Shards of love

ered the art of

o fray. She didn't speak unless spoken to. She smiled when necessary. She laughed just enough. Her silence made her s

he was sim

k, her older brother, spent most of his time searching for work,moving from construction sites to workshops, coming h

les, sweating through his shirt by noon. He came home with tired eyes and a heavy silence that filled their small room like s

d learned the rhythm of need. Tekiyah would tie her scarf and grab the blue basin, f

that barely acknowledged them. Tekiyah learned how to kneel for h

ompound, washing bucket after bucket of school uniforms

inging to her knuckles.

y. This life is hard enough for me. You sho

mother didn't say much often

too? That she sometimes stared at the ceiling at night wonderin

ushes, Tekiyah rested her head on her desk, her body aching in places she wouldn't na

ll anyone. No

aid or leaned toward her with that curious lo

morning for fifty naira? Do you know my mum has

e neve

nodded. Smile

as.And so, Tekiyah lived between two worlds. In one, she was admired for her grace, her calm, her composure. In the

hared with her pillow. But for now, surviv