NWALA ; The Bittersweet Story (Part 23&24) – Opeyemi Akintunde

Part 23
NWALA ; THE BITTERSWEET STORY
Opeyemi Akintunde

” He is dead!”

” He can’t be dead!”

I sat in one of the school cabs asking myself if truly Reuben was dead.

I was communicating with the good Samaritan who had finally taken him to a nearby clinic.

He gave me the good news that my Reuben was not dead “Yet”. He said the doctor had put him on oxygen.

I got to the hospital with my heart in my mouth. Thankfully it was a standard hospital. At first the hospital had refused receiving him when the good Samaritan brought him, but I had spoken to the doctor, Identifying Reuben as Bishop Acme’s son. I believe that made them put so much effort in resuscitating him…

I was taken to the ICU where he laid. Oh! The bruises were so much, he had bruises to the head, hand and leg.

“Please, how was the accident like?” I asked the good Samaritan

“Everybody dey talk say na Brake failure”

“Brake failure?’ I knew a few things about cars and Reuben’s car been a recent model was not one of those cars that would develop a brake failure. I kept this in my heart.

Two hours later, my parents and Reuben’s parents got in. To Reuben’s parents at that time I didn’t exist especially his mother. She was torn into pieces. I had never seen our mummy G.O. that distraught looking in all my years I had known her. I saw a mother’s love…

*******

“You can return to school, I am here with him” Reuben’s Mum said the next morning.

Reuben still had not woken up. Bishop had returned to home, and because of hospital policy of not having more than 2 people with the patient, my parents booked a hotel room close to the hospital.

“No mummy, I won’t leave until Reuben wakes up”

“I hope your old boyfriend has nothing to do with this, because if he does, I will ask the Angels of God to crush him for me”

“No ma… I don’t think so”

She kept mute after that…

My phone rang and on checking the caller ID, it was June my roommate… She had been calling since the previous day. It was high time I answered her call, as my battery was almost flat. If my line went off without speaking to her, I knew June will lose it.

“Hello June”

“Oh thank you Jesus… How is Pastor Reuben?” she asked straight up

“How did you know?” I said excusing myself from the room.

“News fly quick… but guess what a student said he saw someone working on Pastor Reuben’s car last night around 1:00am when he was returning from night class after he slept off”

“Really?”

“Yes, so people are suspecting someone caused the accident”

“Hmm… thank you for the update, you know men of God have a lot of enemies”

“Yes you can say that again, we hear he is still in coma. We pray he wakes up soon…”

******

I went into the hospital garden as I needed to have a discreet conversation with Daniel.

“Hello… Finally, she calls” Dee said

“Tell me you didn’t do this” I asked

“Well, let’s say my disadvantaged life has some advantages to it. I mean, I may not have the money he has, nor the fame, or inherited popularity, but I sure did inherit the knowledge about cars”

“Daniel, you are a cow, a goat, a stupid wickedly wicked human being. If no one has ever told you, I will tell you the truth of who you are, you are a psychopath. Listen well and listen good, for the sake of the stupid love I once had for you, RUN… RUN… Disappear, because if anything happens to Reuben, I mean if he doesn’t wake up, I won’t be the only one coming for you, everyone will come for you…

“Nwala! So it has gotten to this, I thought killing him will be an answer to your prayer, I thought if he wasn’t alive, your parents will let us be” I couldn’t under the stupid rationale, at that point I was grateful, I had left him.

‘Daniel, like my mother said, you a broken boy who will cause me pain… Good bye!”

“No… its not goodbye, it is later, because if I can’t have you, no one will…”

I ended the call before he had the luxury of saying more nonsense into my ears…

Part 24
NWALA ; THE BITTERSWEET STORY
Opeyemi Akintunde

I prayed like I had never prayed In those three days that followed Reuben’s accident. His mother would not leave his side. For those days, she didn’t eat nor drink. She turned it into a fast, praying round the clock. It was therefore a good influence on me… We prayed together, or better put I followed her in prayers, because she didn’t acknowledge my presence most of the time.

“Je…ss…sus!” We heard the word faintly…

Reuben’s Mum and I looked at each other before looking back at Reuben.

“He is alive! Thank you, Jesus!”

He flickered his eyes and gradually opened it. I fell to the ground worshiping God. I was happy he didn’t die on my account.

“Mum” he said on seeing his mum…

“My son…”

“Where am I? What happened?” he asked but apparently, he quickly remembered.

“Oh the car! Yes, I lost control… Did I have an accident?”

“Sh… Sh… Yes you did, but God has restored you”

“What of Nwala? I am sure she will be worried sick… I need to call her, because anytime I get back from her school , I call…”

Right where I laid on the floor, I couldn’t help my tears. What kind of man was this?

Mum was right! He was a whole man…

“I am here” I replied before his mum did… I rose from where I laid…

“Nwala… How did you know?”

I explained all that had happened and he was in shock when he realized he had been in coma for 3 days.

“Guess, I am resurrecting like Christ. The resurrection power of God brought me back to life…” he joked…

“Can you help me sit up?” he said…

“Ok… let me call the nurse” I said as it occurred to me that we should have called the Doctor & Nurses’ attention to the fact that he was awake.

“Thank you…”

******

The Doctor & Nurses came in very excited, but in the midst of the excitement, I saw a worried look on Reuben’s face. He tried to hide it, but I saw it… As the Doctors were leaving, he said…

“Doctor, can I have a minute with you alone?” he said giving his Mum and I a pleading look…

That didn’t sit well with me, but we had to obey him. I could see tension in his mother’s eyes.

From where we stood outside the ward, I saw the doctor listening to Reuben intently, and I saw the doctor touch one of his legs, and I saw Reuben shaking his head in the negative in response to the touch… I watch how the doctor touched the second leg and Reuben shook his head in the negative.

I didn’t need any doctor to explain what was happening. I saw Reuben touching his waist and shaking his head.

“God, is Reuben paralyzed from his waist down?” I screamed in my heart.

CLICK HERE TO READ “NWALA ; THE BITTERSWEET STORY” (PART 25&26) – OPEYEMI AKINTUNDE.