OVERCOMER

Chapter 13- The Dark Night Of Her Life

JOHN 1:5(AMPC)
"And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]."
*. *. *.

"Ewwww!" Favour screamed after Ego had told her my mum's plans for me to get married to Mr Banjo.
"That's so messed up" she added
"I know right. I could never get married to Halima's father" Ego said. Halima was the fourth and last child of Mr Banjo's first wife.
She, Favour and Ego had gone to the same nursery school and were good friends. Halima had moved to the United Kingdom for her secondary school and hadn't come back since then.

"Speaking of Halima, she's back from the United Kingdom. I saw her at the airport infact" Favour said.
"What!? Wow that's shocking. I thought she would never come back" Ego said surprised.
She hadn't seen Halima in over a decade.
"Guy! If you see Halima now ehh. Black beauty!. She has grown o" Favour said.

The two chatted heartily until Ego remembered she had not completed her chores and was supposed to go and help her mother in the market.
"Favour you still haven't told me how you got married" Ego said as she resumed sweeping the veranda while Favour stood at a distance as she watched her.

"Huhh! Fine. His name is Franklin. He is my mother's friend's son and we met at a certain family dinner. We began to talk and were secretly dating only that he is based in the US (United States). We got married quietly in a court some months later and he made arrangements for me to come over to the United States" Favour narrated.

"Favourite Uche" Ego exclaimed in delight.
"It's Favourite Amaefuna to you girl!" Favour countered and they both began to laugh.
"Amaefuna" was Franklin's surname so she had changed her surname to Amaefuna.
"Sly girl" Ego commented.
Ego finished her chores and went to help her mother in the market accompanied by Favour. Ego had given Favour a pair of slippers before they left as Ego had warned her that she was liable to trip and fall to the ground in them because they would in the busy market with all the hustle and bustle.
They got to the market and Chika was shocked at the sight of Favour whom she had not seen in a while. She gave her a gentle motherly embrace.

The evening prayers from the mosques could be heard as Ego and her mother strolled back home. Favour had gone home to her family.
"Mummy" Ego called "Yes Nne(dear)?" her mother answered coughing slightly.
"Why do I have to marry that man?" Ego asked. "I thought we've gone over this" Chika replied and Ego gave her a certain look.
"Because I am tired of seeing you and your brother suffer because I can't get a job. I am tired of living in poverty and I just want a better life for you guys" Chika answered.
"And you somehow think that marrying me off to some people's father will take all that away?" Ego asked
"We've been through a lot. Remember when we almost started living on the bridge?"
"Yes until uncle Emma rescued us" Ego recalled. Emma was short for Emmanuel.

"The point I'm making is that Mr Banjo is a rich man and you marrying him will make you achieve all of your dreams. You will study nursing in the university of your choice, your brothers will go to good schools and I will be happy to see you people doing well by God's grace if I'm still alive by then"

"Don't say that mummy. You will be alive to see me become successful without the help of Mr Banjo" Ego proclaimed.

"Amen. Thank you my dear. Mama Nonso came today sharing testimonies about the miracles God had been doing in her life. Her husband got a multinational job and is being paid heavily. Her daughter also got admission into one university called Havard. God is good o. " Her mother explained.
"Wow good for her" Ego said sarcastically.

"Ogini (what)?" Her mother asked.
"I mean don't you find it offensive that she came telling you how good God had been to her knowing fully well we are struggling. She was basically just flaunting all her success at your face" Ego said furious.
"Hian! When did this one start kwanu!" Her mother said looking at her daughter with a puzzled look.

"Well God hates me mom" Ego said, her eyes full to the brim with tears about pour out like a waterfall.
"Stop saying that my friend!. Chineke m di mma ( my God is good) and He doesn't hate His children" Her mother admonished her.

"Who told her I was His child?"Ego thought to herself.
"Surely a father will hate to see His child suffer right? Then why has he watched me suffer all these years and done nothing about it?" Ego thought inwardly.
"It's obvious I'm not one of His children" she said again inwardly.
Ego a twenty-year old, soon to be twenty one is frustrated. All her life had always felt like she was caged by bars of poverty.
She was strong, had a thick skin and was resilient but all these qualities with the Lord Jesus was nothing.

Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders buildeth or labour in vain.

The wind blew harder and Ego walked briskly to her house, she unlocked it with the keys she had and entered inside. She hit the sack immediately as she was fatigued. Her brothers were busy playing in their neighbour's house. Chika wondered what was wrong with her daughter. She had brought up the conversation because she wanted to tell Ego how excited she was to take her Christianity seriously as she had always been a partial one.
But so long for that.

Ego got up from the bed going towards the kitchen as she was longing for a drink. On her way to the kitchen, she heard a deep, intense snore from her mother who was sleeping on the couch. She chuckeld as she thought "she must be really tired". She shrugged and went ahead to get some water as her mother had always been known to snore whenever she was tired.
Ego went ahead to get some water.
On returning, she touched Chika lightly as her snores had gotten louder. It now sounded as though she was suffocating rather than snoring.
"Mummy?" Ego called shaking her and suddenly, the noise was no more. Ego leaned in to hear if her mother was still breathing and felt no air pass out of her.
It then dawned on her that her mother had passed out.
Confusion and worry immediately set in and Ego quickly began fanning her. She got some water and sprinkled it on her while calling her name severally but her efforts immediately proved futile.

She hurriedly unlocked the door and knocked on Mr Ajayi's door. After Ego had banged the door a million times, he finally responded saying "are you on a mission to bring down my door!?"
"Mr Ajayi please help! My mother has fainted o!" She cried out.
The sleepy old man quickly rushed into Ego's house and tried waking Chika up.
"I've tried everything but she won't respond!" Ego yelled and he quickly carried her and rushed her to a hospital nearby.
And the rest was a story that no one ever wished to tell for it was to heavy for the mouth. Ego couldn't say anything as her lips quavered when some of her neighbours who had come to visit her asked her what happened. She sat in the hospital lobby with bloodshot eyes.
She had come in the darkest dark night of her life.
"Could my life get any worse right now?" Ego asked in agony and bitterness.

Hey guys! It has been such a long time. I'm really sorry for my absence. I was going through some challenges but not to worry ,I've overcome all of them because greater is HE that is in me than he that is in the world. Live purposefully and accurately in these last days for Christ is on His way to take His Church. It will happen in the twinkling of an eye.

Ephesians 5:15
15 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),
Be blessed as you read this and please comment. I really do appreciate when you do.
Thank you so much for reading... God bless you abundantly.

~Morayo Martins.