STING OF POVERTY
EPISODE 11
BY KING SLEY
“Get ready to join your father in the grave” Uncle Ejiofor threatened my elder Sisters.
After uncle Ejiofor and my elder sisters had their banter,my sister’s never took his word seriously, but unknown to them, an unknown evil was lurking around
It wasn’t up to one week after the banter and they both became terribly sick.
With everything we were going through,both in hardship and starvation,Everyone even forgot the dea.dly threat that Uncle Ejiofor said to them
My mom out of frustration sold most of her Italian wrappers, as she was running helter skelter just to raise money to save my two elder sisters’ lives.
There was days we would all stay up crying our eyes out because the situation my sister’s were in
We prayed daily for God to come through for us,but it seems like even God has given up on our hopeless situation
Alas after one month of running around trying to save my sisters of an ailment that couldn’t even be seen in all the test they ran,my two elder sisters kicked the bucket
The di.ed after my mom sold her last Italian wrapper.
We wailed and wondered who we offended?
Why is our situation so wo.rst?
But there was no answer to that.
Mom will always tell me that God’s ways are not our ways,that in the midst of all this situation,that I should never give up on God
It was actually very hard for me not to give up at such a time like that,but I encouraged myself and held onto God .
It was after my sister’s burial,that my mom,out of fear for me not to die mysteriously like my elder sisters,gathered up everything we had and sold it,just for me to leave the village and stay in her best friends house which was in the city.
I didn’t want to leave my mom,but when she cried out that I’m all she has and she won’t forgive herself if anything happened to me, I had to change my mind and left for the city.
When I arrived at the city,it was another buzzing life on its own
My mom’s best friend turned me into a house help and made me work round the clock. She will always say
“She’s from the village, don’t mind her small stature,she can do any work you give her”.
I didn’t only work in the house,I also help her friends run errands.
I lived with them for five years,and it was the worst five years of my life.
It was during one of her friends errands that I met my husband;Samuel.
He was a handsome and purpose driven man
He loved me so dearly and married me,and it was like God wiped away all my years of hardship and suffering.
My husband was doing well in business and when we got married,God blessed him the more.
It actually took us time to have a child,and when we eventually had Vivian,she brought so much joy and happiness to our lives
I vowed within me that I won’t ever allow Vivian go through all the sufferings and hardship I went through
I was determined to give her a rosy Life,and of course I achieved that purpose,but it was the greatest mistake I made, because I made those vows out of the Stings which poverty gave me. The stings of poverty that I went through immediately I came to this planet earth.
I’m sorry that I couldn’t train your wife in doing any basic things at home,I caused it Daniel, please don’t blame Vivian,put all the blame on me.
Mrs Ndidiobi cried out as she sniffed her Nose
Daniel couldn’t get hold of his feelings as he watched his mother in law crying
He simply walked up to her and hugged her
Vivian did the same ,she was already in tears
She asked Daniel for forgiveness and promised she was going to learn everything she needs to learn
She promised to be a good wife,and she also assured Daniel that she was going to enrol for the cooking class
Daniel pulled both of them together,and hugged them all
He understood better now. Mama took decisions and trained her daughter who happens to be his wife wrongly because of the sufferings she went through as a child.
Indeed poverty has stings.
Daniel made up his wife to never give up on his wife.
He told himself “ my marriage must work,it will never end in divorce”
To be continued…….
✍️✍️👉👉 King Sley
