It's been a few days since Aishat started behaving strangely to me, and I didn't understand what was happening. The last time I saw her was on Friday at Jumaat, and unlike before, she just waved from afar.I had the plan of asking if she was alright, but she disappeared immediately after the prayers, and it was clear that something was either wrong with her or between us.Our friendship started since Jss2, and it's been three years, so I know her well enough to predict that something wasn't right.UnsplashAlthough we attended different schools, we always leave the house and return back together. We studied together and did numerous things together for the past three good years, but all that stopped in the last few days.I went to her place twice on Saturday, and before I even asked of her, her siblings told me she wasn't at home and even denied me entrance into the house. Until that day, I used to go in and out of their house as I wished whenever I visited.I wasn't feeling comfortable about it, and she didn't even give me the chance to get close enough to ask what was wrong.On Monday morning, I prepared very early and went to wait outside her school gate just to see her."Aishat! I called immediately, and she appeared from afar.The smile on her was more of a shock than the usual excitement, and I walked up to her."What's wrong?" I asked immediately, and I got to her."Nothing, I am fine. How are you doing?" She replied."Nothing, and I haven't seen you?" I asked."I wasn't just at home," she replied."We will see in the afternoon then," I replied because I was running late already."I have a lesson in the afternoon, so we can't see later.Maybe I will check on you when I come back," Aishat replied."Okay, I replied and just watched her walk into her school compound.I felt cold because she was trying to push me away, and it would have been great to know what I did wrong.The day ended and there was no sign of Aishat, so I waited for the next, but she didn't show up.I made up my mind to confront her on Wednesday, which I did."It's clear you have been avoiding me, Aishat," I said to her

It is a fact that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) has contributed so much to the development we have and will continue to experience in the world. As each day passes, the people in these fields work effortlessly to create solutions to different problems, and they have made life very much easier for us one way or another.As we enjoy a lot of their innovations in STEM, I feel very offended that a lot of women's contributions to that field aren't appreciated well enough. With every innovation, women are barely seen taking center stage, or, should I say, they don't get the deserved recognition.I am not trying to blame the men for this, but it's high time women's efforts in STEM are not just rewarded but also promoted for the world to know and see because that alone can't inspire lots of female young children.Yeah, we all know that men dominate the field, but women have had a great impact over the years, and it's not something that started today. Until some years ago, I didn't really know much about the women in STEM, but watching the movie titled "Hidden Figures" opened my eyes to a lot of things, which has prompted me to see more histories and documentaries of women in the field.Mary's Jackson, along with some other women's impact on many successful NASA projects, can't be quantified, but their names aren't seen on the front pages of history. I find women's contributions in the field quite inspiring, and I believe a lot of young women in the field today started with being inspired. Gone are the centuries when women had no other task than to make the home and bear children, but it's all different now. The successful stories of women in STEM have given a lot of female children the courage to dream, even though there are still some cultures and beliefs in some parts of the world that prevent female children from chasing their dreams in STEM. Although I am not into science, somehow I have the power to put a lot of women's achievements in the faces of everyone as I chase my career in journalism in a few years to come.Earlier this year, I saw an African lady who did something awesome with EV innovation, and she was celebrated in a small way. I felt she should be on a bigger screen for the world to see, but it is what it is.![](

Mrs. Felix sat on the couch in her bedroom, looking dejected, while staring at her son's end-of-term grades sent through mail by the school management.The thought of Michael repeating a class for the third time broke her heart terribly, but she was never going to allow any patched promotions like she did in the past"This boy doesn't value everything I am doing to prepare him for the future, or does he think I will be here forever? Does he think he is getting younger?" Mrs. Felix muttered and sighed heavily as she stood on the couch.She walked around her bedroom, thinking of what else to do, when the thought of her late husband crossed her mind. Mrs. Felix reached his picture frame sitting on the bedside drawer, and she stared at it for a while."Felix, you shouldn't have left Michael for me to raise alone. He is not making me happy, and I am doing my best." She stuttered and wiped the tears that rolled down her cheek.For a moment, she thought about the beautiful memories they shared as a couple and wished he had never left when he did."I have to do something about the situation before things get worse than they are," she thought, gently placing the frame back in its spot.Mrs. Felix turned on her PC again and sent some mail before returning to bed at midnight.UnsplashThe next morning, Michael stepped out of his room late and noticed that none of his mom's cars had left the compound. It was very unusual because Mr. Felix, despite being the CEO of a company, always resumes at 8 a.m. like every other worker in the company."Is my wristwatch faulty?" He asked and reached for his phone to confirm what the time was."10:26, my watch is correct. Did she order an Uber?Michael decided to check on his mom in her bedroom, and upon getting to her room, the door was locked.   He knocked several times, but his mom didn't respond or open the door, so he dialed her number to ask for her whereabouts.While calling, he walked back to the living room with his phone on speaker, and Mrs. Felix didn't answer the call.Michael tried again several times, but the calls only ended without a response from his mom.

Hi everyone! Happy weekend to you all. I am grateful to be alive and would love to share a simple DIY I made yesterday. It's okay to call this a simple wall bracket, and it can be used for different things in the house.I prefer to use it for a small picture frame or other things that aren't heavy. I love the wall bracket because it's a fancy one and would suit anywhere in the house.Materials I used are:CartonHow to Make the Wall Bracket:I cut out four square shapes from the carton and trimmed them to the exact sizes.I cut another square out of each square to make a space in the square. It has to be square if you want the wall bracket to be perfect.I realized that the material I have won't be enough to make four wall brackets, so I kept two and will complete them later.I cut the wallpaper a bit bigger than the square shape and applied gum to the carton surface.I then covered the square with wallpaper.I needed the opening, so I cut the wallpaper open since the square has a space in it.I applied gum behind the carton and folded it backwards.I repeated the process for the second square, and it was nice.I cut two rectangular shapes that can stretch from one

Student life was a really good time for me, and it really helped me realize how strong I am. Despite handling academics pretty well, I was able to do some side hustles that helped me to be independent to some extent.I barely bothered my parents for money, except if it was very necessary. I sold perfume and underwear, and I also did lots of catering work. My cakes made me famous because they were very affordable for students, and I made cool cash.My perfume business was struggling back then because of competition, but backing out wasn't an option for me. I love challenges and won't give up, especially when I know that there is a chance of success, even if it's little.UnsplashWhile roaming about hostels with my goods, I met a lady who was also a student but older than me. She wanted to patronize me but claimed that my products were too expensive."It's not expensive, and the difference between my buying and selling price is very little. You won't believe it." I tried persuading her to buy from me, but she insisted that there are students who sell these perfumes at a cheaper price.I became worried because it wasn't the first time someone told me the same thing."Could my vendor be cheating me?" I thought about this several times and mustered the courage to approach one of the students who sells perfume in another department.We spoke for a while, and I shared my struggles with her, hoping that she would help me by sharing her vendor contact/information, but that wasn't the case. She didn't say anything, and I tried keeping up with her for a while just to find a solution to my problem.Weeks passed and this lady didn't give me a hint or clue, so I gave up on her, but it wasn't the end of me seeking a solution to my price problem.I have come across different perfume sellers online, so I thought of chatting them up to ask for their prices to see the difference."Good evening, please I want to make inquiries about the wholesale prices of your perfumes." I texted multiple perfume sellers, hoping to get a response from at least one of them, and it finally came."Good evening; this is Abundance perfume. We deal in different kinds of perfume...

Chioma arrived in Magabi town for her National Youth Service Corps some months after completing her university program. She is one of the best students in the medicine department, and a lot of people admire her.Chioma was famous not just for being an intelligent student but also for the fact that she doesn't eat chicken because she is allergic to it. As a new student, many people didn't believe her story at the university until someone blended chicken and made a snack out of it for her. She ignorantly ate it after being convinced that the snack was free of chicken. Her body was covered with rashes in less than 10 minutes, and they were so severe that she ended up in the hospital. Chioma wouldn't allow the doctors to run any checks on her, and when she recovered a bit, she made it clear that it was an allergy passed on from the older generation to her. "Are you sure Magabi is okay with you? I can call my friend in the ministry of education to help change your location to a better place." Chioma's mom, Mrs. Lauren, expressed her concern about her daughter traveling to a village where civilization has barely reached. "I am fine, mom. It's just a year, and Magabi is the best place where I can practice. There are very few hospitals there, and I could be of help," Chioma replied. "You don't understand me! There is hardly network, no good roads, and no water; the place is just not okay," Mrs. Lauren replied. "Mom! It's okay; I can take care of myself. I truly want to go there," Chioma replied. "Maybe I should involve your father because you won't listen to me," Mrs. Lauren said, and she grabbed her phone immediately. She put a call across to Mr. Ameachi, Chioma's father, despite the daughter begging her to keep it a secret between them. "I won't be part of your scheme," Mrs. Lauren said to Chioma while expecting her husband to pick up the call. "Hello! Honey, I am still busy at work. Let me call you back shortly," Mr. Ameachi said, immediately after picking up the call. "Okay! Call me back as soon as you can," she replied, turning back to her daughter. "Mom, if you won't let me go to Magabi, I won't practice this profession. I will rather embrace dancing," Chioma threatened her mother. "How dare you?" Mrs. Lauren replied and eventually had a deep conversation with he