This letter would inspire you

 

Dear Temilolu,

Many thanks for your article on delaying gratification. I sincerely hope a lot of girls would learn from it. My name is Jumoke though my in-laws call me Jumai and I’ll be 30 in July. I grew up in affluence and enjoyed every bit of what the children of the upper-class were exposed to. I went to elitist schools but for reasons best known to my late dad, I had my university education here at the University of Lagos even when he had more than enough money to send me abroad. I kept hoping he’d change his mind but he never did. He bought me a beautiful car which blew my mind for my 18th birthday and that shut me up. I was easily the toast of the campus as I was never short of the latest designer clothes I bought on every vacation abroad. And the hottest babes milled around me. He died in my 3rd year and his younger brother took over everything that belonged to him in one fell swoop. It was a horrible nightmare. It happened too fast and we had to re-locate from our mansion to the family house at Isale-Eko. Luckily, my mother had a piece of land at Magodo Isheri which she built within a few months after selling all her gold jewellery and my car which was the only one we were left with. In fact, we almost sold ourselves to survive (laughs). Now, the envy of the campus had to l-e-a-r-n to use the public transport (enter bus). It was bad as I was not used to it and was always falling ill and landing in the hospital. My friends (whose school fees I’d gotten my late dad to pay) deserted me. My father’s friends and other men who ought to help wanted to sleep with me. Though I wasn’t a virgin, I could never do that even if I didn’t have food to eat. I saw the other side of life and it turned me to a recluse as I became suspicious of everyone and couldn’t stand anymore pain or disappointment. We suffered so much demotion and setback but let me fast-forward to my service year.

I was posted to a Northern state and I almost died crying. Well, I had no choice. I ended up in the office of the wife of the governor. I was very reserved and usually kept to myself. Honestly, there were days I wished I never woke up. I was so aggrieved at the situation of things and was dying of loneliness, yet I didn’t want any friends. Unlike other female corpers who roamed the Governor’s office for obvious reasons, I remained on my seat. The First Lady noticed and took special interest in me. Also, I was very respectful to everyone and was quick to go down on my knees to greet the older ones around me. She found this strange and was fond of saying she wished to meet the woman who brought me up, my mother. In the seventh month of my service year, she asked me to accompany her to Lagos on a weekend for a party and invited my mum. My mum joined us at the hotel later that day and I tell you there was no party. She told my mum that she had come to Lagos to ask for my hand in marriage for her friend’s brother who was based in Paris. I didn’t find that funny but I kept my cool. Sis, I swooned when I saw the picture of the guy who would later become my husband. He’s half- Moroccan, half –Nigerian and into upstream oil and gas and eight years older than I. When we met, it was like a match made in heaven.

Fast forward…that girl who would ply “danfo” (Ketu-Ojota-Mile 12) has been flying all over the world with her husband in his Gulf Stream jet. We live in Monaco where I am chauffeured by a French man in a Bentley and spend a lot of time in Paris where I get invited for private viewing whenever the designers girls go crazy about their latest collection. I have too many designer items and have since lost interest. You’d find me in ankara or voile lace made into a boubou or something (laughs). I have two lovely boys and hope to have a girl soon. Just like you mentioned in your last article, I am master over all I could ever wish for and much more is running after me. Please, keep up the good work. Up GIRLS CLUB!

Wow! How nice! Whatever your situation is right now, please hold on and be strong so that you can be rewarded with the best things in life. I pray our Chibok sisters in captivity come out alive and enjoy the wonders life has in store for them.