A call I didn't want, a call I was born with, a call that was there but didn't recognize it, a call of sacrifice, a call of perseverance, a call to look on. That was it, I didn't ask for it but it found its way to me, I was born with this call, a call of duty, a call to be the best and act accordingly. I'm the first daughter that makes it exhausting, I didn't know the measure of sacrifices I have to make. I was to be selfless but didn't understand that yet till I was older. My older self wanted childhood over and over again where there was no stress, no thinking and no competition and no duty. Just a free will life of eating, waking up , going to school and sleeping. I enjoyed every bit of my childhood till I grew up. That was when the dutiful position showed up. I was in my year 2 at the University, I needed a measurable amount of money as I picked up my phone to holla to my father. After the first ring he picked up.
"Hello! Erica, how are you doing?" I could hear his voice slow and steady as usual as he gave out a heavy sigh, as he knew the reason I was calling. I was silent for sometime as we exchanged pleasantries and headed forward to my main reason for calling.
"Daddy, we have started practical and need some money to purchase some of the materials I will be needing for this semester" I eventually said as my heart raced in the same rhyme, and was eager to hear his reply. I was scared of hearing a negative reply because I didn't have another option. He was silent for a while then he asked.
"How much will be the material?" he said with a heavy sigh. Those sighs showed lots of emotions, the burden of having 7 children and nurturing them, it was difficult. I gasped when my mum got pregnant for the last born of the house, I was in SS3 then, though in boarding school. I was screaming because I know the stress I went through when my younger ones were born and I didn't want to go through that again. Now I will be fully home after graduating from high school. I didn't want more siblings because we were already much but I couldn't stop what I couldn't control but have to accept and help out the little I could but the little was too much, way too much as I was left to take care of my little brother throughout as my mum was always at work. I turned into a second mother overnight.
"I need to get some wax, stock teeth and plaster of paris and that will cost #20,000 " l said, not sure if my calculations were right.
"I gotta to pay your younger brother school fees and your little sister"
Here he goes again, the things I didn't want to hear came knocking to my ears and I was right after all, the beating of my heart tells it all.
"You need to exercise some patient"
I was silent and the call dropped dead. My mouth dropped open, I didn't care whether flies entered at that moment, I was more interested in the negative reply I got. Why don't you take care of my own needs first while my siblings hold on for there needs to be taken care of as I thought to myself but it was the other way round and here I was wishing I was the last born, life will be a lot easily and smooth but nevertheless I had to hold on but time wasn't on my side as I thought of the way out. Borrowing was the last option but surely I need to make out something to take care of my financial needs as the only thought on my head was business.
