Home to Stay

Hello Hi,

Happy Sunday, I hope you are having a beautiful time. Last week, I published an article on Bella Naija about Divorce after cheating. If you missed it, you can find it here. Today, I have a piece from my lovely friend Sandra but first, something strange happened to me today:-

I was returning home from church and as usual barely paying attention to my environment as I listened to some soft music on my phone. As I approached my door, I had a weird feeling that I was being watched and so I look around. My eyes glanced at a shed where I kept my bicycle (which I'm still learning how to ride by the way) and then, I saw a pair of eyes. All these annoying cats, I thought to myself as I brought out my door keys. Then something struck my mind and I looked again; no it was not a cat, it looked like a fox. I froze for a second and then I began to run. I ran to the other end of the house and climbed the staircase to call my male housemate, John. I knocked on his door and pressed the bell for a few minutes but he did not answer. The next thing, crows were cooing and flying around like they were in fear (there are many crows and creatures in the city where I live). So I bent down a bit to avoid being hit or touched by any of them and suddenly, I saw the 'fox' coming towards me. I jumped from the stairs, ran to the back of the house into my room and locked myself inside. I was freaked out! I decided to call John's phone and he picked up saying that he was out of town. I told him about the creature and he asked me if it was really a fox or a raccoon. Truth is whether fox, raccoon, wolf; they are all the same to me. Anyway, it seemed like it was a raccoon and he told me not to worry- he said as long as they were not with their babies, they were usually not aggressive; all I needed to do was make some noise to shush it away. Needless to say, I was too scared to leave my house even though I had planned to go to the office to do some work. I finally called my mum and recounted my ordeal. After laughing at me, she said some prayers with me and told me to wear flat shoes for running. I made myself some quick meal (just in case I needed the energy), put on my running shoes, and looked out for the sign of the creature before sneaking out of my place. I walked as fast as I could until I got to the main road before I resumed playing some music but this time around I was much more aware of my surroundings. I just thought to share my ‘not-funny’ Sunday experience; now please enjoy Sandra’s story and as usual please share and leave your comments below J:

Photo credit: http://www.assentpublishing.com/breathlessbooks.aspx

Home to Stay by Sandra J.L

The call to fasten their seatbelts had been made and as the tiny aeroplane shook with a sudden drop in altitude, her heart skipped a beat. For a minute, panic seized her and she tightened her grip on the arm of her seat. This is it! She thought as the ATR 72 continued its descent towards the runway. What have I done? In a blindingly surreal moment she wondered again “What have I done?! Will it work? Will I make him happy? Will I be happy here?” Disjointed images like those from a mosaic scrutinized too close flashed through her mind’s eye; shapes, sounds and events that she could not quite make out lingered tantalizingly just out of  her focus and she struggled to concentrate, to stretch her mind, to slow them down and examine them, but in vain. 

Suddenly the plane jolted, bounced and stabilized on the tarmacked runway and as spontaneous applause broke out for the pilot and his crew, his cold hand came down to cover her own. “Babe! Babe, are you okay?!” He asked, his voice rough with concern. She angled her head in his general direction and tried to smile and nodded vigorously as sudden tears threatened to choke her. He lifted his other hand to her chin and gently turned her head all the way towards him.  “I know that it is going to be hard” he said, “but I will be right beside you, all the way. We can do this babe! I love you!” He added.

Slowly she lifted her drenched eyes to his dark brown ones and as always her fears and doubts dropped away. “I am sorry.” She whispered.  Her family, friends and beloved parish may be thousands of miles away but this sparsely populated, volcanic land of temperamental climate and severe unemployment was now her home. Their children will be born here. Yes she had gone against every piece of advice from friends, family and colleagues. She had chosen with her heart and if truth be known, she had no real regret. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face there. In that instant, locked in his warmth she silently swore that their love story which had started so romantically seven years previously and which they had consummated only a month before through the sacrament of marriage would bloom, weather every storm and leave a beautiful legacy for their loved ones. She, Mary Magdalene Elisabeth, had come home to stay.

About Sandra:

I do not believe that I have much writing skills; what I have in my own humble opinion is talent - the untapped, mostly unused and naïve type that is innate. Someday when I have time I will do some writing skills courses. I love baking and I am a decent cook. Human relationships fascinate me and I often write about those. The inspiration for this story came to me when I was planning my first trip out of the country after a lapse of 8 years. I came home one Saturday evening from a birthday bash and simply had to put pen to paper. I challenged myself in writing a short, sweet and rich story and ‘Home to stay’ came to be. I hope you will find it an entertaining piece.  

Don't forget to share please. Have a lovely week and for updates, please follow me on twitter @vivio_gogo and IG: @ugochiukah