Episode 1
Story based on true life
2nd February 2012
Scene 1 begins with Val’s side of the story’’’’’’’
Driving down the lonely hills of Nsukka after a very
extensive research work for my new book, I was very
tired and a bit restless as I planned my schedules for
the weekend without concentrating much on my driving.
Walking down absentmindedly on the middle of the same
road was this young girl with an empty tray on her
head. I never saw her on time and almost knocked her
down if not for my powerful brakes which screeched the
car to stop just hairs breathe away from her. Out of
shock, the tray on the young lady’s head fell and rolled
over to the gutter while I rushed out of the car to see
if she was alright. She turned to look at me that
moment and it was as if the world came to a stop as
our eyes met.
Before me was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
She wore no makeup, she was sweating, her clothes were
far from elegant but yet her beauty overshadowed it
all. It was as if I was standing before the Nigerian
version of Cinderella.
‘’I’m sorry I wasn’t paying much attention but you were
equally walking in the middle of the road. Hope you are
okay?’’ I nervously asked as I headed to the gutter to
pick up her tray. She nodded with eyes filled with
tears, quickly collected the tray for me and drew
backwards.
‘’I’m sorry for almost putting you in trouble. Forgive
me’’ she breathed fluently, surprising me with her
English. But before I could say anything further she
was already walking down the road.
‘’my name is valentine, can I, can I drop you where ever
you are going?’’ I stammered. I couldn’t even believe
myself. It was my first time of offering a lift to a
stranger. But unfortunately she gave me no reply,
neither did she stop for a second. Hesitantly I headed
back to my car and drove away, wondering if I would
ever see her again in my life.
——————————-
Isadora’s side of the story
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, I counted
the money with me for the umpteenth time. It was
money I made from the sales of Udara (African apple) I
sold at the Afor market close by. I was very lucky to
sell the apples on time and was rushing home to prepare
lunch for my adoptive family who derived pleasure in
abusing me, in finding faults in everything I did.
I wasn’t brought up with happiness like other village
girls. I was brought up with daily abuses, stigmatization
and curses. I was told that I was an evil child that
brought misfortunes to my biological parent’s right
from when my mother was carrying me in her womb. I
was equally told that six months after I was born, my
parents burnt to death in their house with every single
property in it and I was found untouched by the fire,
laughing hysterically on my baby bed. It was a story I
was told a hundred times over and I really had no way
of verifying the authenticity.
Yes my head was filled with my childhood memories that
I never knew when I started walking in the middle of
the road only to get myself when the noise from a
screeching tire brought me back to reality.
I soon found myself facing a very handsome gentleman
who never scolded me for being in the middle of the
road, for almost putting him in trouble. Instead he
asked if I was alright. My heart, my soul, my entire
body just quivered before him. At first I thought I
shivered out of fear but then inside of me I felt
something I had never felt before and had to walk
away to avoid disgracing myself further.
Valentine was the name he called to me and It kept
ringing back in my head over and over. Deep down I
felt like chatting endlessly with him, sharing my
problems with him but all I could do was to walk away
without looking back. I soon saw his car speed away and
I couldn’t help but wonder if I was ever going to see
him again.
———————————————–
On getting home I ran into my mother who instead of
welcoming me back happily for making a quick sale,
began scolding me for not sweeping the compound and
fetching water before heading to the market,
forgetting she was the one that asked me to abandon
everything and head to the market to sell her Udara
fruit.
I tried to remind her but it only landed me three dirty
slaps on my cheek. I was hungry, angry and tired of
life. I was nineteen and saw no future before me. I
knew all my adoptive parents were planning was to
marry me off to the highest bidder. Yes by God’s
grace I already managed to finish my secondary school
with the help of church scholarship but that was the
end. Since then my parents had virtually refused
allowing me to go learn a trade or even do something
that would help me in future and I couldn’t help but
realize that the more I stayed with them the more I
was ruining my life. i made up my mind that very day
to leave the house, to run away, to run to my future.
A very daring decision, a very risky adventure. I had no
money with me, no destination in mind, only God and
fear in my heart.
I sneaked out of the house later that night and
stepped into the unknown.
Story based on true life
2nd February 2012
Scene 1 begins with Val’s side of the story’’’’’’’
Driving down the lonely hills of Nsukka after a very
extensive research work for my new book, I was very
tired and a bit restless as I planned my schedules for
the weekend without concentrating much on my driving.
Walking down absentmindedly on the middle of the same
road was this young girl with an empty tray on her
head. I never saw her on time and almost knocked her
down if not for my powerful brakes which screeched the
car to stop just hairs breathe away from her. Out of
shock, the tray on the young lady’s head fell and rolled
over to the gutter while I rushed out of the car to see
if she was alright. She turned to look at me that
moment and it was as if the world came to a stop as
our eyes met.
Before me was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
She wore no makeup, she was sweating, her clothes were
far from elegant but yet her beauty overshadowed it
all. It was as if I was standing before the Nigerian
version of Cinderella.
‘’I’m sorry I wasn’t paying much attention but you were
equally walking in the middle of the road. Hope you are
okay?’’ I nervously asked as I headed to the gutter to
pick up her tray. She nodded with eyes filled with
tears, quickly collected the tray for me and drew
backwards.
‘’I’m sorry for almost putting you in trouble. Forgive
me’’ she breathed fluently, surprising me with her
English. But before I could say anything further she
was already walking down the road.
‘’my name is valentine, can I, can I drop you where ever
you are going?’’ I stammered. I couldn’t even believe
myself. It was my first time of offering a lift to a
stranger. But unfortunately she gave me no reply,
neither did she stop for a second. Hesitantly I headed
back to my car and drove away, wondering if I would
ever see her again in my life.
——————————-
Isadora’s side of the story
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, I counted
the money with me for the umpteenth time. It was
money I made from the sales of Udara (African apple) I
sold at the Afor market close by. I was very lucky to
sell the apples on time and was rushing home to prepare
lunch for my adoptive family who derived pleasure in
abusing me, in finding faults in everything I did.
I wasn’t brought up with happiness like other village
girls. I was brought up with daily abuses, stigmatization
and curses. I was told that I was an evil child that
brought misfortunes to my biological parent’s right
from when my mother was carrying me in her womb. I
was equally told that six months after I was born, my
parents burnt to death in their house with every single
property in it and I was found untouched by the fire,
laughing hysterically on my baby bed. It was a story I
was told a hundred times over and I really had no way
of verifying the authenticity.
Yes my head was filled with my childhood memories that
I never knew when I started walking in the middle of
the road only to get myself when the noise from a
screeching tire brought me back to reality.
I soon found myself facing a very handsome gentleman
who never scolded me for being in the middle of the
road, for almost putting him in trouble. Instead he
asked if I was alright. My heart, my soul, my entire
body just quivered before him. At first I thought I
shivered out of fear but then inside of me I felt
something I had never felt before and had to walk
away to avoid disgracing myself further.
Valentine was the name he called to me and It kept
ringing back in my head over and over. Deep down I
felt like chatting endlessly with him, sharing my
problems with him but all I could do was to walk away
without looking back. I soon saw his car speed away and
I couldn’t help but wonder if I was ever going to see
him again.
———————————————–
On getting home I ran into my mother who instead of
welcoming me back happily for making a quick sale,
began scolding me for not sweeping the compound and
fetching water before heading to the market,
forgetting she was the one that asked me to abandon
everything and head to the market to sell her Udara
fruit.
I tried to remind her but it only landed me three dirty
slaps on my cheek. I was hungry, angry and tired of
life. I was nineteen and saw no future before me. I
knew all my adoptive parents were planning was to
marry me off to the highest bidder. Yes by God’s
grace I already managed to finish my secondary school
with the help of church scholarship but that was the
end. Since then my parents had virtually refused
allowing me to go learn a trade or even do something
that would help me in future and I couldn’t help but
realize that the more I stayed with them the more I
was ruining my life. i made up my mind that very day
to leave the house, to run away, to run to my future.
A very daring decision, a very risky adventure. I had no
money with me, no destination in mind, only God and
fear in my heart.
I sneaked out of the house later that night and
stepped into the unknown.
