Life was unpredictable.
No matter how much Akutu planned, no matter how carefully she set her course, things never unfolded exactly as she expected. And she was starting to realize—that wasn't always a bad thing.
Sometimes, the best moments came from the things she never saw coming.
The first unexpected turn came with her writing.
Akutu had submitted her short story weeks ago and nearly forgotten about it. She had convinced herself that she wouldn't hear back anytime soon—if at all.
But one morning, as she checked her email, her breath caught.
Congratulations! Your story has been selected for publication in the National Literary Journal.
For a moment, she just stared.
Then, she let out a laugh—half joy, half disbelief.
Sarah ran into the room at the sound of her excitement. "What happened?"
Akutu turned the screen toward her.
Sarah gasped. "Akutu! This is huge!"
It was. It truly was.
She had spent years doubting whether her words mattered. And now, the world was telling her that they did.
This was not the future she had expected.
But maybe it was the one she was meant for.
The second unexpected turn came with family.
One evening, Akutu's mother called.
"I have something to tell you," she said hesitantly.
Akutu's stomach tightened. "What is it?"
Her mother sighed. "I've been thinking about everything. About how we've struggled to understand each other. And I realize now that maybe I didn't always listen the way I should have."
Akutu felt a lump in her throat.
Her mother had never admitted something like this before.
"I want to change that," her mother continued. "I want us to talk more. To really talk."
Akutu took a deep breath. "I'd like that."
They spoke for hours that night—about things they had never said before.
She had never expected this moment to come.
But here it was.
And it felt like the beginning of something beautiful.
The biggest unexpected turn, however, came with love.
Akutu had convinced herself that romance wasn't something she needed to focus on. She had too many other things to figure out.
But then, she met Kwame.
It started with casual conversations at the library, then study sessions that lasted longer than they needed to.
She told herself they were just friends.
Until one evening, as they walked through campus, Kwame looked at her and said, "I think we both know this is more than just friendship."
Akutu's heart pounded.
She had spent so long believing she wasn't ready for something like this.
But as she met Kwame's gaze, she realized something.
Maybe she was.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.