Thinking to myself although loud enough for Mrs. Aquila to hear “behind every successful man is a woman”. Hey sweet heart are you okay she beckoned on me. Why you out here all alone talking to yourself. Am fine ma, am just trying to decipher what this theme “Press for Progress” could possibly mean. Let me see that Mrs. Aquila said softly. Wow!!! It’s another year to celebrate and encourage women not to give up on their dreams and vision. Simply put, it’s the International Women day my dear Zoe.
I don’t get it ma. She laughed. Well, this theme should be taught in countries where they have everything at their own accord. Obviously I have nothing to do with this. I really can’t understand why Mr. Thomas wouldn’t let me rest. He keeps sending a lot of all this things when he knows so well that I don’t have a place to even squeeze in the society and I will be lying to myself to think that I have a voice that will be heard. Last time I checked Thomas in the Bible doubted. Could this be just another one who wouldn’t believe even when something is so glaring in his eyes Zoe said angrily as she strayed far away from Mrs. Aquila.
Mrs. Aquila almost choking in her groan, had her face covered in tears, wondering how she was able to pull through with the pieces of her heart and her little strength considering she had come from a broken home, living with her dad who didn’t even know how to advise her on what to do when her visitor came knocking every month with so much cramps in her abdomen she will barely go out to hawk that day and for the remaining part of the week they were forced to do fasting. The thought of how she will have to choose which day to attend school just so she will mark attendance because some of her mate will proudly shout she’s dead or have fallen into a gulley when her name was been called by the teacher. As a matter of fact, Priscilla had met their class teacher to remove Aquila name from the register saying that the minutes spent in calling her name could be used for something more productive.
Scanning through her result in her mind made her chuckle so hard that the tears began to flow again. She wondered how she was able to top the class and appeared on the honors roll after every test was marked and recorded. At some point, she will have unannounced visitors showing up in her broken wall, detested home. Wait wait wait!!!! Did I just called that home. I could barely sleep especially when the rains were down. I will have to wake up as early as 3am if I wanted to have a good bath without be afraid of who will see my body one she gazed on with a smile wondering how the wounds were all sealed and how she was asked what cream she used when she was small. They will come there mocking her but yet seeking her help with assignment that they couldn’t do. Some will go as far as bribing her and promising her heaven and earth but once the assignment were recorded that was all. Not a trace of them anymore.
Standing in the hall way lost in thought of how she was able to make it through, how she was now winning awards and speaking in conferences, an epitome of persistence she said loud enough for anyone who had a good ear to hear. What kept me pushing she asked herself?
In a split of second, she remembered that fateful day the news of her mother demise came to her, heart chattered, face swollen, eyes red as she recalled how her mum will tell her what great dreams she had about herself and how she was going to impact the world changing lives and making a society where right are respected and protected. Little did she know that she would have started with her home which had become a place of fire and brimstone, you could hardly find anyone putting up a smile, love had packed all its belongings and was far gone from the Andersons family that was one fact she was sure off. Then it dawn on her that the ability to make progress starts from the small space you find yourself and then gradually as you keep pressing persistently you keep growing and that way you were going to make the change.
Then, there was a big grin on her face and with a loud voice shouting “Press for Progress” as she ran down the hall way to meet Miss Zoe to explain to her what the flier she held early on meant and how she was going to get her place in the society.