Inside-out

Lagos has been her home ever since she moved from her maternal home in Delta State with her father,her mother refused to come with them on the basis of not wanting to mingle with the city culture and dying in her homeland.Ivy and her father moved to Lagos after she completed her primary school at Government Primary School,the only primary school the village could boast of,even though the doors,windows and ceiling were missing and letters are written constantly to the local government,yet no response forth coming,the student likewise the teachers have accepted it that way.The pupils always proved that they learn despite the ugly environment whenever the compete in inter-school competitions like quiz,debate,spelling bee and the likes of them of which Ivy always participate excellently.Ivy and her father found it difficult to settle in Lagos due in financial insufficiency,they slept under the bridge for months and luckily for them they were able to secure a one room apartment at Obalende through a kind hearted woman who formerly lives there but moved to a bigger apartment her children rented for her.They were forever grateful to the woman and prayed for her always;at least there was a roof over their head,even though it wasn't the best,a face-me -i -face-you apartment as it is commonly known in Lagos where half the tenant are gossipers,jobless people,ashawo while the other half are white-collar employees,Yahoo boys and those with starched shirt and trousers holding files looking for job.It was another world for them especially Ivy who wondered how they all managed to live together despite the constant shouting of'ole' and 'ndi oshi'whenever something got missing or stolen,the fights and qurell together with the settling and laughter that followed suit amazed her.The single bathroom and toilet was sometimes kept clean but some occasions it was a disaster as feaces would spread on the toilet seat and on the floor with nobody doing anything about it especially in cases when there was scarcity of water in the area and no electricity to pump water,the toilet was a dreaded area which no one dared to use.Ivy and her father struggled for their survival,she managed to get admitted into the secondary school Obalende Grammar School,a government school;being a girl with big dreams and vision she remained focused all through her years in secondary school,she topped her class and also participated in several competition which comes with awards and trophies,she became the admiration of students in her school.Her father was always proud of her likewise their neighbours at home,Ivy always believed she was the only one to rewrite the family ugly history to a satisfying one.Her relationship was God was her utmost priority,she never joked with her morning masses everyday and her active participation in the Legion of Mary society at St.Mary's Catholic Church Obalende.Her father who never took religion seriously became drawn to it particpated actively.The West African Examination Council took place and she overall best in her school,her father and their neighbours celebrated her success,it was the talk of town,Ivy felt like a celebrity,both girls and boys wanted to associate with her especially the boys who always wanted to woo her,Ivy was indeed beautiful with her alluring figure and dark complexion that shines, her double backside and her boobs always draws the attention of the opposite sex no matter how hard she tries to hide it with her oversize clothing.Ivy and her father did different kinds of jobs just to raise money for her University education,she registered for JAMB and passed excellently,her results earned her a schlorship to study Accounting which was her dream course,she has dreamt of owning a business company that would be all over the world and be a house hold name.She got admitted into the University of Lagos,she couldn't believe that it was actually happening that she could go to the University,her father could hardly contain his joy,he was overwhelmed and thank God for giving him Ivy as his child.