How can life be this unfair? What did I do wrong to be brought into this life of hardship? It’s 8:30 am and I’m here in the market selling whiles my mates are on their phones and laptops studying online. Coronavirus pandemic has also come to disturb humanity all for what? My mother used to make an average of GHc10 ($2) a day and now she barely makes GHc6 ($1.20) a day with lorry fare taking GHc4 ($0.80) each day.
I am the only child of my mother, a single mother. All I know of my father is he left the country just before I was born. He was dating my mum when they were both in high school, just that he was ahead of my mum by a year. My mum got pregnant with me whiles in her final year. Pregnant girls were not allowed to write their final exams and so my mum was not able to complete senior high school. Because of me, she wasn’t able to complete high school. My dad who was able to finish school had a scholarship to study abroad. My dad left just before I was born.
Even before I came into this work, I had caused my mum to drop out of school, my dad had left my mum and I and the third bomb was just about to drop. When my mom’s parents found out that my father had left the country and his family didn’t want to help out, they decided to kick my pregnant mother out of the house. How could loving parents do such a thing to their daughter? Within a year, my mum had become pregnant with no husband or boyfriend to help, she had become a school dropout and homeless too.
I sometimes believe she hates me. After all the trouble I’ve caused her, why wouldn’t she? I’ve never been to the Sahara Dessert but this early morning sun was probably one of the reasons the Sahara keeps spreading. I’m getting darker by the minute thinking of so many ways my life could have turned out if I was born to rich parents. What if my parents had married before I came into this world? If my dad had kept in touch even when he traveled, how would my life be? If my mom’s parents had accepted my mum and the pregnancy, I probably wouldn’t be here or even my dad’s family, they could have taken my mum in when she was thrown out.
From my conception, the cards had been stacked against me. It’s like the universe was against me from the very beginning. Now I have to sit here for my mum whiles she takes some of the wares around selling on her head. My dad is probably married somewhere enjoying life with a new family whiles I’m stuck here with my mum. This might be what I will be doing for the rest of my life since my mum can’t afford to pay university fees under this conditions. You might say I am too young to lose hope but I will ask you, what else do you think I can possibly do?
My entry to the A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words contest organized by @BDCommunity.
Photo was taken by me at the Madina market. I don’t know why the orientation has changed but it is portrait on my phone.
I invite @tobywalter to take part in this contest.