Once upon a time, there lived a tall, brown-skinned girl named Sarah. She had coiled, curly hair that flowed down her shoulders, each curl bounced back with every step she took. Her beautiful big brown eyes, framed by long lashes, sparkled with curiosity and determination, which acted as an added charm to complete her beauty.

On Sarah’s left chubby cheek was a charming dimple that would make her even more charming when she smiled.

Sarah was very artistic and creative. She had the urge to create pretty and innovative things and she was always thinking of how to use her skills in something meaningful. Her family’s financial condition became tough when her father died when Sarah was young and still in school. Being the eldest of her siblings, a lot of responsibility fell on her young shoulders.

Yet, Sarah was never ever depressed; rather, she developed a strong willpower and became determined to help her family. From childhood, Sarah was interested in baking, and she had a strong desire to study in a good culinary school. However, financial issues became the main hindrance to joining a culinary school. Yet, she did not give up on her dreams. With an undying determination, she started giving tuitions to the neighbourhood children and also made nice decorative items that she sold. She worked tirelessly to provide for her family financially.

Although she was rather unsure about whether she would succeed, Sarah invested her hard-earned money in a few baking gadgets and began her journey toward fulfilling her dream. To master the skills, she watched tonnes of YouTube tutorials on baking. In her tiny kitchen, filled with the mouth-watering aroma of vanilla and chocolate, she laboured to polish her baking skills. Her curly hair, tied up in the back with a bright scarf, and her clothes covered in flour were testaments of her effort.

The inability to afford an oven saw Sarah improvise by making a cake on the stovetop. She tried to master the art of baking a fine cake, but, as the hours rolled by, her efforts seemed fruitless. The cake sponges were not soft enough, the homemade fondant turned into a sticky mess, and even the frosting failed to set properly. It literally felt as if her dream would never come true, especially without a proper baking setup or professional guidance. Sarah felt as if she had let herself and her family down.

Her family continued to encourage her, and their encouragement propped her up despite the imperfect cakes she initially made. So instead of letting a setback demotivate her, Sarah worked even harder at perfecting her skills and developing new recipes.

She began working during the evenings in the kitchen and going to college during the day. By working consistently at what she loved, she improved day by day, picking up new skills every day, learning from her errors, and becoming better every day. Her excitement to explore new recipes and techniques kept her joyful even when she was drowsy and exhausted. Eventually, she started making delicious and super soft cakes for family functions. Soon everyone around her, her extended family and friends, started to take note of her skills and ordered cakes from her.

With each new creation, her skills improved. She started by making simpler cakes and then progressed to making challenging ones, with different textures, creams, flavours and designs. She loved making the cakes that challenged her abilities and refined her skills. As her confidence grew, she started investing more in baking materials and tools, and from the money she earned from selling her cakes, she bought her first oven.

One fine day, while she was walking in the park, she started thinking of turning this passion of baking into a full-time business, as this was the one thing that made her the happiest. With that idea, she returned home and told her mum excitedly about it, who wholeheartedly supported her idea.

Sarah embarked on her new venture by creating an online platform to showcase her cakes. Her sister assisted her and soon people started to notice her creations and orders began to come in. Accepting the first order from someone who was not a family member or a friend, but an unknown client, was quite intimidating. She was really uncertain, confused and nervous while completing her first order.

That night, she was restless and worked tirelessly to ensure everything went as smoothly as possible. Despite being anxious, her first order went well, and success came soon after. She worked with full dedication to make sure every order lived up to her own high expectations and the customer’s satisfaction. After she began making a lot of money, she created a little bakery called ‘Sarah’s Creation’, recruited a few staff members, and the bakery soon became well-known.

Sarah’s journey serves as an example for resilience and creativity. She demonstrated that you can be anything you want to be if you work hard enough, regardless of the circumstances. One should never give up when encountering hurdles and breakpoints while following their dreams. Her happy place was her busy bakery, where the wonderful aroma of freshly baked goods filled the air.

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 17th, 2024