Just a Twitter Trend
Beautiful black woman sitting in front of her computer.Image: Blunt Moms. She had decided to share her story. It wasn’t the timing that convinced her to finally spill her gut, as there was no time appropriate enough to share the horrifying things that had happened to her for the last five years. The country was becoming progressive as could be seen on social media and deciding to share the story on Twitter was something she was sure would be a good decision. She didn’t want to trend or anything; she just wanted to share the story and get it off her mind. She hoped that someone among her 6,000 tweeps who had similar experiences would see her story and glean some form of hope for the future. She debated whether or not to set up a new Twitter account or just use her own. All her personal information was linked on social media and she was worried people might troll her to eternity. She also knew she was going to be touching some of the ‘untouchables’ in the country. Her safety was something she needed to really consider. That was why she moved houses, quit her job, changed her numbers, stopped going to her church and cut out her friends. She had no family so it was easy to ‘drop off the face of the earth’. She was going to do this if it was the last thing she did. She got out her computer, connected to the internet, and started typing. *** @marthaomohkpeda: Hi guys. I am Martha Omokpeda. I am the only child of my parents and I am 23 years old. I am a runs girl and this is my story. 1. @marthaomohkpeda: I was born to a middle class family and being an only child, I had a very comfortable life. I had almost everything I wanted. 2. @marthaomohkpeda: When I was 17, my world turned upside down with the fatal accident of my parents. They had not been buried when the banks foreclosed our properties because they were all mortgaged. 3. @marthaomohkpeda: Turned out my parents were bankrupt and we were neck deep in debt. The family lawyer got me off the hook because I was a minor and… 4. @marthaomohkpeda: …because I could not be held responsible for my parents’ actions. The banks let me go with a box of clothes and nothing else. I set out for the world with less than N200,000 in my account. 5. @marthaomohkpeda: I paid for a house, knowing that a base was the most important thing I needed at that moment. I also paid my school fees, as I had just gained admission into the university. 6. @marthaomohkpeda: By the time I had settled in, I had just N30, 000 left in my account. I knew that I had to find work as soon as possible or get a rich boyfriend. That was when I met Hadiza Umaru. 7. @marthaomohkpeda: Hadiza was the epitome of beauty and the biggest girl in school. She had a Range Rover, rented one of the biggest houses in town and only wore designer clothes. She was a year ahead of me and as faith would have it… 8. @marthaomohkpeda: …she was carrying over a course I was going to take. On the first day of lectures, she sat down beside me. When the class was over, she started a conversation with me. She needed my help. 9. @marthaomohkpeda: She wanted me to cover for her in class, let her know of any tests or assignment and generally keep her abreast of what was happening in the department. I must say I was enthralled by her beauty and said yes. 10. @marthaomohkpeda: The first time I wrote a test for her because she was out of town, she sent me N50,000 as appreciation. I was shocked beyond words. I knew that I had found THE WAY to make money. 11. @marthaomohkpeda: I did this for one semester, and I was never broke in school. Soon enough, Hadiza brought her friends into the mix. They were all big girls who couldn’t be bothered with the rigors of school. 12. @marthaomohkpeda: When we were getting into 200L, I had saved up to N350,000 from my work for the girls. I was feeling like a big girl too until Hadiza invited me to hang out with her at her house. 13. @marthaomohkpeda: When I saw the splendor of her house, I couldn’t help but salivate. I sat down like a true JJC and just drank in the magnificence of her ‘school apartment’. I wondered what her REAL APARTMENT looked like! 14. @marthaomohkpeda: She got her maid to serve me a platter of finger foods that I had not been able to afford since my parents died. Then came lunch and I almost fainted at the array of continental cuisine. And the dessert! 15. @marthaomohkpeda: When we were done, we retired to the living room and lounged on the couch. Hadiza stared at me for a few minutes until I was visibly uncomfortable. I squirmed as I waited for her to say something. 16. @marthaomohkpeda: She told me she was rich because she ‘used what she had to get what she wanted’. It sounded clichéd but I didn’t pretend not to understand. 17. @marthaomohkpeda: She told me she had seen my ‘hunger’ and if I was willing, I could be way richer than I could ever imagine by being a runs girl. She didn’t need to convince me much. I was game! 18. @marthaomohkpeda: We went to our first party and I got my first client; a commissioner. He was quite boring and I wore him out in less than 40 minutes. He was so well sated that he gave me N200,000 that night. 19. @marthaomohkpeda: I poured the money in my lap and almost fainted with excitement! In one night, I got this much money! What would happen in a month?! 20. @marthaomohkpeda: That is how I continued with my new found source of income. We went out every Thursday and returned on