In the bustling city of Lagos, there lived Ada with her mother and younger brother. They had moved to the city from the village after the demise of her father, living in a cramped one-room apartment. Ada is seventeen years old while her brother Nath is fifteen years old. Ada had finished secondary before her father died but she couldn't further because her mother wasn't capable of assisting her.
Her mother is a porter who works from the market to the motor park, assisting people with their loads or luggage. At the same time, Ada is a hawker; she sells bread with butter from one street to the other, while Nath is a laundryman; he's working with a man named Jeth in a laundry shop not far from their residence. This had been their lifestyle ever since they moved to Lagos. Amidst the struggles, Ada wished to further her education, and ever since she was in junior secondary school, she had been a writer. She wrote most of their short dramas in school and church. Everyone in the village back then knew her to be a good writer and in her leisure time, she still takes time to write and keep for future purposes.
"I know that one day, not so far away, you will take me to places that I never imagined I could be", Ada said with a smile one night after completing a story she had been writing for several weeks because of her tight schedule.
"Amen ooooooo, chukwu ga-aza ekpere gi(God will answer your prayer)", her mother replied.
They both laughed over it and went to bed. They continued their lives as usual and sometimes, Ada does see her mother in the markets where she hawks her bread to her customers, including in motor parks.
One scorching afternoon, Ada was walking in the motor park to collect money from her customers who had bought bread earlier but hadn't given her money. She saw a crowd gathered and shouting.
"These people with their fights, I'm sure that's Kamoru, he is always fighting", Ada scoffs as she walks past them then she steps on something that caught her attention.
"Lagos and I don't care attitude, this is a flyer printed with money, o, see how they dropped it carelessly", Ada hissed, then picked up the paper to read, then she saw the caption, "Golden ticket writing contest".
"Writing contest ke, in this Lasgidis(lagos)", she smiled as she continued reading. Winner gets an all-expense-paid trip to London for six months for a workshop with the best authors.
"Ehhhhhh, Lagos my city, all expense paid trip indeed, abeg(please)", she smiles as she ruffles the paper in her pocket. "See as they call London like Ojuelegba(an area in Lagos)", she concluded and went her way.
The registration for the Golden Ticket writing contest would take a month, as written on the flyer. Ada had started writing another story, even though she was doubting if the details on the flyer were real or not, but after informing her mother about it, she was advised to give it a try. She gave it all her best and she completed the writing, because all entries are to be submitted physically to their office. A week before the deadline, on a Monday morning, Ada dressed up and headed to the address on the flyer. She titled her story, "The Girl Who Sold Dreams". The office is located somewhere on Lagos Island. She had been keeping her transport fare from her sales, and luckily, her mother helped her by adding a little to the one Ada had.
After a stressful journey, Ada finally got to the venue, and she had packed the written story inside a brown envelope. She got there, met the secretary, and was given instructions on how to submit and forms to fill out. Ada did all that was necessary and left hoping to hear good news. She continued her life, waiting to hear from the agency.
"Mom, weeks have passed o, months have passed, my faith is fainting", Ada said to her mother one night after waiting for months.
"Ada m(my Ada), don't talk like that, if it's God's will, we will hear good news soon.
"Okay ooooo, if you say so", Ada replied and went to bed.
Ada tried to forget and stop hoping until one morning in December. It has been five months since she submitted the story. Just as she was about to leave home with her tray of bread, a man dressed in a white sparkling shirt and black trousers with a pair of suede shoes stopped her.
"Good morning, you must be Ada Onazi, Golden ticket", the man said to remind Ada because she was wondering how the man knew her name.
"Yes, yes, please", Ada replied excitedly.
"Here is a package for you", the man said with a smile.
"Can I open it?", Ada asked
"Of course yes, it's all yours", the man replied.
Ada quickly opened the envelope as she brought out the letter first. She read through, and her heart skipped. Her story wasn't picked as the best, but she got an offer to meet with one of the prominent men, a literary figure, the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Professor Wole Soyinka. This wasn't Ada's expectation but tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. The letter contained the address, date, and time of the meeting, with a sum of #100,000 naira for a good write-up. Ada didn't win the Golden Ticket to travel to London, but she never lost hope. She believed strongly that it would be her turn someday.
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