29/04/2025
LIFE IS SHORTER THAT YOU THINK
Drawn from true life story
Veronica was a very promising young girl, born around the early 80s. The future seemed crystal bright when she departed for boarding school in the late 80s, she was the second daughter in the family of 8 children, the parents had lost their last daughter and Veronica had become the last born child of the family, this position generally entails so much benefits in the Nigerian family system. She had the whole attention of her 5 able bodied brothers and they had her best interest in their hearts.
When vero’ as they always called her, left for school, her new shiny iron box was filled to the brim with assorted provisions of her liking, she was escorted by their elder brother on his new “CG” motorcycle as they called it then.
Years later, Veronica graduated primary school which was a huge achievement then, the graduation and homecoming was celebrated in a grand ceremony, as a fresh graduate her attention was in high demand for secretary roles in the various villages meetings and clubs, by this time she had already entered the adolescent age, the brothers were mostly outside the town hustling and coming home in a while. Veronica in her prime sought a new town and a new job, “hair making”, which was the most popular and lucrative job then, she lived in a town very close to her village so getting home was not a problem since she was just 19 years old then, her business was doing very well and by her early 20s, men had started trooping in batch by batch to ask for her hand in marriage.
that was how and where Veronica’s life mistakes started, she was a woman in her prime, very beautiful, glowing skin, good body shape and very endowed, her brothers started chipping in advices, asking her to choose a good man out of the band of suitors, she felt the stage had come to stay forever, she heeded none of the advices and lived her life the way she pleased, by the moment, all of her brothers had gotten married, and funny enough, none of the women they married was older than Veronica.
In a little blink, Veronica had already clocked 30 years of age, she was still in her time, but now she was getting much interested in marriage because her friends had almost all gotten married, she started dating a man that was seriously considering marriage with her, everything had eventually worked out for the better, the family thought, after a few years of dating, she got pregnant for the man, the man was very happy and was ready to do small thing about the pride price just to admit responsibility, Veronica took the one decision that changed her life forever. She went behind the partner, her family, and aborted the pregnancy, she had done that using local herbs and concoctions, this did a little damage that let to serious bleeding, she was taken to the hospital. The partner learnt of the very abortion, he couldn’t understand her reasons and the weight of the betrayal was too heavy for him.
The engagement was called of later and Veronica was single again, this time with a taunted reputation.
Years ran by and Veronica woke up to be 45 years already, her brother’s kid were becoming adults already, now her whole interest shifted from living life to having a life, now she’s not in her prime any longer, the brothers were tired already because they had become fathers and some about to become grand fathers, churches and prayers houses became Veronica’s new found alternative, that was not helping and age was not halting.
Men that found her attractive and interesting had already become fathers. Veronica started seeking solace in her family members but they were already occupied with wife and children, they had their own families and responsibilities now.
Veronica thought of a new idea, ‘to bear a child at least’, but menopause was not smiling at her either, she had stopped seeing her monthly visits… the situation became worse…
No child
No partner
No family attention
No strength because of age
Reality had set in, Veronica started seeking for adoptive child , she had wanted to adopt one of the brothers child, but the mother objected
Now Veronica come home to no home
The father’s house had been torn apart and another house built in the spot by the elder brother, living there with his family….
Fear of being barely welcomed by the brother’s wives, Veronica is now stuck in the town ….
Old
Alone
And noticeably frustrated ……
Drawn from a real life experience
Chi-emeka✍️
