Episode 6
Oh my goodness!
Oh my God!
I looked at her.
She wasn’t crying
She had tears in her eyes but they were
not falling. She looked really worn!
I stood up, re-moved my long evening
go-wn and thank God my undies were
moderate enough, I set to work even as
I cried ‘Oh my God!” repeatedly.
After rearranging the furniture and
returning the books to where they
were supposed to be, I hung the neat
clothes and dumped the dirty ones in
the large laundry baskets. I saw a
vacuum cleaner.
There is even a vacuum cleaner? Oh my
God!
I ignited the machine and it swallowed
all the dirt on the floor for me.
I went to the be-d and faced mummy
pastor.
“Mummy, let me l@ythe be-d” I said and
she sighed, held the pole on which the
be-d lamp hung with great difficulty and
then stood up. I saw that protruding
tummy.
The dream flashed back to my
memory!
She’s pregnant for real! Oh my God!
I pu-ll-ed a plastic chair for her and she
sat inside it with care.
As I pu-ll-ed the large, heavy white-
turned brown duvet off the be-d, I saw
alre-ady used tissue papers. Some were
very dry, some were still we-t.
I dumped the duvet into one of the
laundry baskets and the tissue papers
fell to the ground- they could make a
rug!
She must have cried loads and from the
look of things, it didn’t just start
yesterday.
By the time I was done with the laying
of the be-d and all, the five large
laundry baskets were filled and the
dustbin was filled as well.
“Carry everything and drop them
outside the room. Abigail would come
and get them outside. This is the first
time anyb©dy would enter this room
ap@rt from my husband. Even my
children are not allowed to. I just
nee-ded an urgent help and my spirit
pointed at you. Thanks so much.” She
said and I could only nod as I did as
instructed.
I then pu-ll-ed the curtains, dusted the
window panes, sprayed the air-
freshener and switched on the split air
conditioner while I wore my go-wn
again.
She smiled
I shook my head and my jaws dropped.
“Mummy, it’s time to get back into
be-d” I said again and she tried to stand
up but couldn’t. I went closer to her
and pu-ll-ed her up.
Oh how light she felt in my hands!
As she hid un-der the new la-id duvet,
she signaled for me to sit down on the
chair adjoining the be-d which I did.
I was not happy!
What exactly was happening?
What’s the smiling pretense?
Does she think I am a baby?
“Sister Precious, could I perhaps call
you Precious?” she asked, humbly and
my heart softened and I f0rç£d a smile
“Definitely ma” I replied and she
smiled again
“Thanks my daughter.” She said and
looked into my face. I looked into her
eyes as well
Pains
Despair
Loneliness
Misery
Despondency
That was all I saw- No hope
whatsoever!
She took my hand and though her hand
seemed beautiful and fresh on the
outside, it was scaly as she t©uçhed me.
“It seems that you know something
about me, Precious” she said and I was
shocked
“Ma, I don’t know anything o, nothing!”
I retorted quic-kly.
What was she saying?
“That Sunday, you were shouting my
name, looking for me all over the
church. You even screamed ‘She’s alive’
when you saw me. That?” she looked at
me with a ‘So, what are you saying’
kind of look and I shook my head.
“Ma…” I was saying when she cut me
short.
“During the marriage committee
session, while I was talking, why did
you look into my eyes so pene-tratingly?
Tell me if you know something plea-se. I
nee-d to know” she squee-zed my hand
as she pleaded, tears streaming down
her face.
Oh mine!
What do I have to say now? I really
don’t know anything at all.
“Precious, when you look into my eyes
as you do, what do you see? plea-se tell
me. I am sure you know something.
Tell me exactly what you see that
others don’t. What you see that my
fellow women leaders don’t, what
exactly you see that even my children
don’t. What you see that my…my…even
my…my hus…husb…husband doesn’t
see” She pleaded further, stuttering
greatly and I shook my head
regrettably.
That’s it!
Exactly what I wanted to know!
Something was very wrong and no one
knew- not even my pastor!
But what’s it?
This suspense is killing me Lord Jesus!
She smiled again and I could not help
but speak my mind.
“Mummy, for real, all I see is fear,
loneliness, frustration, pain, hurt,
despondency, dejection, depression. All
I see on a closer look is negativity
mum! That’s all I see and I don’t
un-derstand why it should be so” I
blurted out. I was tired of seeing her
that way. She looked so weird.
Even her haircut was scary…ba-re!
Her big tummy
Her untidy room
Her hurtful face
Her smile!
Oh how much beautiful and expensive
attires cover the problems of so many
people!
We only look at their attires and envy
them
We look at the hats and say, oh
beautiful!
Not knowing that a sorrowful ba-re
head hides un-derneath.
Lord Jesus!
“Thank you for saying your mind my
daughter. Thanks, thanks, thanks o,
thank you, thanks” the more she said
the words slowing, the more they
tugged at my emotions. The more I
wanted to know where the problem
la-id and put an end to it.
“Mummy, what is the problem with
you? Talk to me. I can handle it. I
might not be able to proffer solutions
to the problems but I can help share in
the burden. Talk to me ma” I pestered
and she smiled.
“I will talk to you and that was why I
chose you. But…” she was saying where
the phone rang and she picked the
receiver.
“Yes Abigail…good…lead him upstairs…
thanks love” she said and dropped the
receiver. She looked at me and smiled
again.
“You have to go now Precious. I will
see you some other time. I nee-d to
attend to someone now. Its urgent.”
She said as she unwound baby wipes
and gave to me. She took some too and
wiped her face. I did the same too.
—-
What could the problem be?
What?
What?
What?
As the ‘what’ questions filled my head,
I could not think straight anymore.
Was she dying?
That would be scary because she is still
very young!
Where was her husband?
As I fumbled with the baby wipes in
my hands and descended the stairs, my
shoulders hit someone who was going
upstairs and I just bowed in apology as
I walked away.
Something struck me ha-rd and turned
back to look at who just walked past
me.
He was at the door…that stature…oh
how familiar!
I racked my br@in so tirelessly but it
didn’t come to my mind who it was.
As I turned the ignition key of my car, I
relived the stature again and oh yes!
Tony!
What was Tony doing in there?
Tony was just a serving corps member
nah…exactly why would she s£nd me
away because she wanted to meet
Tony.
“I am sorry. I just seemed to find out. A
medical doctor would just know.”
Those words rung in my head like I had
never heard them before.
Tony was a medical doctor!
Oh geez!
The dream relived and I remembered
how Tony bent to examine the dying
Mrs. Idile in the dream.
Could that be what it meant?
The dream was all about this?
Wait!
Or had Mrs. Idile been shown that Tony
was my husband and she wanted to put
in good words for me so he would pray
about it?
I shook that idea off!
How childish that thought of mine
was…she obviously wouldn’t do that!
Oh my God!
I dug my hands into my hair again,
sighed so de-eply, turned the ignition
key and as I drove off, I remembered
my coconut rice
“To hell with you dear rice.” I said
loudly, my ton-gue turning sour.
I had lost my appetite
Episode 7
Just praise me in advance…
Those were the words that woke me in
the very hours of the day and I just had
to forgo my sleep and started to thank
Him.
I had woken up with a start and there
was a kind of peppery s-en-sation in my
che-st.
I was so shocked and surprised that I
felt that way because I had not taken
beans or its products during the day
neither did I eat heavily at night. Even
if I did, I wasn’t suffering from
heartburn or asthma so what was the
problem with me?
Throwing my beautiful, furry cover
cloth aside, I stood up from the be-d
and scurried to the water dispenser. I
pressed the ‘h0t’ bu-tton because only
h0t substance could clear the ru-bbish
that had gathered in my heart- I
thought
What is this oh God?
Are you trying to say something to me?
As the cu-p got filled up with the h0t
water, I looked over at the wall clock.
Just 2.30a.m and I was awake…it was
weird!
As I gulped the water down my throat
and it burnt me right where it
mattered, I looked up at the ceiling.
Let me even give a thought to my life
right now.
Does my life even have direction at all?
Does it even seem as if I am ma-king
headway at all?
Something whispered to me so
convincingly but quietly-
‘Count your blessings and it will
surprise you what the Lord had done
for you!’
As I gulped the water down, it felt that
I was gulping freshly ground pepper
down my throat. The s-en-sation did not
subside. In fact, it bec@m£ worse!
Something was ti-ght£ñing round my
n£¢k- for real!
Jesus! My Lord Jesus!
Is this death? Is this what it means to
die?
I am but a child. Why do I feel this way
oh God?
Why?
I dropped the cu-p on the water
dispenser and dragged myself back to
the be-d. My eyes dilated really badly.
The hold on my n£¢k ti-ght£ñed and my
eyes bec@m£ teary. As I g@sped for
breath, almost surrendering to
whatever f0rç£ it was, I fell to my
knees, holding my n£¢k in anguish and
desperation.
“God have mercy” I cried out on my
knees, my voice alre-ady going croaky.
You are in the right position to pray!
The voice was distinct and I wasn’t sure
if that was God or my conscience.
Pray?
To pray and this is what I’ve got?
That’s the mistake you make daughter.
When you pray, you are not doing God
any good but yourself!
Who holds your life in His hands?
“It’s God. Only God does” I said weakly
Who can kill both the b©dy and the
soul?
“It’s God alone” I m0@n ed
All the leadersh!ppositions you have
held since your primary school days
were made possible because of whom?
“It’s because of God o. Who am i? Who
am i?”
I started crying.
The realization suddenly dawned on
me that God had woken me up in the
night to pray and because of the pains;
I had reflected over my life and
concluded that I had really achieved
nothing in life which God found wrong.
If I had woken you up without you
having any discomfort, would you have
prayed?
Would you find yourself crying and
praying fervently as you do now?
“No sir. Oh my Lord! I am sorry. I
never realized that I had created no
time out to hear you. I am sorry Lord” I
cried still.
God was speaking to me!
It felt so real!
It had never ever happened to me
before and I was thri-lled.
I listened and listened again but I heard
no voice again. The discomfort had
gone and I was wi-de awake.
I started to cry.
I really hadn’t taken God seriously in
my life before this time- just the
ceremonial devotion thing and
ceremonial activities of going to the
church and all that.
I had always had almost everything on
a platter of gold- everything I had
achieved had been in an easy way.
I graduated with the best WAEC and
NECO results in the whole federation
and I had been on different forms of
scholarsh!ps till I graduated from the
University of Kent, Canterbury.
Afterwards, I graduated as the second
best student in the University of Kent
and I proceeded to Harvard University
on recommendation and by merit.
I decided to have another Master’s
degree because I felt time was still on
my mind and I wanted more certificates
and all- I had that at the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology, Ghana- on scholarsh!p
again!
My parents had really never spent
money on education for me. I had
always been their pride- though I never
exhibited pride or anything of such.
I just felt I was just being favored but I
had never ascribe-d all the glory to God!
It escaped my mind that every little
success that a child of God gets are as a
result of the backing of the Almighty
God and that we were supposed to
s£nd the glory back to Him for all He’d
done.
I started all over again, thanking him
for my past successes, my parents, my
siblings, my students, and oh mine oh
mine, I had enough things to thank God
for!
It was really shocking that I had that
much to thank Him for when I thought
I had never experienced His t©uçh in a
long time.
…and oh the peace that followed!
__________
The joy from the over two hours’
thanksgiving prayer session I had
lingered for hours as everyone could
notice it. I wore a very beautiful smile
throu-ghout the day- it was like a
permanent plastic surgery!
“I would go to the school’s studio to
have a ph0to-shoot after the school
activities because the smile sure fitted
me” I had thought to myself.
I had just ended a lecture with the
300Level Students and as I left the
clas-s, I hung my school bag around my
n£¢k and bounced out of the social
science block.
“Aunty Tomboy looks really glad today
o”
That was what my very sharp ears
heard as I walked down the park to get
my car.
“Abi, she’s falling in love ni?” another
voice asked and I heard a chorus,
scornful laughter.
“Love ke. Abeg jhur…the only thing I
like about the woman is that she sabi
teach. Ah, if it’s that one, I give it to
her. But r0m@nç£, love, marriage,
mba!” another person said
My heart started to race as I struggled
within my heart about what to do.
Should I look back at the students and
shout at them to st©p it?
No!
That wouldn’t be good because if I
should sight them, I would so hate
them uncontrollably!
Should I hear more from them?
That won’t be nice!
It’s better to just intensify my footsteps
and disappear from them.
But I didn’t obey that instinct. I wanted
to have more of their stories.
“Who does she remind you of?” one
asked again
“Hmmm, let’s say Serena Williams”
another answered
“Yes! That’s very correct! I had never
even thought about it that much” the
third person said
“She definitely works out. All these
ha-rd jobs, you know? Weight lifting
and all…” one was saying again and I
balled my fist in anger.
Jesus!
See how these children are finishing
me- right in my pres£nce!
I could hear them very clearly.
Did they think I was a dummy or a deaf
person?
They were not even ma-king attempts to
reduce their voices.
Geez!
Work out?
Weight lifting?
What did they know about me?
Was that how bad I now look?
These students could so kill someb©dy
o. they could show me love like
anything in the clas-s and outside the
clas-sroom, my stature was being
crucified.
Nawa o!
“So, except she becomes a baby mama
or she marries James Bond o, forget
marriage jhur. Who wants to marry big
hefty mama and call her wife” they said
again and I was mad.
I just walked really fast towards my
car, opened and entered.
My head was in a kind of disorder.
There were stuffs like cobwebs hanging
as curtains in the room of my head and
I couldn’t think straight.
I placed my head on the steering and it
took loud, repeated knocks from some
pas-sers-by at my car door to raise my
head up again.
What was the problem?
My head that was on the steering had
caused the horn to be blaring loudly
and the parking lot was in disarray as
all eyes were on me.
I just bowed and waved in apology!
The joy that I had started the day with
had melt away like a candle beside the
fire!
I nee-ded to just leave this place- but
where to?
I was confused and afraid and
discouraged and all but I didn’t know
the right thing to do.
I Zi-pped my school bag and brou-ght out
my hand mirror, opened and checked
myself out.
I wasn’t that bad- in fact, I was so so
beautiful!
Or maybe it was a full mirror I nee-ded.
I turned the ignition key and drove off
to the bank beside the Accounting
Dep@rtment.
Let me quic-kly have a look at myself in
a large mirror because it seemed my
bathroom mirror had lost its potency
and accuracy.
The bank building was glas-sy so, I
could just use the opportunity to use
the ATM and have a good look at
myself.
There was no queue.
Thank God.
I moved to an ATM slot and stayed in
front of it.
Geez!
I had grown really fat!
See my che-st, oh my goodness!
I am really a gorilla with this hairy face
of mine.
Geez!
What do I do?
No wonder my straight Sk-irt could not
fit in properly this morning. I
condemned about four Sk-irts before I
was able to select the one I eventually
wore.
I withdrew some cash and returned to
the car.
While in the car, I quic-kly switched on
my Wi-Fi and switched on my phone’s
data connection.
I was going to search for her!
What was that name again?
I racked my br@in so much…
Oops, my br@in…was I getting old that
this br@in no longer wanted to obey
me?
Yes! Serena Williams.
Google search loading…
I cli-cked on the images and looked at
her.
She was exactly my look-alike!
I started saving some of the images of
the go-wns she wore to special
occasions.
Even if they were not too decent, I
would make mine decent
Done and dusted, I smiled to myself as I
adjusted the rare mirror.
I was not going to the studio anymore
because my plastic surgery smile had
even disappeared, so of what use
would the ph0to-shoot be?
It was time to change the course…
I decided to go to the —
Boutique to pick up some beautiful
go-wns
and then…
The Gym Centre!
I zoomed away with such great alacrity
and determination because contrary to
those students’ prediction, I wanted
marriage- a very beautiful, ro-mantic,
godly, heaven-bound marriage at that!
May God help me.
>>Continues still<<<<<