Settlingin Stories

Teenagehood Diaries Moving from peaceful Kaduna to the chaotic streets of Lagos was never part of my plan. Suddenly, I'm a JJC-"Johnny Just Come"-trying to survive unfamiliar streets, endless traffic, noisy danfos, new faces, and a life completely different from everything I've ever known. Then there's the terrifying dog, a new compound, and a boy who seems like the biggest jerk I've ever met. Until one night, when I'm scared out of my mind, he suddenly helps me. He's calm. He's kind. And somehow, he's completely different from the person I met earlier. So who is he really? Between new friendships, family, secrets, embarrassing moments, and the chaos of growing up, I'm about to discover that Lagos isn't the only thing I have to learn how to survive. Welcome to my teenagehood diaries.

Jinx has been cursed her whole life, moving from family to family. She is unwanted, and has been for her whole 16 years of life. She can't wait until she's 18 and can live alone. But when she gets adopted into Mila's crazy family, will she finally be able to settle into a forever home? What happens when some friends of hers come to visit? Is Jinx going back to a group home?

Nothing makes a home like good food - that's what Sam's always been taught, and now, she gets to make her own, pondering other places that have been home throughout her life. Pensive, cozy, and energizing, you'll be left comforted and maybe just a little hungry. Short Story originally written in workshop to the theme of the 2014 ODU Literary Festival, revisited, refined, and retouched in 2019