girl relaxing on the beachI feel happy and accomplished when I am able to contribute my little knowledge, contact and sometimes widow’s might to help sort out issues and bring succour to the aggrieved, just as I rejoice in their success stories too.
Because most of these stories are told in first person narratives, I get to meet many people physically. Many others are however told by those close to the subjects. Often times, I also receive stories by mail which means I may never get to meet the characters.
However, once a while, one does come across stories or persons that will touch the core of one’s heart and soul and leave one with many unanswered questions. I came across one of such stories about four years ago when I received an SMS on my cell phone. The numbers are usually published on the adolescence and youth page, my contribution in the monthly Vanguard Kiddies Magazine.
I am usually very impatient and quick to discard vague messages. But there was something in the text which called to something deep inside me. Something told me it was a cry for help and that it was a serious problem. The text was simple, the English was not so good but it was clear.
The writer requested to speak with me on a personal problem but gave me a specific time frame to respond to the request as the phone through which the text was sent was not her own and the owner would be leaving later that Sunday evening. So, I quickly responded and told her I was available for whatever she wanted to discuss.
Then she told me she could not talk to me on that same phone but will call me sometime later in the week when we would be able to discuss. I was very disappointed. I knew I had hit a very good story and somehow, it was slipping through my fingers even before I knew what it was. What if she changed her mind and decided not to share this great story anymore. But I had no choice but to wait.
I kept my phone beside me always and even took it to bed with me so I would not miss any opportunity to talk to this young lady who I assumed was a teenager at the time. When it eventually came one afternoon, I wasted no time in offering to pay for the call. So, I called the number back. Her story left me with mixed feelings but more with anger with everyone connected with the gross negligence and selfishness.
According to the girl who gave her name as Chioma, she was 27 and had never had a menstruation in her life. She came across my article on girl puberty and menstruation and wanted to know if something was wrong with her. I was lost for a few seconds because she did not come across as a 27 year old lady. She sounded like a child with a small, frightened voice and not so good English.
No, she could not be 27. A 27 year old girl anywhere ought to be smarter than this. But after hearing the whole story, I concluded that almost anything in life is possible depending on the circumstance. Chioma told me that she lives in an Estate in Lekki and had recently started learning fashion designing after she finished secondary school.
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