A Little Note That Changed Everything

I wasn't going to go back to my family home that Saturday. However, I had been cleaning my little room in Asaba and I had forgotten my secondary school book. I knew I had left it in my old room.

I walked into my dirty home. Since my father had passed away 2 years ago no one has lived there. My mum now lives with my older brother in Lagos....I made my way to my old room.

Whilst searching through my old school bag I noticed a small crumpled yellow paper. I picked it up and noticed someone had written in blue pen, 'A little note for my Ada'.

My heart raced as I knew my dad always called me Ada. Although the writing wasn't perfect I knew it was him. I sat down on the floor and opened it up.

The note said: "Ada, if you see this note, it means I am no more. I kept money for you. Go to the back of our old kitchen, under the big stone near the water pot. I buried something there for you. Don't tell your brothers. It is for you because you are the only one who cared for me when I was sick. Your father, Okoro."

I started to cry.

My dad had been ill for nearly a year. My 2 brothers didn't come home as they were busy in Lagos. I was the one who left my job in Asaba to look after him. I would cook, bathe and take him to hospital. I would sometimes cry as I was so tired but I never left him.

After he passed away there was a meeting. They divided his little bits of land and money. I received nothing as I'm a girl. They said I would go off and get married and my husband would look after me. I was angry but couldn't argue. My mother agreed with them as it is our tradition.

But he had left me something.

I got up and went to the back of the kitchen. It was very weedy. I saw the large stone that he mentioned. It was very heavy and sandy. I started digging with my hands. Then I found a stick. I started digging with that. I was sweating and my heart was racing.

After a few minutes I saw a small black polythene bag. I pulled it out. Inside was a small piece of nylon. Inside that was money! Old naira notes and lots of it. There was also a paper.

It was a receipt. For a small piece of land in Asaba. My dad had bought it 10 years ago. The receipt was in my name, ADAEZE OKORO. He had bought me land and kept it a secret.

I sat on the floor and cried like a baby.

This little note had been written 2 years before he passed. He knew his kids were fighting over his things. He knew they wouldn't leave me anything as I'm a girl. So he secretly kept this land and money for me. He had hidden it so only I would find it as he knew I would come back to look for my old books. My brothers would never do that.

I counted the money. It was 350,000 Naira. A lot of money 2 years ago but the land is more important.

I took the note and receipt with me and went back to Asaba. I didn't tell anyone. I went to the land office to check it was still there. The man told me it was still there and it was now worth almost 4 Million Naira as Asaba is developing quickly.

This little note changed my life.

If I hadn't gone to clean my room that day I wouldn't have found it. If I hadn't opened my old school bag it would have stayed hidden for ages, maybe even forever.

Sometimes I think about my dad. He couldn't talk much whilst he was ill but he still managed to write me a note with his shaky hands. He wasn't educated so couldn't write long grammars but his little note was full of love.

This little note showed me that my dad saw everything I was doing for him. He appreciated me.

Now I'm building a little 1 room self contain on the land. The money he left me helped me lay the foundations. I had framed my little yellow note and put it on my wall.

Whenever I'm feeling down or feel like people don't value me I look at my note and remember that love can be hidden in a tiny piece of paper.

IMAGE USED IS META AI