My life: mini series episode 1

start.

Born into a family of ten: 3boys and 5girls

plus mum and dad, survival had been a

struggle.

My father was a palm wine tapper and my

mum was a petty trader who dealt in

foodstuffs.

We lived in a remote village somewhere in

the South-eastern part of Nigeria.

My father’s palm wine tapping didn’t earn

him much and even after combining with the

proceeds of my mum’s petty trading, my

parents still couldn’t afford 3square meals

to sustain the family.

I was the first child; followed by a male then

females before the two last males.

I never went to school even for a day. None

of us did.

Then disaster struck.

My father went for his usual palm wine

tapping business and never came back.

On dispersal of a search party, it turned out

that he fell from the palm tree and died on

the spot.

This sudden death of my dad launched my

family into more terrible hardship and my

mum couldn’t cope.

Things grew worse after my dad’s burial and

it became necessary for my mum to send us

out to live with different people in the city.

At that time I was 15years old and my

immediate younger brother was 13.

It was my late father’s sister that brought

up the suggestion to my mother and my

mother quickly bought the idea and soon

had me introduced to my madam.

In a matter of days, the whole arrangement

was concluded and I followed my madam

back to the city of Enugu.

The first few days, I was treated well maybe

because it was my first day of arrival.

I was shown around the house, taught how

to use some of the appliances, I was also

shown the little room that was to be my

room and also the small mattress that was

to be my mattress.

Then I settled in my new home with hope

that things would move fine and my madam

won’t have any reason to send me home

prematurely.................................