It had been eleven long months since I had last seen my wife. Even then, it had only been a quick and hurried visit. She had been living out of the country for a while now. She had to go breathe the free air again after the battles we fought, she and I. We fought against flesh and blood and against principalities and powers, but God was with us all the way. However, that is not the end of the story. In fact, it is not even the beginning.
It started many years ago. I was still a small village boy who had just finished secondary school. I lived in the village with my mum and siblings because my dad had passed away some years earlier. After his passing, life became a bit tough for us and as the first son in a family of four, it was my responsibility to take charge of the home. My mum, after completing her mourning period decided not to remarry. She said she would be faithful to her late husband to the end of the days.
I had just finished high school and needed to go to the university. However, money was an issue. My dad had left us some properties. He had left some cocoa farms that could have fetched enough money to take care of the education for me and for my siblings. However, my greedy uncles decided to take everything away from us. I had three siblings, all girls. I was the only boy. So, when I tried to fight for my dad’s property, my mum asked me not to. She was afraid for my life.
Before my father died, he warned me to be very wary of land issues. That was because he knew how deadly it was. People had lost their lives fighting over parcels of land. I used to wonder why human beings would kill themselves over land that they would still leave on this earth and go to the world after. At the end of the day, everyone has just his six feet. So, no matter how much land you acquire, at the end of your life, just a few meters will be used for your final resting place.
I wished people could realize that and stop fighting over worldly things. We came into the world empty handed and we would leave same. The bible said the best place for us to store our treasures is in heaven. However, we are humans and get carried away by worldly things. It’s part of the human condition. As much as we strive for salvation, it is also important in this life to be rich. Even in the holy book, most of the famous people were rich.
Abraham, David, Job, Solomon etc. were all rich people. But you shouldn’t let your riches send you to the world beyond or let it be the cause of another person’s death. No matter what happens, we should always think of the afterlife. This is because, no matter how long a man lives on this earth, he would still be dead for much longer. Anyway, enough of the sermon. Let’s get back to the story.
I was supposed to go to the university. As the first child of the family, it was necessary to further my education to university level. I needed to get a degree and secure a good job. I wanted to be able to take care of my family; my mum and my three younger sisters.
However, there was a serious obstacle. The only property that my uncles didn’t take from us was the house we lived in. Every other thing was taken. My mother had a small business at the market. It was thanks to this business that we managed to have our daily bread. When it was nearing time to apply to universities, my mum observed that I was worried and she decided to have a talk with me.
“My son, I know you have been worried. I can see it.”
“Yes, Mum, and you know why.”
“I understand, but you know that if I had my way, I would have sent you to the university. You know how much I have struggled since we lost your dad and you know how much I care about you and your sisters.”
“Calm down, Mum. I haven’t complained. I don’t blame you for anything. Instead, I blame tradition for being unfair to us. If the reverse was the case, all the property dad left would have still been us and things would have been better.”
“Thank God you understand. The small business I run can only take care of feeding and your sisters’ school fees.”
“It’s okay, Mum. God will make a way for us.” I said, hugging her.
My mother was a strong woman. Even when my dad was alive, she had always been very active in taking care of the home and protecting her family. She was that kind of a woman who fought the family battles in spite of the fact that she had a husband. She was a prayer warrior extraordinaire. Sometimes, she prayed for four hours straight. I wondered where she got all that energy based on the fact that she was beginning to age.
After that conversation with my mum, it finally dawned on me that I was going to stay in the village without continuing my education. It pained me deeply because I was someone who loved school and I had always hoped of getting a degree. However, I resigned myself to my fate. I decided that during my stay in the village, I would involve myself in doing meagre jobs around so as to support my mum. I was now the head of the house. I also hoped to save some money over the years so that I could pay for my education. I knew it was going to take me like four years to get that dream realized. That meant I had four years to stay home before going to school. But something happened that changed everything.
One Sunday, I was just back from church and was sitting on a bench in front of our house doing absolutely nothing when I saw a friend of mine approaching. His name was Elvis. I wasn’t happy seeing him that afternoon. I was going to run into trouble with my mum if my mum saw me with him. My mum considered him a wizard and had always warned me to stay away from him. However, I considered him a good friend and had therefore always flouted my mum’s orders.
My mum had a good reason to be wary of him. He always acted strange and suspicious. I remember one day while I was still a student in the secondary school, I had spent a night in his room after being locked out of the house for coming back late. We had organized a school gala and I had been warned not to come back late. I did come back late nevertheless and by time I got home, the doors had been locked because it was almost midnight. So, I had no choice that to spend the night in his room and went home in the morning.
While we were asleep, I had a dream. In this dream I saw my friend Elvis with a group of people in a very big house. I could recognize some of the people but I couldn’t recognize some. They were negotiating on whether to kill me or not. I saw my father there. He was begging them not to kill me and there was a serious argument going on. Finally, my father was dragged away and my friend, Elvis and the other people resolved that I was going to be killed. I cried and begged him to spare me, reminding him that we were friends. He ignored me and turned his back on me. He gave the order for me to be killed. But something strange happened. My three sisters appeared and rescued me. They took me to a church and sealed the doors so that I would be safe.
I woke up from the dream sweating. When I woke up, I saw my friend sitting on the bed, cross-legged like someone who had been meditating. His eyes were opened and he was looking directly at me but he wasn’t blinking. He seemed to be in another world. I tapped him on his shoulder and called his name. Only then did he come back to consciousness. He refused to talk to me, turned his back and slept. The following day, I told my mother about the whole thing and she became more wary of him. You now understand why I wasn’t happy that he was visiting me that Sunday afternoon.
“Good afternoon, Eyong.”
“Good afternoon, Elvis. I can see you didn’t go to church as usual.”
“Abeg, forget about church. You people who go to church, are you more righteous that us who don’t?”
“Please, don’t say that. That’s blasphemy.”
“Abeg, leave me with big English. You and I are in this village and you are here claiming big English. That means when you finally go to the university, no one will drink water.”
“That is no reason for you to stay away from church.” I spoke.
“Church indeed! Enhe, Mr. Church Man. The other day I saw your church elder after church. He was drunk and was being carried home. The worst part was that he was still in his elder’s robe. So, what can you tell me about Christianity? I beg, that is not why I came here.”
“Why did you come, then?” I asked impatiently. “Better be fast. My mum will be here soon.”
“Boyyyy! You know that small girl who came in from the city last week?” He had suddenly become excited.
“Which one? I don’t know any small girl who came in from the city last week.”
“Foolish man. Didn’t you see that girl who came in last week? Mr. Tabe’s daughter?”
“I saw one tall, dark and slim young lady yesterday but I didn’t know where she came from.”
“She’s Mr. Tabe’s daughter. She hardly ever comes to the village. I don’t know what brought her here.”
“So, what about her? Why are you telling me about her?” I asked.
“She’s good for you. I have never seen you with a girl before.”
“Please, I have my own troubles to handle. I don’t want a girl’s wahala. Please, let me be.” I told Elvis.
“Just say that you are afraid, slack man. That girl could make a good girlfriend for you. Be a man and rise up to your responsibility.”
“But why should I not be afraid? Her father is a rich man, the richest man in this village. She won’t even want to look at a poor boy like me. Besides, I am afraid of her father’s wahala. What if she gets pregnant? Her father will put me in jail. I don’t want trouble.” I explained.
“Get out, my friend. What do you mean by she won’t even look at you? You are a handsome guy. Were all the girls in class not flocking behind you during our secondary school days? Never underestimate yourself. In fact, I have good news for you.”
“What good news?”
“She says she wants to see you.”
“Are you drunk? How can she say she wants to see me when she doesn’t even know me?” I asked, confused.
“Get out of here, my friend. Who told you she doesn’t know you? She knows you already and she likes you.”
“What? How is that possible?”
“Yesterday, I went to their house and I told her that you said you loved her. She was very excited and said she had seen you in the neighbourhood. She said she would love to see you today.” Elvis spoke.
“Today?!” I almost shouted. “You are lying, Elvis. You can’t go their house. They don’t welcome visitors like that. Remember, they are rich.”
“My mum asked me to accompany her to go see her mum. They are from the same tribe. So, I took the advantage and talked to her. She was so excited. Please, don’t miss this opportunity. Her parents travelled early this morning and will be back by nightfall. I have arranged for you guys to meet at my elder brother’s place. He has been away for a while.” He explained.
“Alright, alright, if you say so. I will be there. I would love to hear what she has to say.”
“More like it. Now, you are talking. We’ll see later. Let me be going before that your talkative mum comes.”
I was both confused and excited after my conversation with Elvis. I had seen that girl myself. She was beautiful but she was a rich man’s daughter. I was suffering from inferiority complex. Also, I found it difficult to comprehend while Elvis would just go and start talking to her on my behalf. The whole thing was confusing. Anyway, 4:00 PM was not very far away. Soon, I would have the answers to all my questions.
I went into my bedroom to look for a dress that would be fit for the occasion.
TO BE CONTINUED…