Ngozi was
born in a polygamous home. She became an orphan at an early age. With no one to
care for her, she was passed through a long line of aunts and uncles till she
became a housemaid in the city. She works day and night with little time to
rest and nothing to show for her efforts. You could mistake her for a mad woman because
of her unkempt nature.
Whenever she does not please her “madam”, she would
sleep outside the gate until her “madam” feels she has paid sufficiently for
her crimes. Before the demise of her parents, Ngozi wanted to become a Lawyer.
She has never seen the four walls of a school building. She doesn’t know what
the alphabets look like and never discovered the wonders of forming words and
sentences or the beauty of being able to read them. She lives each day in fear,
waiting for the day she would finally be relieved of her services and be
plunged into the unknown. Ngozi cannot imagine being any other thing than a
maid. The wait is endless. Maybe tomorrow would be that day….
Ada unlike
Ngozi has both parents. However, it would be better if she were an orphan. Unable
to make ends meet, Ada was forced to get married just to escape the shackles of
poverty. However, poverty went along with her to her matrimonial home. In her
haste to secure a roof over her head, she threw her acting career to the winds
and married the first man who looked at her. Fast forward to seven years after
her marriage, she is carrying her sixth pregnancy, one pregnancy for each year.
Her husband, when he is not drinking is either using her for practice till when
he will be allowed to compete in the local wrestling matches or trying to get
her pregnant. Returning to her parents is out of the equation. She tries to
make ends meet yet everything seems to have a mind of its own and it is usually
not in her favour. At least her parents labored together to support the family;
while she has been denied that privilege. It feel as if she ended up with the
short end of the stick.
Since he was
a little boy, David could charm a large audience with his voice. All he ever
wanted was to be a musician. He had dreams of touching lives with his voice. Unfortunately,
he has not been given that chance. He still struggles with a nine to five job,
trying to make ends meet. He manages to still dream, it’s all he has left,
since life has robbed him of the opportunities to put his God-given talents to
use. It’s a sad day when life forces us onto path we never imagined or worst
still love. Like in the movies, we are forced to play a certain role for the
rest of our lives; and because it is a role we don’t like, we never get to
achieve our full potential. David is stuck in his role, he could have been
something better or even extraordinary, but he is just there; with no hope.
Ngozi, Ada
and David are examples of a million life situations in our society. Their story
may not be the same, but the theme is evidently the same. What do we do when
things spiral out of control so fast that we are forced to swim with the tide
lest we sink? What happens when life gives us a path with no escape route? Even
all twist and turns lead to one definite end; we cannot even enjoy the scenery
because we are so busy trying to understand each twists and turns, yet they
still take us unawares. I think the major question is: what do we do when life
becomes the dictator?
By Ighomena B.I
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