THE CONSEQUENCE OF BEING WICKED
☆☆
FINAL EPISODE
Rosa was so lost in this reverie that she was startled when she felt Gift’s hand tap her on the wrist saying something she didn’t hear.
“what did you say, my dear,” she had asked kindly.
“I don’t ever want to go back to madam Linda. I will rather kill myself than go back there”.
“Don’t worry , dear I will see what I can do”. She had promised.
Rosa went outside made some phone calls and came back
“My dear, I know exactly what you have gone through because I had experienced such as a young child but to the glory of God , I came out of it stronger and a better person.
I have been married for five years without a child and I live alone with my husband who is the best man any woman could ask for ”
She continued “I have spoken to him and he said I should bring you home so that we take you to the police station.”
“Police station !” Gift shouted.
“Aunty , so you want to leave me at the police station? I thought you were a kind aunty. so you want them to take me back to madam Linda? She asked sadly, her eyes filling up with tears.
“hold on dear, I will do no such thing . I will have to report to the police and then request that I take you home . I plan to go to welfare department and adopt you legally. It is illegal to just pick a child on the road and take her home just like that ”
Rosa live in Ibadan with her husband. She had come back to Alaudo, her husband’s village, for a burial and was to stay for one week.
She subsequently stayed long enough to sort out the preliminary documentation for an adoption and took gift home with her to Ibadan and that was how the poor girl’s life changed.
Meanwhile Rosa couldn’t help wondering about the policy of the country on welfare generally especially that of children.
She remembered her own abusive early years and how she nearly lost her life if not for mother luck.
Now, look at this poor child and the abuse she had gone through, what would have become of her if I hadn’t run into her in such a dramatic and nearly fatal fashion? She wondered .
Rosa registered gift into a very good primary school. Because of her age, she was registered into primary five and a very good private teacher was arranged for her private lessons.
Gift turned out to be intelligent. she was able to, in no time catch up with the other children. The hunger to make something out of her life was an overriding motivation for her.
After primary education, she gained admission into a government secondary school. throughout her secondary school education, she kept on taking the first position.
She made the best result and broke her school record in WAEC by getting straight ‘A’ in all her subjects, thereby winning a scholarship to any university of her choice to study Social Welfare. By this time, she had grown into a very beautiful but level headed girl.
It did not take long before Gift caught the attention of the youngest but most eligible professor of pharmacology in her school. They both fell in love at first sight and before long , he proposed to her and she accepted.
Rosa , her surrogate mother and her husband spared no expense at making the wedding a memorable one
Gift and her husband sent out their invitation cards to their friends and relations and it happened that Chidinma , now an old tattered woman, went to hospital one day to collect her medication for her arthritis. All the chairs were occupied expect the one which only had a bag on it. She was so weak that she had to sit down until whoever kept the bag came back. When she picked up the big in order to sit down, she found a very beautiful card lying under the bag and picked it up to admire it after sitting down. country style of the maid for the brides
“This must have cost a lot of money. Imagine how much people spend on mere wedding cards when people like me borrow money to buy ordinary drugs. this world nawa oo,” she had lamented.
“There are even pictures of the couple on the card” She had said to herself, turning the inside page.
“Ah, this lady looks familiar!” she thought as she peered closely at the picture and it dawned on her like a bolt from the blues!
“Gift! it is Gift ooooooo, my Gift, my daughter! my long lost daughter Gift!” she shouted , jumping up from her seat, with the other patients looking at her in surprise
She quickly sat down again , excitedly and read the card, after which she left hurriedly: taking the card with her before the owner could come back.
Chidimna traced Gift to the venue of the wedding , sat at the last row of seats and it was the shock of her life when the woman introduced as the bride’s mother turned out to be Rosa, her former maid!
Rosa whom she had beaten to pulp, verbally abused and accused of being possessed and finally goaded into committing murder! The murder of her children.
It was true she had learnt of Rosa’s adoption by Her Excellency. She thought she had heard the last of her when Rosa was reported to have gone abroad for further education only for her to appear now and to be addressed today, as the mother of Gift , “my own sweet daughter”, Chidinma thought weeping silently.
“What a small world”, she said to her self amidst tears.
She turned and walked silently away, depressed and remorseful for all her useless, wicked and irresponsible life.
“Surely” she had lamented to herself , “No condition is permanent” and as they say ‘ those we see on our way up are often the same people we see on our way down’.
She was so depressed and inconsolable that she died two weeks later without gift and Rosa ever knowing anything about it. As far as Gift was concerned , her real mother died the very moment she conceived the idea of turning her into a chattel to be sold off to the highest bidder.
Gift had often thought to herself, MOTHERHOOD IS NOT ONLY BIOLOGICALLY BUT AN OVERRIDING SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TOTAL WELL BEING OF A CHILD”
********** The End**********
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In this life, we have to make many
choices. Some are very important choices.
Some are not. Many of our choices are
between good and evil. The choices we
make, however, determine to a large
extent our happiness or our unhappiness,
because we have to live with the
consequences of our choices.
A big thanks to all my wonderful readers ….. .. remain blessed!....AM PLUS ONE TODAY (HBD TO ME)