You influenced who I am today

It was a lovely Friday morning around 10:00am during festive season when the management of Guza company limited organised a promotion ceremony at Wigot restaurant in Kisumu City to celebrate their new CEO.

The hall was decorated with white and gold to denote victories that the company has experienced so far since the celebrated CEO joined them and the continuous life they hope for after the promotion. The seats organised around the tables were also decorated with white and gold. At the stage there was a golden podium at the center.

Sofia, a 32 year old responsible and hardworking lady with leadership qualities had many achievements as a leader in the company which resulted to her promotion to the position of the company CEO. Her favorite colors were combination of red and blue.

The company's directors felt that the only way they could appreciate her loyalty and efforts towards the rising of the firm is by promoting her to the position of a CEO.

Sofia got into a deep thought as the master of ceremony was reading the program. She kept on smiling remembering her life events and how she became very responsible as a child.

She was just twelve years old when her late mother went to be with the Lord. Being the firstborn and the only daughter of Mr. Kolum and the late Mrs. Kolum, she had lots of responsibilities especially after her father married a cruel women who never loved them. If this would have happened in this generation, her father could be charged for child labor.

She became both a mother and a sister to her two younger brothers Edwin and Ezra.

She never got along with her father as she expected him to take the responsibility of her siblings as a parent yet he failed to, but instead was more attentive to his new wife.

She was compelled to stop her schooling after clearing her primary school education. Despite her high performance in her KCPE examination, she couldn't join secondary school considering the situation at hand. She had to choose her presumed responsibilities over her education.

She had lost hope and gave up on her dream of becoming a surgeon.

Three years later after moments of hopelessness, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Aunt Rachel who was her mother's younger sister was transferred to Karariw village to head a branch of the NGO she was working with.

Sofia wouldn't have completed her education, were it not for her Aunt's intervention to take care of her late sister's children. Not only did she intervene to take care of Edwin and Ezra, she also enrolled Sofia in a private secondary boarding school.

Ezra was seven years old and Edwin eleven years old when aunt Rachel took them in. They were both still in primary school. Sofia was Seventeen years old at that time and had completed her primary school.

Sofia completed her secondary four years later and joined Mount Kenya University for her BA as a part time student. She luckily got a job as a receptionist at Guza Company LTD during her university schooling. She graduated with a first class honors degree.

She kept climbing the ladder in the company that immediately after she graduated, the company promoted her to the position of CEO.

Sofia was still in deep thought as the entertainment was continuing in the ceremony. Her secretary came in to inform her that her family members have arrived.

"Sofia..., Hello Sofia! Her secretary called out in a whisper sitting beside her.

"Yes Marion" Sofia responded after coming out of her deep thoughts.

"Your family members are already in." Says Marion.

"Thank! Kindly help me receive them." Sofia requested.

They both got up and went to receive Sofia's family.

She greeted each of them by shaking their hands gently. She then invited them to occupy the front seats at her right hand side. She carried her father's bag, while her secretary carried her aunt's handbag, and her brothers each carrying his own bag.

She asked her secretary to offer them something to drink, and requested her brothers to help her keep the bags in her car at the hotel's car park. They went back inside afterwards and have their seats.

It wasn't long before the master of ceremony invited Sofia on stage to deliver her speech. The audience present at the ceremony were clapping their hands. Her secretary went ahead of her carrying her laptop, placed it at the podium and opened it ready to be used, then handed over the microphone to her.

"Thank you" whispered Sofia while smiling at her secretary.

"Thank you all for coming, you've made this occasion great by your coming, " Said Sofia. "I appreciate you all," She continued.

She started her speech, by welcoming everyone.

Towards the end of her speech she appreciated everyone who influenced her career path to the far she had reached. The list was long. After thanking the Almighty God for His grace and for seeing her through, she began appreciating people starting by Aunt Rachel, then to the lectures, the colleagues, and the management of Guza Company LTD.

She finalized it by appreciating her father. She turned to her left hand side towards her father. She looked at him for about 3 to 5 minutes saying nothing but with tears of joy rolling down her cheeks.

"And to you Daddy, this special thanks goes to you," she said while wiping her tears.

"You may not believe it; but ironically, you influenced who I am today. The same responsibilities that made me feel disappointed at you are the major influence of what I have become. I must admit that I never liked your way of raising us at that time, but it made me whom I am today." Sofia said.

"Thank you for teaching me how to handle responsibilities," she added.

"Forgive me for feeling disappointed at you, and not trusting your way of raising me," She continued as she walked down the stairs from the stage.

Her father stood up and walk towards her. They reached out to one another and embraced each other.

"Please forgive me daughter, I wanted a better life for you all but I didn't know who else to trust with the responsibility of your brothers better than you," said Mr. Kolum as he embrace Sofia.

"It's okay Daddy,"Sofia said.

They reconciled and had a better relationship there after.