There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.
The above quote was shared on Facebook by my mom when she was struggling with accepting Ndidi into her life. She had told me how she wanted to walk away when the girl surfaced from nowhere.
βBut where would I go?β Nne asked me as if I had the answer. βYour father is my home, and that home is in my heart, and I carry it everywhere I go.β
I was overwhelmed by the profundity of her words. I wanted a love as hers, a heart that could forgive and seek peace no matter what. That day, I made a vow to love Honey the way my mom loved my dad.
But thereβs an asshole in every man. Nne also said this to me once. This asshole is known to take something good and mess it up at any given chance.
This, sadly, is Bobbyβs life story and how he treats his wife.
Iβll begin this by warning you that you will find the road bumpy ahead.
Itβs another Saturdayβ¦ Of course, itβs another Saturday. 3pm. I am at the gym. I find out a short while ago that when I exercise, I sweat out bad emotions. I have been fighting with Honey over some things I will not mention now.
So I have barely begun my stretches when I get a call from Bobby.
βGuy, how far?β I answer.
βJideβ¦β he breathes heavily. I instantly sense something is wrong. βIβm at Berger. In a hospital. Please, can you hurry here?β
Bobby speaking clear English without tainting it with pidgin is another sign that all is not well.
βWhatβs going on, man?β
He breathes deeply again. βJide, Kate is dead. My wife is dead.β
Air escapes my mouth. Goosebumps spread over my skin.
βShe was on her way from Ibadan. Accident. Sheβs gone, man. Katieβs gone.β
βBobbyβ¦β
βI will text you the address. Please, come. My head cannot process anything right now.β
βOkay. Iβll be there. Whereβs Malcolm?β
Malcolm is their son. The boy is never away from Kate.
βMalcolmβ¦β Bobby repeats.
βIs he there with you?β
My friend breaks down. More goosebumps spread over my body. I donβt want to believe what I just heard.
βIβll be there, man. Just text me the address.β
Bobby hangs up. I sit down in a daze. I did not just listen to Bobby tell me his wife and son are dead.
My phone vibrates. Bobbyβs text comes in. I read it but still, nothing sinks in. The phone rings. Itβs Shady.
βJydo?β
βDid Bobby just call you?β
βYes.β Shady sounds as shocked as I am. βWhere you dey?β
βI dey gym. You nko?β
βI dey with Ibro for office.β
βMake I drive come there and weβll go to Berger together.β
I leave the gym in the same state Bobbyβs call has left me. I continue to refuse that believe Kate is gone. I drive to Ibroβs showroom where heβs waiting with Shady. They get into Ibroβs car and tail me as we head to Berger. When we get to the hospital Bobby has described for us, a nurse keeps us waiting for a couple of minutes before letting us into a room outside the ER where Bobby sits beside a table that Kate is laid on, covered in a green bed sheet. He is staring blankly, fingers fiddling with his car key. He is not aware of our presence.
βBobby,β I call.
βI killed her. She wouldnβt have died if Iβ¦β he whispers. He stops and continues to stare at her.
I walk to the bed Kate has been laid on. I need to be sure itβs her. I slightly lift the sheet.
βShe wouldnβt have died,β Bobby repeats.
Kate looks a mess. I let the sheet down. Shady sits beside Bobby and rests a hand on his lap. I leave the room. I need details of what happened. Bobby is not in the frame of mind to speak.
Fortunately, a doctor is present to answer my questions. He is polite when I tell him I am a medical personnel. He explains that a tanker that had disengaged from its head ran into Kateβs vehicle, knocking it off the road and into another parked tanker.
Weak knees push me to sit on a waiting bench.
βThey were brought in at exactly 12:07pm,β the doctor continues. βThe infant was dead on arrival. His mother had multiple fractures and contusions. We had hopes that she would make it. She was lucid enough to give us her husbandβs phone number. But the moment we rushed her into the theater, she went into a seizure and her heart stopped beating. Time of death was 12:32pm.β
βYou did all you could?β I looked into his eyes, recalling how my patient bled out in my arms just four days ago.
βWe did everything. Our condolences, sir.β
I nod, still numb.
βOur facility does not have a mortuary but we do have an ambulance that can convey the body to the nearest general hospital. It will then return and convey the second body.β
βCanβt the child go along with the mother?β I ask.
βNot the child, sir. A second female was brought in a few minutes after the first one. Both of them had been in the car together.β
I rise up. βA second adult?β
βYes, sir. But just like the child, she was dead on arrival.β
βWhere is she please?β
My heart begins to pound. I donβt know who this female is. I suspect itβs Kateβs younger sister who lives in Ibadan with their parents but loves to visit Kate and Bobby from time to time. I am hoping she is not the one. Kateβs parents canβt afford to lose their two daughters and a grandson on the same day.
βThis way, sir.β
The doctor leads me to another room quite like the one Bobbyβs in. He steps aside at the door and I stride in. Like Kate, the person lying on the table before me is covered. But there is less blood.
I shiver as I move towards the table. My hand shakes when it stretches out to lift the sheet off the face of the deceased. When I do so and have a glimpse of who is lying dead on the table, my hand drops and I step back in a gasp.
I find myself heaving wildly. I can neither breathe well nor move. It takes the doctor a smack on my shoulder to get me back to earth.
βIs she related to you, sir?β
I donβt answer. I move towards the table again and with the same shaky hand, I peel the sheet off Peaceβs face.
And there she liesβ¦peaceful in death. Just as she had been in life. She possibly canβt be gone. This must be a joke. Something tells me she is sleeping.
So, I reach forward and feel for a pulse, and for the first few seconds I think I pick out a beat or two. But it turns out that it is my own pulse, pounding through every vein in my body.
Peaceβ¦
But I spoke to her just this morning. I had called to tell her I couldnβt keep to the appointment we had because I had a homebirth case to handle.
βShey you are forming for me,β she had said to me with her chirpy laugh that had hints of a cold.
How did she end up here?
I remember the first phone call I got from her yesterday.
She wants to see me, she says; but I tell her I am too busy to squeeze in time.
βIs it something we can do over the phone?β I ask.
She hesitates for a while and then giggles nervously. βJide, I can trust you with a little secret, right?β
βSure, Peace.β
She breathes out. βIβm pregnant, Jide. The girls donβt know. Well, Mary does, but no one else does. Please, I donβt want them to know.β
βYour secret is safe. But seriously? Youβre pregnant?β
βYes.β
βCongratulations, mami.β
βThank you.β
βSo can I ask who the father is?β
βI canβt tell you that,β Peace replies. βBut I love him. And he loves me. Thatβs all that matters. I didnβt think I loved him at first. I didnβt even want to be with any man after Reno but it just happened. β
βI understand, P, but you seriously donβt want to tell me who he is?β
βJide, I canβt talk about it because I lied to the girls that Iβm done with men…β
βAnd youβre not.β
βI seriously was done with menβ¦β
βI understand.β
βIn short, letβs forget all that. I actually called to know if I can come in for antenatal today.β
βHow many weeks?β
βIβm almost four months.β
βHian. And you just want to come in for antenatal now?β
βActually, I have been going elsewhere because Iβve been hiding but Iβm not comfortable with the care there. After all the reviews about you, and the fact that youβre my person, I am deciding to come to you.β
βThatβs flattering, Pβ¦But can we talk about this tomorrow when we meet?β
βTomorrow Iβm going to visit my aunt in Ibadan and I wonβt be back until the 24th. Please, let me just come in, so you can check me. I have this weird feeling that something may be wrong with the baby.β
I think about my present case with the hospital over losing two patients. I donβt want Peaceβs unborn baby to be another casualty in my hands.
βAre you bleeding or do you feel any pain?β
βNo. Iβm fine.β
βThen tomorrow is better, P.β
βOkay, Iβll be there and leave for Ibadan on Sunday instead.β
βCool.β
She then sends her love to Honey and Jiney and hangs up. I donβt hear from her until early this morning when I call to tell her Iβm cancelling because I have an emergency homebirth to handle. She is not happy with the change of plans. I apologize.
βIβll come when I get back then. Iβll be back on the 24th.β
βOkay, P. Iβm so sorry.β
βItβs no problem.β
Why didnβt I hand over my patient to Hauwa and keep my appointment with her? If I did, sheβd still be alive. I canβt believe Iβm staring at her corpse now.
My phone rings. Itβs Shady. I donβt answer. I lower and kiss Peace on her forehead, hoping against all reasonability that she wakes up at my touch.
But she doesnβt. I squeeze her hand. She doesnβt squeeze back.
βPeace, donβt do this. Please, wake upβ¦β
βI think the ambulance is ready, sir.β
I want to scream at the doctor but I know heβs only doing what heβs supposed to. Yet, I hold Peaceβs hand for much longer.
When I let go and cover her, I hope I wake up from my nightmare soon.
I am traumatized for the next three hours. Shady and Ibro are much better and are coherent enough to have everything handled, including calling Kateβs parents to give them the bad news. Bobby is taken home where his family is already waiting to take better care of him.
Shady and I then drive to see Reno. We find him outside, playing with Sammy. Under the evening sky, he is hurling the little boy up into the air and catching him in his hands as he comes dropping down. They are oblivious of the sorrow that awaits them. Sammyβs innocent screams of excitement leave a lump in my throat. When Reno lets him down and lifts him by a hand and a leg, he shrieks out in fear and screams βmommy!β before he lets out laughter. Reno swirls him around until I become dizzy just watching them.
The swirling stops and they both fall to the ground like drunks just thrown out of a pub. The laughter dies down when Reno sees Shady and I approaching.
He stands up. Sammy clutches his legs and rises up too. I look at the boy. He is Peaceβs spitting image. I never noticed it until now.
βWhatβs up,β Shady greets. He extends a hand that Reno shakes cautiously. His appalling act to Mary has been long forgiven but not even time can heal the chasm in our friendship.
βJido.β He slaps my palm and pulls me in for a man hug. Iβve always been the one heβs tried hard to appease, asides Mary. Now, I feel bad for the way I have treated him.
βHope all is well?β His eyes shift from mine to Shadyβs.
We both nod like robots.
He invites us into his house. I immediately distract myself with the view. I donβt want to think of anything else. Shady has agreed to speak because he is the stronger one. And so I observe the manly space Iβm in. Sparse furniture, a myriad of gadgets and electronics, Sammyβs toys littered on the floor and a photo frame of Peace and Sammy hanging off the wall.
βSorry about the mess,β Reno apologizes, picking up what seems like a Lego roof off the floor. He also picks a stuffed animal that squeaks.
βReno, abeg sit down.β
Shady can be as cold as a night in winter. I wish I could borrow his heart for a moment. I donβt know if he will be this tough when he has to tell Celia that her friend is gone.
Reno nervously rests his bum on a single chair, facing the three-sitter Shady and I are seated on.
βOkay, Iβm scared here. Did I do anything wrong? Whatβs going on, guys?β
Shady sighs. He moves to the edge of the seat and rests his elbows on the cleft of his knees. He sighs again and picks a toy train from the floor beneath him.
βTalk nau,β Reno prompts, trying to stop Sammy from climbing the chair on which he rests.
βReno, there is no easy way to say thisβ¦ Peace was in a terrible car accident.”
Reno straightens up. He takes in the news and then asks, βWhat happened? How is she? Where is she?β
Shady follows up directly with, βI’m so sorry, but she was killed.β
Reno freezes. Shady explains further, the details of the accident.
βShe was not supposed to come back today,β Reno mumbles, when Shady is done, the color from his face gone. βShe just left today. Howβ¦?β
He freezes again. But for longer, this time. He leaves an eerie stare on the floor in front of him. None of us take notice of Sammy who has now climbed over the backrest of the chair. In a matter of seconds, he topples over and lands hard on the floor.
I jump to my feet but Reno is faster. He picks the screaming infant and clutches him to his chest tightly. As the boy screams, tears fill his own eyes.
βTake me to her,β he tells Shady.
βLet me drive you there,β I offer. βShe was taken to LASUTH.β
βIβll take Sammy home, then,β Shady volunteers. When he reaches out to carry Sammy, the boy screams louder, calling out for his mom.
Reno nearly breaks down but he puts on a brave face and ushers us out of the house after Shady picks a few of Sammyβs things.
Reno and I drive to the hospital. Outside the mortuary, he confesses to me that he is not strong enough to see her alone. I follow him in. And in the discourteous way government hospitals are known to cater for corpses, we find Peace lying on the floor amongst other deceased women in a cold room. Kate is also amongst the dead.
Reno gives in to his pain and I am forced to drag him out. He sheds silent tears in my car for a long time, exhausting the tissue box I have.
βSo Sammy will grow up without a mother?β he asks. βWhat type of life is this, Jido? She was with me this morning. She slept over last night. She was supposed to leave for IB tomorrow. Not today. Why didnβt I stop her from traveling?β
I am exactly in that murky place heβs in, dancing with the βshould havesβ. I should have canceled with my patient. I should have been there for a friend who needed me. But I canβt dwell on the βwhat ifsβ for the sake of Reno.
βItβs not your fault, man,β I tell him.
βHer shop is doing so well. She has plans. We have plans for Sammy. Where do I start from without her?β
I donβt know what to tell him. I remain silent until he is through. Only then do I pull words together.
βI feel your pain, Reno. Remember when I got the news about Ezinneβs death? Remember what you said to me?β
Reno doesnβt answer. He blows into a tissue.
βYouβre not alone,β I tell him.
ββββΒ ββββΒ ββββ
There are things you would never know unless you are told. For instance, we had no idea that Peaceβs family was aware of what Reno did to Mary. Somehow, word had gotten to them about the incident and they had held it against Reno. In fact, they were instrumental to ensuring that Peace divorced him. Hence when she passed away, all the blame was heaped on him. And then they categorically banned him and anyone else that was not related to her by blood from coming to the funeral.
Yes, none of us were there to lay our dear Peace to rest. If there was anything more painful than her passing, it was that. We didnβt get closure. And you would guess right if you guessed that Reno bore all the blame.
Same as Bobby. He never got the chance to make peace with Kate.
The story was that Kate had left him for her parents’ after a fight in which he threatened that he would get a second wife if she kept denying him his conjugal rights. Knowing Bobby, he didnβt mean a word of it. But Kate was tired of his narrow-minded ways. She had called the girls and cried to them, opening up for the first time, and telling them she was tired of the marriage. They had begged her not to leave but she had been stubborn. She packed her things and left for Ibadan.
Peace was particularly worried about how badly things had gone between the couple and sought all means to reunite them but neither of them would budge. However, on that Saturday morning when she got to Ibadan, she visited Kate at her family home and convinced her to return to Lagos. Bobby would not pick her calls or Kateβs; therefore, she got into the car with Kate to make the trip back to Lagos, with plans to reconcile them.
Bobby is not only bearing the burden of Kate and Malcolmβs death but hers as well. I visit him this evening to deliver a trunkful of clothes from the wives. He is now half his size, having lost weight due to his grief.
He takes the collection of designer wears with a little smile and gratitude half-muttered. I help him carry the rest into the house. A neat space welcomes me. Nothing has changed since Kateβs passing. One might assume that she isnβt dead and is on a trip out of town.
βThis is thoughtful,β Bobby says as he stares down at a pair of Chukka boots, specifically picked by Honey. He is a shoe freak. Honey had hoped he would appreciate the gift.
βYou want anything to drink?β he asks, walking to the kitchen.
βI have to go home.β
He soon returns with two cans of beer. We donβt sit. Standing, we down our beers like we are actually supposed to be engaging in some other activity and the beering is a preliminary event.
βI canβt believe itβs been a month already,β he mentions. I follow his eyes and I see them resting on a frame of a wedding picture in which heβs kissing Kateβs cheek. I recall clearly when that picture was taken. The memories are in yellow and grey. It had been the first day I had laid my eyes on Kate. The naivety in her eyes. The shyness in her smile. The way she constantly looked at Bobby adoringly.
βIt never gets easy,β Bobby says. βIβm not used to quiet nights. Mal always woke us up at night and Katie would go to him. These days I stay awake, unable to sleep…β
I sense he needs to talk, so I sit. He sits as well, his oversized t-shirt falling to his sides and slightly resting on the chair. He tells me about his regrets and how he wants to undo the things he did to Kate. It isnβt the first time Iβm hearing him speak about these things but I donβt mind. His grief is my grief. This is what we do for friends.
Six cans of beer later and light conversation over an entirely different topic, I leave Bobby and head home. Honey is just getting in from work as I drive in. She waits for me outside the front door. I give her a kiss on her cheek. Jiney stretches her arms to me and I carry her.
βI bought dinner,β I say. Honey nods. She is exhausted.
βHow is Bobby?β she asks, unlocking the front door.
βHeβs pulling through. He sends his gratitude.β
βHe liked the clothes?β
βYeah.β
She opens the door and lets us in. The house is messy. One look, and Honeyβs shoulders slouch.
βYou think maybe itβs time you let Nne get you that maid sheβs been talking about?β
Honey kicks the door shut and rests her back on it.
βYou canβt do this alone, baby. And Ndidi is mostly at the Ditorusins these days.β
βAfter you made things uncomfortable for her,β Honey accuses.
βI am not in support of whatever is happening between her and Oba.β
βNothing is going on. She told you and yet you gave her hell over it.β
βSugams, letβs not get into that talk this night.β I kiss her nose. βGo and shower. Iβll change Fumi and set dinner.β
βThank you. By the way, Bright and Bimpe just flew in.β
βGreat.β
βTheyβll be staying at Bobbyβs.β
βThatβs fine.β
Honeyβs eyes go sad. I donβt want them to but thereβs nothing I can do about it. Sheβs been as miserable as everyone else. All of us have had to move on with life, forcing ourselves to accept that our loss cannot be undone. The shock of losing Peace and Kate is yet to wear out. For Honey, it pushes her back to the place of depression but daily she fights it by throwing herself into work and spending time with the Onuora wives or Genesis. Even though she doesnβt tell me, I know she feels guilty somehow. Just for the fact that Peace and Kate were her friends.
Thus, she denies herself the pleasures she used to indulge in. Sex, especially. We almost made love the other night, having not touched each other since Peace and Kate died. But Honey couldnβt go through with it.
She told me it just didnβt feel right.
And nothing else feels right around her these days either. If I donβt cook or buy food, she would starve herself. Jiney is now fully on formula, something I donβt particularly approve of. But I donβt worry over these things. I have suffered loss too, and I lost myself. More than anyone, I understand what is going on with my wife.
βDinner in bed or the dining table?β I ask Honey after I am done putting Jiney to sleep and cleaning the living room.
βAnyone,β she answers, slipping into a short kimono. A gift from Peace. She wears it every night.
I set dinner in the living room. We sit on one of the couches and eat slowly until the food turns cold and loses its taste. Honey puts hers away, pecks my cheek and makes to stand up but I pull her back. She doesnβt object. We snuggle in. It feels good to hold her again after all this time.
ββββΒ ββββΒ ββββ
My husbandβs new car smells of leather that irritates me. He says the car is mine but Iβm not willing to start driving yet. I donβt think Iβll ever be. And the idea of having someone chauffeur me around doesnβt appeal to me. But I guess itβs no different from using an Uber.
βIβm cold.β I rub over the gooseflesh on my arms. Kene turns off the air conditioner and lets down the windows. Heβs bumping his head to music from the speakers. Some hip-hop tune I have no care for.
I fix my eyes outside to see buildings and people fly past as we drive home. The sun is setting. The dullness that usually comes with January sips into the car and worsens my mood. Kene says life has resumed in Lagos but I see no sign of it. Just greyness. The Harmattan, having played a hide a seek game for so long, has decided to settle for just the dust, taking the cool weather away. These days, the sun burns outside in the afternoons. But what do I care? I have been indoors since my dearest Peace left this world. Nothing much matters to me.
βHey, sexy mommy.β Kene rubs my tummy. I try to smile but my lips donβt move.
βCome on, Tomiwa. We canβt do this right now. Haba. This is a good day nau.β
I donβt respond to him. He shrugs and goes back to his music. I refocus my stare outside. Kene and I are returning home from the hospital, having just confirmed that we are expecting a baby. The signs have been there for a while but Iβve not been in the frame of mind to run a test. Tired of my attitude towards the whole thing, he dragged me away from my friends an hour ago and forced me into the car for a trip to the hospital.
Seven weeks pregnant, the doctor told me. If I go by my menstrual cycle, the timing would coincide with the moment Peace showed up at my doorstep and let me in on the big secret she was carrying β a four-month pregnancy. I had done everything to get her to tell who the baby daddy was but she kept her lips sealed.
βReno did not miraculously become fertile sha?β
βWhy would you think Reno is responsible?β she asked, confused, and then burst out in a pitchy laugh. βNo, Ray and I are not doing anything. We were helping each other earlier this year but weβre just good friends.β
βBut you told usβ¦β
βThat I was done with men, yes. But May, this guy just happened from nowhere. Two months ago, he was just a friend.β
βAnd now, youβre pregnant for him… And lying to everyone that youβre celibate.β
βAre you judging me?β
βNo, P.β
βWe had sex only two nights in a row.β
βAnd you didnβt take pills becauseβ¦?β
Her quiet eyes looked upwards and when she lowered them, she said to me, βI want this baby, May. Even if it never works out between me and this guy. Iβm ready for a life with no man but one with kids. Iβm thirty-seven. I donβt want to get old, waiting for someone to make my dreams come true. Itβs best that I start preparing for my future now.β
βAwwwβ¦β
βYou remember we spoke about this last year? That if we never find men, weβll have kids?β
I nodded.
βYou found a good man, May. I think that maybe I have too β Iβm not sure β but I wonβt dwell on that. This baby makes me very happy.β
βJust tell me who this guy is.β
βNo.β She moved back.
βDo I know him?β
βI canβt tell you that.β
βThat means I know him. Oya describe him small.β
She flashed white teeth. βBuff, quiet, and he has a baritone.β
βOkay, Iβm officially lost. I give up.β
βDonβt go running your mouth to anybody. Especially Celia. That one will just give me grief over it.β
I gave her my word that Iβll keep her secret. βBut you know your tummy will one day show and everyone will know.β
She laughed again, asking me why I was rhyming. I had shaken my head to her statement.
She placed a hand on my tummy. βThis night, make love to your husband and youβll take in.β
I hit her hand off, hissing. βOse, madam prophetess.β
βYou donβt want to receive anointing abi?β
βThe one that Celia passed on to me never do?β
βYou donβt want twins?β
I shook my head. You people should carry your anointings and be going jor.
βJust sha sow seed for it to take effect sharp-sharp.β
I smiled at her and felt genuinely happy that she was in love and pregnant. I understood her reasons for using Reno as a cover and giving everyone the impression that she was done with men. She simply wanted to be safe in case things with her new beau never worked out. But I had been hopeful they would, seeing that she was full of jokes, happier, freer. She never looked like time was running out for herβ¦
βTomiwa, weβre home.β
Ekeneβs hand is on mine. I am suddenly aware of my surroundings. Cars are parked in the wide berth we call our compound. This evening we hold a wake for my darling Peace. Everyone will be in attendance. In fact, the girls have been here all afternoon, putting together small chops and ensuring all that is needed is made available. Itβs going to be a heartbreaking affair but hopefully, everyone will find closure.
For me, Kene says reality will dawn on me, finally. This is because I am yet to accept that my best friend is gone. Yet to shed a tear. I donβt know how to explain it. I know she is dead but I canβt accept it. I fear that the moment I cry, it would mean that she is really not coming back. And I want to keep her alive because she still breathes and lives in me. I donβt want to let go.
Kene has been worried; everyone else has been. But I tell them Iβm fine. When Jide visited me last week to have a talk with me over my inability to express my grief, he asked if I knew that Peace was gone forever. I replied that I did but the truth was I didnβt understand a word of anything he said.
People do not just go like that. Peace will come back. Itβs okay to cry for her but they will soon see that she will be back.
βYou donβt want to go in?β Kene breaks into my thoughts again. βAbi you wan make I carry you like egg because I give you belle ?β he teases, drawing out the first smile from me in a month.
βAww, she smiled.β
He leans over and kisses me. We step down from the car. He put his arm around me protectively as we walk to the house.
βI never thought Iβd be happy about having a baby but I am,β he whispers. βIβd be dancing and shouting now but it would be inappropriate.β
I reply nothing.
βThank you for adding that one last piece that completes me as a man.β
We enter the house and the first sight that meets our eyes is a huge framed photo of Peace. I swallow down a lump. Iβm falling apart inside. This is becoming all too real for me.
βLet me go to the kitchen,β I tell Kene, pulling away. I hurry to the kitchen where Celia, Honey and Noka are adding finishing touches to the work they have been doing all afternoon.
βIβm back,β I announce.
βWhere did you go?β Noka asks.
βKene wanted me to escort him to pick some things,β I reply as I go for a drink of water from the fridge.
βAll is set,β Celia informs me. She turns her back to Honey. βAbeg, help me check if this girl is sleeping.β
Dara is strapped on her back, having gotten into a fuss earlier for not being given a second serving of a chocolate cake I made. She then became clingy and Celia had no option than to fasten her to her back.
βYou should stop backing her,β Noka advises. βYouβre pregnant. Youβll put a strain on your abdominal walls. I donβt even understand how you canβt see that youβre flattening your breasts with all this backing.β
βIs it your backing?β Celia retorts. Noka goes silent. She is quiet these days. And itβs not just the fact that sheβs mourning Peace. Itβs mostly due to her marital situation. Ibro has forgiven her but has made it clear that she is in his life only as the mother of his kids. She is back in her house. Her first son from her ex now lives with her; Ibro has welcomed him into their lives. But that is all Noka is getting. On the outside she retains her snobbish, rich wife behavior but inside, sheβs crumbling.
Honey helps Celia with Dara, taking her to one of the guestrooms downstairs. When she returns, she joins us in silence. None of us want to talk about Peace for fear of breaking down. And thus, we sit and listen to someone playing a piano somewhere in the house.
I make a comment about it.
βThatβs Wura,β Honey reveals.
βReally?β I ask.
βI gave her a call just two days ago and told her about P and that we were doing something for her today. I asked if she would be kind enough to come over and sing. She readily agreed.β
βThatβs so sweet.β
βShe met P on the night of the love concert. Backstage. P was famzing.β
We hear a sound and Bimpe makes an appearance. There are hugs and broken smiles and greetings. We havenβt seen her in a year. She looks every bit the wife of a petrochemical engineer that she now is. I pull a chair for her to sit.
βSo my P is really gone?β
Her eyes are red. One can tell she has been crying.
βI told Bright that I was done with the tears but when I saw Bobby and how much weight he had lost, I broke down. And now, Iβm here with all of you. It makes it all real.β Tears course down her cheeks. βMy baby is gone. Sheβs not coming back. What type of world is this?β
Honey takes her hand. βBim, please be strong.β
βShe called me on that day. She told me she was on her way to Ibadan and saw someone that looked like me on the road. She was asking if Iβm sure Iβm not the one. I said itβs not me jare. She was now pestering me to come back home for Christmas, that if not, she will put my nude photos on the web.β Bimpe smiled sadly. βAnd now, sheβs no more.β
βGod knows best,β Celia mutters.
Bimpe pulls her hand away from Honeyβs and takes out her phone. βOn my birthday, she sent me this voice message.β
My tummy tosses. I am not prepared to hear Peaceβs voice. None of us are. I think we all have voice messages from her. Itβs something she does on our birthdays. She will sing, drop a goodwill message and a prayer. I have not had the heart to listen to the one she sent to me.
βBims, please donβtβ¦β Celia begs, already in tears. Apart from me, she is the most hit by Peaceβs passing.
Bimpe goes ahead and plays the recording. Unable to contain it, I leave the kitchen to the living room where I find Wura playing a tune on the piano she had obviously come along with. There is a couple I donβt recognize already seated on Keneβs favorite sofa. I guess they are Peaceβs friends from church. Reno had made sure to invite a handful of them. He had also painstakingly decorated the place himself with flowers and wreaths, and also used candles as lighting.
I donβt recognize the song Wura is playing but it carries me away, filling me with precious memories of moments I shared with Peace.
Honey comes to where I am seated. She lowers herself on the armrest of the sofa beside me.
βCongratulations.β She smiles. βKene told me about the baby.β
I rest my head on her laps and we both get lost in the lulling music. When the living room begins to fill, I donβt notice. But I become alert when Honey drags me to the sofa and places me between herself and Kene.
Music plays on, everyone gets the chance to speak about Peace. With every second that passes, reality sneaks in. And it is only when Reno gives his heart-wrenching eulogy that I start to come to terms with the fact that I will never see Peace again.
βMary?β
I look up from staring blankly at my laps.
βItβs your turn.β
Clearly, they have saved me for last. Concerned eyes are all on me. I have not prepared for this. I have nothing written. But speak, I must, even though I canβt hold myself anymore. I feel a storm coming on.
βPeaceβ¦β I begin and lose steam straightaway. They all wait for me to continue but I canβt. Words fail me. I feel Keneβs hand on my lap, gently stroking.
The silence continues until it seems like I would not say anything at all. Only then do I find my voice. It comes out in a song. I am no Wura when I sing but I donβt care; I just let it all out.
My best friend I love you
Iβm asking through the tears
That God will grant me wisdom
Way beyond my years
Because your life is precious
And the best for you is in store
I pulled upon my heartstrings
Until they finally tore
At this point, I feel like my heart is a ton of lead. It sinks within me and out of it springs tears that have been seeking for release. I break off and Wura takes over.
And I prayed, and I cried
And because I love you so, Iβm letting go
To trust the one, I know for sure
Iβll place you in the fatherβs hands
The only one whoβll ever love you more
Kene holds me as I cry. The pain is so deep that the same voice I just found is lost again. Nobody utters a word to console me. My husbandβs arms are my only comfort but even his soothing love is not enough to hold my heart.
And the hardest part of living
Is giving back what weβve been given
Each gift of God is only yours and mine
For a time
And we laughed, and we cried
And how it hurts us so to let you go
So much life for you in store
We place you in the fatherβs hands
The only one whoβll ever love you more
Iβm so broken that I just want to find somewhere I can lock myself in and cry for days. But they donβt let me. Kene holds me. Honey wipes my tears, and together we watch a video Reno has made of all the photo moments Peace shared with us. While my friends find succor in the footage, my pain digs deeper.
Kene finally frees me when I tell him I have to pee. I hurry out to the guest bathroom where I fall on the floor and weep. I donβt count the minutes but it seems I have stayed there too long. I hear Celia, asking me if Iβm okay. I tell her Iβm good. She leaves. I wash my face and step out.
I notice that the gathering is over and people are leaving. I donβt return to the living room. Rather, I go to the kitchen for another drink of water. I find the backdoor open. When I go to close it, I spot Joey sitting outside. I had seen him earlier, seated with Celia but paid no attention to him.
βHi Joey.β
He turns around.
βMary, hi.β
I expect to see his characteristic half smile but what I find is a passive face.
βNice of you to come. I didnβt know you were in town.β
βIβve been around for almost five months now. Didnβt Cee tell you?β
I shake my head. Celia stopped giving me updates on Joey the moment Kene proposed to me.
βSorry for your loss,β he tells me. I nod. βItβs everyoneβs loss, really. Peace was an amazing woman.β
I nod again.
βOne day, weβll heal from this.β
βWe will.β
He gives his half smile.
βThereβs small chops inside, in case youβre interested.β
βNo, Iβm fine. Thank you.β
I go back into the kitchen, pick a jug of juice from the fridge and begin back to the living room when something hits me. I put the pedal on my movement so hard that the jug almost slips from my hand.
Buff, quiet, and he has a baritone. I recall Peaceβs words. I swirl around. Joey is still in my view but again he has gone back to staring into the void. I look at his face properly and notice that the passiveness I picked out is actually a sad expression. I know Joey so well to know that he never expresses his emotions.
Peace was an amazing womanβ¦
Donβt go running your mouth to anybody. Especially Celiaβ¦
One day, weβll heal from thisβ¦
Now, everything starts to make sense. On my wedding day, they had danced together. On her birthday, he had shown up briefly and gifted her a bottle of champagne.
I keep staring at him. Should I tell him that I know? Would it help if he knew that Peace was carrying his baby?
Am I even sure itβs him?
βTomiwa!β someone calls. Joey looks at me. I grin, clutch the jug and turn back to the living room.
Some things are better left unsaid, best buried with the dead.
Β©Sally@moskedapages
The song featured was Heartstrings by Lisa Bevill and Erin O’Donnell. Lyrics were modified
Β
Images:Anonymoi.gr,Β www.jadagram.com,Β Faith As a Living Fire
And I cried…Nothing to say….
My condolences ?
Oh……..shagraestis! The hardest part of living is giving back what we have been given. I’m touched….. I pray our heavenly Father, the father of all comfort and sympathy breathes His peace into everybody going through this kind of loss at such a time as this.
Sally, how i love you so. Thank you and take care.
I love you too, Temi
THank you
And amen to all who have lost dear ones
wow Sally this is heartbreaking n I’m sosad right now.y did peace HV to go?omg this is heart wrenching, I know it’s fiction but I’m taking it really personal because I’m feeling the pain for real.
Hugging you tightly ?
Words elude me,,This is such a heart breaking episode. Kate and Peace gone just like that..*sniffs*!!!
Please take some tissue
I’m so speechless right now. May Peace rest in peace. Thank you Sally
Amen
?
This is absolutely heart rending! Sally, hope there’s something to lift our spirits in the next episode. Well done.
I’ll do my best, Ogoo
Thank you
Ahhhh, Sally it’s not fair na.
R.I.P Peace and Kate, they deserved to be happy (ier), wouldn’t have minded If it had been Noka (God forgimme, cross sigh). But well life ain’t fair.
Please can next episode(s) have more sunshine (had to take my window off d hinges to reduce d gloom).
Great read.
Happy new year Sally!
Thank you, Chidinma
Happy new year, too
Why would two people die at a time? So sad. I have tears in my eyes. This is fiction but it feels so real.
Why would you give something so sad after so long?
*hugs
Take heart, Melissa
My goodness…Sally you made me cry through out this episode….*speechless*
I’m having a bucket of tissues here. I’m so sorry
Sad epiosde….defo didn’t see this coming but trust Sally to give her stories just the right amount of spin… Can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you….
You’re welcome, Bee
Ds is one sad episode, never would av expected this
Good work sally
Thank you, Ola
it’s touching JEez!!! y did u kill them madam sally…. ? ? this is not even a real movie u don’t need to pay any actor.. this is sooo sad.
??
Anyone who has lost someone can relate. I’m just lost for words. This is really deep. Sally you’re amazing
Bless you, Tosin
You broke my heart…..
I’m sorry ?
I will unbreak it
Sally it’s wrong to make me cry so hard. Why peace? You could have killed noka na…so sad
Chai. Na so una no like my Noka
I’m so sorry for your loss
Teary episode. See as Sally just made me emotional..so Peace is gone. Didn’t see that coming.
Abeg let joy and laughter return next week biko.
Thanks Sally.
It will
Thank you, Adebayo
Today’s episode tho ! Didn’t see this coming at all but such is life , it’s full of bumpy rides here and there .thank u Sally for this piece .it’s too sad .btw, I noticed the girls didn’t mourn Kate at all .
Thank you for read, dear.
Kate’s funeral had been done already. If you read well, there was none for Peace. This was the wake they put together for her. So it wasn’t that they didn’t mourn Kate
Am crying seriously! This is so so sad. How could both of them just die like that with a child and even d unborn. Sally this one is too much for me to swallow. May the Lord comfort whoever is going thru such pain.
Life is painful like that sometimes. But after the rain comes the sunshine
wow! I really cried, what a pity. Peace didn’t have peace here at all, maybe hereafter Sha… #sad#
Deeply sad π
OMG!! Sally this double dose is so heart wrenching! Maybe if I close m eyes and open them again, the slate will be wiped clean and I’ll find they are both back with us? *sob*
Maybe…just maybe
Oooo. I cried ?…no am still crying. βΉ….this got me soo emotional. I had to beg God not to let me lose any loved one this year. So Peace and Kate are no more…..I’ve come to love β€ Peace and even Kate (even though she’s more of the reserved one amidst the wives) I hate tragedies I mean we all do…everyone wants a happy ever after..but it’s life and shit happens.
That’s life for you, sadly
Was i the only one that cried? I usually say “nice episode” but i dont have a proper adjective for today. I really liked Peace and it seems so real. i got transported to that gray place i was when my dad passed 3 months ago.
My deepest condolences, Fragile
God is your comfort
My God! Such a sad episode. But the comments (especially Sally’s responses) are funny. God continue to strengthen you, Sally. Thank you for another episode. π
It is my sad pleasure
So sad.. Very sad
π
??????????????????
Cheyi, I’m sorry, dear. Your friend laughed when he saw your comment
My heart is broken. Sal you killed P??! #let me finish crying first. Am coming to comment
I hope you have finished crying o
OMG!!! This is too much to take in, peace and Kate. Peace’s death is d most painful, it felt so real and still can’t get over it. You made me cry, such a twist in a new year!
Hopefully, things get better soon
This is just sooooo saaaaaadddddd. It’s not easy to lose anyone… Sally you’re an amazing writer, ds is feeling like real life??
I want to say thank God it’s not but this is many people’s reality π
Awww. This is so sad I cried so bad.
I couldn’t even rejoice about Mary and Kene’s baby that I have been waiting for.
Time of rejoicing will soon come. I promise
????????????
*hugs
Ma sally why? why? why? This is a very sad episode, hav been down wit tears since i read it.
I hope you’re alright now, Happiness?
wow! 4 people Ms Sally! 4! Haba! Inside just one episode? You bad o. May their souls rest in peace. Well, life continues. May ours not come now. Ameen. This is so emotional.
I do hope you are good now ma’am, warm regards.
I am doing well, thank you
Oh my! What a heartbreaking start to the year. Kate and Peace, at once? ?
So so sad. Nice write up, but very heart wrenching.
Thank you, Haleemah
really deep sigh. I read this in a bus and cried all the way home. am still soo broken like I lost an actual relative. Lawd Sally ur blessed sha… am yet to read another writer (Nigerian) that has half of ur writing depth. how you do this back to back is unfathomable… abeg I can’t shout again… Blessings!
Sandra, sorry about your loved one
Thank you for reading
I’ve come to feel like I personally know every character in this series… I’m in tears! ???
What??
So touching…………. Had to go back to read who those two were. So sad and breath taking ………good work sally
Awww I wasn’t expecting this, it’s so sad. You are an amazing writer Sally it feels like real life. Hope you are good dearie? Cheers!
Sobs*,,wipes a tear,,sniffs ,,more tears keeps coming,,really sad episode,my sweet peace,it’s really sad that ull talk to someone the next minute that someone is gone,really sad episode sally
Add a comment…This particular episode has my heart breaking and tears running down my eyes. Farewell Peace, Kate and lil Malcolm
ΓΒ Β½ΓΒ±ΒΓΒ Β½ΓΒΈΒ₯
Haba 1st episode of the Year you made people cry or(and) sad, Sally why now. So emotional I wish someone was saved, very intensed write up, weldone ma’am. Happy New Year though, May this type of happening Neva befall us. Amen
Sally yyΓ½yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Y did u do dis to peace ,y ? Am sorrri abt kate n malcolm bt y peace . I dont even want anyone of dem to fall sick except Noka dou . Peace is innocent , she suffered alots den wen she finds peace , love, u made her go away . Y not dat selfish Noka . I cried all thru . I wanted to b happi for Mary bt i just cant. To fink i hav am exam tomaro and dis happen. Ko da oo???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????
oh My God!!! Aunty Sally you are amazing and this is sooo saaadddd ( writing this amidst tears) I don’t think I can do this anymore, couldn’t bring myself to read to the end. can I just skip this episode?
Sally dis is so touching, didn’t know wen I started crying ? why peace! R. I. p peace.
Oh Sally this is so sad…
Wow!
This came out of nowhere. So much pain to last a lifetime. I hope they all heal.
Sally you mentioned that this episode will be sad and I can only say it is a tragedy. Can Bobby ever forgive himself? See what pride, arrogance and his patriarchal nature has caused him. I feel so sad especially for Peace, she almost never enjoyed life except for I believe the last 4 months when she started seeing Uncle Joey. I am sure she felt Celia and others wouldn’t accept the relationship. I learnt one great lesson, enjoy life to the fullest and don’t allow what ifs to stop you as this life is fickle and fleeting.
Happy for Mary and not just about the baby but the fact that her husband accepted the news well.
Honey should allow herself to be comforted , sometimes that is the only way we get healed and begin to live once again Cos no matter what life will continue and we would have to live.
Thank you Sally and I trust you are much better. May God perfect that which concerns you. Beddy byes and Wonderful week to all Moskedaages fan club.
Why Sally why peace
still crying tho the hardest part of living is giving back what we have been given
I cried .
good episode…..though it is a sad one esp with the death of Peace, nonetheless I love this episode…. peace’s death was painful though
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
This episode is so deep… Speaks to me directly , Mary’s grief is just a reflection of what am passing through at the moment, why do the gud ones have to go??? This isn’t just fiction to me it’s so surreal… Really praying for that sunshine..R.i.p my sweet brother… Peace,Kate and lol Malcolm…Everyone that has passed away in 2016…Sally thank you
So touching .. cried too
whao, that’s not good o Sally. why did you have to kill those two?
Happy New Year Sally. This wrung my heart strings, too much pain in one episode.
Wow… This is so sad and depressing. Lord have mercy. I cried and had goosebumps throughout the episode. I pray we don’t have any cause to experience such loss this year In Sha Allah. Life is not fair most times. *sigh*
I can’t stop crying.
Hmmm! I don’t know how you do it but you are an awesome writer. What a wow! ….. I would have love to see Peace happy and the shock the girl would have had to find out she was pregnant. But then again that would have been too obvious. Can’t wait for more mind blowing episodes.
Unbelievable!!!
When i was reading it felt so real
Rest in Peace ladies
Two pple at d same time? Nice 1 aunty sally
I’ve been holding off commenting but I can’t hold off any longer. This episode was very painful to read. Didn’t expect any deaths, certainly not Kate’s and peace’s. And the Kate’s child. Poor kid.
I don’t know, man… This brings back some raw memories. My aunt and Godmother. My Godmother was so strong, and when the cancer ravaged her, I was too scared to visit. I didn’t want to see her in that state. Then one day, I manned up. Got to the hospital and I was told by my mom that she was dead. I never got to say goodbye. I was a coward. I will live with that, and I will regret it for the rest of my life.
Wow Sally this is deep I usually don’t comment on here just read and move but this was a emotional roller coaster reading for me brought memories when a really close friend lost his sister. All I can say is wow, more kudos to you, may you never run out of ideas may they come to you fresh as from a spring, happy new year Sally
Hehehehe!
I see you Bubu!
I see you! π
so this is bubu….okay, name noted….
I really liked Peace. So sad to see her and Kate go but you’re the writer and you know what you’ve kept for us. Life Is unpredictable. Aunty Sally thank you for the episode. Though gloomy and grey but also enjoyable as always. Happy new year. Waiting for the next episode
I still can’t process this episode. read it yesterday but peace and Kate have been on my mind like they were real persons….sighs??
😩😩😩 I’m sorry
Wao dis so nt nice I got carried away nd forget fat am reading a story nd started crying can’t believe peace is gone just wen it would have been a very nice love story btw her nd joey kia am praying dis just a dream by one of d girls sa cryiiiin
I pray so too 😦
Oh Sally, I’m not one to cry easily but I did.
Sending you hugs
Hmmmmm……madam Sally, this is the first time i am commenting. Kudos to you. I am your number 1 silent fan.
Nice story but for this new year, we no suppose use death start ooo
Lol. The end of a thing is always better than the beginning. Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning
Hmmmmm……madam Sally, this is the first time i am commenting. Kudos to you. I am your number 1 silent fan.
Nice story but for this new year, we no suppose use death start ooo
And I cried…..sally why why….this is so sad I can’t even finish
😩
Bin really long have been here to read and comment but after reading this episode am really short of words and the fact that peace is dead is really sad???????. It all feels so real and so heartbreaking. I hope they all get to move on and recover well from this. Nice work as usual ma’am
God bless you, Hon
Sally, u warned us about this, u said it would be a shocker. I thot I could take anything. But I wasn’t prepared for this. Oh, Sally, why na? Beginning of d year? So so so sad.. …Peace….. Kate.. ..Reno.. .Malcolm.. … at least, Noka is no longer living a lie. And I also make a vow to love my husband and always seek peace through our years together, no matter what.
Great job as usual, Sally
Thank you, sweetie. 😘
As sad as this post is I really appreciate it. I lost a friend to 1 senseless accident before Christmas. This was how I felt. Thank you Sally.
Hera, God is your comfort. May your friend rest in peace
#sobs,why do the good ones always have to go??
My dear, I don’t know. Life never tells us why
Wow!!!! I can’t believe I actually cried, thanks sally for this episode, it was all you promised and a lot more…..more grace to do more
Amen, Jisola. Bless you
So so sad… crying.
*hugs
I usually don’t comment but you made me remember a friend that left dis world on the 3rd of this year in a car accident and I actually cried while reading this.twas so painful and sad. God rest their souls and more ink to your pen
Taymeah, I’m so sorry for your loss. May God bring you comfort
my first cry of 2017. so sad! beautiful souls……live your lives that when you are gone, your impact will be felt #lessonoftheepisode#
Yes my dear. We should all be remembered by the goodness we’ve done in other people’s lives
This is so sad, what a great loss. I cried
Hmm. Didn’t expect this at all but that’s life. Sally I love the way you put a story together.
So touching, lost a friend last week, and dis, d tears r not coming, my mood hasn’t been d Same since den, but 4 dis episode, I just lost it, God knows best. d good ones don’t last.
Awwwwwh Sally, why did you do this to us…so sad. None of them deserve to die.
Seriously speaking, Sally hope all is well with you, hope this episode has nothing to do with your mood?
May we not suffer loss ds year. We will not die untimely death IJN
So sad, but actually this is a reflection of what happens in life, good people die while the bad ones live.
Aunt Sally you just broke my heart, dis episode just bring back memories, especially the mary part because that was just me when my broda died four years, even till i still believe that he will just pop in one day and say to me how can i be dead, my brain tells me he is gone but my heart still refuse to believe it.
woww…. I have no words to say. I just cried all through.
Damn!!
Woman, you spin the most incredible stories! Gaddemn!
I’m just here trying to imagine your state of mind as you wrote this. Lol.
Anyways, I didn’t see that coming. Peace’s death really hurt tho. Kate wasn’t a character that resonated like that but Peace? Wow.
Hoping that Joey finds healing. Mary shouldn’t say anything to him biko. No way he ends up feeling better. It’ll be an even bigger loss were he to find out.
I sincerely pray they all find healing. Because these kinds of losses hit you really hard and there’s almost no recovery.
Well done mami. As always, you know I’m a fan, AC, Windmill, etc etc.
Kisses!
Still crying…But whyyyyy?
This is so sad… I lost a very close friend in Nov and am yet to cry about it, People think am in denial but i know she’s gone but i dont understand why i didnt cry about it. Now I understand better based on what Mary is going through…Keep up the good work Sal. I am one of the ghost readers but this I had to comment on. #Hugz
Wow!!! reading this episode at work and i didnt even know when i started crying, it just feel soo real. i cant believe peace is really gone. i rili feel for Mary sha i havent lost any of my friend but i sincerely cant imagine how it will feel. i pray it doesnt happen. As usual maami U are the bestest of the best….
And this brought me out of ghost mode! Why Sally?! Lost a family friend (mother) and her last son (a toddler) in a ghastly motor accident on Saturday and in still trying so hard to believe it’s true then I get to read this! We live in a wicked world where bad things happen to good people. Rest in peace Peace. We will miss you greatly!!! Happy new year Sally
So much sadness, tears and hurt in one story. It feels so real to me and had tears coming flowing down my cheeks.
May the souls of all those we have lost, rest in the bosom of The Almighty.
Nice episode Madam Salz
So much sadness, tears and hurt in one story. It feels so real to me and had tears flowing down my cheeks.
May the souls of all those we have lost, rest in the bosom of The Almighty.
Nice episode Madam Salz
…and there was tears
Sally, if you have not noticed, you write so well that your characters are real to your readers. I can’t imagine the show of love for fictional characters as this. you have created real Jide, Honey, Peace, Noka, Bimpe, Kate, Bobby, Celia, Genesis etc for us, i read comments such as “rest in peace, Peace”.
Sally, this year doors will open to you and your story (ies) will be adopted to movie(s) which will become blockbusters. Your efforts will not be in vain. Thank you for giving us beautiful and real stories from your heart.
You’re a master story teller, Sally
The grief and sadness so thick, you need a knife to slice through.
You made their grief so relatable, I was one with this story.
I also see how you brought Joey back to us, I think he’d have been a good man to Peace and I’m just here thinking you must have some ‘higher calling’ for Joey? to have torn them apart them like this.
Well done maami??
Sally I remain rudely shocked! Tot I was prepared for your shocker. Didn’t see this coming. Thanks though.
OK, someone who read before me leaked the sad part so the effect has reduced before I got the time. Still, when I read, it was so real. I could almost pluck the feelings each of the surviving characters had to go through from the air.
This brings me to the feeling Jide and the others had to go through, the what might have been. This has happened to many of us. Many who for different reasons could not get to say goodbye to the ones they lost; many who death snatched their folks from without the chance to bid farewell; many whose pride, ego, job, travel or whatever it was robbed of the chance to find closure. I ask that they find comfort.
When asked why I live the way I do, I say without holding back that one isn’t sure of the final goodbye. It makes it easy for me to always find a way to settle any issue because for all of our “I shall not die but live…”, we don’t know who death would snatch next.
Thank you for this Sally. I have only seen you trying to tell us to not take life for granted, to make up with anyone we have issues with NOW, to cherish the times we have with people because the end might be the next minute.
The pain of losing someone …words have failed me
Didn’t see this twist coming, good job Sally. Made me remember my dad.
This is too much madam Sally u brought fear into my heart, why did u do dis to us? u made it so real.
Sally I love your work. This episode is so painful because i’ve gone through grief and i know how they are feeling..Please help them pull through
Wat a great heart winching episode, Peace n Kate @ once n dia unborn babies. Sally, don’t know wat to say n @ d same tym don’t want to called u Miz heartbreaker. I was really heartbroken abt Peace n was in a sad mood since dat made me not to comment since until nau. U re sure a great writer dat known her onion. Needs a favour want a complete free download of Fish Brain Mad house.
and I cried…. so painful to see ur loved go to the great beyond… my question do good have to die? why? why would peace have to die… am pained, so I will not see my dearest peace, the peace maker in the story again, Sally why…. you made reminiscing when I lost my mum….. i prayed that God will comfort all who mourns, and may we never experience the lost of our loved ones this year and beyond Amen…
am so pained right now.
This episode is too real and tres sad.. God! Why Kate and Peace. Sal why?
Hmmmmm, Sally y do u av to allow P to go lke dat. Sad episode its mke me to remember a death of a dear soul. So api 4 Mary,am glad dat kene accepted he will b a dad soon. Sally more inspiration to write. Happy New Year
Sally #withtears Pee shouldn’t have gone…not sure I can handle her character gone
Sally, you already know I think this episode is awesome.
Loss and grief are a part of life. Fiction has to depict this too. You have done a fantastic job of this. It is gut-wrenching what happened to the characters involved. I doubt Bobby will ever completely forgive himself. It will be interesting to see how relationships and lives are affected or changed from this.
If Jide/Honey, Kene/Mary and even Celia, the husband and the others get through this, they can only become stronger. Unfortunately, couples can struggle to get through traumatic times. Friendship circles do too. But love, communicating and a good listening ear can offer that much needed ‘healing’. Although it isn’t possible to completely stop feeling the pain where the loss of a close loved one is concerned, you can still get something close to normal. By pulling together, talking and trying not to avoid ‘feeling the grief’ like Mary tried to do. Having said that, denial is a necessary stage of loss. It is how some people cope. As long as people are not stuck there for too long.
Thanks Sally for this haunting yet beautiful episode. You painted vivid images. The scenes came to life as usual. The grief is affecting. Descriptions, patient and lyrical. I like that you chose to end with Mary’s POV. Good work Sally. God bless your craft.
I can’t believe I shed tears, I felt like I know Peace, Sally God bless you real good,hope your health is doing fine?
And I cried my heart out reading this episode, it felt like I know Peace, is a reminder to the sudden death of my neighbor, the creator that gave you this gifts of writing so well will continue to increase you in knowledge and writing ability,
Death but why ??????
i actually felt their pain. good story.
This had me crying so hard this early morning, I can’t deal…….
Just reading this with tears in my eyes ,I’m speechless.thanks sally
Hmmmmnn it’s been long I came here, never saw this coming.
Sally with the golden pen hand….God bless you dear but did not enjoy the fact that I had to cry today cry hard.