Dear Diary: September 2017

by Adeola Faseyi

SUNDAY

Oh, how I love festive periods. It’s so fun. This is even way funner because school closed earlier for the year. This means we have an extended holiday and I have more fun times to spend with my friends outside of school. It’s as though suddenly, everywhere, we have beautiful decorations: Christmas trees and red ribbons almost on every shop door at the mall. I pray these Christmas lights don’t blind my eyes o.

The Christmas sales have started; more than 50 percent off the original prices but that’s not even the best of it – it’s when you buy a pair of shoes and you get these fantastic hair ribbons…God, I love Christmas!

The stores are not the only ones doing the ‘giving away’; even my network provider…today I got a message that I have 500 free messages to any network till the end of the year. Can you beat that???

This Christmas is going to be different. I am already making plans. I just need to get some money from dad to get a few things and then rock the Christmas like no other. I can’t wait!

MONDAY

So, I asked daddy for some money this morning so that I can start my shopping early and I got the shock of my life. Daddy says he doesn’t have money to give me!

Wait…What???

I’m going to literally throw a tantrum if this Christmas doesn’t go as planned. What will happen to the matching outfits that Tammy and I planned to rock to my Church’s Christmas Carol Service? Where will I get the money to buy mine? No wonder mum has been so quiet around the house. She only gives this weak smile when I tease her. No chasing me around the house with her wooden kitchen spoon for belching without covering my mouth; no dragging the TV remote with me so I am forced to tune to Africa Magic rather than E!  This is a changed mummy I’m living with here, mehn!

Where is she sef? I need explanations o, as to why dad is suddenly broke! This cannot be happening. This is the devil’s handwork and I know it. There is a need for some serious prayers. Right now, I would not even mind fasting just for money to miraculously appear in dad’s pocket.

TUESDAY

Things are worse than I thought. Dad made a huge loss in his business this year coupled with the fact that he has several bills to settle. This is officially going to be the ‘worstest’ Christmas ever.

Wish I could just sleep and wake up next year. I don’t want to witness this boring Christmas.

I know my mum is a very strong woman; so, when I saw her teary eyes while she explained dad’s travails to me, I could not hold back my tears too. This is indeed a trying period for my family. Lord, see us through, please.

WEDNESDAY

So, this morning, I am in bed refusing to wake up, trying so hard to sleep through to the New Year. That would be like sleeping for about 20 days straight; wouldn’t that be the longest sleep ever? I bet I would be setting a record and going straight into the World Record with that feat.

So, as I am laying in bed thinking about how God needs to intervene in our family’s circumstances, something told me, “how about if you do something to help?”

Then I started thinking, what can I do? I looked around for answers. I definitely need to do something.  Well, something has to be done and right now.  It doesn’t really matter who does it. Dad has been the one providing for the family for over 16 years of my life and if he needs a little help now, I think he deserves it. My father has been a good father to me!

I got even more convinced about the need to help the family when I got Tammy’s call asking me when we are going to get the outfits for the Christmas carol night that we are both attending. I gotta do something o.

THURSDAY

I don’t know if this was some kind of revelation, but I saw myself drawing a very beautiful picture of my family in my dream last night. When I finished, I hung the picture at a strategic place on a street and all who passed by admired the painting telling me how awesome it is and what a good artist I am.

Dear diary, I woke up and I got it. Since this is a festive period, I am going to make some really nice greeting cards and sell to people to make some money. If you want, and you make a special order, you could also get a picture of your family or a picture of the family you intend giving the card to, on the card.

Thankfully, earlier, Dad got me all the art materials I needed and I used the little money I had on me to get the rest of the materials I needed for my business. I got to work; made a couple of greeting cards and showed mum. She loved them.  I posted them, one after the other on my BBM and many didn’t believe I made them myself. This is good. I’m getting some nice recommendations that I need for my business.

So I wrote on my Facebook wall, ‘place your order for beautiful greeting cards specially made for you’. I literally got more than 10 people who asked ‘how much?’ all at once. Lord, I am excited. I’m in business.

FRIDAY

I am moving very fast with my production and I have a couple of deliveries to make today. I also need to buy more materials for more orders that have come in. I am making money for myself for the very first time. This is so interesting. I feel relevant; I feel like I matter.  I feel important. I am indeed happy that people are depending on me for something. It’s a good feeling to know that the service I am offering is making people smile and bonding families as well.

My mum and dad told their friends and so I had to employ the services of Sikira, my neighbor, to help me with deliveries and purchase of materials. I am getting my money as my goods are being delivered to the customers. When it’s a friend of mum or dad, I even get extra cash for doing a good job.

This is cool o, why didn’t I think of this a long time ago?

SATURDAY

In less than three days, I had made enough money for the outfit for my carol service and even more!

When mum complained about fuel in the generator running out and I doled out cash to the security man to get more, she could not hold back from giving me a very tight hug! I know she is proud of me, I am proud of myself too!