Diary entry- 18th December 

Dear Twinkle, its 7 days to Christmas today. Mom hasn't bought anything for the festivities yet.

Things have not exactly been the same since the incessant increase in dollar this year. Mom has had to borrow a lot from her fellow market women to stock her provision store but yet, with every new day there seems to be something bad hovering in the Nigerian Economy. 

I wished our Christmas was like those I watched on Nickelodeon growing up, something like the Thunderman's Christmas Special or Henry Danger's. In this part of the world, our delight is in travelling from our urban cities to the village or town to visit our parent's extended family members. I've eavesdropped and mother and Father talking and I heard Father saying he isn't sure we would be travelling to the village this year. My heart dropped a bit. I am not a big fan of the village as much because well, I'm somewhat of what you can call antisocial and that is evident in you, Twinkle- happening to be my only friend.

Father says work at the Refinery hasn't been so smooth, and if we are to travel to the village now it might be hard to pay my school fees by the next term which is to start by January. I feel sad for him though, I know he loves us celebrating with our extended family.

Mother comforts him by saying some words in our dialect, which I do not completely understand. But I sensed him calm down a bit. 

Diary Entry- 19th December

Mother asked me to start cleaning the house. Bringing out the old kitchen utensils we saved only for times when we spent Christmas at home like in 2020 during covid-19. Father wasnt satisfied that the virus was contained.

I had to clean the kitchen as well, dust the cabinets and arrange every utensil correctly.

I clean the living room next, dusting the curtains and wiping dust off the cushion and center table. I clean the stereo as well, and our 52-inch TV. I arrange the small book shelves surrounding the TV area, I believe I got my love for books from my dad. He stil has one of the first published books by Chinua Achebe, Things fall apart.

I am to clean each room in our three bedroom flat as well. My parent's room is pretty simple to clean for me, I hardly ever do much in there because mother always makes it her duty to clean it every morning before leaving for her store. The guest room is pretty wide but not as much as my parent's. I always believed the room was for meant for my sibling. I am the only child, but somehow I see in my parent's eyes the longing for me to have had a younger sibling. I mourn with them for a while and then remember that having a sibling will mean having to share everything like my seat partner in school, dorcas does with her other 4 younger siblings, and I'm suddenly glad I'm the only child.

I rested to watch a few movies by afternoon before waiting for mother to return from her store by evening.

I had engrossed myself so much in Chimamandas Purple Hibiscus that I only heard mother calling when she was already at the door. I dropped my book to welcome her and of course she scolds me a bit for delaying to come help take away the items she got from the market for her car. 

We both go into the kitchen together to make dinner before Father returns from work and here we have our usual gist. She tells me about how sales was good today and how if it had been like this at least thrice in a month since the start of the year, who wouldnt have had to stay back for Christmas but instead we would be preparing to go to the village already. 

Well, this is how Ive grown up to know mother talk about things she and my father had already concluded. Chipping it into a regular conversation like I already knew about it. I mean I did know. I am 16 and sometimes it hard to let out my pain to my mother about her not considering my opinion on important decisions, like when she suddenly decided I needed a lesson Teacher when I was 14 and in SS1 and it only took my excellent grade in the first term examinations to prove to her that I did not need external help. Mr Ibrahim was nice and super intelligent, but still I knew I would cover more grounds if I didnt have someone checking on my progress every weekday after school.

But such is the life of an African child, your parents can never be wrong and so on this matter I decide to keep mute and not be disturbed about the fact that I was never informed.

Tonight, we had Rice and fish sauce with loads of snails on top. Father gave that satisfactory face he always has on at every meal.

Diary Entry- 20th December

I spent most of the day reading and napping. The weather gets really cold in the morning, but then the sun comes giving hope at midday. 

 feel I didnt do so much today, but then I remember practising Jamb questions on the MySchool App, and having a pretty 90% in Biology and 86% in Chemistry and I feel like Ive had the most productive day. I still dont know what I want to study in the University yet but I do know whatever its going to be, I have to perform more excellently than ever.

Diary Entry- 21st December

Twinkle, guess what? I won.

Okay, maybe I can start from the beginning. Before the term ended this year, I had been chosen to represent my school in this annual national essay Competition. I and two other students from my year had successfully moved our school from the local Area competitions into the National Grand Finale. This is the first time Ill be fully representing my school at the national level, as students in the previous senior year had been the ones to. But here I was, it was my turn and I am ready to win it all.

We had the oral question and answer series which we had triumphantly excelled above all the other top schools in the country. 

Then came Essay Writing, the one which decided the final outcome of the results. I hadnt had an idea on what to write about the Essay Topic which read; Time; what would you change about todays world if you had a chance?

Well, I couldnt really decide, my spiritual instincts had kicked in and had intruded and told me that what more could I do to change anything in the world, when God has commanded it so?

But then I thought about Pakistan and all the bad things Ive seen befall its people, and in it I said I would like to take away Pain, forever.

And as I kept on expanding the different possibilities of doing that, it struck me that I could do that more than ever by being a professional who helps to take at least 90% of our pain away, and leave the 10% to chance. A medical doctor might look good on me.

Diary Entry- 22nd December

Father had travelled out of town yesterday on a work emergency. You can imagine his happiness when he came home this morning that my essay had won the best entry at the National Competition. And attached to it was a cheque of #250,000 and a trip to Abuja Sheraton Hotel with my family for an exquisite luxury treatment for I and my family of 4.

He began making calls to his friends and our family members, about how the female child that is seen as a less goodwill is putting the familys name on the map. He goes to excitedly tell his brother (My Uncle) that we would be in the village by the 24th. I know, that is my fathers way of not informing me about a new decision as well.

Diary Entry- 23rd December

I have been packing all day. For me, its less dress, more books. My best companion, you see.

Diary Entry- 24th Decemeber

We finally arrived at the village to the sound of drums and cheers. They have been waiting for us, like always. But this time, I believe they had been waiting for me as well.

And amongst the tens of smiles around us, I noticed a special someones. A girl that I will end up knowing her name to be Adanna, but I doubt that would be all.