Our loved ones are the one set of people that hold sway in our lives. They’re the ones we can choose to go to great lengths for no matter the cost. As long as it would make them happy and safe, then it is fine by us. And when this feeling is mutual, it’s one of the best things in the world to know that no matter how bad things get, there will always be someone who will be in your corner.
Many times, people go the extra mile for family, and when the people we love are in danger, that’s usually when the beast in us comes out. People who are usually quiet can go savage just to protect their kids or siblings. But then, that’s how it should be, right? After all, if we don’t go the extra mile for family, who then are we going it for?
I’ve had my own fair share of doing things for my family. I remember one time I almost got into a fight at Cele Express in Lagos. It was a fight with a conductor o. And I was ready to fight him because he was just shouting at my Mom and it was pissing me off. When he saw that I was ready to challenge him, he backed off at once. That’s something I’m grateful for though, because he was bigger and stronger than me. He would have turned me inside out before I could even ball my fists. But the thought is all that matters, right?
However, the one moment I want to talk about is much deeper. And it’s something I’ve not spoken about to anyone else, I just prefer to keep it to myself. Right from time, I’ve always been someone who preferred the easy life and I loved to do things my way; no stress, no mess. I’ve talked here about how I went to a government secondary school, but one thing I’ve not really talked about is how I had the opportunity to go to a catholic school. And I turned it down.
My elder sister attended St. Francis Catholic Secondary School, one of the top schools in the whole of Nigeria. And their school fees were not here at all, really steep. That was one of the major reasons I had to start out with a government school in the first place because at first, it was kind of a huge load for my parents. However, by the time I was about to get into JSS2 or thereabout, my Mom told me that it was time for me to join my sister in St. Francis.
I didn’t want to. It would have been a great upgrade for me, I know but I had also seen firsthand the effect that going to that school had on my family. It was an expensive school and there was always one thing or the other that needed paying. Paying my sister’s school fees was tough already, the idea that they were going to add mine to the pile did not sit well with me at all. I knew that it would be a great burden for my Mom to take on such responsibility, and I just couldn’t allow it.
So, I flunked the Common Entrance tests that I sat. I didn’t tell my Mom my plans, I just went there and did just barely enough to make sure that I didn’t make the cut. And that was how I got to continue in the government school.
But then, one can argue that I did it for a selfish reason and they may not entirely be wrong. There were times when my sister was sent home because she was yet to pay her school fees, there were other times she was lagging behind because there was a fee or the other that she couldn’t pay. I didn’t want all that. At the time, I already had enough experience with government schools to know that I would never face those problems. I was also not keen to wake up before six every day and hit the road, which was something my sister did. The school was that far from our home.
So, did I regret my decision then? Nah… I don’t really know how my life would have turned out if I had gone to St. Francis, but I’m not regretting how my life is right now. The life I live today is something someone else is fasting and praying for. I know this because I also used to fast and pray for this. Also, I like to think that it was my choice that also ended up helping out my younger sister because just like my elder sister, she ended up going to a top private school as well. Not St. Francis, a private school that was a bit closer to home now.
I was still in school when my baby sister got enrolled, I knew that it would have been difficult for my Mom to bear with her kids in two expensive schools. Thankfully, it all ended on a good note. We’re all doing okay now and trying our best to move on with life. If something else comes along and I have to make a similar decision for my family, you can rest assured that I will do it again in a heartbeat. Because at this point, I already know myself. No matter the hand I’m dealt with, I’ll always shine.
That seems to be my superpower.
