Life's Journey - Part 1

It was a beautiful day but Sandra decided to stay indoors. Hours later, her phone rang and the call was from a dear friend, Bukola, who was traveling down to pay her a visit. With excitement, she began preparing for Bukola's arrival. At about 6pm, her friend arrived. They hugged one another and spent the rest of the evening catching up, they didn't mind chatting over dinner. During a conversation in which they both discussed about family, Bukola said "Your father was a great man. He did well in taking care of his children", but she quickly apologized about speaking in a past tense and said again: "Your father is a great man. He has done well in taking care of his children", though Sandra didn't seem to mind.

---

A week earlier.....

Sandra returned from her night-out gig at dawn, placed her bag by the bed and decided to take a quick shower and get some sleep after that which she did. Waking up about 10am later that day, it seemed she wasn't her usual self because she couldn't get her head off the bed. She felt weak. Minutes later, her phone rang with a call from her Mum which she answered:

"Hello Mummy. Good morning."

"Good morning my darling. How are you though from what I can hear, you don't sound so good. What's wrong?" Sandra's mum replied.

"It's nothing to bother yourself about Mum, I've just got a headache." She replied.

"Okay my dear. Just get something to eat and maybe take some painkillers if you don't feel better by then."

Sandra remembered she had been trying so reach her dad for a few days to no avail so she quickly asked:

*"Mum, how's Dad? I've been trying to reach him but he never takes my calls."

Mum replied: *"He's fine, he's just busy. I'll ask him to call you. Meanwhile, make sure you take good care of yourself. Bye."

"Okay. Bye Mum." Then she hung up.

That day passed on like a blur and Sandra never really got better. She just couldn't place the feeling of weakness. After a few days, she began getting better.

---

Few days later...

That fateful night of Bukola's visit was a restless one. After she and Bukola had both chatted and caught up on old times, they decided to call it a night at about 11:30pm, the bedroom became too hot, leaving the bed and laying on the floor wasn't a better solution to alleviate the heat. The night dragged on till 5am when Bukola's phone rang. During her conversation, she let out a pained cry saying "Jesus!" Sandra woke up and asked "What's wrong?" Bukola quickly handed over the phone to her, it was Sandra's elder sister on the phone and she said:

"Hold yourself Sandra. Be strong. Daddy is no more. You have to be strong."

Sandra replied, "Okay. " The call got disconnected on the other side.

Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through the room and Sandra who immediately became cold said to Bukola: "Bukky, please hold me. I'm cold." Bukola immediately took Sandra in her arms and held her in a tight embrace for some minutes. Sandra pulled out of Bukola's embrace and began tidying up an already neat room. Bukola understood the signs and got up to help. Sandra didn't cry, she continued tidying up the room.

---

Six hours later...

Sandra packed up some of her stuff in a bag and along with Bukola, she headed for the bus station to board a vehicle back home. After about an hour of traveling, as the vehicle passed by her hometown, Sandra broke down in tears. Bukola who had fallen asleep heard her cry and woke up to comfort her. Another hour passed and they both arrived at Sandra's home. Walking down the street on their way home, as they got close to the house, they saw people trooping in and out of the gate, some were shaking their heads and others were talking in low tones; some of them looked Sandra's way with faces of pity. Getting into her house, Sandra met with reality, her home which was once filled with laughter and happiness had become a mourning nest, she saw a lot of people in the living room, her mother was sitting on a mattress placed on the floor dressed in black and her body frame seemed frail, her heart shattered to see her mother in such manner. She rushed to her mother's side to hug her and greet those around her.

Reality began kicking in, he was no more, he had left without saying goodbye. Her father, her friend, her love had abandoned her. What would happen to her family? The man who kept everyone together was no more. Would her family be able to pass this test together? Then the drama began... The wealth-grabbing extended family members came to take their brother's wealth and belongings. They couldn't even wait for his body to get cold in the morgue.... How despicable! With their unashamed looks on their faces, they began demanding for the dead man's car keys and bedroom key, not even thinking about his widow or the children he left behind.... How cold and heartless can they be? Little did they know that the dead man had a Will lodged somewhere. In the pain Sandra felt, that thought brought a little smile to her face.

---

Though there were people around, the house seemed empty without him. It seemed as if the house was covered in darkness. If only he could pop out alive from one of the many photos hung on the wall, how Sandra wished this sudden reality could be a dream she could wake up from. The home she grew up in suddenly felt open and unprotected, she let out a sigh and said: Oh life!

To be continued...