He Promised Me Work In Lagos, Na Trap I Enter (EPISODE 26)

EPISODE 26 – Skill Is Another Kind Freedom

The morning Lagos sun hit the dusty streets, but I didn’t mind. Today felt different — lighter, like I could breathe in a way I hadn’t for months. My secret meetings with the church woman had begun to teach me things I had forgotten: hope, strategy, patience.

She had suggested I learn a skill — something that could make me independent without relying on anyone who might trap me again. Catering. Cooking. Small beginnings, she said, but powerful.

At first, I was hesitant. Lagos kitchens were hot, noisy, and intimidating. I had barely touched a frying pan in my life outside home. But I remembered my mother’s hands, her gentle teaching when I was young, and I decided to try.

The first week, I burned rice, spilled stew, and nearly cut my fingers on sharp knives. But she laughed gently, never mocking, always encouraging:
“No be how you start, na how you continue. Small small, you go dey perfect.”

By the second week, I could cook rice without burning it, fry akara like a pro, and even bake small chin-chin. I began selling to neighbors quietly — a plate here, a small package there. The money was small, almost laughable, but it felt like freedom. My hands were earning, my mouth selling, my mind planning.

For the first time in months, I felt my own power. No one had given it to me; no one was holding it over my head. I could feed myself. I could move without asking permission. I could breathe.

Evenings, I returned to my small room in Agege, counting naira notes, feeling a sense of accomplishment stronger than any comfort he had ever offered. I whispered to myself: “Skill is freedom, small but true.”

But freedom always carries risk in Lagos. I noticed him sometimes watching more carefully, his questions sharper:
“Where you dey go? Wetin you dey do all day?”
I smiled and lied, keeping my small independence hidden for now.

This small skill became my secret shield — a way to survive, plan, and hope. Lagos was still dangerous, but now I had a weapon he could not touch: my hands, my mind, my work.

Episode 27 Coming Soon
Nkiru’s small catering business grows. A customer notices her talent and offers a small catering contract. But her “benefactor” begins suspecting she is hiding something, tension builds.