Chapter 5: Hard Work, Small Hope

Na who strong survive.

For this house, if you no get mind, you go turn story. Na so I use my head carry load wey pass my age. I learn to chop insult, learn to hold pain.

I no wan die, so I gats bear am. I gats strong head, else I no go live.

My leg dey strong pass before. Even when dem beat me, I go bite lip, no let tear commot. Inside me, I dey tell myself, "You go see better tomorrow."

Four years waka. From ordinary maid wey no dey collect shishi, I turn small maid wey dey collect 100 kobo every month. Then, because old madam like how I dey feed fowl, she carry me go her side as second-class maid, pay me 400 kobo every month.

Na step by step e dey be. From fetching water to feeding fowl, as madam see say I dey sharp, she begin trust me. 400 kobo, e sweet for body, even if e small for outside.

Four hundred kobo no be small thing. One kobo fit buy one bean cake. If to say na today, one kobo be like twenty naira, so na like 8,000 naira I dey collect every month.

Sometimes, I go close eye, dey calculate. With 400 kobo, I fit buy soap, small biscuit. For this house, na big achievement.

As I dey see money, I work harder.

If money dey show face, motivation go increase. I begin dey wake earlier, dey sweep neater. Everybody dey notice.

Na humanities I study, management I major. That invisible market hand no fit save me here. I no sabi make soap or gunpowder like other transmigrators, my hand for needlework just dey okay.

I dey always remember say all those skills wey dey help for novel, no fit work here. All those people wey sabi do miracle, for this place, dem go still bend.

Only thing wey I sabi well na how to make snacks, so I put all my power for there. As long as old madam fit taste my snack, I fit spend hours dey perfect am.

I dey try fry chin-chin, bake coconut cake, even puff-puff. Old madam dey always smile when she taste my work. Sometimes she go hide am for her room, say make dem no chop am finish.

For this house, oga na god, and na wetin dem talk be performance review. Na only if you please dem, you fit see beta day.

Anytime oga dey pass, everybody dey line up like say na military parade. Dem go look your work, judge am, talk if you fit remain for house. Na so everybody dey hustle for approval.