“Amaka, I can’t take this! This nonsense is too much! I did not come to this Abuja to feed you,” Tessy’s voice yelled as she entered the bedroom carrying an empty pot.
‘Tessy, what is the problem? What did I do?’ she asked.
‘What is the meaning of this? What did you cook with this pot?’ Tessy asked, throwing the dirty pot on the ground. Amaka was confused. She couldn’t seem to understand why her friend was furious this morning. ‘I used it to cook noodles last night, I said that I would wash it this…’
‘Oh! You used it to cook my noodles? Did you buy any noodles in this house? See, Amaka, I have had enough of your nonsense. Don’t touch my foodstuffs again. If you’re hungry, go out there and look for food. I don’t care if you beg or anything, just don’t touch my foodstuff, since you are too holy to do what others are doing.’
Amaka’s mouth fell open in shock. She couldn’t believe that her best friend Tessy could ever treat her this way.
Tessy left the pot on the floor, picked up her handbag and left the room, banging the door behind he., Amaka slummed to the floor and started crying. ‘God, why is this happening to me? Why has my life turned out this way?’
Maybe I should have done it; if I had done it, my life won’t be this miserable now.’
She stayed there and cried for many hours. She needed to talk to God, but she couldn’t get herself to pray anymore. She had prayed about every night and day, but it seemed like the only thing God knew how to do was to make promises; promises that now seemed like he couldn’t fulfill. If she could see God, she would have looked him in the face and ask Him why He couldn’t keep to his words; why He has allowed her to be put to shame.
She picked up her phone, and looked for a song to play, as that was the only thing that could lift her soul a bit. As the words of “Yadah’s I’m Confident” rang into her ears, she felt hot tears rolling down her face and she sang along with all her heart.
“I’ve never, seen a righteous man forsaken
His seed won’t beg for bread, Oh, no. NO!
You said I will lend to nations and not borrow
‘cause you’re my sufficiency
King’s shall come to the rising of my light
Angels will build my walls,
I will never know lack……
Amaka wondered if those words were still true in her life. She remembered the day her woes started some months ago when Mr. Kojo, the marketing manager of the bank where she and Tessy worked, sent her to visit a new customer who wanted to deposit one hundred and fifty million naira in their bank. Mr Kojo said that the customer, Chief Bamidele only needed a staff of the bank to explain to him the benefits of opening the fixed deposit account, but when Amaka got to the man’s office, the man wanted more. He seemed to be more interested in her body than the papers she was showing him. And when he started trying to touch her, she didn’t wait for a second before she picked her bag and ran out of the office.
‘Do you know what you just did?’ Mr Kojo shouted when she got back to the office. ‘We just lost one hundred and fifty million naira!’
Mr Kojo walked her out of his office, and the next day, she met a sack letter on her desk. Amaka cried and reminded the marketing manager that she was one of the best staff of the department, and that she was nominated to write the International Training exam a few weeks ago, because of how good she was at her job, but all her pleas fell on deaf ears.
Everyone around her faulted her for being too spiritual and stupid. “Everyone in that bank is doing it!’ Tessy snapped on that fateful day. ‘You should have just given him what he wants. See enh, if you continue with this your holy-holy, you cannot get another job anywhere!”
After attending applying for several jobs without any positive response, Amaka now feared that what her friends said were coming to pass in her life. With a heavy heart, she sang along saying…
“You are true, so all men be liars
I soak my feet in butter and I suck honey from the rock..
Oh, I hold you to every one of your promise
There is no shadow of turning; you will do what you say
It didn’t sound convincing, so she shouted it loud at the top of her voice saying
I hold you to every one of your promise
There is no shadow of turning; you will do what you say
When it comes to you God, I’m Confident
I’m Confident; Yes I’m confident.
But Amaka did not feel that confidence again. She had lost hope in God and his promises. She could not continue living like a pauper, so she he began to pack her bags. ‘I have to go back to the village and stay with my mother,’ she decided, ‘at least I’ll see food to eat.’
Even as she packed her bags, she wondered how she would get transport fare. Was she going to trek from Abuja to Enugu, or would she go to the motor park and beg the tout to attach her to a vehicle? She cringed at the thought of that. If a man like Bamidele could ask for sexual gratification before doing business, how much more motor park touts?
As she was trying to think of the next step to take, her phone beeped. She picked up the phone, it was an email.
“Hello, Miss Amaka Dunukofia, we are pleased to inform you that you passed the International Training Test, and you have been selected to attend a one year all expense paid Masters Degree program at Stanford University. Please kindly report at the office of the Regional Manager within two working days for further briefing.’
‘Oh God,’ she shouted. ‘God just look at this; look at the opportunity I’ve missed!’ As she started crying again, her phone rang. It was Tessy.
‘Babe, where are you?’ Tessy’s voice rang out excitedly at the other end of the phone.
‘Tessy, I said I’m sorry nau. Is that why you’re still calling?’
‘Babe! Leave that cry-cry something. You need to come to the office right now!’
‘Why? What happened?’ she asked.
‘Your name came out for the Masters Training program. You’re going to America!’ Tessy sounded so excited.
‘But I’m no longer a staff. Or do you just want to rub it in my face again?’
‘Amaka, the Regional Manager called to speak with you. You need to come over immediately, and just so you know, Mr Kojo has been sacked. Some fraudulent transactions were linked to him, so headquarters sent his sack letter this morning. Babe, I think you’ve got your job back.’
Amaka could not believe her ears. She fell down on her knees, raised her hands to heaven and sang along with the song….
I’m confident in all you can do
You’re able to bring to pass every one of your promise
I will never doubt what you say you will do
I believe in you God
You’re true so let all men be liars
I trust everything your word says
Yes, I’m confident in You!
Amaka continued to sing and bless the name of the Lord as she prepared to step into the new phase of her life.
#GospelWrappedInFiction
© Anwuacha Dandy Samuel for Sonshub.com
Sound Track: Yadah- I’m Confident