Forgive – Episode 20
FORGIVE EPISODE 20
© Jones Kwesi Tagbor
This rekindled their affair without me suspecting a thing. Nana Akua; Gilbert’s sister, noticing what was going on decided to inform me so that I come down to fight for what belonged to me.
“What’s the meaning of this? Nana Akua are you very sure of what you are saying? Or you just want to see how I will react?” I asked over the phone.
Nana Akua told me she saw Afya twice in their house. She also added that she was sure Afya slept over one of the days.
Upon hearing that, I smashed the phone on the bed and felt like taking my life instantly.
“How can this lady be against my life like this? And why should Gilbert be treating me like this?” I asked myself
I just knew that my blood pressure rose to the highest level at that very moment. Sleep eluded me because I knew Afya and how cunning she could be.
“How can such a person be my sister? It is just like forgetting my fried fish uncovered in the presence of a cat. Oh God!” I said to myself looking very worried.
I called Gilbert severally but his phone wasn’t going through. I just didn’t want to call Afya.
Soon, my sister called me to inform me that we needed to go and release Sir. Luis from prisons after serving almost all years of jail terms. He was left with just six months to be a free man. Some colleagues from school also called to inform me about commencement of end of semester exams.
I told my sister to let us postpone the bailing of Luis to the following week so that I could be able work on my missed quizzes and exams. She was okay with that. Thankfully, she agreed
I then advised myself to return to the city and claim my man from Afya and also sort my grades out. That was actually supposed to be my last semester in school.
As usual, my aunty has finally moved to the pastor who impregnated her. I got home and Mr Dennis was not doing that bad. He was able to feed well. I asked him if he has been taking his drugs as expected. His said he do take them just that he do feel shy to go for the drugs at the hospital when it’s time for review.
I encouraged and gave him some medical advice on how to remain healthy despite being a carrier of the virus. I was practicing my nursing on him. 😊
Actually this has been found to be one of the major challenges that is making people living with HIV not to go for treatment. They feel stigmatized and also worthless when they try seeking for help.
My plea to you out there is that we should help these people by loving and caring for them rather than stigmatising against them. They badly need our love and care more than ever. Note that HIV is not acquired only through s€×. It could be you and it could be me. I advise those with the condition to seek treatment and forget about what society will say. To the youth, stop AIDS and love life. Good life they say, is an everyday thing. Live it well.
Mr. Dennis really appreciated my education presence in the house. He had only himself to spend on so had some money in his account.
I told him about how badly I needed money to buy my grades and he said he was ever ready to do anything for me provided I will continue to care for him. He gave me enough money. I also prepared enough food for him and left. I promised him I will be checking on him very often.
Thankfully, I was able to get my way through and as a formality, those lecturers involved gave me the papers that was written already with the marking schemes to write and submit so that it doesn’t look like they gave me free grades.
Over the weekend, I decided to go to Nsawam to see my beloved Gilbert.
His father was very excited seeing me come back to the house. He opened his arms for me to hug him.
When Gilbert came out of his room to see me, he only stood afar and welcomed me. He didn’t say anything again and went back into his room. His father asked me if I was able to get the marriage list. I then narrated everything that went on to him. He felt sorry for me and said I shouldn’t worry. He said I could move into their house and stay with Gilbert until I gave birth so that they will do all the rites at once. I thanked him for his love.
When I got into the room to join Gilbert, he showed no sign of infidelity as my sister in- law claimed. I just went ahead to ask him what Afya was doing around him in my absence.
He asked me who told me that Afya came to the house. He actually denied the claims.
In the evening when he went to take his bath, his phone started ringing and the caller was Afya. I called him loud and told him that Afya was calling. He warned me not to pick up his calls. That evening, we never spoke to each other until the following day when I told him I was leaving to campus and later come back to Nsawam to release Sir. Luis from jail.
My sister and I, together with the kinsmen of my village and my aunties husband, went to explain things to the authorities of the prison services and got Sir. Luis bailed. He had totally changed.
According to the officers, he has become a born again Christian and used to preach to other inmates. The news about his release was all over social media and the dailies. Hope you also heard of it. 😊
The first thing I told him when I saw his face was that I was sorry for making him go through all these. He asked of my name which I mentioned. I saw tears engulf his eyes and all he could say was “God has forgiven you and I have also forgiven you.”
I felt very guilty for all that which went on. I fell in love with him at the very moment. I wish I could give myself to him as a compensation for everything that happened.
I told my sister about our fathers land and we decided to give him a large portion to use for himself. The chief and kinsmen also donated a fully furnished two bedroom house to him and asked him to feel comfortable in the community.
Hmm unknown to my aunty that pastor she was staying with and she left her husband was just a child producing machine. It punched my aunty like a blow when she got to know that the pastor has impregnated four other women in the church under the cover of counselling sessions in his mission house. God have mercy.
To be continued
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