Listening to the late 2Pac serenade Afeni in his affectionate song Dear Mama got me thinking down the memory lane once again. It's been a while since I listened to the song because it always got me emotional. But for this episode's prompt, that's exactly what I needed for inspiration.
If there's one person who has contributed more than most to my growth and development, it's definitely my mother. And I'm very sure a lot of people from this side of the world will probably credit their mother for being the biggest influence in their lives.
To buttress my point, last week I watched in agony as my beautiful and hardworking neighbour struggled in the market to sell her goods. As much as it sounded like the case of an ordinary woman who was exercising diligence in labour, knowing her story made it a very difficult experience for me. The truth is if she doesn't sell as much as possible of those goods her three kids will probably go to bed on empty stomach or eat whatever they can find.
How about the father of those kids, you asked? Well, the idiot woke up one day, packed his bags and abandoned the woman and the kids. The deadbeat dude met a new woman who's willing to lavish money on him in return for love and affection. He's never contributed a dime to the family since he left about four months back. That's the story of so many families down here albeit with some minor tweaks.
And that's why mothers are the bedrock of success for a lot of people here because they always stay to raise their kids. How can one even credit one's success to a person that wasn't available? Truth is, a lot of guys here either bailed out on their family or used one flimsy excuse to send the woman and her kids packing. Choosing not to contribute financially is their way of punishing the woman for whatever sin she may be accused of. A good mother will not stand and watch her kids go hungry without trying, the woman's agony and toiling serves as some form of happiness for the useless father.
Well, that's not my story - though there are a few similarities. Asides my mom, I definitely have my dad to thank for making up for the time he missed. He wasn't really available when I was little but more than made up for it when he finally showed up. I have to count myself lucky to have both parents available while I matured into an adult. Their combined effort helped straighten my crooked ways.
Besides the nuclear family support, I've had an unexpectedly large support from one of my cousins too. We bonded as kids when he was just 13 while I was 10. Since then, we've taken a thousand and one steps together and he's been there all the way. God bless you, Nick. Such a wonderful soul.
Finally, my gratitude goes to every individual who has influenced me positively and negatively. To the positive influencers, thank you for moulding me; to the negative influencers, thank you for forcing me to grow. And to the awesome guys who never got tired of helping my Hive journey, you are wonderful. You know yourselves already, I don't need to call you guys out every other week. Thanks, y'all.
