Essy was the first daughter born in her family, she was the first daughter in a family of FIVE, she was already 5 years old before the 2nd child was born to Mr and Mrs Jide kuso, and then they just kept giving birth and almost every year for the next 10 y, years they gave birth to another child, Essy was basically forced to become an adult at a very young age, she started cooking and cleaning at a very young age,basically he was like a second mother to her siblings and as is pertinent with adullts, the younger ones did not get along well with them. Essy always had to put her siblings first as was with every mother, sometimes putting their happiness ahead of hers.
While other children were out playing Essy was either helping with homework or with helping her mom with domestic work, baby sitting and cleaning the house. Tragedy struck in an indescribable way when on their way back from the market Mr and Mrs Jide Kuso had a fatal accident and died. She was made to start adulthood at an early stage
Both her parents died that night and Essy was seventeen. The news absolutely shattered the family. The days that followed after the tragedy relatives came, cried loudly, and disappeared after the burial. Some promised support they never intended to give and many others advised the children to “be strong” before returning to their comfortable homes.
Suddenly, Essy became everything, she was their Mother, Father, Caretaker, all in one. She dropped out of school two weeks later. The principal begged her to reconsider because she was one of the brightest students in her class, but she knew brilliance could not buy food. Her siblings needed to eat, the rent needed to be paid and utility bills paid.
So she sacrificed her own education, Every morning before sunrise as early as 5:00 am, Essy fried akara(bean cake) beside the roadside. By afternoon, she cleaned houses for richer families nearby. In the evenings, she sold sachet water at the motor park. Sometimes she returned home so exhausted that she slept on the floor before eating. Yet she still woke up the next morning to continue. The years passed and one by one, her siblings graduated from school. One became a banker, another became a nurse, which was the exact dream Essy once had for herself.
Whenever people praised them, they proudly talked about hard work and determination, even though they had no parents but they rarely mentioned Essy, but it never got to her. Unfortunately as time went by the same siblings she had sacrificed everything for slowly began treating her like an embarrassment. Some felt uncomfortable that she remained poor while they became successful. One even warned his fiancée not to discuss family matters around Essy because she wouldn’t understand those kinds of conversations.
Still, the deepest wound came during their youngest sister’s wedding. Essy arrived early wearing her best dress, though it was old and faded. She moved around helping with decorations and serving guests like she always did.
Then she overheard her siblings talking. “She likes acting like she raised us.” “She should stop making people think she suffered for us.” “We all struggled please”
Essy stood frozen behind the curtain, she was hollow inside, a walking dead. All the years she sacrificed suddenly felt invisible, all the missed dreams, every sleepless night, every hunger she endured for them seemed erased by success and pride. That night, she cried quietly in her room for the first time in years, but Essy was too strong to be broken by words after all she had gone through. She used the pain as fuel.
At thirty-five, when many people believed life had passed her by, Essy enrolled in evening classes to complete her education. During the day, she expanded her small food business into a proper restaurant. Some people mocked her for “starting life late.” but Essy had survived worse things than mockery, this was childs play to her
She studied at night with tired eyes. She learned how to use computers from teenagers younger than her. She saved every naira carefully she could. Slowly, her restaurant became popular around the neighborhood because of her discipline and kindness.
Years later, she opened a second branch and then a third. People began inviting her to speak to young women about resilience. They admired her strength, but they never truly understood the weight she carried for years, all they saw was the success and beamed from her. Ironically, the same siblings who once ignored her slowly returned. One needed financial help after losing his job. One called her crying from abroad after being scammed and despite all that was done to her she still came through because bitterness had never truly lived inside her heart.
One evening, while closing her restaurant, the youngest sibling , the same one whose wedding had broken her heart years ago visited unexpectedly.
“I’m sorry”, she said with tears in her eyes, followed by silence, along silence. Essy looked at her. The pain had not completely disappeared, but it no longer controlled her.
She shook her head and replied, “I didn’t sacrifice my life so you people would worship me. I only wanted you all to become better.” and then she hugged her tightly, tears flowing from her cheeks too.
IMAGES are A.I generated