Mrs Ubani lives with her husband, a carpenter in the remote village of Abia state. They had been hoping to have a child for the past 15 years but to no avail. But luck soon shone on them and Mrs Ubani was pregnant with twins. Just three months into the pregnancy, Mr Ubani lost his life due to sickness, which became a burden to Mrs Ubani. After waiting for so many years, she finally got pregnant but her husband was no more. While being encouraged by the villagers to move on and live for their unborn children, she finally decided to let go of all the pain and work harder than before, even with her condition.
After nine months, she delivered two bouncing baby boys whom she named Daniel and David. How would she cater to both of them became a pain in her heart. She called her mother's younger sister, who is her aunt, in Abuja to request help to raise one of her sons. Her aunt agreed, and she took the elder one, who is Daniel; the boys are a few minutes apart. They were born on the same night, they share the same eyes, the same blood, and even the same mischievous smile, but their paths could not have been more different.
Daniel was taken to Abuja, was given the best schools, private tutors, and piano lessons. He was taught to walk with confidence, to shake hands firmly, and to think before he spoke. Everyone said he was destined for greatness.
David, the younger one, stayed with their struggling mother. He grew up dodging street fights, learning to stretch a loaf of bread for a week, and watching his mother cry silently when the rent was due. He learnt to be tough, to survive, and to fight back when being cornered.
Years passed, and Daniel became a successful lawyer, always looking neat and responsible. David without the same chances, drifted into small hustles then larger ones until he found himself standing in the shadow of a crime. One evening fate brought them face to face in a courtroom. Daniel stood tall at the prosecutor's bench, papers neatly stacked before him. David in handcuffs, stood at the defendant's table, his eyes burning with something unspoken.
"Wait? Am I a twin? The boys asked themselves individually.
The courtroom was filled with murmurs, people trying to figure out which one was a lawyer and which one was a criminal, when Daniel saw his brother, his mirror, same blood, same birth, two different worlds. Meanwhile, David's joy knew no bounds, he felt like running over to Daniel, but he couldn't.
When the trial ended, David was sentenced to six months in prison. Daniel visited David in the holding cell. David looked at him and whispered, "Tell me, brother, was it my nature to end up here or the nurture I never had?" Daniel was sad that he couldn't respond.
The two boys reunited after David completed his serving time and Daniel promised to make life better for David.
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