Ogooluwapelumi Oduyemi

The Power of Fear and the Journey to Self-Rediscovery

It was 2:45 PM on a rainy Friday in Los Angeles. My dad was brewing coffee in the kitchen when he answered a call from an unknown number. He froze as he heard a woman violently crying and screaming on the other end. Then, a strong masculine voice said, "We have your daughter, and if you don't listen to every word we say, we're going to kill her." My dad paused, lost his breath for a moment, and asked, "Can I talk to her?" The kidnappers taunted him, "Do you want us to break her arm?"