The day was getting dark ,the atmosphere looked Misty. She got tired of running her legs where aching badly. She decided to rest under an almond tree. "Mummy why did you have to leave me" chioma said, if only you where alive dad wouldn't have married a second wife and all this things won't be happening to me "Chioma cried bitterly.
Chioma was a young girl of fifteen years. Her mother died when she was two years old. The only memory of her mother she had was the big picture hung on the wall of her room, Which was the only picture of her mother her dad pleaded with her step- mom not to dispose. Her dad married her step-mom few months after her mother died . Rumor had it that he killed his wife just to bring is lover but Chioma always defended him saying her father loved her and knew she needed a mother figure.
Chioma stopped school at the age of ten when she was sent home from school because her dad lost his job and was unable to pay her school fees. On a Saturday morning chioma woke up from sleep, went into the kitchen to get broom so that she could sweep she saw a tray of plantain and was so happy because she had being starved for two days . She thought her step mom was going to prepare food for her. Walking into the parlour happily her joy was cut short when she was told to hawk the plantain. She had never hawked before so the whole episode seemed like a dream to her. Carrying the plantian on her head all she could do was cry as she walked out of the house. Sitting on a bench and just looking at the plantain she feel asleep . No! she shouted only for her to wake up she had being dreaming, She was hit by a car in the dream. Trying to recover from the shock of the dream she saw her fellow hawkers running all she could do was run and save her life.