ANGEL IN THE SHADOWS (V) SHORT STORY
Wrapping up our story in this segment. How did Imelda know Hassan was out of work? How did she know he was broke? … Questions. Questions. Now, let’s get some answers.
ANGEL IN THE SHADOWS (V)
Imelda turned to face Hassan, whose eyes were like saucers and whispered, “I’ve been trying to summon the courage to tell yo-o-u-u!”
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After a few moments, Hassan found his voice.
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“I would never have guessed. I didn’t even know you were aware of my sack but, perhaps, word has got around. What baffles me most is how you figured out the pitiable state of my pantry.”
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“Easy to tell when I remembered you just rented a bungalow in the Central District and then lost access to the free snacks and poor meals from the office you were dependent on.”
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“Oh, no! I had no idea it was so obvious.”
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Imelda led him back so they could sit on the sofa. She then narrated how she’d gone to his office the day he was booted out so he could fix her laptop that had been hanging. His secretary said he no longer worked there but had no clue as to why. She decided to do a little snooping in the HR department and learnt from a friend there that a dismissal letter had come from “upstairs” and her boss was more or less compelled to sign it. When she heard the reason given in the letter, Imelda smelt a rat and decided that the least she could do would be to feed him till he got some spending money.
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Hassan thanked her till she asked him to quit. She wanted him to make a case against the company. She had done some research online and found an NGO that specialised in labour matters, especially wrongful dismissal and compensation. They offered pro bono legal services and she was certain his case qualified for that.
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“Wow, you’ve really been working hard on my behalf! I’ve been too worried about basic survival to think my way through this wahala.*”
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He, however, was hesitant about a lawsuit.
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“I don’t want to endanger my life. I can imagine how nasty these fellows would be if they got desperate.”
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“Perhaps, you should take some time to consider it. If they get away with this, they’ll do worse.”
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Hassan promised he will. His immediate plan was to sublet his house. He was confident he would get the approval of his landlady for it ’cause she was a family friend. He remarked that he had the skills to earn a living without paid employment but that he just didn’t want to do anything illegal. He would spread the word via his social media accounts that he was available for website design, software installation, systems maintenance, stuff like that. He would also be applying wherever he saw the chance after striking his time at the firm off his CV.
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“You do know it’s going to be rough for a while.”
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“Yes, but I’m kinda looking forward to it. What God has used you to do has boosted my confidence in His faithfulness. It shows He’s concerned about me. So I know that eventually, I’ll have a testimony after this trial.”
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“I believe so too and I insist on being a part of that testimony by continuing to feed you till you get some cash.”
“Hmmm. Okay, but for the sake of fairness, I should get the chance to do some insisting of my own, right? I insist that we see each other more often ’cause I can see that we make a pretty good team. I came here to bemoan my fate but talking with you has set my head right and now I’m ready to move forward.”
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“Wow! But I didn’t even say any ….”
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“Deal?”
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Suddenly, Imelda was all serious. “Hey, what’s the rush? I need time to think about this.”
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“You’re kidding me, right?”
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“Wrong! I’m just not ready …”
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“But-t I thought-t-t …,” Hassan began to stutter, pointing to her and then to himself indicating he had wanted to say something in the neighbourhood of “you and I ….”
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“You thought what?” Imelda asked as she stood and took two steps away. Then she spun round quickly. “Gotcha!” And she began to rock with laughter.
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Hassan slowly exhaled. “My! That was sneaky! You want to give a brother a heart attack?”
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“No-o! Just trying to lighten the mood,” Imelda replied as she came back to the sofa. “It’s a deal, of course!” And she gave Hassan, whose heartbeat was yet to stabilise, a long hug.”
-The end-
Ⓒ Edith Ugochi Ohaja 2016
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*”Wahala” is trouble in pidgin English.
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I’m a sucker for happy endings and I think this deserves to be called one though Hassan is not totally out of the woods yet.
Do you have a friend whose attention often helps you straighten issues out?
Did you see through Imelda’s act that threw Hassan into a panic?
Tell me what touched you most in the entire story. Is there anything you’re taking away from it to apply in your relationship with God, friends, family or associates?
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Thrilling! Her readiness to fight the injustice meted out to Hassan inspired me. So it should be – being “a voice to the voiceless”.
Glad you liked that part. Stay blessed!
As christians once you notice a brother or sister needs assistance we should not hesitate to render it where we can. And be supportive and encouraging to people passing through hard times instead of passing judgements. Our care can go a long way in building faith in God.
Well put, Faith. Stay blessed!
Would it be wrong to say prayer is not enough, but action should follow??? Pray&work. Oh n I like that stunt she played…very sneaky indeed. She almost got me! I like that she came up with that suggestion….very helpful. she cares…
Nice!
just as bro James said in the bible, prayer and work goes together
AS Christians,we should learn to work and pray
Thank goodness! Such a good wrap. Yes, better to end up with Imelda than that flirty neighbor.
And they lived happily ever after…
So that neighbor was just there for the spicy suspense.. It worked perfectly! I’m touched by Imelda’s care. This story rocks!
An interesting piece
Awwwwwwnnn… So fascinating happy for hassan tho
i am so happy for hassan
So touching, nice one aunty
Interesting post ma
interesting piece
sure, a problem share is a problem half solved. but did he realy she the problem. words of encouragement can get an individual on the right track…..all thanks to imelda
#mummy teach me to be like u
Such a nice girl. i pray love finds me like that when i am ready. This story is really nice from part 1 to 5. Keep teaching us with your stories
Imelda is really an angel in the shadow
God surely works in miraculous ways. God has finally located him. I enjoyed every bit of the story, Aunty Edith. Thank you.
wow..very nice story
wow..very nice story..quite interesting
Good people they say, are hard to come by. But there could be one lurking around your corner.
Nice write up I really love the way it ended
an Angel indeed,sent from heaven above……..ihe dinma rukwe m aka meaning good things should come my way
what an angel…
nice story.
we should always try and render help to people who are in need because there is a saying be good to the person u meet on ur way up incase u meet him again on ur way down
yes, i have a friend whose attention makes me see different.Imelda was smart and good. she is a good observer and a defendant. I was touched by the observation of Imelda for the person he admires. we should watch the people we care for.
We should never be bothered because God will always come to our assistant if only we believe in Him…. the “whole” story ended well.
Where there is lifE, there is hope
No condition is permanent
None. Bless you, Gloria!
Beautiful… God uses people and things we least expect to open doors for us and supply our basic needs… Errmm.. How did she manage to get the food in the house when he went to his neighbour’s place… Just curious
It was on the front porch, just like the previous times.
Well, about the lawsuit, i just really like lowkey things and i love to avoid things that will bring trouble to me. so ill just advice Hassan to let it all side and get a new job but if he reports its still good though.
my question is, how was Imelda able to find time to make fresh meals, with a job like that? i need a friend like this!
Nice end to the story. Imelda is so caring. God always has good plans for his children
Imelda is such an Angel, though Hassan is total not out of the woods, but things are getting smoother, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Nice ending. Very interesting story. Imelda really is a God sent and so caring in fact i think they will make a perfect couple.
And it’s the end!. You know i’m a sucker for perfect endings and you always give it to me. Thank you aunty. I have no doubts that Hassan would survive this phase in his life with God’s providence and Imelda’s help. It’s a beautiful story
wow this is very good. i can almost feel their chemistry. Hassan should really try pursuing the case against his employee to help curb future occurrences of similar issues.
Imelda is really an angel in the shadow, she did great deal for hassan, am love out this ended, God time is really the best
Finally, the suspense has been lifted. Oh, God where is my Imelda? Please send her at the right time. Imelda is such a friend that is rare. She’s not just an angel in the shadow besides angels hardly stays in the shadows because the shadows can’t contain them just like how darkness can’t comprehend light. Nice piece of work ma’am. The suspense here is thrilling.
Wow… finally the angel in the shadow has been found to be imelda. Imelda is really a good person with a good heart. I can’t imagine Hassan happiness when Imelda finally agreed to go out with him. Thank u so much ma’am for this captivating and interesting story. I really enjoyed it
we can only come out successful in hard time only when we go into such times with God. Hassan has asked God to go with him from the on set of his challenges and his Faithfulness fetched him Imelda a virtuous Lady of high moral standard and a better job in anticipation. This also proved the faithfulness of God when he said in Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
I learnt a lot of lessons from this series and to start with is that not everybody sacked from job has done something wrong. Some of them are sacked unjustly.
Secondly, I learnt that instead of gossiping about somebody who is out of a job, the ideal thing to do is to help them.
I really admire Hassan’s faith in God. I learnt to be sensitive to the needs of people around me, Imelda is a role model for that. Very interesting story, thank you so much for sharing.
What!!! Are you serious right now? Imelda? Who would think that far? Probably not me. It was all the working of God. And good works pay too. I mean imagine if Hassan was a very tricky guy at work, obviously not straightforward. He wouldn’t have found a pin to pick. But then look the help God sent to him. Amazing!
A friend in need is a friend indeed. I think Imelda is such a friend by being sensitive to and meeting Hassan’s need. She is a role model
Imelda made it impossible to be predicted at that point. I thought she wanted to say, ” sorry, I am engaged!”, but noooo! She was trying to tease him.
One lesson I learnt from this episode is that, having confidence in God build room for solution and less worry or fear for the future.
I think Imelda is a good listener,and a mood swinger,she’s just perfect.
Awwwwwn! How I love beautiful endings.? Where can I find an Imelda because I absolutely need one right now.
The way she went extra miles on Hassan’s behalf even without his knowledge really got me.
Maybe I should work on becoming someone’s Imelda.
I’m glad that Hassan got help from Imelda instead of that curvaceous neighbor.
Lovely. Friends like this that can carry our matter on their wonderful heads till a solution comes. She was indeed an angel in the shadow. Am glad he appreciated her efforts.
Wow, this story is very interesting. I need this type of Angel in my life. Imelda is really a wife material. She took it upon herself to be feeding Hassan everyday till he starts getting cash and I know Hassan won’t forget her when he makes it.
Eventually ? it will lead to marriage in the future. I thank God for Hasan’s life. God never forsakes his people.
I enjoyed every bit of this story.
My Goodness
Good Friends like this are Rare.
I am truly Inspired.
Friends this days are friends with Benefits.