Man In The City

I thought I was Next???

      Misi is a robust black skinned Nigerian lady.
Her face covered with her frail hands as she bent her head over the iron railings of her balcony  yet again in prayers.
      Her legs were twenty two feet above the ground as she wailed louder for an answer from the Lord  she loves. When she lifted her head from the railings of the two stories building, the sun was saying goodbye for the day as it resided due east of the city.

Her thoughts wavered on the request she had just made and it bothered her much that her mind wavered in doubt and unbelief.
She glared down at the streets once more, her dimples more beautiful on her straight stilled face.
She ushered her way back into her apartment.
Then gathered her dirty dishes and began to wash them in two large bowls.  As she rid the plates of its oily stains and brought back the original form, she remembered the good old days.

      Days when things almost never went wrong, times when her family was not stuck.  Those days were not quite perfect but everything fell right into place.
Soon, the days fell apart for a new season to rise.  At least that's what she  calls it,  A New Season.
She had hopelessly convinced her family that it truly was. 
An unfavorable new season, her mother often said.
At the beginning, she was hopeful, full of expectations, filled with great enthusiasm.

   Only the season had lasted longer than anyone could have anticipated.
As at now, her faith has proven to be overly tried and she was truly getting tired.
Misi was brought back to the present when she heard the modern town crier speaking from the amplification of his big speakers, he yarned on, on on... His words inaudible because of the loud jubilations of her neighbors.

" What! You got the visa!" A woman exclaimed at very top of her voice.

" Yes dear. I got the visa." The man replied in an epitome of overjoy.
Shouts of victory followed their dances that shook the ground of its stamina.

She unconsciously dropped the dish in her hand and groaned in a hushed tone.
" A visa, really Lord! What about my family? What about me ? We aren't asking for that much."    Even the sound of her jealousy baffled her.

Then, as if the town crier had seen her through a Periscope , he said.
"...and so I urge you." His voice was blasting through the whole atmosphere.

" Don't ever be jealous of what God does for your neighbor. He has something for you too! You better believe it now, because He is not going to give it to someone else."
He took a quick break from his own rambling, only that the old man's rambling got stuck to Misi's head.

" I tell you for a fact that if he blesses your neighbor, praise him, cause that means... He Is In The Neighborhood!"

Few minutes later, the old man's voice died down and she pondered on his words for the rest of the day.

~~~

      At cock's crow in the evening  the next day. Misi returned home from  her fairly paying job , and then headed straight out to her mother's petty trade stand at the general market.

From afar she could see her mother laughing , the mid-sixties woman was talking  to a girl who just left her stand.
When she got there , Mrs Innatu was still waving and smiling at the girl.
It took a minute to notice that her daughter was standing by her side.

" Good evening Mama."  Misi sat on the small stool beside her mother's plastic chair.  A big branded umbrella served as covering over their heads.

" Evening my daughter." The woman's English was polished with her native dialect.

" This one you are smiling from ear to ear, indeed it is a great day today." Misi said showing off her beautiful dimples as she glared at her mother in hope.

The woman sighed and her  countenance softened .    " Well..." She hesitated a bit.  " For the Bolajis’ it  is." Misi frowned for clarification.   Innatu looked from her table that contained a few portions of different vegetable back to her daughter.
" Iya Bolaji's daughter has finally put to bed. "

Misi's face flew in happiness.
" Wow, that's such a great news Mama. So at last, her baby survived, good for her ooo."  The lady in question had been married five years and she had four miscarriages since then, this was the first time her baby came out alive.
" So, how is market Mama? "

A familiar look took form of Innatu's face, it yelled of apathy and disbelief.
" Which market? Please don't even go there, my dear. "
Misi's face welled up in stress.
" I see you had a stressful day today. You should go home and rest."

Misi smiled but it did not reach her face. " Thanks Mama , but I want to spend time with you today."  The two continued their mother - daughter conversation for ten minutes.
Then, a woman walked towards the stand, her shoes battered with mud, she stumped her foot on getting to stand to get rid of the mud.

" Good evening Ma." Misi stood up to attend to her.

" Good evening my daughter." The market grew noisier because potential customers had returned from work and stopped by the market to get some food stuffs.
" Is this all the Waterleaves you have left?"

" No aunty, there's more. " Innatu brought out more vegetables from the sack under the table.

" Okay, give me one thousand naira worth. " Misi looked from  the slender built fair woman to her mother, and then started packing up the vegetables.

" Is it for an occasion Madam." Innatu asked the woman politely.

" Something like that. Have you heard about the Man in the City? "
Misi remembered the preacher from the previous day.

" No ma." Innatu said simply.

The woman smiled.  " Well, there's a Man that does good, he blesses people with their heart desires and he is in this very city."

" How can we meet Him?" Misi's mother asked inquisitively.

" With your heart." Innatu raised a brow.  " It doesn't work the way you think, you can't see Him, but if you can believe Him and ask anything from Him he is going answer you, because this is the season for every one that trust on Him."
The woman collected her vegetables and paid. Innatu watched the woman mischievously as she walked away. 
Misi stood there quietly, she understand the words of the woman very well.

" Misi !!!" Her mother called out. She jilted.  " Start packing up , the sky is getting cloudy and about to rain."

" Okay Ma." She hurried at the work but before they could get it done, the rain poured heavily at once.
They quickened their work and went for a safe spot.