Absolutely! Here's Episode 1 of your powerful generational story, titled:

The Boy Who Couldn't Count

Episode 1: “I Am Going to Prove You Wrong”

[Scene 1 – Nigeria, October 2, 1958 – A Humble Home in Benin City]

Heavy rain pours outside. Grace is groaning in labor. Peter Igue is pacing, nervous and sweating.

Grace (breathing hard):

"What should we name him, Peter?"

Peter (smiling slowly):

"I have the perfect name... Francis. Francis Isaiah Igue."

Grace (tired but smiling):

"Yes... that’s a wonderful name."

Thunder roars as a baby cries. A nurse hands them the baby. The camera zooms out slowly.

[Scene 2 – Nigeria, 1963 – Francis is 5 Years Old]

Francis is seated on the floor, eating garri and groundnut. Peter walks in holding a newspaper.

Peter:

"Francis, again, what’s 5 plus 5?"

Francis (confidently):

"Sixteen!"

Peter (furious):

"What?! Francis, 5 plus 5 or I take your food!"

Francis (whispers):

"...Sixteen."

Peter grabs the plate angrily, about to hit him—then suddenly:

Grace (from another room, screaming):

"Baby o! Peter! Help me! My water broke!"

Peter (startled):

"Honey! I’m coming!"

Peter (to Francis):

"When I come back, I will deal with you."

He rushes Grace out the door to the hospital.

[Scene 3 – Hospital Room – Hours Later]

Peter opens the door, sweaty, holding a newborn wrapped in blue.

Grace (smiling weakly):

"Thank you."

Francis (peeking in):

"What’s his name?"

Grace (gently):

"Samuel. Samuel Igue. Isn’t that a beautiful name?"

Peter (turns sharply):

"Now, Francis. Again—what’s 5 plus 5?"

Francis (quietly):

"...Sixteen."

Peter raises his hand. Grace steps in firmly.

Grace:

"Peter, stop na!"

Peter (grumbling):

"You’re lucky because of your mother."

[Scene 4 – 1970 – Igue Family Compound, Francis is 12, Samuel is 7]

Excitement fills the air. Samuel is holding a letter.

Peter (cheering):

"My son got a scholarship to America! My boy, Samuel! You are a blessing!"

Peter (turns to Francis):

"Francis, be like your brother!"

Francis (softly):

"But daddy..."

Peter (angrily):

"Shut up, failure!"

Samuel (mocking):

"Go cry, big baby."

Francis runs off to the backyard in tears. Grace finds him sitting alone, picking at the dirt.

Grace (kneeling beside him):

"They might see you as a failure... but you're never a failure, Francis. You get it?"

Francis (sniffing):

"Yes, Mama."

[Scene 5 – Murtala Muhammed International Airport – Same Week]

The family stands with their bags. A plane waits on the runway. Francis watches the sky in silence.

Peter (placing his hand on Samuel’s shoulder):

"My son Samuel... you are a blessing.

Unlike Francis."

Francis clenches his fist, eyes burning with quiet rage.

Francis (in his heart):

"I am going to prove you wrong."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Would you like me to write Episode 2, where they arrive in America and Francis faces bullying, but meets someone who inspires his journey into math?

Here’s Episode 2 of The Boy Who Couldn't Count:

The Boy Who Couldn't Count

Episode 2: “A New World”

[Scene 1 – Airport Arrival, New York, 1970]

The family arrives in America. They step out of the airport, the air different, colder than Nigeria. Samuel is beaming with excitement. Francis drags a heavy suitcase behind him.

Peter (looking around, pleased):

"Yes o, we made it!"

Grace (looking tired but smiling):

"How are we going to get to our apartment, Peter?"

Peter (with a wave of his hand):

"We just walk."

Francis (grunting while carrying the bags):

"But sir, it's too heavy!"

Peter (without turning back):

"Abeg! Just carry them."

They begin walking through the busy streets. The city feels alive, unlike anything they’ve ever seen. They reach their new apartment, a small but cozy space in an average neighborhood.

Francis (looking up at the building):

"It’s beautiful!"

Grace (nodding, a little exhausted):

"Yeah, it is."

Samuel (rolling his eyes):

"Shut up, mum."

Francis (getting defensive):

"Don't tell her to shut up, Samuel."

Samuel (smirking):

"Abeg, I’m the reason we’re in America. I got the scholarship. You’re just dumb."

Francis’s eyes widen, hurt by the words. Grace steps in, her voice firm.

Grace (sternly):

"Enough, Samuel."

Peter (turning toward Francis):

"It’s not because Francis is your favorite."

Grace (softly):

"No, Peter, it’s not like that."

Peter (shouting):

"LIAR!"

Francis walks away quickly, his heart heavy. He slams the door behind him as he storms out into the cold New York street.

[Scene 2 – Promise Land School]

The next day, Samuel heads to his private school on scholarship. Grace is left worried about Francis. She spends hours calling schools, but none seem to accept him.

Grace (on the phone):

"They say there’s no space, Peter. They say there are no schools for black kids here."

Francis (interjecting from the background):

"So, what does that mean? No school for me?"

Grace (pauses, sighs):

"You understand now, Francis. It's different here."

Francis (frustrated):

"That’s not fair."

Grace searches further and finds a school called Promise Land School. Francis stands up and shakes his head.

Francis (sarcastically):

"Seriously, mum? Promise Land?"

Grace (smiling faintly):

"We have to try, darling."

[Scene 3 – First Day at Promise Land School]

Francis walks into the new school, a bit awkward in his T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He enters the classroom and takes a seat. The classroom is full of students with different accents, different lives.

Moments later, the door opens, and a tall, stern-looking teacher walks in.

Mr. Carter (in a firm tone):

"Alright, class. Settle down. Today, we’re going to see how much you’ve learned over the summer. Francis, since you're new, please come to the front."

Francis walks to the front, feeling eyes on him. Mr. Carter hands him a book.

Mr. Carter (sternly):

"Here’s your book. Answer these questions, alright?"

Francis (staring blankly):

"I don’t have a book, sir."

Mr. Carter (raising an eyebrow):

"At grade 8, you don’t have a book?"

Mr. Carter sighs and takes a book from his drawer, flips it open, and begins writing. The class watches as he writes on the board.

Mr. Carter:

"Write your name, class, and answer questions 1 to 10."

[Scene 4 – Francis’s Struggle]

Francis scribbles his name, nervous. The questions seem impossible, unlike anything he’s seen in Nigeria.

The questions:

What is the value of 12 + 8?

Subtract 6 from 15.

Multiply 7 by 3.

What is the sum of 100 and 25?

What is 4 divided by 2?

What is the next number in the series: 2\, 4\, 6\, 8\, ___?

Write the fraction 3/5 as a decimal.

What is 5 squared?

Subtract 9 from 12.

How many sides does a hexagon have?

Francis stares blankly at the board. He tries, but he can’t answer most of them. His mind spins.

[Scene 5 – Mr. Carter’s Disappointment]

Mr. Carter walks over to Francis’s desk, looking at his paper.

Mr. Carter (disappointed):

"Francis, this is grade 4 work. You may be demoted if you don’t pick up the pace."

The students start whispering. Francis’s face turns red with embarrassment.

Francis (quietly):

"I’m sorry, sir."

He holds back tears. The humiliation stings. As soon as the bell rings, he rushes out of the class and into the schoolyard. Alone, he breaks down crying.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Would you like me to continue developing Francis's journey into becoming a math genius, or would you like to focus on his emotional growth in future episodes?