THE UNEXPECTED PATH

    THE SCHOOL DAYS EARLY STRUGGLES

"I woke up as usual, getting dressed for school while my mom had already headed to work before 6:30 am. After a quick breakfast, I headed to school, joining my classmates for morning prayers and announcements. As a Senior Secondary School 3 student, I was used to a dull routine, with only our English teacher teaching us throughout the day. The same topic, day in and day out. School was always a bore, mainly because I had no one to hang out with. Everyone seemed to have their own clique, leaving me to my introverted life.

I remember sitting alone during break times, lost in thought, and replaying movies I'd watched to pass the time. It wasn't until we sat for our exams that I realized how much I'd been struggling to connect with others. After graduating from secondary school, I spent about a year at home, doing odd jobs and trying to figure out my life. I was only 16, and my main focus was on finding ways to make money online and playing games.

As time went on, I became more bored, so I started visiting my friend Marvelous. I was always clingy to my friends, and Marvelous was no exception. There was also this other friend from a different state who stayed with our neighbor, Sunday. However, Sunday soon got tired of having me around, so I spent most of my time at Marvelous' place for about six months.

That's when my mom suggested I learn a trade before retaking my WAEC exams (which we'd all failed, by the way). Our supervisor had caught some of our classmates with phones during the exam. I started learning phone repair, but my friend left, and the one who remained would often fight with me over a girl in our compound. It turned out Sunday was the one at fault.

After seven months of learning phone repair, my mom still hadn't paid the acceptance fee, so I felt like I was wasting my time. They wouldn't count the months I'd spent learning unless I paid the fee. Instead of my mom paying, she told me to collect it from my dad, but they've been separated since she was pregnant with me.

I had to quit because they threatened to withhold further teaching if I didn't pay. By then, I'd already surpassed them in phone repair skills, but I kept it a secret so they would let me go. After leaving, I realized my mom didn't want to pay because my brother, who'd recommended the trade, wasn't interested in me learning it again. He'd criticized my hair, saying I had too much of it, and I wasn't willing to cut it. This sparked a war between my brother, mom, and me, making me resent my dad, whom I loved dearly.

I decided to look for a salaried job, and the only available option was a betting shop called BETKING. Before applying, I'd already gained some knowledge about betting during my year and a half at home. Although I often lost, I did win 24,000 naira once, which I used to buy a power bank and send 5,000 naira to my mom. However, the power bank broke in my former boss's brother's hands, and he borrowed it from me.

When I went for the BETKING interview, my former boss's brother told me to bring my mom, but she refused. I was furious but powerless, so I asked my mom's sister, whom we called 'Mummy Orobo' due to her weight, to accompany me instead. She agreed, and I was accepted for the job the next day. I was ecstatic, but little did I know what challenges lay ahead..."