What If?

Ahmed sat bleeding at the emergency room of the hospital he was brought to. He held the small towel he had been given by a passerby to his head. He could feel the start of a slight headache. He was lucky to be alive.

Earlier that day…

Bbggrrrring bbggrrrring
“Give your life to Jesus today! Without Him, you are nothing”
Bbggrrrring bbggrrrring
“Tomorrow may be too late! What if you die today? Are you sure of eternity?”
Bbggrrrring bbggrrrring
“Only Jesus can save you”
Bbggrrrring bbggrrrring the bell rang annoyingly.

Ahmed stirred from sleep. He was really annoyed as he put the pillow over his head. He hated when these early morning preachers came screaming and ringing their bells every morning. He was not interested in their message, and as far as he was concerned, they were constituting a nuisance to the community. He made a mental note to raise this at the landlords association meeting later that day. Enough was enough!

He got up sluggishly and hissed. The sound of the bell felt like someone was drilling a hole into his brain. He sat down by his bedside table and rubbed his temple slowly. He got up and leaned his head against the door to his room. He lived in a block of flats, and was one of the three occupants of the one bedroom section of the building. He walked into the living area and unplugged his laptop from the socket at the corner of the room. It was just 5.35am, and he could no longer sleep.

Ten minutes later, Ahmed was dressed and ready to go jogging. He tied the lace of his second sneakers, picked up his headphones and made to open the door. Suddenly, he heard a loud ‘pop’ coming from the kitchen. He rushed there wondering what was wrong. He looked around the kitchen and couldn’t find anything. He concluded that it must have been his mind playing tricks on him. He went back to the sitting area, unlocked the door and stepped out.

The morning dew made the atmosphere look foggy. It was quite cold, and a light drizzle showered gently. He pulled the hood over his head as he started jogging. He had just passed the Green’s house, which was a good 5 minutes jog from his house, when he suddenly realized that he had forgotten to lock his front door. He became very furious with himself. This was Lagos. How stupid could he have been to forget to do something that important? he thought to himself. He turned swiftly and ran all the way back to his apartment to do the needful. He muttered prayers all the way as he imagined the worst. He sighed in relief when he opened the door and found out that everything seemed intact. He went round his small apartment again just to be sure before stepping out and locking up. He pulled his hood over his head once again and jogged away.

Oshodi! Oshodi! Oshodi Oke! screamed a bus conductor as people rushed towards the bus. Ahmed jogged by and looked at his watch. It was already 6.15am. He was feeling very irritated and on edge. Since the incidence earlier, all sorts of things had happened to him. He had almost fallen into a ditch, and a car had sped by splashing a puddle of water on him. He was beginning to have weird thoughts about death as well. Worst still, the morning message by the preacher about eternity kept creeping into his mind. He had tried severally to refocus, but he found himself constantly thinking about her words What if you die today? Are you sure of eternity? He shook his head as he continued jogging.

Not up to two minutes later, he heard a loud noise and felt a sudden commotion behind him as he saw two people speed past him. He turned around swiftly to see what had happened. The sight before him made his blood run cold. He felt the rush of adrenaline and found himself running as well. The pedestrian bridge he had just passed under had given way crushing some cars and people. A particular huge billboard seemed to be slowly coming down, and people were running helter-skelter in panic. His heart pumped in fear as he ran. He could hear the creaking sound as the billboard fell. The shouts and screams were horrifying. He slowed down gradually as a thought slipped into his mind what if you were one of the victims, where would you have ended up today? He stopped abruptly at the thought. His heart continued to beat frantically as the fear of losing his life enveloped him. He had never really given thought to eternity, but suddenly, the thought of it seemed to engulf him.

He looked around him and realized he was totally out of his usual path. He was in a daze as he made his way back on track. Traffic had built up terribly. He watched as the Lagos State Emergency Service ambulance made its way towards the bridge. At the same time, his mind was in a turmoil as it dawned on him that he was a coward. You could have helped you know? he thought You didn’t have to. What if you had gotten injured? a voice countered. You could have, if you had no fear of death he heard another voice say. He became so disturbed that he didn’t know when he stepped into traffic, facing an on-coming vehicle.

In what seemed like a split second, he heard the crunching of metal and plastic as two vehicles collided. Ahmed found himself thrown to the curb, flat on his face. The car had hit him on the side, and from a passersby point of view, it could have been fatal. He felt the slight trickle of blood down his face. His ears were ringing and he couldn’t really make out what was going on around him. Few seconds later, a crowd had gathered round him. Some with pure water, but one in particular gave him a small towel to stop the bleeding. He was lifted off the floor and sat up. He could hear an intense argument going on between the affected drivers. While he was still trying to catch his breath, the owner of the vehicle that had hit him stormed towards him looking very angry.

“Oga, you no dey look road?” He said angrily. “I could have killed you! What’s wrong with you?”

Ahmed watched in silence as the man went on and on in anger. The crowd who were idly watching the spectacle before them suddenly turned against the man and started raining curses on him. They couldn’t fathom how a man who had just hit someone would be more concerned about the reason he had stepped into his path and not even try to get him medical help. The crowd eventually prevailed over him to take Ahmed to a nearby hospital.

Present Time

Ahmed was still shaken as he watched the scene before him. He could see the injured bodies from the collapsed bridge before him. They had been brought to the same hospital as he. The screams of pain mingled with the smell of blood made his head ache badly. His heart was heavy, and he was filled with fear and sorrow. He had lost his headphones at the scene of the accident. He felt a sharp pain on his left side and winced. No one had attended to him yet. The man who had hit him was all grumpy and impatient. Some passersby had followed them to ensure he was given the proper treatment he needed. He moved gently as the pain subsided. All he could hear in his head were her words What if you die today? Are you sure of eternity? He began to shiver. What do I do? He thought to himself as he watched in horror as the woman who lay on the stretcher to his right breathed her last.

Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 AMPC

The Pain – Epilogue

One year later

Abayomi and Tina danced with joy into the reception hall. They were using the big hall at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos. It was a big society wedding as both families were delighted to see their children get married. The hall was beautifully decorated in a gold and white color scheme. It had a mix of elegance and fairytale. The Ige’s felt very blessed to be together. The past one year had been quite interesting. They had met both parents, and received their blessings. Tina had finally healed from her past, and had recently started an outreach to secondary schools warning on the danger of sexual abuse. She had partnered with an NGO to help victims, and most importantly raise awareness on how to look out for predators before they struck. Abayomi was very supportive and helpful in that area as well. They had a good understanding of each other. They agreed to live in Nigeria because of the businesses they both were building. If they wanted to move out later on, they knew it wouldn’t be a problem as Abayomi was a British Citizen while Tina was an American citizen by birth. They had gotten a beautiful three bedroom apartment at Lekki as their offices were not too far from that axis. They both looked forward to a purpose filled marital journey in love, understanding and wisdom because they knew that the foundation they had laid during their courtship was solid enough to see them through.

Motun looked wistfully as Abayomi held Tina closely. She saw the love shinning through his eyes as he looked at his wife. She was seeing Tina for the first time, and she finally understood what had drawn Abayomi to her. There was this aura around her that was just difficult to ignore or dislike. She watched as Abayomi kissed her, and her heart ached in pain as she looked away. It had been over one year, yet, she had not gotten over Abayomi. She didn’t think she could stay there any longer. Her heart ached too much. She had even attended the wedding for old time’s sake. She stood up from her seat and walked briskly to the exit. It was time she left.

Dele had been eyeing Motun all day. She looked absolutely beautiful in her teal and gold outfit. She wore an hair fascinator that complimented her outfit and accentuated her looks. He watched as she stood up to leave. Without wasting time, he followed her out. This is my chance he thought.

The Pain – Chapter 20

Two Months Later

Tina woke up that morning feeling elated. It was 4.30am, and she wanted to surprise Abayomi by picking him up at the airport. He was coming into Nigeria that day. She got out of bed to get ready. She cast her mind back to the past two months. Their friendship had blossomed remarkably, and she was even more confident in her love for him and in his love for her. Abayomi was indeed amazing. He had certain qualities that she never thought existed in any living man. Though he was far from perfect, she loved the way he made God the center of his life. To her, this was the key in making any relationship work. Even when he did things to upset her, because he had God in the center, he was quick to retrace his steps and make an effort to improve on himself. She had learnt so much from him and was confident that she could submit to his leadership. He was considerate, kind, gentle, firm and purpose driven. She still couldn’t understand what he saw in her. I guess God loves me and I’ve found favour in His sight she thought.

Despite not giving him a definite answer regarding his proposal, she had not felt any pressure from him to break their agreement. Now that he was coming into the country, she was going to give him the long awaited answer. She smiled at the thought. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction when she said ‘yes’. She left the house around 5.45am. Mike was supposed to have done the pick-up, but she had called days earlier to let him know that she would do so herself. He had teased her mercilessly about it. She laughed out loud in pleasure as she remembered his words “o ti yo fe” (you are drunk in love). His flight was to land around 6am, and she figured that by the time he went through immigration and reclaimed his luggage, he should be out by 6.30am. She sped down the road and made her way to the airport.

Abayomi got out of the airport and scanned the area for Mike. He couldn’t find him and was about to call when he heard a familiar voice call out his name. He turned and was shocked to see Tina standing a few feet away. She looked beautiful in a flowery chiffon blouse and black pants. He walked towards her and gave her a hug in greeting. He was pleasantly surprised to see her and very happy. His heart beat had even picked up on seeing her.

“Good morning your highness” Tina teased as she helped him with his hand luggage and made her way to the car park. She had parked there because she did not want to risk her vehicle being towed away.

Abayomi laughed at the joke. Some days back, he had jokingly told her how he was related to royalty, as his great great grand uncle had been the king of his village.

“Thank you my subject” he replied chuckling. “You and Mike ehn” he said as he shook his head at her as he walked beside her. He could never have imagined seeing her at the airport that morning. “I guess this is pay pack time right?” he said laughing remembering how he had surprised her at his last visit.

“You guessed right!” Tina replied laughing. They got to her car, and he put his luggage into the car. “So, where are you headed? Mike’s place?” she asked as she started the car.

“Yes please, Mike’s place” he answered. “I need to rest and freshen up a bit before going out. Remember my friend I told you about?” Tina nodded in affirmation “He is in town today, and we need to see before coming over to your office. Can we reschedule for 12 noon? Cos I just found out that his flight back to London is tonight.”

“I’m not sure. But off the top of my head, I don’t think I have any appointment for that time.” she replied. “In the mean time, you guys should drop by. I’ll reschedule any appointment I have. But if I cannot, I will call you before 12.”

“That’s great. Thanks. So how have you been?” he asked “Work? And you specifically?”

“I’m much better. We spoke about this yesterday you know?” she said laughing at him.

“I know, but asking you on the phone and asking you face-to-face are two different things.” he replied. “I really want to know. How are your sessions with Dr. Bidemi going?”

“Great!” she replied. “She has been so impressed with my progress that she thinks my counselling days would soon be over. I’m at peace now, and in fact, I daresay that I’ve forgiven Ugo completely.” she said with a wistful smile on her face. “It was not easy, but I knew it needed to be done. I’m so glad I did because I feel so much at ease with life. I am now ready to do life” she said with enthusiasm.

Abayomi watched her intently as she spoke. Indeed, he could see how peaceful she looked compared to months back. He was very happy to see this positive change. It was already two months since he asked her to marry him a second time. He hoped she had not forgotten their deal to give him an answer. He was very tempted to push, but something in him told him to be patient. Don’t say anything yet. Wait for a few days before even broaching the subject he heard clearly.

The past two months had taught him a lot about love, trust and patience. It had also afforded him the opportunity to get to know Tina better as a friend, and not just someone he loved romantically. He had come to rely more on the Holy Spirit than ever before, and the feeling was indescribable. Tina’s confessions had shaken him to the core, and made him question what he believed a good man, husband and father meant. He knew that to be able to be all that to Tina, he needed something deeper and better than all he had known. He had gone to God in prayers to study more about being a role model in these areas. God began to unravel his character flaws and weaknesses to him in a way he had never seen before. God also revealed clear cut steps from scriptures that he needed to follow to be that person. It had been an interesting journey so far as he could already envision what it would be like to be that man who could love completely as Paul described in Ephesians 5:25-29

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].
Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,

Even though he knew he had a long way to go, he was glad that he was on the right path. If and when Tina said ‘yes’, he needed to be prepared because she was one unique woman. He would love and cherish her as Christ loves and cherishes the church.

They continued on their journey in comfortable silence till they got to Mike’s house. It was almost 8am when she dropped him off. Mike had come downstairs to welcome them and help Abayomi with his luggage. Tina couldn’t wait to go inside because she had to get to work. She had a 9am appointment and since it was a Thursday, she was lucky that she could make it before time. She bade them goodbye and drove to work.

Hours later

Tina was busy reading a report when the intercom rang. It was her PA telling her that Abayomi had arrived with another person.

“Tell them to come in” she said as she skimmed through the rest of the report, saved some of the work she had been doing and opened her company’s template in preparation for her meeting with Abayomi and his friend. She heard the knock on the door and said “Come in”. She stood up to receive them as they walked in. As usual, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Abayomi. She smiled as he walked towards her. She looked behind him to see who hi friend was and her smile faltered. She stared in shock at the person standing before her. Abayomi caught her expression and looked back to see what was happening.

“Hey, do you two know each other?” he asked looking back and forth between them.

“Please have your seats gentlemen” she replied instead with a troubled look on her face. They all took their seats as Abayomi looked perplexed wondering what was happening.

“Would you do the honors to let Abayomi know who you are?” Tina said looking directly into the eye of the visitor.

“What’s going on in here?” Abayomi asked in frustration “Sly, do you know her?” he said turning to his friend.

Sly shifted uncomfortably in his chair and couldn’t meet the gazes of the two people staring at him.

“Sly? Sly? Is that what he calls himself now?” Tina laughed. “Do you mean ‘Ugo’? Cos that is what I know him as” Tina said chuckling. She watched as Ugo seemed to slither into his chair in discomfort.

“What?!” Abayomi shouted as he bolted out of his chair so fast that it got knocked down. Tina also stood up immediately as she saw the murderous way he stared at Ugo/Sly.

“Is he the nincompoop you told me about?” he asked in deathly calm looking at Tina. Tina had come around to stand in front of him and Ugo/Sly who by that time was standing a good distance away. She was scared he was going to hit him as she had never seen that look in his eyes before. She put out her hand to calm him as she replied “Yes, he is.”

Abayomi was in blind rage as he stared at his long time friend Sly. They had met during their undergraduate days at the university. He had been one of his party buddies back then. He suddenly remembered an incident he heard about him shortly after he had gotten saved. He had dismissed it as impossible, but knowing that he had been Tina’s tormentor made him realize that it could have been true. Hate bubbled up to the surface. He was shocked as he would never have thought of himself capable of such intense emotion. His entire body shook as he kept staring at Sly. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he had the overwhelming urge to beat him up into a pulp. He was actually about to start doing that when he heard that still small voice say Calm down. That word was like a sweet balm that eased his soul. He felt the hate give way to pity. He looked down at Tina who had been pleading softly, and realized what a sight he must have been. He couldn’t believe that he had been preparing to get physical with him.

He sighed heavily as he spoke “Get out.” Ugo/Sly look startled as he pleaded with Abayomi with his eyes. “I said get out!” Abayomi repeated sternly. “And please, lose my number. I don’t want to ever see you again.” Ugo/Sly nodded in understanding and made his way to the door. As he was about to leave, Abayomi spoke up again “While you are on that plane back to London, I want you to take a good time to think about your life and the lives of the numerous women I’m sure you have negatively affected. I also want you to ask God to save your soul because if such evil could emanate from you at such a young age, I cannot begin to think of what you are capable of now. And to think that I ever considered you my friend!” he shook his head sadly. “I wonder how you sleep with your wife carrying all that guilt. May you find peace in God. Goodbye Sly” he said as they both watched him leave the office.

Abayomi wrapped his had around Tina’s shoulders and held her close. He felt drained.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly. She nodded in affirmation. Tina felt very proud of Abayomi and had a new respect for him. He had handled that situation pretty well. When she saw that it had been Ugo, she didn’t know exactly what to do. Unlike the last time when she had been really upset at his sight, her feelings for him this time had been pity and disgust. It had been funny to learn that he was known as ‘Sly’ . It was a very apt name that described him perfectly. She smiled to herself. Abayomi had saved her a lot of stress by dealing with the issue. She was amazed at his self-control.

“Yes, I will marry you” Tina said quietly after a few seconds. Abayomi stilled as he looked into her eyes. His eyes lit up as it dawned on him that she was finally giving him an answer.

“What did you say?” he asked quietly. “Do you mind repeating yourself?”

Tina smacked him playfully “I said I will marry you!” she repeated louder. Abayomi did a small dance around the office with Tina laughing at him.

After what seemed like a minute. He became serious, as he stood before her. He held her hands as he got down on his knee and pulled out a box from his jacket. Tina covered her mouth in shock. She had not expected him to propose to her again, and with a ring! Her eyes welled up in happy tears as she watched Abayomi ask her again “Will you marry me?”

“Yes… Yes! I will!” she said with more conviction as he slipped the ring on her finger. He stood up and hugged her. Tina was laughing as the tears kept flowing. She couldn’t believe that she just got engaged. Abayomi pumped his fist in the air in joy. He brought out his phone and dialed a number. On the third ring, they heard Mike’s voice.

“She said yes, Mike! She said yes!!” he shouted as he cut the line. He didn’t even give him the chance to respond as he cut the line to make another call. He called his mum and shared the good news with her after which he made yet another call.

“Hello” the voice said. Tina’s jaws dropped open in shock as she looked questioningly at Abayomi.

“Hello sir. This is Abayomi Ige. Tina has agreed to marry me sir” he said beaming at Tina with a wide grin on his face.

“That is great news.” Chief Jacobs said “May God Almighty grant you both wisdom to build the right foundation. Congratulations! Is my daughter there with you? Can I speak with her?” he asked.

“Yes sir” he replied giving the phone to a shocked Tina.

“Hello daddy” Tina said as she put the phone on her ears. Her mind was in confusion as she couldn’t figure out how Abayomi had pulled that off. She listened to her father and answered all his questions. She promised to come over to visit with Abayomi the next day.

“How did you do that?” Tina asked after the call ended. “I mean, how did you get my dad’s number? He knows you” she said in wonder.

Abayomi laughed at her expression as he went on to tell her how he had called Mike when he wanted to propose to her. He had felt it was inappropriate to ask her to marry him without telling her dad first. Through Mike, he got in touch with Tina’s dad and made his intention known. Of course, going through Mike had made convincing her dad way easier than if he had done so alone. The man was fiercely protective of his daughter. He had promised to see him the moment he got to Nigeria. He had made good of that promise the last time he had visited. Unknown to Tina, he had been coming from her parents house the day he and Mike had surprised her. Tina shook her head in wonder as he recounted what he had done.

“Thank you Abayomi” she said with so much sincerity. “I love you very much. I promise to be the best God wants me to be”

“I love you too. I also promise to be the best God wants me to be.” he replied. “This definitely calls for celebration” he said smiling. “Where would you love to go?”

“Ocean Basket” she replied without hesitating. She loved sea foods. She called her PA to let her know she was closing for the day. Luckily, she had no other appointments. She was soon to be Mrs Christina Ige. She loved the ring of it. I am so blessed she thought as she looked at her ring again. It all still felt like a dream. She entwined her hands in Abayomi’s own as they made their way to her car.

“Can I drive?” Abayomi asked smiling at her. Sly had brought him earlier, as he didn’t bring his own car. Tina nodded as she gave him her car keys. They both got in and drove off.