It was a very cold December morning but Edede was oblivious to the cold as she stood with the other graduating students at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England on the occasion of her graduation from the University of Sunderland. With a smile on her face, she went down memory lane and she recalled an incident that happened back in her home country some years before.
Edede was a very brilliant child; in fact one of the best in her secondary school. She had passed her West African School Certificate Examinations with 3 distinctions, 3 credits and 2 passes; Maths and English inclusive. But she had ended up at a remedial centre to acquire secretarial skills because there was no money to pay for her university education.
She had cried herself to sleep several months before when she realised that she was going to end up in the centre with other house helps who could barely read or write. She was however grateful for the opportunity to leave the house for a few hours a day even if it meant trekking the long distance to the centre every day. It meant a little freedom for her; freedom from the daily hectic house chores as well as the usual hawking of wares for her 'aunty'. For her, this was the place where she believed she could actualise her dream of being an educated African woman. She knew she'd one day acquire that university degree no matter how long it took her.
Lately though, a new friend had come into Edede's life. At 18, she'd never been able to make friends and so she'd been so grateful to God for Easie's friendship. No young boy her age ever made friends with her because she was seen as a house help and she could never mix freely because she had a huge inferiority complex borne out of the fact that she'd never felt genuinely loved for once by the people around her. But now she'd begun to blossom.
She walked home from the centre with trepidation that evening. Her 'aunty's sister' had come visiting and every time that woman came around, it was always war for Edede. She'd not only verbally abuse Edede but she'd be beaten at the slightest provocation. She was still trying to appraise herself to know what to expect as she approached her home when she saw Easie's mum coming out of the house with Edede's 'aunty'. The look on the women's faces almost sent Edede running for cover as they responded to Edede's greeting of 'Good evening, ma' maliciously.
As Edede stood by the door to make way for the two women, she could barely see the hand that sent a thunderous slap to her face sending her to the floor like a pack of cards. She struggled to stand up as the beatings and the verbal abuse came pouring down on her while crying and begging for mercy. What was the reason for this assault? Edede realised afterwards that it was because of her friendship with Easie. Easie's mum had come to inform Edede's aunty to warn her house help to stay away from her 'university' son. Her son couldn't be friends with a common 'remedial centre' girl like Edede. Her aunty had felt insulted and had to teach Edede to know where she belonged.
Just as she felt a tear drop down her face, she heard her name being called by the Vice Chancellor of the school. Edede had distingushed herself among her peers. She had emerged not only as the best female graduate in her set with a Second Class Upper Division, but also the only one from her country. As she made her way to the podium to the applause of the audience she thought to herself...
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