C1 THE UNEXPECTED VISITS.

For ten years, Essien and Prissy have been married without children. This was really a major setback to them as Essien stayed up most nights pondering over this issue and most times trying to console himself and his wife, with the hope that one day God will visit them and bless them, even if it’s just a child as he did to Abraham and Sarah at the break of their dawn.

Many people including his mother advised him to divorce prissy and get married to another woman who could give him a child. Some specifically said Essien didn't want his linage to continue after his death. Some rumored that he was busy investing and building for nothing. "At the end, who will inherit all those properties and investments?" they asked rhetorically.

Most nights, before going to bed, Prissy cried because she was accused of being behind her family's predicament. The worst part of it lies in the fact that her mother-in-law usually come to the house just to call her names, and the only thing left for her to do was to raise her hands on Prissy.

One day, Bassey a friend of Essien whom he had known even before he got married, came to visit the family, on hearing what the couple had been going through, advised them to visit a native doctor. Essien was not only petrified, but also angry at what Bassey suggested as the solution to their problem while Prissy sat down thoughtfully listening to the whole conversation."What do you mean"? Essien asked angrily,Bassey said “I’m only trying to find a quick solution to your childlessness and I have no evil intention”.

Bassey later convinced Essien to give it a try saying that even God will understand."Look at Prissy!” he went on pointing to her, “She is growing older day by day, moreover, you may die trying to wait for God’s time and if that happens your lineages will certainly end and other people will inherit your wealth”.Essien sighed.“Well, it is not a must, you and your wife should think about my suggestion before taking any drastic move because if it crashes the blame will be on you”, Bassey concluded.

Essien was amazed at the way Bassey played safe, exonerating himself in case there was a backfire in the plan if they later agreed to see the native doctor. After much thought, Essien saw some sense in what Bassey had said because despite their childlessness, they had remained faithful to God in good faith, praying always and giving to the less privileged.

“It is better to try the native doctor than to keep waiting endlessly” He said to himself.Meanwhile, Prissy was trying to figure out Bassey’s suggestion with her church mind; “Hmm... What’s the whole point of us waiting upon the Lord? It’s about 10 years, I mean 10 full years! Yet, they tell me to keep on waiting upon the LORD”. She stood up heatedly, “what’s the whole essence of waiting when I have not conceived let alone giving birth.

Besides, too much of hope weakens the heart. It’s not as if I’ll tell the whole world that I’m going to visit one native doctor somewhere” She thought.

At last Essien concurred, he told Bassey that they will give it a try, having no idea of any native doctor they could go to, .Bassey quickly said he knew two famous and powerful native doctors, and they will embark on the journey to see both native doctors at different locations and after seeing them they could choose from the two.

Essien and Bassey fixed a date for the journey to see the first and then, the second native doctor. After the discussion Prissy quietly went into the kitchen with conflicting thought running through her mind, she prepared and brought some food for them. While Essien and his wife ate slowly and quietly like chickens caught in the rain, Bassey swallowed the food with much gusto, after which he left for his house whistling under his breath.

That night Essien and Prissy could not hold their devotion as usual; their thoughts were very much unstable. Essien was just vibrating like there was a vibrator in his body because he was afraid of seeing and speaking to a native doctor, which is something he had never done in his entire life.

“What do you think of Bassey’s suggestion?” Essien asked prissy hoping that she will say something contrary. But rather what Prissy said took him by surprise.

"We should just try" she said, holding his hand gently trying to convince him

"If the city doesn’t favor you my dear, you go back to your village to see if that one will help" with that concluding remark, they slept off.

Prissy woke up very early the next morning at about 5:00 am, to start preparing breakfast as usual, immediately she heard a knock at the gate, she wondered who must have come to the house this early. She walked down to open the gate behold it was her younger brother James. She was shocked to see him.

“Ah! ah! James what are you doing here, hope all is well?” She quickly asked since he hadn’t given any prior notice before coming.

“Good morning sister, yes all is well. I took a night bus from cross-river to Kogi that is why I am able to get to the house so early. And besides I know that you would have stopped me from coming that’s why I did not inform you before coming” James told her.She became calm.

“That was a reckless action you took, what if something bad had happened to you or better still you had an accident on the way or something.

You should have informed me before coming” she scolded him.

James looked down guiltily and said “Am sorry, I just wanted to surprise you.... am so sorry sis”

“No problem, you are here safe and sound that’s all that matters now” she said to him, ushering him in.

Essien was already awake then, he too was surprised to see James that early. Prissy explained everything in detail according to what James had told her and went inside to finish up her cooking.

The food was ready; Prissy served the food on the dining table for everyone to eat. After the breakfast Essien left for work, while James and Prissy continued their conversation from where they had stopped earlier.

At the office, everyone noticed that Essien wasn’t his chirpy self; he had never been this dull or dismal.

“What could be amiss with him?” Odudu, Essien’s secretary thought aloud. Odudu summoned courage to talk to his boss; he walked to Essien and started by greeting him before he proceeded.

“Sir please....I...I....am...am sorry” Odudu muttered

Essien laughed lowly under his breath, and asked “what have you done this time that you are apologizing”.

Odudu said "I don’t know how you will take it, whether you will get angry with me or not, but I want to ask,

What’s wrong with you sir?"

Essien mistook what Odudu said; he considered it an Insult and asked, "What’s wrong with me? Am I mad? Do I look dirty?”

Odudu replied with a fear choked voice "no sir, it’s not what I mean?”

“Ok what do you mean?” Essien encouraged him to speak.

Odudu continued "I mean ……….you……you…....sorry sir ... you don’t look alright you look worried, it seems you are having a grieved heart and serious predicament. Please can you tell me sir, maybe I could be of help to you by my advice, but not by money? All I have is five children, two wives and the money I have is not sufficient for us".

Essien smiled with Odudu appreciating his concern, and apologized for misunderstanding and replying him arrogantly.

Essien smiled at Odudu and said “no matter what the predicament might be I can handle it all by myself”.

“Sir, are you sure you can handle it all by yourself? Because this problem is really telling on you, that was why I and the other colleagues in the office were able to detect it, no matter what the problem is, since you say you can handle it, please just cheer up a bit.”Odudu left with that leaving Essien on his seat.

Essien checking his wristwatch noticed that it’s time for his break and decided to go to the nearby guest inn to get his head off things a little.

On arriving there, he sat down and a waitress came to take his order

“What can we offer you sir?” she said

He went through the menu that was already on the table and realized that he had no appetite. He scanned through the drinks but had no idea of any of the named drinks and just randomly picked one.

“I’d go for Hennessy, thank you”. With that she left to get his drink.

After some few minutes she came back with his drink.

He loosened his tie and began downing the drink. After a while, he got intoxicated. He managed to pay for his drink and took his leave forgetting that he drove himself to the guest inn, he walked home staggering.

Meanwhile, Prissy and James were catching up inside the house they suddenly heard someone banging the gate aggressively and shouting, Prissy wondering who could have been hitting the gate like that asked James to go and check who it was, when he opened the gate he was surprised to see that it was his sister’s husband. James managed to help him in, he started staggering into the house saying rubbish; when Prissy noticed Essien was drunk, she refused to talk or go close to him because she was very sad and highly dispirited, he staggered into the bedroom, slum on the bed and started snoring almost immediately she went into the room and watched Essien sprawled on the bed, with a crushed spirit.

After some hours Essien woke up and found himself on his bed; he wondered how he got to the house. The last thing he remembered was the restaurant, he stood up, walked to the parlor were he saw Prissy and James talking in a low tone, Essien greeted but Prissy refused to say a word to him so he walked to Prissy and pleaded with her to forgive him but she pushed him away and walked out on him. Essien sat down with James and beseeched him to talk to Prissy on his behalf; James asked him why he drank so much initially, knowing his wife hated excessive drinking. Essien told him he was very worried about the issue of not having a child and wanted to get over it. James talked to him at length.

“Drinking alcohol does not solve a problem rather it adds to it, and moreover after you drink and get intoxicated you will still come back to the world of reality” James told him.

James later promised he will talk to his sister privately, and make her understand his reasons. James went to prissy explained all Essien said in details to her and why she needed to forgive him.

“Staying away or refusing to talk to him because he drank alcohol out of depression will only add to his problems and make him get more depressed and he might still end up drinking alcohol again, but if you forgive him, pet him, make him see reasons why drinking should not be the last resort in their situation, it will help him a lot” James said.

Prissy saw reasons in what James said and came to conclusion that she will forgive her husband and give him another chance. He should however not try taking anything alcoholic again. After Prissy and Essien resolved their differences, Essien went to James and appreciated him for his help.

“I’m so ashamed of myself for getting drunk, life has not been fair to me, what have I done to deserve not having a child” he said amidst tears.

Prissy came in and heard what the husband was saying she also burst into tears, James became confused as to who to console first, since both of them were crying at the same time.

“Just believe in God, one day God will bless you with not just a child but children” James encouraged them.

“When will that day come” prissy asked James

“I have been waiting for that day and 10years has passed yet you are still telling me about God's time. Am I to wait for another 10 years?” She cried beyond control.

James realized the situation was beyond his control. He took Essien’s cell phone searched his contact and saw his pastors number and dialed it, when the pastor picked up the call, James explained everything to the pastor and asked him to please come down to the house. When the pastor came to the house he felt the bitterness in their hearts, he started by giving them some words of encouragement, he told them to remain steadfast and trust in God,

“For still the vision awaits its appointed time, it hasten to the end, it will not lie, if it seems slow, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay" the pastor told them,

"If it seems slow wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay. There is a purpose for God’s delay, God is very much alive and he sees and hears their lamentation”. He advised them

Essien asked “Do God truly sees and hears our cry about childlessness?”

“Yes” the pastor answered.

“Then is God heartless, In spite of our cry and faithfulness to him, he is still leaving us without a child?” He lamented.

“Just wait on the LORD and you will definitely see God’s glory” The pastor said to them.

The pastor calmed him down with some words of encouragement again, he prayed and left them, James appreciated the man of God for coming to calm and encourage them. Meanwhile, Essien was still thinking of going to see the native doctor the following day which was the fixed date with Bassey.