COMING HOME

Chapter 23

~~I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
                                  John 10 :9(NKJV)~~

Knee deep into the curved edge of the rock, she used another bulging rock to support herself as she swung in the air making her way through to the top. The blood on her shirt and hands were almost dry.

She stopped to take in some more air. Climbing was unusually difficult. This was the same process she'd followed when she wanted to get up slower. She used the back of her palm to wipe her face spreading the blood to her face.

Swearing profusely she swung for the rock again missing. 'I should have just taken the stairs!'

By the time she was up, every muscle in her body tensed and she knew only a good day's sleep with a hot bath and hot food could release them. She opened her eyes and to meet brown set of teeth smiling at her. She dusted her palms against her skirt walking to the stairs.

'Leaving already? I thought you came here to sit and watch the sun go down? It won't be fair haven walked that long distance just to turn back the moment you see me. Don't mind me grumpy, you won't know I'm here. I'll be quiet.' To her surprise, her companion faced his front to continue staring at the horizon.

She walked to where he was seated and sat. She looked at the reflexion of the sun on the stream and rested her head against a rock.

'So, I don't think you've ever been here in the evening before.' He said nudging her on her side. 'What do you think of the sun? Ever seen it go away up close? It's amazing how it's so bright in the morning and dim in the evening. It's like there's a switch or something.'

Tobi removed her head from the rock pouting.

'Why haven't you come to see the sun go down before?'

Her hands flew in different directions and she screamed sending Pa Solomon two inches back. 'Ugh! You promised to keep quiet but in two minutes you're blabbing asking me questions that do not require answers. Let me be! If not that I do not have another place to go I would have left by now!'

Even nature could feel the vibrations. The birds stopped chirping, the noise from the stream stopped and everything that seemed to make sounds stopped. The only sounds left were her and Pa Solomon's breathing.

'I'm fed up with you, Mrs Ade, Mr Ade, Chris and everyone that believes in God. I don't understand why you won't just live normally to die but you have all chosen to believe in something as silly as that. The way I see it.' She turned abruptly to face him. 'It's foolishness on your part. You're scared to death that the people that commit evil won't have punishment here on earth so you choose to believe that there's some place somewhere where they'd get that punishment forever. That has to be the reason.' Her chin raised to the sun that was almost invisible now.

'I'm so angry and this belief has affected so many people, some of whom are dear to me. I just wish I could tell them the truth without hurting their feelings.' She stopped to catch her breath before continuing. 'I came out to help Mrs Ade after another failed attempt to write a letter to my parents in the City, she called it a celebration like christmas only that its done January. Almost every villager is outside their homes coming to her house to help her and her boys have gone with some neighbours to tap palm wine. I'm chatting with her, everything is going smoothly.' Her heart sunk as her hormones set in.

Pa Solomon sat not interrupting.

'I'm sorry. So, I'm talking to Mrs Ade when two men run towards us with a child. We don't know who it is at first but later, we discover it's her oldest son Akin. He's bleeding profusely from the head and he's already getting cold. Inside the room, Mrs Ade confirms his death but she still wants us to continue with the program telling us God wouldn't be happy if they don't go on with the planning. I know it's a cover up, I know she wants to scream and shout badly but I don't know why she's bottling her feelings. How can you serve a God that allows a child die when all the family wanted was to serve him?' She asked fighting back the rest of the tears.

She looked at Pa Solomon and quickly turned her face away. 'I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little blue today.' Pa Solomon scoffed at that but remained silent. 'It's rather shocking.' She said after some time. 'I never knew you could listen without your contributions. I still can't believe you didn't utter a single word of your own idea. You're gradually changing, I'm sure you need me to keep teaching you these things. I'm impressed!'

The rustic and irritating laughter was here again. He threw his head back and she joined him.

'I just wish I had a way of letting them see the truth. I really do.'

'Answer me this grumpy, what if you have been the one wrong all these while? What if you have been the blind one?'

The intensity of her voice rose and she pushed her left foot forward to step on the butterfly that landed few feet from her leg. 'How can you say that? Do I look blind? I've had my eyes all open. Okay, let's say I'm blind, you and everybody that choose to believe in God are also blind. You all claim to have faith and be happy when you're truly not happy. Me, I take life as it is, I don't pretend like all of you do.'

'Hmm! Is that really the truth? You have been away from home and worried about what your parents are doing, how they took the news of your disappearance and if they'd ever forgive you. On the other hand, Mrs Ade's problems do not make her despair, they still make her strong and give her hope. Be a third party grumpy, as a third party who would you pick?'

'Mrs Ade obviously. I mean, who wouldn't choose her but after choosing her, I'll realize my mistake since it was based on a false hope.'

Pa Solomon nodded slightly leaning to a side to examine Tobi. 'In the Christian faith, there's nothing like false hope. Hope is hope! It's not false because you think it is. It's genuine and it always brings the comfort you need to get you through though times.' Tobi let the comment slide.

'Grumpy, I think I'm ready to go home now.' He didn't need assistance like usual to get himself up. As soon as he was up, he rubbed his palms against each other to remove sand. 'Get up lazybones, who's going to escort me home if not you?'

'I don't feel like standing neither do I feel like walking you home.'

'Well Missy, I'm telling you to escort an old annoying man to half way his home.'

'I don't want to. I'm okay here.'

'Then I hope the snakes and scorpions get a bit piece of meat off your skin.' She watched him walk away. As soon as he was gone, she began to hear sizzling sounds and without waiting to find our if they were results of her thinking them, she got up and ran after him.

'Wait for me grandpa.'

He was down the hill waiting for her. It looked like he'd been there for a while. 'Now would you take my sweater and flask. This place gets so cold at night.'

'You've slept here before?'

'Just once. I told my son I could do it.'

'And he let you?'

'Not exactly but I almost died.'

'You should have then.' The words came out too quickly before she could stop them.

'These old bones aren't going anywhere soon.' His reply was met with silence. Her expression was solemn. 'Why are you suddenly quiet?'

'I'm thinking of where to go.'

'Go home Tobi!' She stopped walking. It was the first time he used her name.  He saw her shocked expression and tried to hide his smile. 'Why are you so surprised?'

'You always call me names my parents didn't give me.'

'We're here grumpy, I'll walk home now. Goodnight!' She didn't move immediately, her legs felt too heavy to take her back in the opposite direction. Mrs Ade would still be mad at her.

Go home.

Her head snapped to Pa Solomon but he was already too far to be that clear. The hill didn't look safe neither did this place. She counted to ten and headed back.