A Day of Rejoicing: We got to Aunty Agatha’s house late in the afternoon due to the heavy
traffic in Lagos. What joy to be safely back home! The security man let us into
the compound and ran to tell her I was back. Aunty Agatha came running to
embracing me. We wept and hugged each for a long while. “My child, where have
you been? What happened to you?” She then noticed Lucy standing next to me.
“Nkem, I see you have a friend here. Who is she?” “Her name is Lucy,” I replied.
God used her to bring me safely back home. Come inside my children. You must be
starving. Lifting up her hands to the heavens she prayed, “God, I thank you!”
An Ordeal Never to be Desired
Aunty Agatha wanted to hear every detail of my ordeal.
She was not feeling too well during her trip so she decided to cut it short to
four days instead of a week. She returned home on the evening I went missing. She
was told I had not returned from the shop at past 9pm, which was strange. She
called one of her sales girls who told her that they did not see me in the shop
all day. Something was certainly wrong somewhere. Betty told her I was last
seen with Mrs Laraba who offered to drop me at the shop that morning. Mrs
Laraba’s phone number was not reachable for two days and finally when it rang
she said she had left me at the door of the shop and was also shocked to know I
was missing.
Immediately Aunty Agatha developed a high
pressure. She went with Betty to the police station to report that I was
missing. Mrs Laraba went to the house to calm her down and made up a story that
it was possible I ran away with a young man. Aunty Agatha did not believe her
knowing how she had raised me and kept praying for my safe return
