Carolyn was certain her husband was avoiding her. It was 7:20 p.m. and he was not yet back from work. The firm he worked with closed for the day at 6 p.m. and the drive home took less than 45 minutes even after accounting for traffic. He could only stay away for so long, she calculated. In the next hour or so, he would definitely be back.
–
As she put their baby to bed, she rehearsed her arguments. She wasn’t giving up her quest so easily. What’s a little aggravation and irritation if it will move John to do what he should have done without her prompting, she asked herself. She thanked God for making her see his account balance on the phone quite by accident. She had then mentioned it to her friend, Prisca, and her reaction had been “instructive”.
–
“Two million plus! Who keeps that kind of money in ther account these days? If kidnappers don’t come for it, the dwindling value of the Naira will turn it to toilet paper before you know it!”
–
So she had come up with a “perfect” idea. They should use the money to purchase an SUV! Driving around in her husband’s God-knows-what-date Toyota Corolla had passed being an embarrassment, it was now an unbearable torture which she had vowed to put an end to.
–
John, on his part, loved his Corolla and maintained it well. He didn’t see the need for a new car, let alone an SUV. But every family in the church had an SUV, well almost every family, and they had sown seeds for new levels. What better way to announce the new level than to “launch” an SUV! She had it all figured out and had broached the subject but, for some reason, John had refused to hear her out.
–
He warned her not to fantasize about that money and came close to accusing her of worldliness. But she was going to make him see reason even if they had a falling out in the process. For her, it was either the SUV or burst the peace in their home! She had made the mistake of lowering her standards by marrying a “struggling” young man, but obviously he wasn’t as hard up as she thought if he had that much money stowed away.
–
She wished she had a job and wasn’t dependent on John for everything. Perhaps, he would have paid better attention to this and other suggestions she made. But it was no excuse for him to disregard her. She had compromised on too many things as it was – managing in cramped quarters (a two-bedroom flat) on the outskirts, rather than in the heart of town or a pricey suburb; living without pipe-borne water and constant power supply. The only thing that was constant where they lived was merciless mosquito infestation.
–
It was a far cry from the circumstances in which she was brought up. Her family was “loaded” as they say in the popular venacular. None of her family members had been to her house and they looked at her with condescension. She needed that SUV badly as a proof to them that she and her husband were not nearly the wretched of the earth they presumed they were. It would show them that they were doing fairly well, considering ….
–
The phone had been ringing but stopped before she “excavated” it from her purse in her knickknack pouch in her bag. She went back to her mulling. Considering the state of the country’s economy, buying an SUV would make a bold statement. Plus, the pastor never seemed to include them in any committee or greet them quite as warmly as those couples that came to church in big cars. That had to be fixed, and fast!

The ringing of the phone interrupted her thoughts once again. It was John. Wonder what hackneyed tale of an excuse he wants to give for being late again, she thought.
–
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”
–
“Of course, I’m okay. Why aren’t you home?”
–
“That’s actually why I’m calling. A sister in the church lost her husband this afternoon.”
–
“Oh my God! Who, who ..?”
–
“Calm down, darling! I doubt that you’ve met her. The family’s only been coming for a few weeks. Thing is, some of us are over there right now. Brother Patrick will join us soon. So I might still be a while coming home.”
–
“No problem, take your time. But isn’t there anything I can do? My heart goes out to that woman even though I don’t know her. Can’t I join Brother Patrick and come to extend my condolences at least?”
–
“Sweetheart, the baby. Plus, … I didn’t mean to tell you this but the man was in an accident. I can’t give you the details, I can only say it was far from a pretty sight, so the family called the pastor to bury him right away. He in turn called a few of us to assist. Tomorrow and the days that follow, church members will spend time with the family, then you can come.”
–
“I see. Be careful driving back, okay?”
–
“Yes, I will. Love you!”
–
“Love you too!”
–
The moment she dropped the phone, Carolyn was on her knees. Every plotting for an SUV was swept aside as she put herself in the shoes of that woman whose husband met a gruesome death without warning. She shuddered as tears escaped her eyes and her calling took over. She was an intercessor and she spent the next 90 minutes praying the Lord’s peace, strength and comfort upon that woman and the rest of her family.
–
The trip the next day to condole with the bereaved family pushed all thought of purchasing an SUV further from Carolyn’s mind. She had thought she was needy but this family lived in a hovel in a slum that made Carolyn’s neighbourhood seem like Victoria Garden City where her parents lived. For a start, there was no road to the place. They parked their cars in the care of security men at the nearest company and then walked about two hundred metres before meandering the greater part of their way through irregular paths between shacks.
–
Some of the shacks were put together with tarpaulin, some with cartoons, planks, a little of old zinc, sacks, raffia and the occasional mud wall. Even the “roofs”were made with the same odds and ends. The smell was rank, what with excrement, refuse and dirty water everywhere. It was inconceivable that human beings, families, lived in such unsightly, unsanitary and unsafe conditions. Smoke emitted from here and there: these people were not afraid to light fires in such crowded conditions with highly flammable materials all around.
–
Carolyn regretted joining the group for the visit. John had urged her to wait till the family resumed church but she had angrily responded that it would be wicked of her to miss such a chance and reopen the wound when the people have started healing. He gripped her hand firmly as they picked their way to see the family. She had to stop at some point to barf in a paper bag.
–
“Morning sickness. Pregnancy,” John lied to onlookers, who nodded their understanding.
–
What Carolyn saw in that one-kilometre walk coupled with the woe-begone expression on the face of the recently widowed woman made her weep so much during the visit. Talk about crying more than the bereaved. Literally. Her only contact with the woman was to empty her purse into her palms (a little less than five thousand Naira was there) and to offer a few tear- choked words.

The whole experience so traumatized her that she stayed in bed the day after. Thankfully, it was a weekend and John could take care of the baby with the help of their neighbour who minded her the previous day. That night when John joined her in bed, Carolyn had something to tell him.
–
“You know, it is good to have money and all the comforts of life but it is not good to shelter your children so much that all they know is affluence. I thought my marriage to you had acquainted me with lack and deprivation. I had no clue …,” she began to sniffle.
–
John wanted to take her in his arms but she motioned for him to wait.
–
“Not just yet,” she mumbled. “I didn’t know that … I mean, it’s horrible, it’s nauseating what those people are steeped in. How can they survive it, John? How do they live, day in day out? And here I was, breaking my pretty head over an SUV. God, after what I’ve seen, I feel like I’m the Queen of England and I haven’t a care in the world!”
–
“Her Majesty, the Queen! The title does become you,” John teased.
–
Carolyn’s face broke into a smile.
–
“I’m sorry I was giving you a hard time, John. You can do whatever you like with your money.”
–
“What money will that be, my sweet?”
–
“The two million in your account.”
–
“Well, it’s true what the Bible says, ‘Take a look at money and it will vanish.'”
–
“No! You didn’t lose it!”
–
John laughed and replied, “No, I was just pulling your leg. But the money wasn’t mine to begin with. It was wired by Arthur for the roofing of his house in the village.”
–
“You’re kidding me!”
–
“Of course not. Here,” he said, extending his phone, “check the last text message from my bank. I’ve sent the money to the contractor.”
–
“Wait, the money belonged to your brother!” John nodded. “You knew, did you, that you had no money and you allowed me to lose sleep planning on how to get a new car!”
–
“I did warn you not to …” He hadn’t the chance to finish because a pillow landed on his head, the first of several times before he grabbed one and Carolyn, laughing, jumped off the bed and ran to the living room, with John in pursuit.
– The end-
Ⓒ Edith Ugochi Ohaja 2016

You may also like these posts:
SAVING DIANA (SHORT STORY)
OF GRAINY PICTURES AND IMPERFECT LIVES (A REFLECTION)
BRING IT ON! JEHOVAH CAN TAKE IT!
A BRAND SNATCHED FROM THE FIRE

❤️

ABOUT ME AND THE BLOG

❤️

Subscribe to edithohaja.com to receive updates of new posts (inspirational, educational and entertaining articles, stories, poems, quotes and graphics) in your mail. Subscription is free.

If you ever feel down or burdened, I’d like you to vist my second blog, Aunty Edith’s Blog (An Encouragement Café). Come, eat and drink from the word of God for free. The posts are crisp, refreshing and uplifting and I believe God will restore hope and joy to you through them.

You can also like my Facebook page, Aunty Edith, follow me on Instagram, Twitter (1), Twitter (2) and Pinterest. Plus, you can connect with me on LinkedIn. Jesus is Lord!