just an appendage live to attend them.

will a brown girl ever have the chance at freedom and individuality in a community subjecting them to deep rooted sense of duty and chores .

In a small, close-knit community where tradition and family were the cornerstones of life, there lived a young woman named Leila. She was the firstborn daughter in a family of five children, and from the moment she could walk, she had been taught that her role was to care for her siblings and support her parents. Her parents, immigrants from a country where family came before everything, had instilled in her a deep sense of duty and responsibility.

Leila had always been the responsible one. She helped her mother with the cooking and cleaning, looked after her younger siblings, and even helped her father with the family business. She was the one who made sure everyone else was taken care of, often at the expense of her own needs and desires. But as she grew older, the weight of her responsibilities began to feel heavier and heavier.

Despite the demands placed on her, Leila had always been a dreamer. She loved to read, losing herself in stories of far-off places and daring adventures. She had a passion for art, spending hours sketching and painting whenever she could find a spare moment. But her dreams were always pushed aside, deemed unimportant in the face of her family's needs.

As she entered her teenage years, Leila began to feel a growing sense of frustration. She watched her friends pursue their passions and dreams, while she was stuck at home, tending to her siblings and helping with the family business. She longed to go to college, to study art and travel the world, but she knew that her family couldn't afford to send her. And even if they could, she was expected to stay close to home, to continue supporting her family.

Leila's internal conflict grew with each passing day. She tried to suppress her feelings, telling herself that her family's needs were more important than her own. But the more she tried to convince herself, the more she felt like a stranger in her own life. She began to notice the subtle ways in which her identity was being erased. Her opinions were rarely sought, and when she did voice them, they were often dismissed or ignored. Her days were filled with mundane tasks that left her feeling unfulfilled, and her nights were spent lying awake, wondering if this was all there was to life.

One evening, after a particularly exhausting day, Leila found herself standing in the kitchen, staring at the dishes piled high in the sink. She had spent the entire day helping her mother with the household chores, looking after her younger siblings, and assisting her father with the family business. As she washed the dishes, she felt a wave of resentment wash over her.

as Leila reached the age of 25, the reality of her situation began to set in. Despite her efforts to pursue her dreams and find a balance between her family responsibilities and her own desires, she found herself stuck in a bleak and unfulfilling existence. She still lived at home, still helped with the family business, and still bore the weight of her responsibilities as the firstborn daughter.

Leila's parents, while proud of her accomplishments, began to pressure her to get married. In their eyes, a woman's worth was still tied to her ability to find a husband and start a family. They introduced her to potential suitors, but none of them seemed to understand or appreciate her dreams and aspirations. They wanted a traditional wife, someone who would prioritize their needs above her own, and Leila couldn't bring herself to settle for that.

As the years passed, Leila's prospects for marriage dwindled. She watched as her friends and younger siblings found partners and started families of their own, while she remained alone. She felt like a failure, like she had somehow missed her chance at happiness. The weight of her responsibilities, combined with the pressure to conform to societal expectations, began to crush her spirit.

Leila felt like a shell of her former self, going through the motions of life without any real purpose or joy. Her family noticed the change in her, but they didn't know how to help. They tried to encourage her, telling her that she would find someone eventually, that she just needed to be patient. But their words felt hollow, and Leila couldn't bring herself to believe them.

She began to withdraw from the world, isolating herself from her friends and the support group that had once been her lifeline. She felt like she didn't belong anywhere, like she was caught between two worlds—one that demanded she fulfill her traditional roles, and another that offered the promise of freedom and self-expression, but seemed forever out of reach.

One night, as Leila lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, she felt a wave of despair wash over her. She thought about all the dreams she had put on hold, all the parts of herself she had buried in order to fit into the mold of the perfect firstborn. She thought about the years she had spent caring for her family, sacrificing her own happiness for theirs. And she realized that she had nothing to show for it—no job, no marriage prospects, no future.

Tears streamed down her face as she whispered to the darkness, "Is this all there is? Is this all I'm meant to be?"

The next morning, Leila woke up with a newfound determination. She realized that she couldn't continue living a life that didn't fulfill her, that she needed to find a way to reconcile her family responsibilities with her own desires and aspirations. She decided to start small, carving out time for herself each day to pursue her interests.

She began by enrolling in an online art course, something she had always wanted to do but had never had the time for. She also started writing in a journal, pouring out her thoughts and feelings onto the pages. It was a small step, but it gave her a sense of purpose and control over her own life.

Leila's family noticed the change in her, but they didn't understand it. They were used to her being available whenever they needed her, and they didn't like the idea of her having her own interests. Her parents tried to discourage her, telling her that she didn't need to study or pursue her dreams, that her place was at home, supporting the family. But Leila stood her ground, telling them that she needed to do this for herself.

Leila's journey was not easy. She faced resistance from her family, who felt threatened by her newfound independence, and from her community, who worried that she was straying from her cultural values. But she also found support in unexpected places. She went back with her support group, and together they shared their experiences and encouraged each other.

As Leila continued to explore her interests, she began to feel more like herself. She discovered a passion for digital art and started a small online business selling her creations. Her business gained a following, and she found that her art resonated with other young women who were also trying to navigate the complexities of modern life while staying true to their cultural roots.

She hoped that her parents and society would learn to accept that a wife isn’t the only thing a girl was born to be .and she had dreams and aspirations and adventures to go to. she had life, love and friendships to experience heartbreak and sadness live her own truth and experiences.