I grew up in a lower middle class South Nigeria family. A well educated mom and a not so well educated but hard working dad. And there is my little sister who is 6 years younger to me.

While growing up I have seen my mom working her guts off to make both ends meet. I particularly remember this because whenever the Principal of our school walked in to take names of students who are yet to pay the fees, my name was there by default. The memory is so stark that I clearly remember the only time my name wasn't called out. That day, I had a grin on my face. It felt as if I was set free after being caged for years.

Then came a high. My mom, while working as an Accountant started an HR consultancy firm which flourished and she made good money. But since she had an eternal spender as a life partner, she couldn't save much. Instead, the money made the wine sellers rich (If you know what I mean).

Let me give you an example of how much she made during that period - She gifted me a TVS Scooty when I made it out of school. Mind you, this is year 2001.

During this period nobody would have foreseen a low. But it was around the corner. Year 2003, a tsunami in the disguise of my mom's deteriorating Health hit our family and what followed were the darkest days of our lives.

My dad took a decision. He decided to send us to our home town(while he stayed back), where he expected to receive financial and moral support from our relatives for my ailing mother. I had just finished my 12th and my sister had finished 6th grade. In a matter of few days, our lives had taken a U-turn.

Palakkad, Kerala. That's our home town.
My sister joined school and I couldn't continue my studies. It came as a rude shock to me. Within no time I went from an effervescent kid to a silent gape addict. Looking at the financial and our mental situation my mother went in to depression. She also had lost 20 kgs by then. Day in and day out we were praying for her recovery. Before the situation could sink in, life took another blow at us. A massive one at that.

My dad could not manage his finances and became more aggressive than usual. He took decisions in a jiffy, one after another. Slowly there came a time where he could not send us a single rupee for our survival. In a short while we were asked to vacate our two room(one room and a kitchen) rented house because we couldn't pay the rent for 3 months straight.

We then moved in to a small hut ​It could not hold the rain. Sitting inside this house during the rains was like sitting under a tree. You don't get drenched but you are also not sitting inside closed doors and enjoying the rain.

The house didn't have electricity, no water connection, no well, no compound wall and no proper BATHROOM. With two women in the house, not having a proper bathroom was horrible. We stayed in this house for close to 4 months. These four months taught me the value of every single breath of life.

We ran out of money and food. One morning we woke up at about 5am and nothing for us to eat, that's when my mom looked at my sis and me and said, "We don't have anything to eat for today". After a few minutes of pin-drop silence we looked at each other and burst out crying. We got in to a group hug and cried for almost an hour. Then, I went in to the room and picked up the Dish Drops (Utensil cleaner), Car Wash and Shampoo sachets that we had purchased from a Distributors few months ago. I had 20 of these sachets, each costing 20 naira-. I saw an opportunity, I waited for the sun to rise.

As soon as it was early enough to go door to door, I started my journey. I went door to door selling these sachets. Where ever I saw a car I got in and spoke about the Car Wash. Where I saw women, I spoke to them about Dish Drops and Shampoos. I turned in to a determined 17yr old who wanted to feed his mom and sis. I was asked to leave at most places as they were not used to door to door salesmen. One man hurled a shoe at me for entering his gate. The shoe whistled past my ear. I think it must have kissed me on the way because I still remember how the shoe felt. It looked like a journey that would not end. I wiped many a tear off my face during this journey. But I did manage to sell a few sachets by noon, by which time I was so hungry that I felt I would faint.

I stopped at a road side hotel which looked affordable to me. I sat there among masons & Carpenters who were working nearby, to eat. I had never been with such people. This was my first, tears started flowing and I ate my food with tears in my eyes. My first meal of the day was awesome. Its the best meal I have ever had. After that day who am sitting with never bothered me. My meal cost me 120/-.

I continued my walk until 4:30pm before I felt I had earned enough to buy rice. I took a bus back home and purchased 2kgs rice on the way. I paid 70 per kg. While I was walking back home I held the rice close to my chest as if hugging a little baby. It was dear to me. My mom and my sis were waiting. When I reached home my mom and sis were elated. We burst in to tears again, which lasted a while.

After some time, I asked my mom, "What did you both eat?". Mom didn't respond. My cute little sister told me, "We went to our neighbour's and asked for some Papayas from their papaya tree, mom told aunty that I like Papayas. I dont like them but I ate it because I was hungry."

Hearing this I just couldn't control myself. I cried and my sis said, "Don't worry brother, I won't ask for chocolates". The group hug was back again. We cried inconsolably for a very long time.

After this day, we never looked back. We somehow made it out of that hut. I found a job as a door to door salesman. My first pay cheque was for .500/-. I remember packing it neatly in an envelope and handing it over to my mom.

I joined another company as salesman and one of my prospective clients made me realize that my english is good and I should be doing something else. I asked him to suggest. He said, "Call Centers".
Copied!

marlow1962:
Very soon.
From level 1 grace to level 100.

RenegadeX:
E no go pass all these Indian stories for quora mstcheew

N3TRAL:

VinnyBaba:


Mr Tinubu Supporter.

Why are you Shining your Teeth? 😏

Tell us Whether you had a Rich Comfortable Background or U survived on Agbado and boiled Cassava, as kids. 😒

I suspect it's the Latter,

because of you wants Nigeria to remain a Poverty-stricken or tackling country! .

QuinModah:
Share your own story

RenegadeX:


I no get story
Client wey I bill 3k dolls Dey wine me since morning >: .

If you do me like 5k now u don save my life from imminent death by starvation

Merch:
Man isn’t a story teller

VinnyBaba:


Jennyclay will soon come here to brand Nairaland guys as Broke Men. 😒

Meanwhile, she ate Kulikuli and Garri alot in her childhood.

Sniper101:
Back when bros dey use his Infinix dey manage life, his younger brother dey dey use iphone 11.
Younger brother go school one certain semester con return home with iphone 13 pro.
No be person tell senior brother to ask for update begin hustle like mad.

Guys! Make una hustle o
No time to check time.

N3TRAL:
On the dawn of a Wednesday in 2001, a 2-months old baby was found unconscious, near an incinerator that was strategically located in the outskirts of an undergraduate community deep in the coasts of Nigeria's South.

The baby was rescued by concerned residents and given a chance to live. In a couple of months the baby journeyed from the unwholesome nursery of a government hospital to the dilapidated dorm room of a public orphanage where milk was luxury.

My autobiography is peculiar.

Unlike other children in the orphanage, I wasn't rejected because my parents had died. Far from what my opening paragraph presupposes, my biological parents were legally married under the native law and custom of my people. I was declared a little demon by the clergy of the local church and condemned to die so that my parents can succeed.

The mass media then was heavily institutionalized and sad stories like mine couldn't reach succour givers afar. During one of the visits of a Caucasian missionary to the facility that I had accepted as my home, he found interest in me, adopted me and gave me a new home.

My adoptive father was scarcely available at home but his church workers took care of me. I ate delicious meals, had my laundry done for me and even at 10 I was a Disney prince who couldn't wash his clothes. Of course, I was the most intelligent kid in class because although I was a child, I knew were I came from.

Lol, don't panic!

Nothing bad happened afterwards. I was just a normal child without a mother figure. I graduated from an elite university two years ago and I have a decent job and a profitable internet business! My adoptive father is doing fine. God bless him.

---

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I'm a very happy person today!

Sniper101:
Back when bros dey use his Infinix dey manage life, his younger brother dey dey use iphone 11.
Younger brother go school one certain semester con return home with iphone 13 pro.
No be person tell senior brother to ask for update begin hustle like mad.

Guys! Make una hustle o
No time to check time.

Hamachi:
Which school? Because we have different schools in this era of Gen Z

Sniper101:

Uni. (Maritime Academy)

Hamachi:
Where?

Sniper101:

Nigeria.

beejaay:


if this is truly your story, then you should be one of those championing ethnic war and hatred everywhere..you should be a bridge builder going by you were brought in bu unknown people without thinking about your race, your ethnicity or religion...people like you shouldnt be in politics or supporting one side of the divide but stand for everyone...you were given a chance for a reason...