Thirty Five

I lift my head to look at the wall around me, now filled with affirmative words and actions phrases. Words like 'You can do it!' 'You're enough!' 'You're going to win!' made me sigh and lean back in the wheel chair I was sitting in.

My therapist, Ms Williams, a beautiful mix of Nigerian and British sat right there in front of me clasping a bound notebook. I wanted to face the wall like I was used to but she had told Kaka, my grandmother, and Kaka asked that the wall be plastered with affirmative words to make me talk.

But today, I was willing to talk. I had seen a video on YouTube on Huda's phone and I could not stop thinking about it. I saw how beaten a woman was and it triggered the pain I felt when I woke. It reminded me of the time I could not even move my neck and how I had so many loved ones around me.

Ma, Kawu, Rabiah, Zainab, now Huda, Kaka, my many cousins, even the head maid, Iyamé. They reminded me everyday that my body fought the battle against death and won with plenty of