Pink is for girls, and blue is for boys; that was all Amina needed to know. Obviously, far better than memorizing a bunch of formulas and principles. The crocheting process wasn’t so much of a problem for her. Naturally, she seemed to possess the skill of intertwining yarns.
“Good job, my Amina! You are indeed a daughter of the Sambas.”, Grandma Vashti exclaimed with joy. “This is pretty much easy,” Amina replied with a smile, “easier than I thought.”
Amina had had a hard time settling on something her mind could grasp. Learning had been a thorn in her flesh all her life. The mention of quizzes was enough to make her miss school the next day. And when it was time for almighty mathematics, it was as if the whole world was against her.
Amina always prayed for a miracle, but that miracle never happened. She became depressed because none of her mates wanted to associate with her. They made fun of her and called her names. But two people in her life never gave up on her. That was mom and Grandma Vashti. They always reminded her of how peculiar she was. With a tap on her shoulder, her mother will say, “Remember, just like Cinderella, there’s just one you, and no one else can wear your shoes.” But for Grandma Vashti, as always, she only had two words to say: time changes. That was her favourite slogan, and somehow, she managed to put a smile on Amina’s face, not because Amina had hope in those words, but because she added a little spice to it with her actions.
However, at other times, Amina’s heart was grieved so much that all their words weren’t just enough. She always wished she could find somebody or something that would change her story, but there was no help in sight. Gradually, she lost hope in herself, thinking she was a failure, until one fateful day.
Grandma Vashti invited Amina to join her to crochet tablecloths after dinner. It was an order from Madam Ngeze, Grandma’s old customer from the market. Madam Ngeze was a prominent business consultant who used to buy items from Grandma Vashti before she lost her shop in a market fire. She had to travel abroad with the items, and her departure date was almost due. Amina had always felt reluctant to learn needlework despite Grandma’s persuasions. However, this time around, she was eager to save the situation.
Grandma gave her an apron, and they said a silent prayer together. As Amina held the needle and the yarn, she felt a peaceful breeze all over her body. Right there, she knew she had found her miracle. Everything just came naturally to her. Amina just needed a few instructions, and she was good to go.
She never thought needlework would be so easy for her. After a few hours of practice, Amina made her first craft. And for once, she felt like a heroine. “How I wish my school had a needlework session.” She thought. In no time, Amina became an expert. She made lots of crafts in various designs.
She gifted some to her loved ones, and Grandma Vashti sold the rest in front of their gate. The crafts were so beautiful, and everybody in the neighbourhood wanted one. Before the Christmas holidays, Amina made different crafts. She gifted them to her teachers and classmates. They were all amazed because they never knew Amina was so talented.
Amina’s fame spread so fast across her school and her neighbourhood. Suddenly, everybody wanted to be her friend. “Time changes indeed.” Amina thought. As time went on, Amina invented more crafts and discovered advanced patterns. Eventually, her academic performance improved as she experimented with these complex patterns. Now, she could relate well to mathematical concepts that involve sequences and critical thinking.
The following term, Amina’s results came out very good. Her friends and teachers were amazed by her rapid transformation. Amina felt very proud of herself and was inspired to do more. After a few months, Amina sat for the final exams and passed with distinction. On graduation day, Amina’s teacher gave a short speech and said, “I have come to realize that every child is different and every child is peculiar. We are all special in our way and endowed with intelligence. The only difference is that we all have a different way of accessing and expressing it. And when we find that unique way, there is no barrier to what we can achieve.” After that, Amina was announced as the best student in mathematics and given a prize. The prize included a calculator, a laptop and a sum of money. Above all, she was awarded a full-ride scholarship to a university abroad to study engineering.
Amina could not believe her eyes. She couldn’t believe all these were happening to her so fast. It was a day of celebration in their home. Grandma Vashti was so glad that Amina had found happiness at last. Amina thanked her mom and Grandma for all their encouragement.
When it was time for Amina to travel abroad, she opened a big needlework shop in front of their house for Grandma with her prize money and wrote in front of it, “Time changes.”
Grandma’s Needlework by Joshua Robertson emerged 2nd runner-up in the 2022 Wakin Kuria Prize for Children’s Literature.
Click to see a full list of winners
