Embrace Equity

Evelyn has always been a fighter.

At the age of 2, Eve firmly bit the finger of the attendant who held her down during the attempt to mutilate her genitals. While the woman nursed her bleeding thumb, Evelyn ran away. She was too fast for her tender legs. They let her be. Two other attempts to mutilate her failed; she fell ill on both days. Her mother summarily concluded that she was possessed. Evelyn was the only one of four girls in the family who did not undergo female genital mutilation.

She grew up like every child. She studied law and graduated with First Class. While waiting for admission into law school, she interned at Alex & David, a top law firm in Lagos. She made a good impression which led David, a founding partner, to encourage her to return for full employment if she was interested.

True to their words, Evelyn, at the age of 24, was employed along with three other lawyers by Alex & David. She learnt the ropes very fast. She made good shows in and out of court. She brought into the firm many big clients. She was a rainmaker. Clients loved to consult her. Her employers felt privileged to have her in their employ. Not too long, Evelyn began to deal with distractions. Rumors had it that she courted Alex at a time. She was also said to have had affairs with clients in order to retain them in the firm. A few persons mentioned to her that only men could become partners in the law firm. They implied that she should slow down and not waste her efforts.

At the age of 30, Evelyn was diagnosed with cancer of the left breast. Her mother affirmed that her enemies had finally caught up with her. They could not harm her, so they attacked Eve.

“You cannot remove your breast, Eve. No man will marry you,” her parents discouraged her against a mastectomy.

Eve consulted a few doctors who unanimously recommended total removal of the left breast followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She wished some breast could be spared while the cancerous tissue only was removed. Amid tears, she signed the consent form for surgery. Her parents were not in support. They suggested traditional care. Evelyn held firmly to her decision.

She did well after surgery though she lost all her hair during the chemotherapy sessions. She lost some weight too. Her employers supported her by giving her some time off. She returned to work and continued to earn big for the firm. Evelyn began to wear artificial left breast. She recovered gradually from the physical and emotional distress of her surgery.

At 34, she married Kunle after eighteen months of courtship. She continued to excel at work. Kunle gave her necessary support.

Two days after her 35th birthday, she walked into her office to find a beautiful cake on her table. On it was written, “A-D-E.” A big birthday card stood beside her chair.

“Who is still celebrating my birthday?” she said loudly while Alex and David walked in behind her.

“Happy birthday,” both men chorused.

“Thank you very much, sirs. This is very generous of you. Pardon me; I don’t understand the inscription on the cake.”

“Take a wild guess,” Alex teased her.

Eve tried to think. “No idea, sir.”

“What are our names?” David asked.

“Mr Alex Odewale and Mr David Nwankwo,” she replied to David.

“You are correct,” Alex clapped. “On that cake are written three letters. The first two represent the names of the founding partners.”

“So, are you now thinking what we have been thinking?” David asked.

“Alex-David-Evelyn?” she asked.

“Yes!” the men chorused again.

“You have long been due to become a partner. Despite all our push to make you work harder, your health challenges and many other distractions, you have been amazing. Congratulations, Eve,” David said.

“We are sure that you would continue to do Alex, David & Evelyn proud,” Alex interjected.

Congratulations to all the girls, ladies, and women who stop at nothing until excellence is achieved.

Happy International Women's Day 2023