“I can’t marry Ifakolade, God forbid… Ifakolade of all people, because of revenge… Maami, don’t force me into another error, this was exactly how you forced me into marrying Daniel the Igbo man because of money. Maami because you want to kill Larry out of revenge, you want me to marry Ifakolade… a drug addict, an assassin , a tout…. Maami…. Please let me be… You know what, I am no more interested in killing Larry again, Let God fight…” I said
” What did I hear you say?, God will fight?… How come God has not been fighting, why did God not stop him from killing my daughter…. Muyiwa, why did you come back, you have brought us back luck…. Get out.. Get out…. “Maami said
” Maami, what? ” I asked in disbelief
” I said get out..” My Sisters were pleading on my behalf, My mother was definitely high on something, I took my slippers and left the house, it was around 12:30am… My immediate sister was calling me to come back…. But I was not listening… I wanted out..
I kept walking with no destination in mind as a lot crossed my mind, from suicide, to insanity or going back to Larry’s place in the city and asking him to Kill ME…. but in the midst of this, it seem like someone was pushing me from behind towards a particular direction.
I must have walked for 20 mins when I became conscious of myself,… ” Where was I going at this hour of the night? ” I asked myself. I decided to turn back, but suddenly I felt this painful leg cramps that didn’t let my leg move one inch from where I was, I didn’t want to scream so as not to attract unnecessary attention, so I sat on the floor giving my leg time to rest…
Everywhere was silent, but in that silence, I could hear a familiar tone, it was one of my old songs titled ” NINU IRORA” ( IN TIMES OF PAINS). I stood up and followed the sound…Hoping I would be given shelter for the night…
I kept singing along as I drew near to the house where the music was coming from…
” Ninu Irora, Mo ba Eleda mi soro
( In times of pain, I speak to my creator)
Ninu Isoro, mo ba Eleda mi soro
( In times of Problems, I speak to my creator)
Tori Eleda lo Da Eda
( Because, it was the creator that created the created)
I kept singing this song as it’s meaning hit me… I wrote and sang this song over 7 years ago, and now I suddenly understood the song… In all of my problems and challenges, I had not been speaking ( Praying) to my creator… I started singing the song with so much passion, I didn’t care if any one heard me…. I sat on a closed well beside the house…
” Sis Grace…. ” I heard my name. It was the Newly posted pastor who had visited me few weeks back, the music was coming from his house…
” It’s late out here, what are you doing out here… Are you OK? “
No words came out of my Mouth but the song and tears from my eyes. I saw him stretch forth His hand to me, the hand looked to me like a chance of a new life…. I was torn between accepting or declining, but I am grateful that I accepted that hand because it shaped the next two weeks after that night…
I got to know his name was pastor James, he had lost his wife Two years earlier, and he didn’t have a child. He took me in and for two weeks, I was pampered, he never asked me any question, he never preached to me, but every morning he would come to me in the room and pray for me and the baby…. His prayer was simple…
” Lord, show my Sis Grace how much you love her, Please encourage her and make her happy in Jesus name”…He always ended with a smile, a smile so genuine I wondered if he was human. Every day before he left for church which was just close by, he would play one of my Audio CD’s he had and put it on Automatic replay…
I had time to heal, I had time to think…away from the harsh world.
I spoke to him for the first time after 8 days…
” I need to tell you something, pastor James and I hope you still like me when I am done” I said very gently
He showed no expression as I narrated EVERYTHING… but when I was done, He looked at me with that golden smile and said ” Is that all?”….The way he asked so simply further broke ME IN tears… as he held my hands and said his simple Prayer again.
He wiped my tears and said this to me…
” The fact that a Lion is wonded and injured does not make it less of a Lion, it just needs time to heal and rise up to return back to the position of being called the “KING OF THE JUNGLE”… I believe my own Sister Grace will rise again, Larry was just a distraction…You will rise again… “
I had not felt love and care like this before, Pastor James started making me see the pregnancy as something I should be joyful about. His smiles …. I was always looking forward to it…
Was this redemption?, Was this God’s second chance? Could God be Merciful enough to make Pastor James write a new chapter in the story of my life Or was this another deceiver like Larry….
To be continued…
© Opeyemi Akintunde