I held my father’s diary and the weight of the content was making me sink in a literal way. “Lock the door let us go.” said my mother finally after several minutes of silence. I locked the door and my mother and I went to our room. “What should we do Fetty?” said my mother in a confused tone. I felt elated the moment my mother asked me what to do next. I never knew a moment will come when she will have to seek for my counsel. I sat by the edge of the bed then said “Before father died, he tried to warn me.” I began. “He said we were in danger and he moved in to our compound for a reason but I dint listen….I wish I did.” I lamented while rubbing my forehead with my left palm. My mother moved closer to me, held my hands and said “We will be fine Fetty.” “I know why you ignored his warning. The circumstance wasn’t favorable.” She added. “I will open the diary but you must promise me mother.” I said with fixed gaze. She nodded in affirmation.”Whatever outcome the content of this diary pr

I ironed my skimpy denim gown with so much caution paying attention to the rumpled edges. I neatly placed in on top of my bag and proceeded to make my hair. I have a long thick hair and even though I couldn't afford wigs and various kinds of hair extensions, I was glad braids give me an awesome look. I braid my hair every week. Tonight, I'll be going to the annual ghetto Fiesta. The event is to hold in Greenland.  It was the event of the moment. It held once a year and we always looked forward to it. I will braid my hair and put on my well ironed denim gown. My golden sandals would definitely make my look complete, simple and a bit dashing. I knocked on Jamila's door and she invited me in. Jamila Ali had magic hands and I believe her braids were made for me. She braided my hair every week and her styles never stop coming. I sat on the little mat spread on the floor. She went inside, grabbed her wrapper because she had only a short skirt on then she came out and sat on the long

CHAPTER 24 I held the girl's arm tightly and we ran for almost a minute or more. While we were running, the strange girl kept muttering things I couldn't comprehend. She was still intoxicated with alcohol. We stopped running after I realized we were both tired and were panting heavily. We stood and were resting by a corner. "Where do you live?" I asked while struggling to catch my breath. "1st street."she slowly replied. "What? That's quite far you know?  How did you end up there? " I retorted. She didn't utter a word. I felt angry. I held her hand once more but this time not too tightly and we walked down to her street. As we walked down to her street, I couldn't help but imagine what would have happened if I didn't show up that moment. She would have been raped and might get pregnant. I remembered the one night stand Jamila and I joked about in the afternoon and how the annual ghetto fiesta was said to be a major cause of the babies we have around. She was a bit sobbe

"Anxiety disorder" she began is a dimension of mental health disorder that is characterized by feelings of worry, fear and anxiety." I nodded my head even though I couldn't process all she was saying. 'Was I going crazy? " I thought. "Anxiety disorder can be strong enough to interfere with a person's daily activities." She added. "So what can I do to stop it"?  I interrupted. "Well since you asked of my oipinion, I'll say you see a specialist... uhm.. Like a therapist.. Psychologist.. " "No I interrupted. " she looked at me surprised. I have read about few kinds of mental illnesses in a book I came across in the library. In some of the novels I read, I read how characters undergo therapy sessions, having baseless conversations and to me the entire activity was a bit dumb. There was a time a character suffering from depression in one of the books was asked what he ate during his first therapy session. I wasn't willing to go down that boring line of therapy sessions and besides g

I wiped the tears running down my cheeks with my left palm. Dr. Amrah watched me keenly without saying a word. She was letting me have a moment. What will she do next? I thought. "Fetty let's go." She said. I wasn't sure whether I properly heard her. "Home? " I retorted. "Yes we are going home. " she said again. I wanted to ask her how she felt after I divulged my secrets to her. I wanted to know what her response will be but instead she said nothing, she wanted us to go home. I got up, folded the traditional indian mat and placed it in the trunk of her car. We drove back into London without uttering a word to each other.  "Can you please drop me at the bar? " I pleaded. "Sure." She replied. "But you'll have to show me the way." She added. I nodded. We got to the bar after I gave her directions using my hands and she parked right in front of our bar. Before I hopped down, she held my hand, hugged me tightly saying "I am proud of you." I smiled not knowing what to say or do at t