Writers 
I entered university successfully, and everything was going well.
No.
I was lying.
Everybody knows Nigerian universities are meant to suffocate and stress students. The stress, the assignments, the lectures, the exams, the accommodation problems, and the endless struggle to survive can make you wonder why you even came.
But I didn't die.
Instead, I entered a completely new chapter of my life.
I made another set of friends. Throughout my life, from when I was young until adulthood, I always had numerous friends. Everywhere I found myself, I somehow met people and built friendships. University was no different.
My closest friends were Joy, Rebecca, and Rachel.
The four of us became very close, and we took a room together. We were roommates, friends, and companions. We shared our daily experiences, laughed together, complained about school together, and helped one another whenever things became difficult.
But university life was not easy financially.
The scholarship I received covered only my school fees. It did not cover anything else.
The hostel fee alone was another problem. Mama paid half, while I raised the other half through the little hustles I was doing. For other expenses, I also had to help myself. Food, transportation, books, handouts, and other necessities all required money.
Mama was still contributing as much as she could.
She was doing everything possible to make sure I didn't lack anything. In fact, she started adding more jobs to the ones she was already doing.
I kept telling her to stop.
“Mama, please, reduce your stress. I am young. I can do a lot of things myself.”
I didn't want her to exhaust herself because of me.
I knew how hard she was working just to keep me in school.
Then, along the way, I met a very nice guy.
His name was Daniel.
Daniel was also an hustler, just like me. He came from almost the same kind of background I did. His parents were alive, but they were not really contributing much to his life. He had learned to manage things himself and survive with whatever he could make.
Whenever he had a little money, he would help me too.
It wasn't much, but I appreciated every bit of it.
Daniel was a great guy to me.
He loved me so much, and I loved him too.
Our relationship was beautiful.
We understood each other because we were both struggling. Neither of us had everything we wanted, but we were happy with what we had. We encouraged each other, helped each other, and tried to make life easier for one another.
Our friends could see how much we loved each other.
In fact, some of them were jealous of us.
Joy, Rebecca, and Rachel would tease us whenever they saw us together.
We didn't care.
We were young, in love, and happy.
At that time, Daniel was everything I could have wished for.
He was not rich, but he was kind.
He was not perfect, but he loved me sincerely.
And in the middle of all the struggles of university life, having someone who truly cared about me made everything feel a little easier.
