This article was sent to us by someone who chooses to remain anonymous.
There was a time when I couldn’t avoid simple luxuries in life. I wasn’t born into a rich or even remotely comfortable home. My parents constantly struggled to give my siblings and I the best, even though they did not have much. Through the gelp of kind-hearted uncles and aunts, we were able to finish our secondary and university education to the glory of God.
After I graduated from university, finding a job was really difficult. It was either I was considered over-qualified or under-qualified. I was going for job interviews for almost 2 years straight – it was such an awful situation. I felt so bad because I kept thinking to myself, “after all the hustling my family has been doing on my behalf, suffering to send me to school and meet my needs, I can’t believe I still ended up back with them, at home. I’m supposed to be the one taking care of them now. Am I destined to be a liability to my parents for life?” These thoughts of despair haunted me to the point where I began to sink into depression.
Then suddenly, things began to turn around. My family advised that if I couldn’t find a job, perhaps I could try starting my own business. Despite taking care of me for over 24 years, my parents and extended family bailed me out once again. They contributed money for me to start a small food business where I could cook for people and deliver to their houses by myself with public transport. It wasn’t easy at all and I would say that for the first year, I don’t think I was making much profit. But I was grateful to be working towards being independent.
Over the course of 3 years, my food business began to flourish, and I was able to save up money to open a small restaurant, while still offering food delivery services. Today I’m proud to say I’m operating in 5 locations across Lagos.
My road to success wasn’t easy. And so now that I’ve finally arrived, best believe that I will be treating myself to all the luxuries I couldn’t afford most of my life. Clothes, shows, jewelry, and especially human hair! I’m so obsessed with wigs and weaves. The longer the better. I have so many of them, but still want more. The ones I like are the real high end ones. The last one I bought cost $1,000. Perhaps this obsession stemmed from all those days on campus when some of my peers who were “runs girls” (if you know, you know!) would be flexing with their expensive hair, iPhones, new clothes and all that their sugar daddies had bought for them. They would laugh at me because I chose to preserve my dignity and not sleep around like they did. Now I can laugh in their faces and proudly tell them that I made it on my own! And with the help of my family of course.
So there you have it. I rock my super long, expensive weaves because they are a sign of my resilience. Because they reflect my success. Because they remind me that I finally made it! They remind me of the glow up I had yearned for all these years. It is finally mine.
Photo Credit: Youtube (*Photo is for illustrative purposes only. Individual in photo is NOT who this story is about*)
