𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

80°

I took a deep breath and sat up straight, keeping composure, yet feeling like there was a literal hole burrowed in my heart. The eeriness of the atmosphere did nothing to distract me from my devastating thoughts.

"I'm very sorry about what happened." Charlie Ba started, sympathising with us.

"It hurts. It does, I know. That pain of losing someone dear to you is unmeasurable. I am so sorry you all have to go through this.." he stopped, got caught off by Prissy's sniff as she wiped a tear on her cheek.

For the first time ever, Prissy was being the one who was finding it the hardest to keep her composure.

"I know you may not want to hear this, but I want you all to understand that everything, literally everything, happens for a reason. Even this." He said to us.

"Excuse me." I raised a hand. Charlie Ba looked at me, giving me the permission to speak.

"She went through a lot." I said.

The thought of it scattered me all over again and I felt the hot tears, burning and stinging my eyes all over again. I tried. I tried to control them.

"She went through a lot. So much. She went through so much, and in the end, she died? She didn't even have the chance to fully know what love is. To grow up. Dream. See her children. After going through hell, she just died. Wouldn't it have been better if she were never even born? What was the point of having her come to this world to suffer like that?" I spoke my whole heart, hoping this man would have answers.

"No one was brought into the world to suffer, Giwa. Everyone had a purpose on this earth. Even if you never get to grow up or see your children or grandchildren, it doesn't mean your existence in the world was useless. Whether we like it or not, everyone that has been brought into this world, good or bad, had an impact on someone. A good impact that would last for a lifetime, even after they depart." Charlie Ba calmly answered.

"Even Jesus Christ didn't live too long." He continued. "And he was shamed. Ridiculed. Betrayed by people he trusted, people he helped. And in the end, he was battered, killed and hung on a cross where they taunted him over and over and over..... And yet, he saved mankind from the bondage of sin. His existence saved mankind. Jesus never got to see his children too, did he? Still he made a huge impact in the world. Didn't he?"

Looking at it this way... It sort of opened a new light. Made me see Hassana's death differently.

Hassana's death had opened my eyes to a lot of things. So many things. I could say I was seeing things from this teacher's point of view.

"Everyone has a time of departure from this earth. Maybe this... This was Hassana's time." He said.

"She just turned 18. She was just.. 18." I muttered to myself and he heard me, and nodded, understandingly, like he quickly knew what to say next.

"Nova." He called and the boy sat up, looked at Charlie Ba.

"You told me you had told Hassana about God, true?" He asked him.

"Yes, sir." Nova answered.

"Did she listen to you." He asked.

"She gave her life to Christ, sir." Nova said to the man. "I was in there with Kelechi, Chido and Nana, and we all prayed for her too."