#24. Deep Waters

“What are you doing here?” Chinyere asked angrily.

“Chinyere, I came to check how you’re doing and pray with you,” Ngozi replied.

“You’re not welcome. infact no member of the church is welcome. Everyone should leave me alone please” Chinyere responded.

“But Chinyere you can’t…………..

“Ngozi, please leave my house this minute” Chinyere cut in.

Ngozi left her house and Chinyere slammed the door behind her.

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Chinyere, a widow and a teacher who lost her husband to a terrible snake bite when she was pregnant with her son, Ebuka. She trained Ebuka alone with her meagre salary. Chinyere was a devoted Catholic, she served God with all her might. Chinyere was a very beautiful woman. She lost her husband at the age of 23 and refused to remarry. Her aged parents wanted her to remarry since she was the only child and they needed more grandchildren but she refused.

She trained Ebuka in the way of the Lord. Ebuka had a quality education. Ebuka’s childhood’s dream was to become a Catholic priest. His mother didn’t mind that her only child would become a priest someday. She decided to enrol him in the minor seminary for his secondary school education first.

 Ebuka fell ill with Hepatitis B(Inflammation of the liver) and was admitted to the hospital. He was preparing for his forthcoming WAEC examinations when he started having health issues. He was sent back home because of his health. Chinyere prayed like never before, she had faith that God would heal her son. Ebuka still kept a smiling face despite his ailment. “Mummy, I will be fine. God is not sleeping.” Ebuka assured her and his words touched her heart.

One Black Friday night, Ebuka had just taken dinner and fell asleep and didn’t wake up the next morning. The mum thought he was just sleeping, she tried waking him up but he wasn’t responding. He was confirmed dead by the doctor when the doctor checked his pulse. Chinyere sobbed heartbreakingly, her tears of sadness falling like a shower as she sobbed. Her shoulders trembling with the force of her emotions.

The news of her 15 year old son’s death spread like “WildFire”. Sympathisers were in and out of her house. “Chinyere Ndo(sorry), you can’t question God. God knows why it happened that way” one of the sympathisers said. Chinyere paid less attention to their sermons. She wanted her son back. To her, God was wicked to take the only person she had in this life apart from her aged parents. She imagined Ebuka being a priest and everyone would call her Nne fada(mother of a priest) but death took him away from her. “Onwu ajoka (death is bad) you have taken everything away from me” she wailed. She was lonely and mourned her son daily. Ngozi, her friend and a church member visited her several times but Chinyere kept pushing her away.

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Ngozi decided to try her luck again. She was scared that Chinyere might harm herself. For five years now, Chinyere has been mourning her son and being a shadow of herself. She summoned courage and left for Chinyere's house again and by this time Chinyere had to let her in.

“Chinyere, you can’t continue like this. For Christ’s sake, it’s been five years since Ebuka left this world and you don’t want to brace yourself up. You no longer go to church, you stay at home all day and cry. You don’t allow concerned people like us to visit. Chinyere, you were the CWO president and a Catholic evangelizer in the parish. People admired how dedicated you were in church. You taught us that we should love and thank God in all circumstances. Are you thanking God now or are you blaming him? Chinyere, God lovesssss…….

Chinyere cut in “Ngozi please don’t mention that name here. Where was God when I lost my husband at the age of 23, where was God when I struggled to take care of Ebuka till age 15. Where was God when I prayed, cried,visited the sick and prisoners, I prayed days and nights for Ebuka but he still took my only eye away from me. Ebuka was preparing for his WAEC examinations with his mates. Ebuka wanted to become a priest, I didn’t refuse that despite him being my only child. I was happy about it and prayed about it. But He took my Ebuka away from me. Tell me, is God being fair? Why did he choose to treat me this way? I served him with everything I had and this is what I got in return. Please allow me to mourn my son, life is wicked.”

“Jesus was the only son of God. Our mother Mary watched him die. She watched him being humiliated and she cried, yes she cried but she never blamed God for it. God loved his only son and still took him. Chinyere, I understand your pains, it’s not easy. God taking your only son doesn’t mean he hates you. Please, don’t do this to yourself. I lost my parents and three siblings in a motor accident, I was the only one that survived. I stayed with my Uncle and his family but his wife maltreated me. Do you know what? I still loved God despite everything I went through. I still trusted him and served him. Ebuka is resting in peace, brace yourself up sis, you will be fine ok?” She hugged Chinyere and they both wept.

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Chinyere opened to the Bible verse Matthew 5:4 and it says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the one most dear to you”. Chinyere sobbed and prayed a short prayer “Lord, I’m sorry for turning my back on you, I’m sorry for going against your ways which says we should thank you in all circumstances, I’m sorry for doubting your love for me. I thank you for the short and fulfilled life Ebuka lived. I ask for your forgiveness, please have mercy on me and strengthen me. Console me for I can’t continue living in this pain and misery. I ask these through Christ our lord amen.

No matter the storm you’re going through, Jesus is always there. I pray for all those that have lost their loved ones like me that God should continue to console and strengthen us. Psalm 107:29 “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. He quieted the wind down to a whisper, put a muzzle on all the big waves.

THE END.

Happy new month my people, welcome to my favourite month of the year and my birth month. Hehehe! My subscribers will sha buy me car🙃🙃.

Love,

Ifekwe, Stella.