Esther episode 34

David went to meet Brian that evening looking so excited. “Hello bro. What’s up?” Brian said as he opened the door for him. “I am doing just fine man thanks and you?” David responded. Brian opened the door wide as David went to sit down on one of the chairs.

Brian: Hey man, you look so excited. What’s the news?
David: Hahaha. I have two reasons. Firstly, I am so grateful to God because I have passed my exams
Brian: Hallelujah! Congratulations David. That makes the two of us
David: Really? Oh praise God. Congratulations to you too. God gave me enough strength and wisdom to actually be the first student to pass with distinction
Brian: Glory to God! Glory to God! I am very happy for you. I know you will go so far in life
David: Amen. Thank you
Brian: So, give me the second reason that is making you look like you just saw an angel
David: You see this? It’s an engagement ring I bought for Esther. I want to propose to her this evening. I know she is no longer with that Jacob guy and I know she loves me too but she has been playing hard to get. I think she has just been waiting for me to give her a little push. I have booked some seats at the “Top Ten” restaurant. I would also like you and Angela to be present. My plan is to have dinner with her until around 10pm. Then I will send both of you a message so that you can come in when I am about to propose. What do you think?
Brian: Aww! What a wonderful plan mehn! Hmm, this life!
David: Why do you look so sad? Is there anything wrong?



Brian: There is a little challenge. Esther received a call from her mother to inform her that her father had a stroke and is in a coma
David: What? Dear Jesus! Is she in her room? I need to go and see her
Brian: No. She had to leave early this evening. She took the bus that leaves at 5pm
David: And nobody cared to even inform me?
Brian: I asked her to inform you, but she was reluctant so I could not force her. However, I told her that I would eventually inform you once she is gone, to which she replied by the affirmative.
David looked down. He looked so disappointment. He shook his head.
Brian: I am sorry man. I wish things would work out the way you planned. But you know, the Bible says all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord. So maybe there is a reason why it has happened this way.
David: I just don’t understand why Esther won’t see the truth that I love her so much. I also know that she loves me too, but I just don’t seem to understand this barrier between us
Brian: Can you be honest with me? I want to ask you a question
David: Sure
Brian: Are you still seeing the lady called Betty?
David: Of course not! Why do you ask?
Brian: Well, Esther explained to me that the first day you came for the fellowship she met Betty who was trying to brag of a date that she was having with you that night
David: What? I have not been with that girl for over a month now. I caught her red handed kissing one guy in town. It is from then that someone told me that she is a bad girl. In fact, I have never had any true feelings for her. She fell in love with me and pushed me into going out with her. I know that is a lame excuse, but I was so hurt when I learned about Esther’s engagement that I just had to occupy myself with something else. I was also trying to keep the promise I made to Esther’s father. And that is when Betty came in
Brian: Which promise? Have you ever met Esther’s dad?
David: Bro, it’s a long story. The man came all the way from Gemba to beg me not to continue with Esther, stating the fact that he could fall sick because of it. Now my heart is even troubled. I hope I am not the cause of the stroke he had.
Brian: No. I don’t think so. Let me just explain to you what has been going on in Esther’s family. May God forgive me for speaking behind her back. I will definitely inform her of the fact that I have narrated everything to you.
Brian narrated everything Esther had told her about Jacob and what was going on in her family. David listened carefully, wondering in amazed at every bit of the story.
David: Wow! I can’t imagine what this girl has gone through. I feel so bad. I wish she could open up to me. We would have fought it together. But I just believe that she is no longer interested in me and I am not going to force her. I will allow her to live her life. Is she coming back?



Brian: She said she would come back once her father is in good shape
David: I don’t think she will come back. Jeez! And I thought we were about to make up. Gosh!
Brian: Don’t give up David. There is still hope
David: Well, I don’t know about that. I think I can no longer go ahead in this adventure. In as much as I love her, I wouldn’t want to force her to accept me back. But if she can leave suddenly without even thinking of informing me, then it is clear that she no longer has feelings for me.
Brian did not know what to advise David again. He kept asking him to be patient but David was convinced that it was no longer necessary for him to keep trying. He left the room with so much disappointment. Brian prayed for him that night asking for God’s will to prevail in his life.
The bus made a stopover at the motel. Passengers got off the bus and went to refresh themselves. Esther got off and went straight to the reception to greet the receptionist who looked so happy to see her. She also went to the kitchen and greeted aunt Mercy. Aunt Mercy gave her a huge sandwich and a bottle of orange juice which she hungrily ate. As she was about to go back to the bus, she accidentally met Jacob and Clara, holding each other tightly. Esther was shocked. Jacob also looked surprised to see her. He tried to let go of Clara slowly, but somehow managed to stay tight.
“Hi Jacob. Hi Clara. How are you doing?” Esther said with a smile on her face. Jacob frowned his face and, trying to be so proud, said “Oh very fine as usual. I couldn’t be better and you? You look so worn out. I hope the father of that thing is taking care of you using the little money from his small shop.” Clara laughed. Esther smiled and answered “I am doing very well thank you. God is taking care of me. I am actually better than I have ever been, especially that you are no longer part of my life. It feels like I just came out of prison. You can’t imagine the freedom and liberty I feel. And as for my baby, well it will surprise you to know that it is such a pleasure to have a child born out of pure love between two people. At least he won’t have a father who is a rapist”
Clara opened her eyes wide. Jacob felt like hitting Esther, but he feared the crowd around them. Esther walked out and went to the bus. “What did she mean when she talked about a rapist?” Clara asked Jacob as they climbed the staircases. “How can I know? That girl is a mad girl, no one needs to pay attention to her” he said. Clara was curious “I hope she is not insinuating that you raped her” she continued. Jacob pushed her and shouted “What are you trying to say? Are you out of your mind? How can you even have the guts to talk such rubbish? You idiot! If you are not careful, I will leave you in this place and you’ll go to your house barefoot. Stupid girl!” Clara tried to console him by begging him ‘Sorry baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I am sorry….Come on…..Ok let me cheer you up by giving you the sex you always like” she said. Jacob smiled and put his hands around her waist as they entered the room.

Esther arrived in the early hours of day, as early as 4:30am. The car park was not very crowded. She got down, stretching her legs. She got her luggage from the bus and looked around to see if she could get a taxi. One taxi came around and after negotiating the price, she entered and he drove off. When she arrived home, she could see that the light in the living room was on. She pushed the wooden gate open and knocked on the house door. No one came to open, but she insisted. After close to five minutes, she finally heard some footsteps. She saw someone peeping through the window next to the door. Daniel jumped on her in excitement. Esther laughed “Hello young brother. How are you?” she said. “I am fine” Daniel said, taking the luggage inside the house. Esther entered the house and looked around. “Mom informed me about dad’s illness. Where is mom?” she asked. “Mom is still at the hospital. She said she would spend the night there. That is why the light in the living room is on. I am alone” Daniel said. Esther asked Daniel to go back to sleep as she took a bath. She cried as she entered her parents’ room. She took one of her father’s shirts and knelt down in prayer “Oh Lord please heal my father wherever he is and give strength to my mother too. I promise I will serve you all the days of my life” she said. She wiped her tears and went to freshen up. She was not feeling sleepy. She went to the living room and read through the Bible, praying at intervals. When it was 6am, she went to Daniel’s room and informed him that she was going to the hospital. She rushed to the main road and waited for a bus to pass by. Buses started moving as early as 5:30am because of people that went to their farms and those who worked in the nearby town. Esther entered the bus. She was impatient to arrive at the hospital. When she arrived, she gave the name of her father to the nurse on duty who showed her where he was admitted. Esther walked quickly, breathing profusely. She arrived in front of the door and stopped for a while. She took a deep breath and entered. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her father lying on the bed, looking so helpless. Her mother was lying down on a small mat on the floor. She walked towards the bed and looked at her father. Tears fell from her eyes as she looked at her father, his mouth bent on one side. Her sobbing woke her mother up. She got up from her mat and said “Esther. Is that you? Is that you my daughter?” Esther stooped down to where she was lying and hugged her “Mother. It is I. I am here. God will heal my dad. God is in control. The Bible says by Jesus’ striped we are healed. Dad is healed already in Jesus’ name” she said. Her mother cried too. “Amen” she answered. They both discussed for almost an hour. Her mother put her hand on Esther’s tummy and said “How is my granddaughter doing? I can’t wait to hold her in my arms?” Esther laughed “Granddaughter? How do you know it’s a girl?” she said. “I want a girl. I want to be plaiting her hair and I also want someone to go to the market with me” she said. They both laughed. Elder Barnabas made some moves. He tried to stretch his hands and move his back.
“Dorothy are you here?” he said calling his wife. Esther and the mother rose up. Her mother answered “I am here sir. I am here.” Elder Barnabas looked at Esther in astonishment. He struggled to move his back. His wife helped him while Esther stood there wondering what to say. She knew that her father was still upset with her. However, elder said gently “Esther is this you? When did you arrive?” Esther found it hard to believe. She moved closely to the bed and said “Yes sir. It’s me Esther. I came as soon as I heard what happened. I am sorry sir. It is all my fault, I am sor…” Elder interrupted “You are not to blame my daughter. You are not to blame. I am the one that needs to apologize to you. I am sorry for all the trouble I cased you, I..” he could not speak any further because of the state of his mouth. Saliva dropped from his mouth. Esther’s mother took a piece of cloth and wiped his mouth “That’s enough. You have talked enough. Have some rest. Let me get you some food” she said. Esther turned to her mother and said “Mom, you look so tired. Go home and get some rest and freshen up. Allow me to stay with dad. I will get breakfast for him. Once you return, I can go back home and make him some nice soup.” Esther’s mother tried to refuse, but Esther insisted and she went home.
Esther went to the nearby shops and bought some fruits and cereals. She took it to the hospital canteen and asked them to boil the cereals in hot water. She then rushed to the room. “It’s time to eat sir. You need to eat in order to gain strength. I have also bought you some chewing gums. You can chew in the direction contrary to where your mouth is bent. It will help you to bring your mouth to its normal position by God’s grace” she said. She adjusted the pillow under his head and helped him to sit up straight. She held his hands and prayed for him, asking God to grant him strength, vitality and quick recovery. She reminded God of His promises of long life and good health through the blood of Jesus. She took a spoonful of cereals and gave him to eat. Elder Barnabas looked at her in amazement. He seemed to be enjoying his food. The Doctor walked in and looked at Esther. “Hmm, elder you seem to be enjoying your food. Yesterday, you didn’t eat anything your wife gave you. Is this your daughter?” he said. Elder answered “yes she is. Her name is Esther. I couldn’t eat the food my wife gave me because it was so heavy. She brought rice and fish knowing very well that my mouth is not strong enough to chew” Elder said. The doctor laughed. Esther said “Warm cereals and fruits are good for him. I will cut the fruits into tiny pieces to make them easy for him to chew and swallow. For many stroke survivors, loss of appetite is a common problem. Even when appetite isn’t affected, other challenges can make getting the proper nutrition seem like a chore. But a healthy diet is an important part of recovery, and it helps reduce the risk of another stroke”
The Doctor looked at her “I am impressed. Where did you learn all these things?” he said. Esther smiled “I am studying medicine at the university. I just completed my third year and I am now thinking of doing some training before I can continue my studies next year” she said. “Wow. We are actually looking for some medical students to help us out as we are short of medical personnel. Many of them have left the city to look for greener pastures. Are you ready to start next week? We are really in need and you seem to be quite intelligent.” The Doctor said. Esther looked excited. “Yes sure. I am ready to start any time” she said joyfully. The Doctor told her to pass by his office around 4pm that evening. He did some checkups on elder’s sate of health and nodded his head “You are making improvements. I believe you will be out in a few days’ time” he said