The touch of a mother

I am back! Boluwatife is happy to be here again. I have been away for some time. I had to take a break because of some circumstances beyond my control. What am I missing? I know I've missed a lot of articles but I will try to catch up. I need your thought on this issue.

My mum and dad were classmates in their Secondary School days. They were friends. They became so close. One thing led to the other and my mum got pregnant for my dad. My mum was sent out of her parents' home and my dad accepted her.

I grew up to know my dad and wicked stepmom. My dad told me that my mum left me with him when I was few months old. He said she left a note and vanished into the thin air. My dad married another woman to take care of me. She gave birth to two kids; a boy and a girl. She is usually friendly with me before my dad but in his absence, I suffered.

The situation grew worse after I finished my SSCE. I would cook, do the laundry,clean the house while she would sit down playing with her children. I mustn't taste out of the food without permission and must not report to my dad. I gathered courage and told my dad. He promised to talk to her but I wouldn't see any change. Although he would give me money and buy things for me secretly without his wife knowing.

I eventually got admission into the university and I was happy to leave home although, I missed my dad. My stepmom was keeping record of my dad's savings and he could not send money to me without her knowing. There was a time I was out of cash in school and a group of friends invited me to a party where we would dance and be paid. I agreed to attend but almost got raped just because of money. I cried when I got back home. A course mate preached to me and I got saved.

I got a roommate in my third year in school. Her name is Cynthia. She is from the United States. Her mum sent her to Nigeria when she discovered that Cynthia was moving with notorious girls who took hard drugs. A week after she got to Nigeria, she called her mum that she needed more money. Her mum suspected she wanted to buy more drugs and asked for the exact thing she needed but refused to send her money. She became angry and I told her not to speak abusive words to her mother. We talked about a lot of things and I told her about my personal experiences.

Few days later, Cynthia's mum called to inform her that her best friend died of drug overdose. She froze for a minute and began to cry. She said that friend of hers was so young and strong. I consoled her and told her the dangers in the use of drugs. She said she didn't want to die and eventually gave her life to Christ. I came back from school the next day to find the whole room scattered. Cynthia was looking for her drugs. I had burnt them before leaving for school that morning. She begged me to give her the drugs or she would die. I was a bit scared because of the way she was behaving but I reminded her of who she was in Christ and asked her to say " I am crucified with Christ. Drugs shall not have dominion over me. I shall not die but live to declare the works of the Lord in the land of the living" After a while, she became calm.

Cynthia's mum called a week later. She was curious to know why her daughter had not called for some time to request for money. She was surprised when Cynthia told her that she was free from drugs and she spoke about me too. She requested that the phone be given to me and I confirmed Cynthia's words. She was so happy that she said she was coming to Nigeria the following week. Cynthia was super happy. I was happy for her too. Later that night, l cried to God to connect me with my mum wherever she was even though I didn't know her.

Cynthia's mum landed in Nigeria the following week. We followed the address she gave us and we got to her house. Mother and daughter were happy to see eachother. She greeted me cheerfully and thanked me for what I did for her daughter. To God be the glory. She told us to go to the kitchen and prepare anything we wanted. After the meal, she began to offload the things she bought for Cynthia and me. As I was trying some of the clothes on, she noticed a birth mark on my shoulder and told us more about herself.

She said she got pregnant for her classmate in secondary school. After giving birth to the baby, she said she met a man who promised to take her out of the country. She left the baby with the husband and travelled abroad. She got pregnant and gave birth to Cynthia. Her story was same as mine. I realized she was my mother. She begged me to forgive her.

All these years I suffered and lived without the love and care of a mother. She never cared how I would survive. If not for my dad who took care of me. All these while, Cynthia was only muttering " this is so good to be true. Precious is my sister"

Should I forgive her? Will my dad accept her?

I need your thought. Thanks for reading.

Boluwatife writes 🖌️