In the space of time - Episode 11

 

EPILOGUE 
10th October 2029
Somtochukwu was at the cafeteria waiting for Amanda. They had agreed the night before to meet there by 2pm, he checked his wrist watch for the time, it was 2:38pm  already, he wanted to call her but his phone’s battery had died earlier in lab that day. He was a medical student in the University of Lagos, while Amanda was a student from the faculty of pharmacy . They were friends, they had been friends ever since they met at the university’s post utme two years earlier but Somto liked her, he hadn’t told her yet though, they had grown to be really close and he didn’t want to ruin their friendship, he didn’t want them to have any kind of awkward feelings towards each other. ‘’I’m so sorry, Somto. The lecturer refused to leave the class after his period had ended, he kept giving notes’’, Amanda looked really stressed. She must have done a lot today, he thought. He had actually gone over the lines he was going to use to scold her about three times during his wait, but now that he saw her, he knew he wouldn’t utter a word from those practiced scolding lines. ‘’have you eaten?’’ he asked ‘’no, isn’t that why you said we should meet at the cafeteria, I’m starved please’’, she was walking towards the food stand now, alone. ‘’well, was I the one that said you should starve yourself’’ he said hurrying to catch up with her pace

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/in-the-space-of-time

. ‘’Besides, you talk like you’re the only busy one in the whole university, you better take life easy. Life na jeje’’. This was something his father usually said. Somto had learned a lot from his father even though he was mostly in boarding school.  When they still lived in Enugu, his father was his regular visitor, he would always come to check up on Somto whether it was visiting day or not. Not that Somto didn’t like his father visiting him, on the contrary he particularly loved the gifts and cash that always accompanied Odogwu’s visit, but the other kids started to make fun of him calling him daddy’s boy. Somto was more used to his mom anyways, she always made time for him, she often asked him about his academics and she made them have the ‘girl talk’ conversations, that was how she knew about Amanda, and they were supposed to go home together today. Today was Daa Obiageli’s 69th birthday,and Odogwu  had organized a surprise get together for her, Aunty Mercy and her husband flew in from America that morning but Somto’s grandmum didn’t know. She had actually been ill for some time now, and she was just recovering, Odogwu, his father wants his mother to be happy seeing her children and grandchildren together in one place, peaceful and happy, and so Adaugo told Somto to bring Amada along. ‘’What time do we have to be at your parents?’’, Amanda asked. They had already had lunch now and we about to take an uber that would covey them to dolphin estate, Ikoyi from the campus where they presently were. ‘’I thought I told you before’’, he replied her, replying to a question someone had asked on his class group chat. He was course rep. it wasn’t an easy task, managing the whole medical class academic issues but God had seen him through throughout his stay in the school, he knew the journey ahead wouldn’t be easy but he was sure it would be a fruitful one. 

They had gotten to the Odogwu’s residence, Adaugo welcomed them in, the party/get together had already begun, Aunty Mercy and her husband were present, and also Aunty Nonso, she even brought her children, Peter, and then the twins, Chidera and Chicherem. Odogwu was blessing the meal now, ‘’Lord I thank you for bringing us all together, and keeping us all in peace, for keeping my mother in good health, and everyone else here’’, Somto pondered for a while about his family, how they had grown stronger over the years, especially his parents. Odogwu and Ada had gone through tough times, he remembered the year it was hard for his father, Somto was in school but he knew things were not going as well as it had been going. He had delayed in his school fees payment and that had never happened before. However, things had become different. Odogwu his father was now a very influential man in the society, he was appointed minister for works and electricity last year by the president of the country, but he still remained humble, if you didn’t know him one on one, you’d have no idea of the level of wealth he possessed. Odogwu had not failed to bring him up well, he was grateful to God for the way he and his sister Tabitha were trained. His father was his mentor and his mother his adviser and gist partner. She was the one who insisted he invited Amanda for the get together.  ‘’where are you from nne?’’, Adaugo asked Amanda at the dining table, ‘’Ebonyi state ma, Obioha particularly, in abakaliki’’. Adaugo raised a brow, that was her paternal village. ‘’where exactly in Obioha?’’, Somto looked at his mother and wondered why she was so interested in knowing the roots of Amanda, the last thing he wanted was for Amanda to feel uncomfortable. Amanda answered any way, ‘’my grandmother is from Umueze, but my dad is from Ugbomiri, near the hills’’. Adaugo had dropped her cutleries now. ‘’Is there a need for all these questions?’’, Odogwu asked his wife, who now looked very stunned. Adaugo didn’t reply him though, she instead fixed her gaze on Amanda. ‘’who is your grandmother?’’, Amanda replied still, ‘’Mary Ezinne is her name ma, that’s what we call her, but I remember dad saying that she used to bear Charity Nwachukwu, before she moved to Jos, where she trained him’’. Adaugo was teary. Next thing the tear drops are falling to her dress. ‘’What’s the matter mummy?’’ Somtochukwu asked, he was really concerned now. Adaugo just looked up and said. ‘’finally, I meet the one who gave birth to me’’. 
Adaugo later tells them, the woman Amanda spoke about was her mother, and that she asked all those questions because she had suspected, right from the moment she set her eyes on Amanda, she was carbon copy of Adaugo’s mum in her youth days. Adaugo had held on to one of her mother’s pictures, which she brought out to show the rest of the family, and Amanda confirmed that that was her grandmother, and that they had a similar picture enlarged at home. Somtochukwu was confused. What these people were saying if he calculated right was that Amanda was his cousin? How could Amanda be his cousin? ‘’thank God there’s nothing going on between you too, thank God we discovered this now’’, Adaugo kept saying. But, how could the things be?

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The weather was a lovely one, Adaugo was happy and nervous at the same time, she was supposed to meet her mother today, she ran the moment she heard the doorbell. They had arrived. ‘’Nno nu(welcome), she greeted, it was her an old woman, who she presumed to be her mother and then a man and a woman , those were Amanda’s parents, they came in with Amanda. Immediately they got to the living room, the old woman fell to her feet and started sobbing. ‘’I don’t know if you will ever find it in your heart to forgive me, I know it may be late, but let me apologize before I die’’. She was crying seriously now. ‘’No no,mama get up’’, Adaugo trying to lift her to her feet, but the woman was too strong for her, ‘’hapu  m, eligwe ka m choro iga, hapu m, (leave me, I want to make heaven, leave me), my conscience will finally let me be free, I will find peace now’’, Adaugo hugged her, she was crying too now.

Read " When two hearts collide " by the same author ( Ijeoma Okorie )

. She had already forgiven her mother a long time ago, but she never thought it would be possible for her meet her again in this life. This was God. He had kept his promise to her, the promise that he would reconcile her with her mother and established peace in their lives. 
Adaugo didn’t know where to start from, her whole life was a testimony. She was living even beyond her dreams, she was impacting lives through the help of God. She had established several foundations aimed at empowering the girl child and helping those suffering from domestic violence. The aim was kingdom increase, and she never lacked ever since she decided to take up this mandate. God had delivered her from pain, anger, confusion, and he used her as an instrument to deliver others too. She had been reconciled to God and handed over the ministry of reconciliation 2cor 5:18, this was the purpose for which she was created. Everything was working out for her good. 

GLORY TO GOD!   THANK YOU FOR READING, IT IS MY PRAYER THAT THIS STORY TOUCHES AS MANY HEARTS AS GOD DESIRES. ALWAYS REMEMBER, YOU ARE LOVED. SMILES*