Episode 1 - My Father Wanted me to be a Doctor
From a young age, my father repeatedly expressed his desire for me to become a doctor like him, even before I could fully grasp what that meant. His hopes echoed in our home, filled with pride and ambition. However, as I grew older, I struggled to connect with his dreams. My older brother, Efe, was already a successful doctor, and I couldn't understand why my father wanted me to follow the same path. I yearned to forge my own identity and explore interests that truly resonated with me, rather than simply fulfilling my father's expectations.
My father encouraged my interest in science by providing me with my older brother's biology textbooks to read when I was just six years old. He also nurtured my curiosity by allowing me to watch various TV series and documentaries focused on health and well-being, and he generously gifted me numerous books on the subject. On career day at school, he was always enthusiastic about dressing me up as a doctor, he was relentless.
But he has no idea that his sweet little Ivie does not want to be a doctor and will go to any length to make him realize it. I recall talking about this with Ofure, my immediate older sister when I was in JSS 2. I told her I wanted to be an arts student; I really loved literature, and topics on politics and government excited me. I was only 12 years old at the time, but I knew what I wanted to be; I wanted to be a corporate madam. Ofure laughed; she said I wasn’t serious, but little did she know...
How far did I take this? Oh, let me tell you—I took a daring leap! I made the shocking decision to deliberately flunk Basic Science in my final junior exams. Now, before you judge, let me just say I’m no slouch; I’ve been the star of my class since kindergarten! So, when I bombed that exam, it sent everyone into a tailspin. But why would I do such a thing? It’s simple! Failing Basic Science meant I’d be unable to step into the science class. That was my golden ticket to arts class!
A lot of teachers asked questions, and I believe I caught one or two of my classmates gossiping, but I did not mind; I was focused. My dad was so upset at the time that my house felt like hell. When I explained why I did it, his rage grew at an exponential rate. Girl, it was crazy, I thought he was going to disown me.
Oddly enough, my dad kept pushing his "Make-Ivie-A-Doctor" plan even with all the chaos I caused. I got moved to a new school where he made a deal with the staff to let me take science classes for a term. During the break, he seriously warned me to get it together and help him out. I didn’t really say much back but I was set on doing my own thing.
Guys, Ivie is just as stubborn as her father. By the end of the term, I had a terrible performance in every science subject. It was then that Mr Ighodaro Odia knew his daughter was serious. He finally let me go into arts class, and I was thrilled! In no time at all, I was the star girl in St. Luke's, able to finally let my wonder out and excel in my class as I always had!
Now that my thoughts were settled, I could finally focus on finding a career. I stumbled upon Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, and I instantly fell in love with it. I went to my Aunt Ese for advice because she is the only one who truly understands me. Ofure would just laugh at me again, Brother Efe wouldn’t have time for my concerns, my mom would simply tell me to listen to my dad, and my junior brother, Osato, was not an option.
Aunt Ese smiled as she asked, "So you want to be HR?" “You see, those people do a lot of work. Even though they might not be given enough credit, they are crucial to every organization," she added. I was starting to bask in joy and anticipate the glorious future until she raised that one question, “Have you told your dad?”
Right, my dad. Now, my dad wants me to be a lawyer.
Guys, I’m tired, I think I’m just going to see my grandma.
