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The project aims at looking beyond the smiles of the next person, to see what’s really beneath, what’s really going on? How people really need help and won’t bother saying anything about it but would rather cover it up with a façade of strength, with a smile.
It’s time to look beneath the smile and lend a helping hand. People are going through real things, these are their stories.

We hope that you’d be kind enough to leave a comment. Your feedback is important to us.

Today’s story was sent in by one of our readers, @OfficialWayde

This is his story.

Please Read.

The ‘Beneath the Smile’ Project.

While growing up, I remember shuffling a lot, like, I used to ‘shamble’ between my Dad’s place and my Mum’s. This affected my schooling because I would have to repeat some classes and all, and tbh’ I actually enjoyed my Dad’s place more than my mom’s ’cause of my siblings and other goodies.” Sigh. How naive I was.

My name is Emmanuel Abdullahi Jr. and I’m the first born of my mother and I think the last of my Father… confused?

Chill… read on.

Mom was 18 and married when she had me, my father had other women he married in the past and divorced, well my mom was barely 20 when she was been chased out by my father who brought in another woman into ‘our’ home. I had to stay with my grandma, ’cause my mom was still in the university then. I don’t really remember much, and I don’t ask really, because I don’t want her to start. It breaks my heart each time I see her in tears… So you can imagine how my childhood was like.

My father was in Customs then, and sincerely I don’t know if switching women was sort of part of the job or something, my mother was his 4th wife, well he didn’t have more than one wife at a time, so he wasn’t polygamous, he was just….. tsk. #nowords.

One time when mum was really struggling, I had to go stay with him. Ugh, I hated it. He was so lackadaisical… Jeez because he thought he was doing my mother some kind of favor. I left him when I was in ss2, and since then I haven’t seen him. Yeah, one time when I was in 200lvl he called my mum that I should send my result so he could work University of Abuja for me. How thoughtful of him. He calls me every year on “My birthday” December 23rd. For people that know me; you all will know that’s actually 10 days after my actual birthday.

Chill. I don’t dislike him or anything. Like, he was once the luckiest man on earth, sad, he couldn’t see this and he lost her, and besides I have amazing siblings and awesome step mothers. Ugh. Dude is good.
I actually don’t know what tomorrow holds for me, or what I will be tomorrow, but I know what I won’t do, and what/who I won’t become. Yes. Your guess is as good as mine.

Someone said and I quote. “A wise man learns from his mistakes, but, a really wise man, from the mistakes of others”.
Now, all I will have to do is look, observe and do the opposite.

Thank You, and God Bless you all.

• • •

Don’t just read, say a prayer.

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?

N.B. The project goes on with Tomorrow’s ’Her Story, XXXIV’ by an Anonymous writer.

You can still send in your own true stories to obafuntay@gmail.com

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