The Road That Made Me

E — MY LIFE BEGAN My life changed when I was about eleven years old. That was when my grandmother died. After her death, my auntie took me to Cameroon. She told me she would take care of me, put me in school, and help me become somebody in life. I believed her. I was young, and I believed that the future she described for me would really come. But life did not turn out the way I imagined. I became a houseboy in my auntie's home. She put me through primary school, and after Primary Six, I stayed full-time in her shop. People began asking why I was no longer in school, so she put me into another school where I could attend at night. My days became a cycle of work and school. I worked in the shop in the morning and afternoon, then went to school around eight at night. School could finish around ten or eleven. I would return home, do chores, and go back to the shop again. I lived that life for about six years. During those years, I was accused of stealing and other things. I was young and did not always know how to defend myself or explain what I was feeling. I still saw my auntie as family, and I kept hoping that after all those years of serving her, she would eventually help me start my own life. I thought that when the time came, she would bring me back to Nigeria and give me something to begin with. Instead, while she was in Lagos, she took me to my uncle's place. My uncle treated me differently. He cared for me, taught me to read well, made sure I ate, and tried to give me what I needed. But I knew he also had his own children and responsibilities. I did not want to remain in his shadow or become a burden to him, even though he never told me that I was a burden. Eventually, I was told to learn a trade. I started cutting and clearing grass, what we called Arumako. I did it for about a year. But something inside me kept saying, This is not my dream. I did not yet know exactly what my dream was. I only knew I had to keep searching for it.