Heart2ink by Amie

Ever tried to escape from an overwhelming situation only to be trapped in the end? Take me back to December 2022 when I had loads of projects to complete being a fashion designer and I sought a refuge because I was overwhelmed. Aside from music, coffee intake has always been my way of staying grounded when I feel overwhelmed because for some reason it helps me to relax, and rejuvenate and I meditate during my coffee rituals. You know during the festive period, I needed to stay agile, up and alert even during the night time to finish up so many pending clothes so as not to disappoint my clients. That fateful day, I had made plans to cut a certain amount of fabrics and then sew a certain amount too, so like I always do, I started my day with a cup of coffee and began my project. I had cut all the clothes and headed to my sewing machine to begin sewing but mahn, I felt tired along the line and needed to feel relaxed again, so I made my way to my coffee jar because the coffee was my only c...

Growing up as a child I have always thought that everyone living abroad had a better life than the ones living in my country. After all "the grass is always greener on the other side," I soliloquized. Folake was my childhood friend with whom we shared dreams and goals, we kept talking about the good life we would get to experience once we finally saved up enough money to take us out of the country for good all of this happened while we were both in high school. After high school, I and Folake gained admission into different universities which affected how close we used to be and gradually we lost contact. Five years later, I came across her page on Facebook and then we reconnected, she was already married with about two kids and I jokingly teased, "What happened to our japa ( leaving the country) plans my friend?" She busted into laughter, "See babes, if I still see any opportunity to leave this country I surely will," her responses convinced me she hadn...

Being a junior in high school, I was so naive and always loved to stay out of trouble because, for some reason, I hated to be lashed or embarrassed. Throughout my school days, I've kept noticing a particular senior who looked so mean and arrogant and was always abusive with his words. I would call him a tyrant and bully because he loved to oppress the junior students and even his classmates because of his physique. His name is Akin, but because of his trait, everyone knew him as Akinbully, and that became his new name in school. One fateful afternoon during lunch break, I heard someone calling out to me, with a footstep approaching where I was, "Hey!! Hey!! Come here." I knew I was the one the person was referring to, but I paid no attention and kept walking to the cafeteria until this giant physique was right in front of me, right on the staircase, a few meters away from my class. "Come here, go and get me five puffs immediately." Akinbully, the most popular bu...

Last year was quite a remarkable one, as I was very opportune to save a dog I'd never met before in my life. That Friday evening, what seemed to be a little rain intensified as quite a stormy one, it was so breezy that I quickly shut my windows and went to bed because I love to fall asleep when it rains. The next morning, which was a Saturday, was my laundry day, but due to the rain, I couldn't buy my laundry soap the previous evening. As soon as I opened the gate, I realized the whole street had been flooded. I decided to wade in the water because I needed to wash my clothes in search of laundry soap. As I kept going, I began to hear a faint whimper in an uncompleted building. At first, I wanted to ignore the sound and just walk straight to where I was headed, but the whimper kept on for minutes, which made me stop for a moment to find out what that was. As I walked into the building, I saw this particular dog shaking, and I was so touched. She must have been cold as a result ...

One Friday morning a few years ago, I visited one of my uncles, who was very affluent; it's been a while since I saw him, with the plan to go back home that same day; however, his wife wanted me to spend more days with them, maybe because she loved my aura and how I always lend a hand with house chores and other errands when I visited. "Do I call your mom to tell her you will be spending a few weeks more with us?" Aunty Tolani politely asked, and I felt that since they were affluent and had almost everything I needed to stay comfortable, it wouldn't be a bad idea. "Yes, ma'am, but I didn't carry enough clothes since I didn't plan on staying long initially," I added. "Oh, don't worry about that; I'll take you to the nearest shopping mall; you'll pick any outfit of your choice, shoes, and bags; you like that?" She smiled and patted my shoulder. In excitement, I ran off to hug her and say, "Yes, ma," I like that,...

You'll fit for a nurse because you are very compassionate and more than that, you know how to lay a bed properly," My dad would always tease me, and I didn't think it was a bad idea after all; he was also a doctor. My mindset changed when I walked into the "Save Hand Hospital", the day I had to be injected because I had come down with a fever. This beautiful lady walked in with her white fitted dress and a cap indicating she was a nurse, and then she brought out the tiny rodlike instrument with a sharp point towards me. I had wanted to run, but I realized the door was shut. "Should I bite her?" My adrenaline was giving me different options to be safe simply because I had a phobia of injections and I didn't like to see a nurse around me, but there was nothing I could do. I watched her search for the right vein to prick the needles in, and from that moment on, I realized I wouldn't be a nurse anymore. I needed to be liberated from the fear of need...

That morning, I woke up excited and in high spirits as my friends and I were visiting the Lekki Conservation Centre, a very beautiful tourist centre of attraction that I had fondly heard about. I was in my coffee-coloured Jumpsuit, maybe because I love coffee😄, I wore very light makeup and was anticipating their arrival, in about 30 minutes they arrived and then we set out on our all-girls hangout to have fun. We had a splendid trip and when we arrived at the centre, I had anticipated all the adventures and fun we were about to take, the tour guide came with all smiles and welcomed us in. "My name is Mr. Mofé, I'll be your tour guide to show you around." The light-skinned average-height man said warmly. We purchased our tickets for the tour and then the adventure began, We started with the zoos around, I loved nature so much and I had the opportunity to see some wild animals for the first time in my life and then Mr. Mofé pointed upwards. "We are about to climb the ...

How did this get here?" I was left in awe as I couldn't solve the mystery behind it. The world, even the smallest parts of it, is filled with things you don’t know.” - Sherman Alexie Being a fashion designer, I have always looked for ways to make my work easier. I buy a lot of sewing tools to make my work very productive and effective. I once used a razor blade or pins to loosen stitches, and then I found out that it made my work dirty and sometimes torn. "Do you know about seam rippers?" This caption popped up on my trusted online vendor's post on Instagram. I clicked on the post to read more about it, and I loved it immediately. "I should get one for myself," I thought. Without thinking twice, I quickly placed an order, including some other items I would need, and a few days later, my order arrived. I was so excited that now I could loosen stitches neatly without making the fabric dirty, so I began to make use of the seam ripper immediately. Being a v...

Fear is what is behind me, and the goal is what lies in front of me, but the passion within was the driving force to conquer the fear and reach for the goal. Some years ago, February 8th was the start of my fashion design journey. I began as an amateur with so much passion to learn new designs and eventually own my own fashion home. I was oriented by my seniors about a particular dart manipulation and how difficult it was to achieve, so I began to develop a fear of that particular design or sewing technique. Three weeks later, a new student was enrolled in our fashion academy, and after two weeks, she was already doing well, cutting basic bodices and even some complex bodices all by herself. "How does she do it?", I wondered. How could someone who joined our school two weeks ago become so skilled in just a few weeks? This fueled my passion once again, and I was determined to conquer my fear. Tosin, how do you do it?", I humbly asked her one day after class. "Amie, h...

"Come out, guys; we can't let this hoodlum intimidate us in our community." Yusuf cried out in a loud voice, and then I checked my time; it was about 1:00 am. Before I knew it, I heard chants of the youth in our community, and then a knock on my door. I was scared to the bone, but then I mustered the courage to ask, "Who's there?" "Tell Samson to come out", Yusuf, the youth leader, snapped back. Samson is my cousin, who relocated to our city over two years ago until the lockdown struck during the COVID-19 Era. Everyone was stuck in the house as the government made laws restricting our movement and observing social distance. The first two weeks were tiring as people began to get bored of staying at home while some bad guys took advantage of the situation. We started to hear of theft reports around the neighbouring communities and many atrocities carried out by these "bad boys," to the point that our community was issued a letter stating th...