RONKEWRITES
NEVER GIVE UP: EPISODE ONE
My parents have always wanted the best for me but not what I want best. My mum told me several times that she saw me in her dream graduating from medical school.
“You must be a doctor!!!”
Daddy yelled at me one hot afternoon while I was preparing my article for the church magazine. “But dad, I want to be a writer, Chimamanda is my role model, I have no aspiration for medical school” I tried to protest but it was vain.
To cut the long story short, I found myself in Science class on entering SS1. Everything didn’t go as mum and dad planned. My grades were nothing to write home about and I repeated the class twice. Despite all these, my dad was still bent on me becoming a doctor. And one day he said to me:
“My grandfather was a doctor, my father was a doctor, l am also a reputable medical doctor in Nigeria and you must carry on with the family occupation”. He warned me to be uptight with my academics and make sure I accomplish his dream of me becoming a medical doctor. My mum wasn’t helping matters, she added fire to the matter whenever Dad scolded me. “This shouldn’t be, I have the right to live my life and become whatever I want. My only dream is to be a good writer and I know one day I’ll be famous and I will make a lot of money from it” I said to myself and then said a little prayer afterward to God.
I tried so many times to explain to my mum and dad I wasn’t interested in studying medicine. Sometimes, I cried and other times I gave very long speeches but all was vain. I decided to achieve my parent’s dreams by studying hard to be a medical doctor but I didn’t give up on my dreams of becoming a writer. I wrote my SSCE exams and did well. I filled the necessary forms to enter the university and my career choice was none other than medicine. I had never seen my dad and mum that happy in many years. My dad threw a party for me, we rejoiced as a family even though I wasn’t in the university yet. When the admission list came out my name wasn’t on the list. Dad was disappointed and told me something I would never forget; “I don’t care how many exams you write or how many times you write it, you must enter the university and study medicine”. I wrote the exam again and expected my name to be on the admission list but still, it wasn’t there. This time around, my dad wasn’t smiling. He threatened to disown me if I don’t study the course he had chosen for me. I wept so much and prayed to God again. I needed God this time around. While waiting for my name on the admission list after the just concluded exams
I wrote, I joined a writing club without my parent’s knowledge and signed up for a writing competition. On the day the winner of the competition was to be announced, I had a terrible accident.
To be continued
Disclaimer: Please be informed that this is a fictional piece and all the story, characters and plots were created from the writer’s imagination.
Igbi, Blessing Aderonke anchors – RonkeWrites. A weekly column on SHEFFA where she shares her novels, short stories, poems, inspirational/motivational books, and quotes. She is an undergraduate of English Education at the University of Lagos. She believes in true love and sincere friendship. She loves to offer advice on matters of the heart and hopes to become a famous writer and publish as many books as possible.