A girl was born in one of the small towns in Nigeria some years ago. She was born into a very poor family. After seven days, her parents held a naming ceremony ( common in Nigerian tribes) where she was named Grace. She was born into a Yoruba tribe, but her parents chose the name "Grace", being an English name for her, because the name was loved by her father from his childhood, and has made a promise to named his first female child the name.
Grace has two elder brothers, she's the third child of the family, and first child as a daughter. She received so much care as a first daughter from her father when she was young, she always sleeps on his father's chest every night, and fell sick whenever her father travelled. Her father always carried her to school when was young and would makes sure he stood with her in her classroom room till closing time to avoid her crying ( Her father's everyday routine whenever he was at home)
Her father being a timber truck driver is a traveller, who always travels wherever there is available timbers. Her father knowing fully well the type of daughter he has would always makes sure he has settled his beloved daughter medication bills to her mother every time he wanted to travel.
Her mother on the other hand is a caring and also a very strict woman at the same time, she provides everything she needs always on time.
When she was 8 years old, one of her father's relatives asked her father to bring her to her place in the next town to come and greet her for Christmas anniversary.
Grace as a young girl was so excited that she was paying them a visit in another town for the the first time in her life. Her mother bought her a very beautiful new cloth, pair of shoes, hand bangles, ear rings, and a very beautiful necklace with pendant.
The day her aunt was coming to pick her up has arrived, Grace woke up very early in the morning, took her bath, gotten dressed up by her mother and sat down in front of her house, patiently and happily waiting for her aunt to come.
She ran to hugged her aunt as she alighted from a motorcycle, and helped her to carry her bag that contained some things , like foodstuffs and others she brought for her brother (which is Grace's father). They entertained her aunt with their native food (Amala, made with cassava flour and hot water, with ewedu, made with green leaf, and gbegiri, made with beans).
It was evening, around 5p.m, and the aunt was about to leave, She took Grace's eldest brother Moses, along with her, so that the brother could bring her back home after the Christmas anniversary. They got to their sister's place late in the, she showed them their room to sleep. It was a very long night for Grace and her brother, Moses. Because their was nobody to disturb their sleep by woken them up in the next day morning for any house chores. They woke up very late, and only had to take their bath, brushed their teeth and headed to the dining table for food.
Finally, The Christmas day has arrived, they went to church in the morning, and after they came back from church, their aunt cooked a very delicious Nigerian popular "jollof rice", with chicken for them. They enjoyed the days spent with their aunt, and they felt like staying longer, but heck NO, they are resuming back to school the following week, so they had to go back home.
The town has a river where Grace brother always went to swim every.
A funny scenery happened one day, Moses went to the river as usual, but instead of swimming, he went to climb a Mango tree that is very close to the river. As he was climbing the tree, he sighted a fresh riped mango, and as he was trying to pluck it, he fell. Luckily for him, he took his sister (Grace) along as he was going that day. His sister heard the sound and his scream as he fell and ran there. But when she got there, she was surprised as she saw her brother rolling and crying on the floor.
Grace ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her to go and call her aunt at home. Her aunt was scared as she saw her running, crying and shouting her name from a long distance, she explained what happened, and her aunt called one of her neighbors to follow her to carry the boy home. The neighbour carried him home, they took him to the hospital, informed his parents and sent both him and his sister home third day after.
Their aunt gave them enough money that would carry them home, but on their way home the boy that just got back from hospital Started doing another unexpected things without considered his innocent young sister that followed him...
TO BE CONTINUED...