“…They were like why do you find this hard, it is just reading. What’s wrong with you?” Obalende is the epicentre of Lagos—Nigeria’s most commercial state. It epitomizes everything Lagos is and it is where Sarah** was born. The sidewalks in Obalende are littered with market people who display their paltry wares to consumers—pedestrian and in transit. The roads are narrow, and cars barely fit their width through with ease. Strays from all around the country find shelter underneath the bridge …

In the summer between my MFA and PhD, I housesat for a professorial couple from my graduate program in New Mexico. They had a beautiful house: nothing outrageous, just a nice two-bedroom-one-bathroom with a backyard. I loved it. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room overlooked the mountains and lavender in the front yard. Those were the two things I had always wanted in a house: French windows with a view and lavender in the garden. In their house I lived a perfect life. I woke up …