WHEN I WALKED OUT... A Story by E PLUS The Storyteller.

 WHEN I WALKED OUT...(PART 1)

 Written by E PLUS The Storyteller.

"Na wa o! Somebody can't rest in his

 own house again? Which one is all dis-

 "Holy Ghost Fire! Holy Ghost Fire!" Mr Bami, my Landlord lamented from downstairs. Immediately, I asked members of my Prayer Team to excuse me for some seconds, while I handle the situation. 

"Oga Landlord sorry nau, we are not shouting, It's just prayer." I explained.

"It's just prayer! And you want to burn down the whole compound with your Holy Ghost Fire! Ahan... Ko da nau!( It's not fair). What about those of us that are innocent? How will we escape the fire?" The Landlord continued to lament. At that point, I felt the best thing to do was just to remain silent.

"Ehn ehn! So you don't want to answer, abi? You see! At least, you can do your prayer quietly, is it not God that all of us are serving? Jor O! Let's sha take it easy, Se o ti gbo? (Have you heard?)"

"Yes sir, no problem." I responded, and returned to my flat.

"I'm so sorry, that was my Landlord." I said, as I managed to explain to my prayer team members.

"No problem, Sister Nkiru. Meanwhile... hmmm... there is a word from the Lord concerning you." The head of the prayer team, Brother Tayo, announced... Immediately, I became more attentive. He paused for a while, and then looked at me.

"Sister Nkiru, God wants you to be more patient because you are contemplating opting out from His Original vision." Brother Tayo said.

I paused for a moment, and pondered over those words, as they continued to echo in my head. In few minutes, the prayer session ended. I could hardly even concentrate, Brother Tayo's revelation continued to hunt me. 

It just appeared to me like God had exposed me before everyone..hmmm..

I was at a cross road in my life, and virtually giving up on this 'Faith principle'. My faith had become really small. I wondered if my case was perculiar because seven called off marriage plans, was no joke!

  I felt jinxed. All the men who proposed to me called off the marriage plans, without any tangible reason, ah! If that's not enough to brood over, I wonder what is o! In the course of my life drama, I met a very rich client in my office, Osuji, and we got talking, along the line, he asked me out. Two weeks into our relationship, I found out that he was engaged! It's been a very tough decision for me to quit this relationship, because the guy in question, had proffesed his love for me, and waa willing to break his engagement to the other lady just to be with me. This, had been my little secret, and just when I thought everything was under my control, Brother Tayo seemed to be calling me out! It was yet another week, and as usual it was work mode, activated. My alarm clock rang so loud that I had to literally stretch out my self to stop it.

 Suddenly, I felt tired, and lackadaisical. I checked the time, and it was few minutes to 7.00am. 

I felt nolstagic, and wasn't sure if it was because of the state of my mind for the past few days.

"Nkiru, get out of bed o!" I said to myself as a way of motivation. Sluggishly,  I got up, and as I took the first step, I fell down, and passed out...

The story Continues....

"Sister Nkiru! Sister Nkiru!" I could hear my name from what appeared like a distance. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and before me was Sister Rebecca. For a moment, I wasn't sure why she was in the house.

"Sister Nkiru! Thank God you are awake. Here, take this..." Sister Rebecca said, as she handed me a glass of what looked like water.

"What's this?" I asked, curiously, as I was still trying to process what was going on.

"Oh..okay... that's water and glucose. Please take it, it would help." Sister Rebecca instructed. I remained still for a while, and began to process what must have happened in the last couple of hours. Sister Rebecca continued to watch me.

"Please Sister Nkiru, drink the water, you really need it. Thank God I was here early enough. You need to eat more, now." Sister Rebecca continued.

"What really happened, please?" I inquired. Immediately, I noticed that sister Rebecca's countenance changed, after a while, she looked at me, and announced...

"Sister Nkiru, you are pregnant." 

Almost immediately, the cup of water dropped from my hand. I became stiff, and my legs could hardly move.

"Nooo. .. Sister Nkiru, you can't be like this, one day at a time. Let's focus on you and the baby's well being now." Sister Rebecca said.

"How did you confirm this?" I screamed. Sister Rebecca smiled.

"Remember, I'm a nurse, and we are always on top of these things. I had a nudge to check on you before going to the clinic, and as soon as I got here, your door was halfway opened, and I sighted you on the floor. Immediately, I ran a test on you. I had my suspicions, though." Sister Rebecca added. 

And that was the beginning of another phase in my life.

Of course, I knew who the father of my  child, was but I wasn't ready to spill the news. My world had just been turned upside down. The unexpected news of this child, was a major blow. Nothing made sense to me, anymore, nothing! When I walked away from the Church, owing to the many condemnations, judgements and all, I became lonely and undeserving.

When I walked away, my story changed....

I had built my life around people who I thought would be there for me...but no! I was wrong! Over and over again, I just felt like disappearing from the surface of the earth, but the reality kept staring at me every day. Just when I thought it was completely over for me, and was just counting the days I would just be delivered of this child, and move on with the rest of my pieces, Williams showed up!

"Madam, I would like for you to attend this little NGO of mine, we are not many in number, but sure can do with an addition, by the way I'm Williams, the founder of WEHELP." He said, all in one breath as he handed me a flyer.

I looked at him, read through the flyer, and pondered. I was quite curious about what my role would be.

"Never mind, we will acquint you with all that you need to know." Williams said.  Honestly speaking, I wasn't looking forward to the programme, but 'something'  continued to urge me on. For a moment, I said to myself:

What would I possibly lose?

So, the D-Day came, and I found my way to the venue, though I had felt more crampy than other days, I had made up my mind to be present. The event commenced, and there, Williams stood before everyone and began to speak. As he gave more insights into the WECARE FOUNDATION, I realised that there was more to give than to receive. Williams made me to see how much of our experiences can actually shape, and mould the life and perception of the next person.

 Williams had made his own errors, and was actually treated like an outcast, but rather than remain a victim of circumstance, he decided to change his story by taking steps towards healing. I was so moved and imparted by his story, as he addressed everyone, explaining the essence of the foundation. We had a lot in common! Immediately, he called for more volunteers to be part of the NGO, I raised my hands up, then I went into labour! Yes! My baby was ready to come into the world! That was phenomenal for me... Even more than a coincident, that my baby had been waiting patiently for me to heal, before her arrival.

Today, I do not judge anyone, rather I try to put myself in the shoes of those who are yet to understand the true meaning of 'LOVE AND SELFLESSNESS'

  And until you become a victim of condemnation, rejection and bias, you may never appreciate the experience.

I see my baby, growing everyday and then I understand that even in our imperfections, there is the gift of Life that is invaluable, and no one is without hope. I have made my mistakes, I have learnt my lessons,  I thrive towards becoming better, with God as my anchor. And I am blessed to be called His own. When I walked out, I had no idea that there were more lessons to learn... I can only be grateful. What are you walking out from? And what lessons are you carrying along?

By the way, I became Mrs. Williams, years later!😉

WHEN  I WALKED OUT...

  Written by E PLUS The Storyteller.

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