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Amina slung the strap of her purse deftly over her shoulder as she walked towards her mother seated on the veranda, chewing bitter leaf stick absentmindedly.
She moved closer to Mama and bent so she was at eye level with her. This was because Mama had long-sightedness and couldn't see things from far away. "Mama, I will be back soon. I'm almost late for the photo exhibition."
A tear dropped down Mama's wrinkling face. She had creases and fine lines marring her forehead. "God will go with you." She said.
"Amen," Amina replied, but it was feeble. She had heard this prayer over and over again since she started freelancing as a photographer, 5 years ago. Now, she was 25 years old with a hopeless future.
She had no money to pay for Mama's declining eyesight at the eye clinic. Her elder siblings had all left home claiming Mama was a witch. But Amina stayed behind, unable to leave their poor mother alone.
As she made her way to the photo gallery, she remembered days when her works had been rejected, days when the males had offered her a job only if she would sleep with them. God knew she was on the verge of giving up.
But things changed when she bumped into Tony Adams, a renowned photographer. She quickly bent to pack her things littered on the floor. Tony joined her and picked a photograph of a young girl gazing at the sun. "Did you take this photograph?"
Amina nodded fearing rejection.
"This is beautiful!"
Amina saw the warmth and truthfulness in his eyes and knew he wasn't lying.
"Please don't give up. You're a star. Your time will come."
Amina closed her eyes briefly, when life throws you lemons, it can be sometimes hard to make a lemonade from it. But she wouldn't give up. With resilience and tenacity, she would one day raise her glass to success.
She moved closer to Mama and bent so she was at eye level with her. This was because Mama had long-sightedness and couldn't see things from far away. "Mama, I will be back soon. I'm almost late for the photo exhibition."
A tear dropped down Mama's wrinkling face. She had creases and fine lines marring her forehead. "God will go with you." She said.
"Amen," Amina replied, but it was feeble. She had heard this prayer over and over again since she started freelancing as a photographer, 5 years ago. Now, she was 25 years old with a hopeless future.
She had no money to pay for Mama's declining eyesight at the eye clinic. Her elder siblings had all left home claiming Mama was a witch. But Amina stayed behind, unable to leave their poor mother alone.
As she made her way to the photo gallery, she remembered days when her works had been rejected, days when the males had offered her a job only if she would sleep with them. God knew she was on the verge of giving up.
But things changed when she bumped into Tony Adams, a renowned photographer. She quickly bent to pack her things littered on the floor. Tony joined her and picked a photograph of a young girl gazing at the sun. "Did you take this photograph?"
Amina nodded fearing rejection.
"This is beautiful!"
Amina saw the warmth and truthfulness in his eyes and knew he wasn't lying.
"Please don't give up. You're a star. Your time will come."
Amina closed her eyes briefly, when life throws you lemons, it can be sometimes hard to make a lemonade from it. But she wouldn't give up. With resilience and tenacity, she would one day raise her glass to success.
Amina continued undeterred until one day, someone called her to work on a project worth millions of naira. They had stumbled upon her work on Instagram and loved it.
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