HER JOURNEY
By Christabel Nwoko
Episode 3
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Soon, Agnes began to realize that bringing up three children alone will be a difficult task. She almost gave up as she was not meeting up with their nee-ds. Upon how ha-rd she worked she still couldn’t provide everything her daughters nee-ded.
Never in her life did she ever dream of becoming a single mother. single parenting means twice the job, but Despite the daily challenge of caring for her children, Agnes still considers her daughters as blessings and not a burden. She always felt bad each time she failed to meet her children’s nee-ds.
Agnes tried everything she could to meet up with her children’s nee-ds, she took up more odd jobs and worked ha-rd all day. But one-day, something unfortunate happened. Agnes was at the market when one of her daughter, Paulina c@m£ to look for her at the market.
Agnes was in smiles when she sighted her daughter in her school uniform. She thought Paulina c@m£ to get money for their lunch. But as she took a closer look at her daughter, instantly, she perceived that something was wrong. Agnes’s smiles suddenly disappeared.
“Paulina my child, what is wrong? Where are your sisters? You don’t look happy” Agnes asked at once. Paulina didn’t respond immediately. The little teenage girl was staring at her mother and wondering if her mother was prepared for the news she was about to share.
“Paulina, talk to me, what is it?” Agnes repeated curiously.
“Mummy, Chloe fainted at school and was rushed to the hospital, Benita is with her” Paulina finally responded.
“What” Agnes entered immediately, she almost lost her breath due to shock but she tried her best to comport herself. In split minutes, she was alre-ady on her way to the hospital with her daughter Paulina. When Agnes got to the hospital where Chloe was admitted, she was even more devastated at the sight of her daughter lying unconsciously on the hospital be-d, for a moment, she thought her daughter was dead, she began to weep bitterly.
One of the nurses had to tell her that her daughter was not dead and she told Agnes to see the doctor for more information. Agnes headed straight to the doctor’s office and introduced her self.
“Oh you are Chloe’s mother! Welcome madam, I have been waiting for you, your daughter is critically ill, we want to run some medical test on her before we commence treatment, but you have to deposit 50,000 naira right away, to enable us run the medical test and commence treatment immediately, plea-se do that immediately as we don’t have time” The doctor entered and Agnes swallowed saliva and sweet fear gr!pp£dher immediately.
All the money she had on her was not even up to 5000 naira, how can she deposit 50,000 naira immediately. She was f0rç£d to speak up. The last thing she want was to lose her last daughter.
“Doctor, the only money I have on me is 4000 naira, plea-se help me, don’t allow my daughter to die, plea-se help me, I promise I will look for the money but first attend to my daughter, plea-se help me” Agnes entered almost in tears.
“I’m sorry, madam this is hospital procedure, you must make the payment first before anything can be done on your daughter, at least pay 25,000 naira, so we can run the medical test and commence treatment immediately” The Doctor concluded and politely dismissed Agnes.
It’s a pity that Agnes’s tearsful confession that she couldn’t afford the 50,000 naira hospital’s bill didn’t melt the doctor’s heart. As Agnes headed back to the hospital ward where Chloe was admitted, tears rolled from her eyes uncontrollable. She thought of reaching Collins but there was no way of reaching him.
Going to Ibadan would be of no use as time was alre-ady against her. Agnes kept wondering what she will do, and finally she decided to go back to the market and see if some of her friends will lend her the money, she had muttered few prayers within her and she had asked God to help her and save her daughter. she told Benita and Paulina to stay with their sister while she go in search of the money.
“I will be back shortly” She told her daughters and left .
HER JOURNEY
By Christabel Nwoko
Episode 4
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In few minutes, Agnes was alre-ady in side the market, it was raining heavily and Agnes was sighted in the rain, she was drenched and shivering in cold. she had went to everyone she thought could help her but no one did. The once that were willing to help were broke and the once who had, felt unconcerned.
One hour later, Agnes returned to the hospital, this time she felt defeated and hopeless, she sighted the doctor immediately she walked in to the hospital and she walked up to him to inform him that she couldn’t get the money, she pleaded with the doctor to treat her daughter.
“Doctor, I promise I will pay, I am not a lazy woman, I work ha-rd everyday, I promise, I will pay, plea-se help me” Agnes pleaded.
“Madam, do you know how much people are owing this hospital?, I have took pity on many patients in the past, who couldn’t afford their bills but what did I get in return? disappointments upon disappointments. Madam I’m not the owner of this hospital, the last time I took pity on a patient, I regretted it, infact I’m still regretting it. You won’t believe the patient absconded after he recovered, I had to pay the hospital bill with my own money because I authorized the treatment, so you see, I don’t want to be disappointed again” The doctor explained.
“Doctor I will not run away, I will pay I promise you, plea-se help me” Agnes pleaded again but all her pleads fell on deaf ears as the doctor was not moved one bit.
” plea-se madam go and look for the money, I can’t do anything for you, we don’t have time, the earlier the better, don’t say I didn’t warn you, your daughter’s life is at risk, if anything happens to your daughter, don’t blame me or the hospital”The doctor concluded.
Agnes suddenly bec@m£ speechless as she stared at the doctor, h0t tears was flowing down from her eyes, the doctor walked away afterwards, and then Agnes sat on the hospital’s floor, her b©dy was covered with goosebu-mps, her clothes were now dried but she felt cold.
“God why is all these happening to me?, plea-se don’t take away my daughter, plea-se, I am so exhausted and I don’t know what to do anymore” She thought in tears
A middle aged woman had been observing her, she heard all that the doctor told Agnes. she knew something was wrong. The woman walked closer to Agnes.
“My dear, dry your tears, don’t cry, the doctor is not your God and the God I know is good all the time, what God can not do does not exist” the nice woman said, she paused and held Agnes on her hands and lifted her up from the ba-re floor.
“you are just going throu-gh a dark phase that will soon pas-s and plea-se Don’t give up there is hope and a colorful future stay focus, have this mentality of not giving up, you have to fight life like a soldier” The woman added and then Agnes remembered her vow to make kings out of her daughters, she stood up from the floor, she wiped her tears and thanked the woman for bringing her back to her s-en-ses and the woman hvgged her.
“What is the problem, my dear?” The kind woman finally asked.
“My last daughter is critically ill, the doctor said I nee-d to deposit 50,000 naira or at least 25,000 naira before he commence treatment on my daughter but I have just 4,000 naira on me and I have gone to everyone I know but no show” Agnes responded.
But to Agnes greatest surprise, the aged woman di-pped her hands into her hand bag and counted a whooping sum of 50 thousand naira and handed it over to Agnes.
“Here, go and pay the bill” The kind woman entered.
“This will clear the whole bill, oh Thank you so much ma, God bless you” Agnes responded in tears.
” Go ahead and make the payment, your daughter will be fine, go now” The woman concluded and Agnes ran down to the cashier to make the payment.
Immediately the doctors began to attend to Chloe.
After payment, Agnes ran down to the waiting room to meet up with the kind woman.
“I hope she haven’t left” Agnes thought. Immediately Agnes sighted the woman sweet smiles covered her face, she sighed softly in relief. Agnes walked closer to her and she began to thank her for her generosity.
“The doctors are attending to my daughter right now, what will I have done if you didn’t took pity on me but I promise you ma, I will pay you back but it will take a while because I don’t make much from my work but I will double my hustle so I can pay up on time” Agnes entered and the woman smiled.
End Of Episode 4
To Be Continued