunt was wrong. She had seen most girls her age get married off. While some went willingly, some went in tears, other lucky ones who thought they found love danced with joy on their wedding day. But that wasn’t Chiadi’s dream, she had known what she wanted right from the start. Her dream is to change lives, save lives, she wanted to have a career, and become an independent woman like the women she watched on the TV and read about when her aunt was not home. Marriage was not for her right now, it was not the time.

She had met with Chief Osita the day they awarded her the scholarship, it covered her tuition and accommodation till she finished university and also a stipend every month for food and upkeep. All she needed to do was to report at the university with the scholarship letter given to her. She had hidden the letter at the bottom of her tattered Ghana-must-go bag as she didn’t tell her aunt about the scholarship. She worried that if they married her off, she won’t be able to go to school and become like all the powerful, independent women she dreamt to be. She made up her mind to run to the city, she had saved enough money from the little pocket money her uncle was kind enough to give her for transportation when she was still in a secondary school as her school was quite a distance from where they lived. She will board the local bus to school and walk back home after school.

Although her aunty had never promised to send her to the university, she always assumed that she will since her eldest son was already studying there. The news of the marriage came as a surprise as they never discussed it with her. She had seen the look of sympathy on her uncle’s face when her aunt broke the news to her, but there was nothing he could do as it seemed the wife was always in charge. Her uncle was not a bad man, but he had little said in what happened to her. He and her aunt would always quarrel whenever he tried to intervene, so he would keep quiet or walk away whenever her aunt was treating her badly. He would give her some money behind her aunt’s back but he didn’t earn much so there was nothing he could do, her aunt was the breadwinner of the family and he was a man that didn’t like trouble or just a coward.

The rain calmed down a little and she came out of the shade and ran home. When she got home, she met her aunt in the kitchen trying to make some soup. She informed her that her supposed husband and his people will be coming the next day, as the rain had spoilt the already bad road and they won’t be coming again today. She left the kitchen and told her to finish making the soup. When she left, Chiadi sat on the kitchen stool and cried, she cried for her mother who had left her in this miserable world, she cried for her future which was unknown, and which she has decided to take into her own hands. There was no waiting for tomorrow, she had to leave that night, she thanked God for bringing the rain and answering her prayers.

That night, while everybody slept, she stuffed her belongings into a bigger Ghana-must-go bag she had bought from the small shop down the street and snuck out of the house. She will catch the first bus to the city and head to the university which will be resuming the day after tomorrow. She walked down the quiet dark street into the night, determination hardened her heart and kept her from being afraid. She had walked this same part to the market, which also served as the bus park since she was a little girl, so she knew exactly where to place her steps. As she walked she kept looking back to make sure nobody followed her. Once she got to the market, she entered into one of the open stalls, lay down on one of the benches and used her bag as a makeshift pillow. She would catch some sleep and wake up at first light to join the bus to the city, she will be halfway to the city before they noticed she was gone, for the first time in weeks, a smile touched her lips before she fell asleep.