December Third✔

Chapter One

"Omo! Omoligho! Omoligho!" My mother screamed, adding vehemence this time, she continued, "Weh ma han youre e ye school?" asking in my native esan, a language from Edo state, if I wouldn't wake up to attend school today.

"Meh vade!" I answered telling her 'I am coming', although my eyes were still shut and drowsy. I am a typical Nigerian who seldom sets alarms but when I do, it's just a formality as I sleep back right after it rings. I didn't set an alarm today in that it was my first day of this glorious academic session and I was gonna have the best fun possible!

Note the sarcasm!

I tucked my blanket firmly around me the moment a cool morning breeze wheezed by, making me shiver slightly. Nevertheless, Harmattan was my favorite season in Nigeria sans the dryness of the day. It just felt so chilly every night through the morning, which made sleep magical and enchanting. I just couldn't get enough of basking in the chilly ambiance!

However, at the moment, I found it difficult to go back to sleep as mum's voice resonated in my head, so crystal clear, telling me to get up and prepare for school. Ugh! I hate school! Who else does?

Leaping out of my fairly comfortable bed, I wobbled into the bathroom and showered, mentally applauding myself for remembering to make use of a shower cap while bathing. Each time I forgot, the water made my natural hair too fluffy and at the same time, hard to comb through. I hadn't permed my hair yet so whenever I didn't make use of a blow dryer, my hair oozed a weird and certainly unpleasant odour. So great job Omo!

Twenty five minutes later, I looked at my reflection in the mirror, checking to see if my outfit, a black off-shoulder blouse, a pair of blue pant trousers, and black sandals complimented by a blue Hermes bag I bought at a fairly affordable price at Eko market. I scrutinized my hairstyle and makeup, verifying that they looked decent enough-My university had strict dress rules that made it difficult for students to dress improperly and below the required standards-realising I looked perfect, I picked up my phone and other necessities, placing them in my bag while I walked out of my room.

My name is Omoligho Odegua, an indigene of Edo state, Nigeria. I was born in Italy but returned to Lagos State, Nigeria, a few months after my dad's business collapsed, almost heading towards bankruptcy. My parents had to gather their last pennies for our relocation. I was three years old then and had little idea of what was going on. My elder brother and only sibling, who was two years older, died seven months later after contacting measles and wasn't properly treated.

Life became somewhat sorrowful as my parents battled the demise of their only son while trying to have another child, all to no avail. After about five years of trying to get a baby and not succeeding, they gave up with the sole aim of taking care of their only child, aka yours truly.

The little amount of Euros my parents got from their turmoils overseas, they fully utilized to live a comfortable life in Lagos state, Nigeria. You know, with the exchange rate between Euro and Naira, they were able to purchase a three bedroom, four bathroom-duplex at Ikeja, the state's capital.

My parents realised my name "Omoligho" which means "A child is greater than money" had a significant impact in our family as they realised money in no way could ever bring as much joy as the joy a child brings to the home. Therefore, they made a vow to utilize all they had to the best of my well-being no matter how the going got tough.

My parents were able to start up a small firm which partnered up with an aviation company in Italy to help Nigerians get easy but legitimate visas to travel to Italy. Fortunately, based on the rampant rate at which their fellow Edo state indigenes loved Italy for it's "greener pastures", they were able to make tons of money that moved us from living comfortably to living luxuriously. This happened when I turned twelve years old.

Alas, a few years later, an incident happened that scarred my life!