🧖♀️MARRIED💞
Episode 21
©Miriam Edem
We felt fresh breeze b!owing around us and the pastor took those who surrendered to Jesus that day to the stream for baptism including myself. Before they could finish with everyone, dusk was falling on us and I pitied them so much after tarrying all night but got into deliverance with no sleep, rest or water.
“Pastor plea-se you nee-d to rest, I said to them and he smiled.
“Don’t worry we are not tired, we are having the strengths of all the missionaries who c@m£ here and we are so happy to see what is going on here, Pastor Isreal said and my mother approached him.
“Will you leave Sharon here with us? My mother asked.
“What do you think? He asked back.
“I know am asking for too much but plea-se let her stay with you, she will be better off there, My mother replied.
“Mommy are you still scared? I asked her.
“No we are just thinking about you, my father replied rather approaching us..
“Its okay, Sharon is my daughter and I can’t remember s£nding her out of the house she is always welcome there if she wants to stay with me, the pastor said.
“And I want her to stay with you plea-se, my mother said.
“Then you both have nothing to worry about, the pastor said.
The next day very early in the morning we took off after my mother gave me a ti-ght hvg and i did same to my father for i had forgiven him and Chinenye ran to me,
“Thank you for bringing this to us, she said.
“Its alright, now you don’t have to live in fear again okay, take care of everyb©dy for me, I said tou-ching her cheeks and hvgged Mary who c@m£ to me,
“I’ll miss you o, she said and i smiled.
“I’ll still be visiting nau that should not be a problem, i said and the bus horned indicating i was keeping them waiting and i quic-kly waved at everyone as I ran into the bus with Charity.
Staying with the pastor, I heard testimonies from my sisters over there in the village. They began leaving the village and doing well, and I saw myself traveling home for their marriage. The pastor took over my education and that of Charity, and after 4 years of staying with him I wanted going to the market when I heard a phone ringing in the taxi I just entered. I was the only one there and the ringing tone didn’t sound like mine so I searched for it. I found it un-der the seat and picked up,
“Hello plea-se I left my phone in the taxi plea-se help me out, the voice said.
“Its alright am going to the market now how will you get the phone back? I asked.
“Oh which market plea-se? He asked and I told him the market.
“I’ll be there soon plea-se thank you, he said and dropped the call. When I arrived at the market I had to wait at the side for him and he called again. I directed him to where I was waiting, to my surprise it was Samuel!
He was so shocked himself to see me and without saying anything he just hvgged me while I laughed.
“Look at you, where have you been? He asked.
“Well God took care of me, I replied.
“Yea the neighbor told me what happened when I returned, you should have waited for me. You got me so worried and I looked for you, at a point I thought the kidnappers took you again, he said.
“Its alright, it was for a purpose anyway and next time be careful with your phone, I said giving it to him.
“Thank you so much, let’s go in, he said.
“To the market? I asked.
“No to the bank, come let’s go joor, he replied and I laughed following him. There our friendsh!pblossomed and we bec@m£ very close. Though he was working and I was in school, we still squee-zed out time to see somehow but I never told him I have a daughter not until he c@m£ to the house to visit me one day and Charity returned from school calling me mommy. His countenance changed and it was so obvious. When he left the house I called him on phone and he didn’t return the calls for about 2 days.
I was so hurt with that action that I didn’t realize I was in love with him, and probably that made me to keep such a secret from him that I am a single mother because of the way the society painted us. I thought Samuel will be different when he comes to know the truth but I was so disappointed and the pastor knew about it.
“Don’t worry yourself too much Sharon, what is yours is yours and no one will take it away from you okay, the pastor said.
“But I thought Samuel was mine, why did he just change like that without hearing me out? I asked.
“Why didn’t you tell him yourself? You should have confided in him and let him take his decision, the pastor said.
“You’re siding him ba? I asked.
“No na if he was truly your friend you shouldn’t have kept such a thing from him but then just calm down, he will come around, the pastor said.
“He should not come around again sef, I said with a frown and the pastor laughed.
“Then st©p using this kind of face to scare my children, its driving the holy spirit, the pastor said teasing me……….
3 days later I moved on with my life and br@nched at Charity school to pick her up so we can go home together. I opened the door and saw Samuel talking with the pastor. I got very angry to see him that he held me begging,
“So what are you doing here huh? Did you missed anything here? I asked.
“Yes and its you, why did you keep such a thing from me anyway? You didn’t trust me to accept you and your daughter? He asked.
“And with the way you behaved do you expect me to trust you with such a thing? Why should you keep me silent for almost a week without hearing me out? Okay fine you’re here now to tell me how I lived a promiscuous life that got me pregnant right? I asked back.
“I thought you know me Sharon for the 3 months you’ve known me. Fine let me tell you that I am so disappointed for you not trusting me, Samuel replied and I looked away from him.
“I love you Sharon and was re-ady to accept you the way you are, you don’t have to surprise me with such an important thing. I looked so stupid, Samuel said and I looked at him.
“Really? I asked.
“You too really? Is that all you can say? Samuel asked back and the pastor bur-st out laughing while I tried controlling mine. Did Samuel just confessed his love to me?
“I love you Sharon and ermmmm….. He said going on his knee and my eyes bulged out.
“Will you marry me? Will you fill this empty space in my heart and grow with me with your troubles? Samuel asked showing me a ring and I surprisedly looked at the pastor and saw him smiling at us.
“Sharon talk fast na my leg is paining me joor, Samuel jokingly said and I bur-st out laughing stupidly hvgging him.
“You’ve not said yes o, he said.
“Ewo Its yes na you sef, I said.
“Simple thing you can’t say since. Come here my baby, he said drawing Charity near after engaging me and I ran to the pastor hvgging him………….
3 months after that I was MARRIED to my best friend, pl@ymate and my very own. The one who helped me out when I was alone in the dark and filled my heart with love and My one dream i thought will never come throu-gh finally c@m£ to pas-s.
Mary was my maid of honor and at the reception she kept staring at me and I looked confused,
“Why? Is there something on my face? I asked.
“No am just looking at that determined girl who didn’t accept defeat, but went throu-gh a lot and made sure her dreams c@m£ throu-gh. Permit me to say you’re my role model and I admire you so much, she replied and I smiled and looked at my husband talking with his friends.
“That’s what the Lord can do and he can do same for you and everyone who trusts in him. It wasn’t easy to be sincere, but am glad he crowned it all with the de-sires of my heart and the experiences was worth it, I said to her.
And we all lived happily ever after🤗
The END