EHIS' ORDEAL

EPISODE -1

Today’s Sunday service was splendiferous. Amongst other things, the sermon had been one deserving some measure of praise. The preacher had talked on an idea he embodied in a theme topic; “THE TWO WAYS” and had taken his text from the book of Matthew 7:13. While the sermon was on, I had taken the pain to look around the church auditorium and I saw the grimaces that characterize the faces of some persons. The preacher took time to explain the two ways. According to him, one was narrow and lead to life and the other broad which lead to destruction. The preacher was explicit in his discourse without apology to anyone. This particular realization appealed to me quiet much. As the usual rite of the service was done with, everyone depending on his or her condition had a change of mind. I could sensed it from their guise as they heeded the alter call. It was now time to leave for various homes as the church had dismissed. Some brethren and I went in the same route, since we were all aiming for the same bearing. Unfortunately for me, just as the preacher had preached earlier that some who were in the faith departed, as they could not stand the passion of the contrary. For me, I left the brethren not for the sake of departing from the faith but for the fact that I was not buoyant enough to take the normal commuter bus and I headed my own way without adumbrating to the brethren my true motive as I could not swallow the stigma of mendicancy.
Not long enough, the unsympathetic Benin weather tainted and the sky soon became dark, as I walked a small distance, it started drizzling. I started flitting around to veil myself from the luscious rain in a rather partially completed building. Before long, it started to rain violently and the wind that accompanied it, was not in good spirits. The trees had done all they could towards breaking it, but it proved bungled. This time only those with umbrella could journey through the pelter while those without were coerced vehemently to hiding themselves. The young man EHIS was not left out of those in search of refuge under the partially completed building as he was lightly drenched by the rain. I looked at him as he struggle to climbed the corridor case with his unconsolidated lower limbs, while supporting himself with his hands which were conspicuously deformed. His mouth bent toward undefined angle and his hair unkempt. He wore the indigenous sewed shirt and trouser, milky in color with red star shapes on it. On his lightly deformed toes were pairs of slipper. I was totally hardhearted as I could not even say to him how sorry I was, for his state. The down pour was actually my problem at the moment as it had disrupted my good deal to get to school in approximately 30 minutes time.
It was still raining when a young girl with a baby on her back was passing-by. Suddenly a lady which stood beside Ehis at the partially completed building called at her and quickly ran to meet her. As she got to where she was, she grabbed her umbrella from her held it over both herself and the young damsel, surprisingly leaving the baby who indeed needed the umbrella the most rather UNCOVERED.
Ehis quickly said “the umbrella no cover the baby ooh”. “Can you imagine, I added” some persons value themselves at the expense of another. This time I just have to meddle into other people’s affair to temperate my gnashing teeth due to chilly weather. This gave Ehis an edge to speak to me as we have been hiding from the rain for a while.
As he spoke; I listened. He began by peeking to the sky and accentuating “THANK GOD AM ALIVE TODAY”. He further stated that, just this morning a little boy of about six years old was slapped by an elderly woman who came out of her house. This Ehis did by gesticulation in a bid to describe the boy’s height; he continue by saying there is God in heaven. God knows how to deal with reprobate and he instantly gave the woman her judgment as she was about to take a forward leap from the site she slapped the little boy. She was knocked down by a vehicle and she was quickly rushed to the hospital. When asked why she slapped the boy, her reply was “I tell am say make the sweep house before going to play, he nor greeee!” That was an instant judgment on her he reiterated.

As he was about initiating his next statement, he came nearer to my standing position. I became skeptical about Ehis, because I had learnt the first lesson of my life from the so called sharp guys(four-one-nine) who dupe me of my school fee earlier this year.

I met my hard knocks the period I gained admission into the University and I was to accept it simply by paying the sum of twenty five thousand (25,000) before proceeding with clearance. I smiled to the bank the morning I was to pay the fee. I gentlemanly boarded a commuter bus which stops over a little distance away from my school at the proximal bus stop. On coming down from the bus, a well dressed man walked up to me. My name is John okeagu. I am an importer and I have a chemical that could turned us into a millionaire if I corporate with him by contributing some just forty thousand to get more of the chemical to wash all the paper he had. He looked for a more convincing way by washing one of the papers he had with the chemical and behold a brand new N1000 note with a glossy look materialized. I became interested before long, and I gave the John my fee of 25,000 including my 500 transport fare. John told me he was going to buy the chemical and I waited and waited till I was tired. I mourned home. Ever since I had told myself that no four-one-nine was going to swindle me any longer.
But with Ehis condition, could he be one of these felons. I thought to myself in awe. I won’t allow to be fooled the second time by such a person as Ehis. 419 in a bid to dupe their prey they often starts with enticing stories and questions that demands an answer before they strike with their seemingly unapologetic and unarmed robbery.
Ehis touched me for the first time with his deformed hands and said ‘’I want to tell you something’’. My heart palpitated and my eyes were bulging and my mood suddenly changed. I quickly said some prayers within my mind.