“Do you know what I’m thinking?”
“No, I don’t know and I don’t want to know.” Mercy didn’t want to delude herself with whatever her friend was scheming. She just wanted out from all the calamities she was facing and from the world if that’s the only path to peace!
“I think we should play a game.” Tina was beaming with smiles.
“What game?”
“Let’s pay men back in their own coin. You have suffered in the hands of so many men that it’s time you stop loving them and deal with them real good.”
“How?”
“We are going to target married men or the ones that are in serious relationships. We will get them to go out with us and after getting them where we want, we will take a picture and send it to their wives or fiancées and watch them suffer the pain of rejection and heart break like we have suffered.”
“Is that playing them or prostituting ourselves and what about the innocent ladies that would be hurt?” Mercy asked innocently.
“Screw them all! Where were they when you were suffering in the hands of guys? Besides, they also do a lot of women and call it enjoyment not prostitution. So, my dear, we are going to play their game with them and beat them to it.” Tina was oozing with confidence.
“We are going to let every man pay for the pain you have gone through and watch their ladies feel pain too.” Tina stood up.
“This would be a very tasking mission.” Mercy was not so convinced she wanted to live her life in revenge.
“Yes! Very tasking and we are going to spend our lifetime achieving that. We have nothing to lose after all. We get their money and break their relationships while we walk out of their lives and leave them to lick their wounds.”
“Are you in or out?” She asked Mercy straightening out her blouse.
“I will think about it.”
“Think and decide fast, baby girl because this is going to be fun.”

Mercy has been cruelly treated by all the men she loved. she decided to embark on a revenge mission to pay men back in their own coin but she met a greater calamity that pushed her to the breaking point of her life.
did she survive the storm?
find out!

Coming soon!
“Do you know what I’m thinking?”
“No, I don’t know and I don’t want to know.” Mercy didn’t want to delude herself with whatever her friend was scheming. She just wanted out from all the calamities she was facing and from the world if that’s the only path to peace!
“I think we should play a game.” Tina was beaming with smiles.
“What game?”
“Let’s pay men back in their own coin. You have suffered in the hands of so many men that it’s time you stop loving them and deal with them real good.”
“How?”
“We are going to target married men or the ones that are in serious relationships. We will get them to go out with us and after getting them where we want, we will take a picture and send it to their wives or fiancées and watch them suffer the pain of rejection and heart break like we have suffered.”
“Is that playing them or prostituting ourselves and what about the innocent ladies that would be hurt?” Mercy asked innocently.
“Screw them all! Where were they when you were suffering in the hands of guys? Besides, they also do a lot of women and call it enjoyment not prostitution. So, my dear, we are going to play their game with them and beat them to it.” Tina was oozing with confidence.
“We are going to let every man pay for the pain you have gone through and watch their ladies feel pain too.” Tina stood up.
“This would be a very tasking mission.” Mercy was not so convinced she wanted to live her life in revenge.
“Yes! Very tasking and we are going to spend our lifetime achieving that. We have nothing to lose after all. We get their money and break their relationships while we walk out of their lives and leave them to lick their wounds.”
“Are you in or out?” She asked Mercy straightening out her blouse.
“I will think about it.”
“Think and decide fast, baby girl because this is going to be fun.”

Mercy has been cruelly treated by all the men she loved. she decided to embark on a revenge mission to pay men back in their own coin but she met a greater calamity that pushed her to the breaking point of her life.
did she survive the storm?
find out!

While waiting for Mercy, grab a copy of The Cloak of Darkness and enjoy with family and friends
Okadabooks.com/book/about/the_cloak_of_darkness/40001

MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE ONE
It was a beautiful Friday evening in the city of Springa where Mercy lived. It was around September when the weather was really cool in the evening. Mercy just got off work at around 6pm and she was having a hard time getting a cab, bus or at least a bike to take her home. She had been standing by the road side for close to forty five minutes and she was getting really frustrated. Just then, a black Toyota Camry parked beside her and the driver beckoned on her to come closer as he was offering her a lift. At first she refused but later she hopped in and the drive began.

The gentleman behind the wheels was a man probably in his early forties. He was well dressed in a black suit with a beautifully patterned shirt, no tie. A suitcase can be seen carefully placed on the back seat and that made it easier to guess that he must be returning from work.

“Hello, I’m Olatunbosun by name, an engineer and I work with the construction company along the road, you can call me Tuby because that is what my friends call me,” he tried to start a conversation with the beautiful lady seated beside him.

“I’m Mercy, an accountant at Lady Michael’s Suite.” Opening her heart to another guy was the last thing Mercy would do, especially after all she had been through.

“Wow! You have such a nice name.
Do you know my mother is actually called Mercy?” He could not hide his excitement.

“Yes of course. If I had said my name was Susan then I’m sure your mother would have been called Susan.” Sarcasm was laden in Mercy’s voice as she responded to his weak and overused pick up line.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m actually very serious.” More seriousness on his tone made him sound as though he was telling the truth. And since he was giving her a ride she felt like she might have been rude to have made such a statement so she decided to apologize.

“Okay, I’m sorry for sounding rude. It’s just that I’ve gotten so used to that pick up line from guys.” She was calm as she tried to hide the disgust she was feeling as she was sick of the conversation they were having already or rather seek of men showing up in her face and promising her heaven and earth only for them to get what they wanted and disappear as quickly as they appeared.

There was silence afterwards and all that was going through Olatunbosun’s mind was how he would woo the beautiful lady that had walked into his nest. He thought she would be easy to approach but judging from her stern voice he knew that she would be a hard nut to crack and so he was scheming for the best plan to use.

“Can we be friends?” The suddenness of the statement jerked Mercy from the world of her thoughts back to the present dilemma of hitching a ride with a stranger that obviously wants her as pay for the ride.

“I don’t keep male friends.” The words came out of her mouth like she was chewing on hot potatoes. Then she realized that she was too blunt.

“I’m actually not very comfortable with guys, I prefer girls.” It was after the statement came out of her mouth that it dawned on her what she had implied about herself but it was too late to take it back so she kept quiet and was looking out through the window as silence took over again.

Olatunbosun was shocked as he was not expecting his supposed new catch would be a lesbian and besides he had never seen anyone boldly stating publicly that she was a lesbian especially in that part of the world where such act was seen as evil and abominable. He hesitated for a while before he asked the question that was about blowing off his head. He was concerned as to why such a beautiful, calm, young lady would be involved in such a thing.

“Are you a lesbian?” He needed to satisfy his curiosity.

“No! What I meant to say was that I keep female friends and not that type of relationship.” Mercy hoped that he would believe her and even if he didn’t, she would not care since he was nothing but a kind stranger.

“Ok, it makes sense now.”
Olatunbosun heaved a sigh of relief.
“Even if we are not friends, can I at least have your contact?” He was not ready to miss the opportunity of playing his best cards on her and see if she would succumb or not. He was a player and would not take no from any woman especially if he should declare his intention to them. Mercy wanted to refuse but not wanting to create any more awkward impression about herself and she had run out of excuses to give him if she would refuse to give him her contact so she just called out her phone number and kept mute afterwards.

“Thank you, I’ll give you a call and you never know what the future holds for us because I might be your first male friend.” He had so much excitement and Mercy could not just but wonder why he would be so excited just because she gave him her number. She replied with a nod and concluded in her mind not to answer the phone whenever he would call and that way she can keep all the men drama out of her life. She already had a long week and a long year in fact her life had been so long with a whole lot of drama and difficulties and she just didn’t need a man yet and she knew that every relationship started from mere exchange of contacts.

Olatunbosun dropped her off at her house and he bade her farewell.

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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE TWO
Mercy was a lady of about twenty-eight years old, single and lived a quiet and comfortable life. Like every young woman in Springa, she also had the dream of getting married to her prince charming and living happily ever after but as dreams were always charades, she had kissed a lot of frogs and was tired of it all but she never gave up on her search for her prince and was hoping that one day he would come and sweep her off her feet.

It had been about two weeks since she met Olatunbosun and he had broken into her cave to show her that gentlemen still existed. He had showered her with so much love and she had decided to give love a chance again. From early morning calls to late night messages and surprise visits both at her house and even at her place of work. He had spoiled her silly with many gifts and at first she played hard to get but Olatunbosun was so persistent that he finally got his way into her heart and she consented to the relationship and they officially got started.

“And what are you smiling at?” Tina opened the door to the apartment which she shared with her friend, Mercy, who was busy chatting and smiling and didn’t even notice when she entered the house with her luggage.

“OMG! You startled me! What are you doing here?” She asked in surprise.

“I have forgotten that I have to write a letter and get it stamped by the president before coming into a house where I pay the rent.” Tina hissed at her friend’s ridiculous question.

“Sorry o, Madam edgy,” Mercy said sarcastically and they both laughed. And then Mercy wore a concerned face as she remembered that her friend was not supposed to be back yet. “You ought to be on vacation with your fiancé and you shouldn’t be back till next week. So, I’m kinda surprised to see you.” She remembered how important the vacation was to her friend and how excited she was about it. “Did something happen?” Mercy was concerned.

“We just broke up.”

Mercy tried to read the expression on Tina’s face and she was able to see beyond the indifference in her friend’s voice that she was hurting.

“Tell me all that happened.”

“He was two-timing and even had the effrontery to invite her over for the vacation claiming that she was a distant cousin that he needed to bond with because she had depression.”

“That does not mean he is going out with her, Mercy interrupted and Tina paused for a while before she continued.

“The lady was hovering around him throughout our stay there like a mother hen would her chicks and I could not register my displeasure because he already told me of how she lost her husband and was becoming delusional. At some point I blamed myself for even going with him because he had little time for me and then I caught him red-handed with her and at that point he could not defend himself. I was so mad at him but what the lady said further broke him. She asked him if my psychiatric case had started again and I had to calm down and hear her out. Apparently he told her the same story he told me and I was made a fool of.” Tina was in tears.

“Wait, are you trying to tell me that he took both of you on a vacation together and lied to the both of you that the other lady was his cousin.” Mercy wanted to be sure she heard correctly.

Yes!

“Wow! Mercy clapped, this guy must really be a master player, I salute his craftiness,” she said sarcastically and bowed, making Tina to laugh out loud.

“I’m officially done and over guys now, they are all scumbags,” Tina sipped on a glass of juice she got from the fridge. “I can now join your crew,” she added and chuckled looking at Mercy. She was expecting her to make a comment or say something about what she said but Mercy was quiet and Tina guessed her suspicion was true. She had noticed the change in Mercy for about a week before she travelled and when she asked her, all Mercy told her was that Olatunbosun was just a friend.

“Then he is more than a friend, right?” She asked Mercy hoping she would say no but Mercy confirmed it. Tina had been Mercy’s friend since their undergraduate days and knew all about Mercy’s past. Hearing the news of a guy in Mercy’s life was not good news at all, knowing that Mercy had not been fortunate when it came to men matter.

“It’s the same guy that had been all over you of late, right?

“His name is Olatunbosun.”

“And?” Tina asked with a serious tone in her voice.

“He is my boyfriend.”

“Does he love you?”

“Of course, he does.”

“Are you happy with him?”

“Yes. I just hope you are sure about him because after all you’ve been through you don’t need another imposter in your life.” Tina was really concerned about her friend.

“I’m sure about him and he has given me every reason to believe that he is the one for me. Olatunbosun is different and he knows all I’ve gone through and has promised to make me happy forever and he had even promised to marry me.” She wanted Tina to be happy for her.

“I just hope you won’t regret this, Tina said, still not convinced that any man could be good.

“I won’t,” Mercy replied with a childish smile. “So, did you manage to buy anything for me from Dubai or you just ran away angrily?” Mercy teased her friend.

“I did not even buy anything for myself not to talk of someone else,” Tina hissed as images of her fiancé cheating self flashed through her mind.

“So all the trip to Dubai was a waste, abi?” Mercy asked jokingly.
“Just leave me jor, I’m not in the mood for jokes,” Tina walked into the room leaving Mercy alone in the living room.

OTHER BOOKS BY RAY OF HOPE STORIES
PAULINA… A LIFE WITH A DIFFERENCE
LOVE SO TRUE
THE CLOAK OF DARKNESS
THE GREATEST HEARTBREAK
ALL AVAILABLE AT OKADABOOKS.COM

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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE THREE
Tina watched her friend for some days and she discovered that she was mostly absent-minded or dozing off even at work and that was becoming unbecoming. Even her boss noticed it as well and complained about her lack of concentration at work. After they both got back from work, Tina decided to engage her friend in a serious heart-to-heart conversation so she can let her in on what exactly was going on with her.
“Mercy, we need to talk.” Tina closed the door leading to the small well-furnished sitting room of their two-bedroom apartment.
“About what?” Mercy asked, sounding tired and uninterested in the conversation.
“About what is going on with you and why the change in attitude and your undue coldness.”
“There is nothing out of the ordinary going on with me.” Tina knew that Mercy was a very secretive person who prefers to brood over her problems than to share it with others. She could remember Mercy had once said that she preferred to die in silence than to let people know where her shoe ached. But Tina was not just anybody, she was her best friend and was expecting that at least Mercy could trust her with her problems.
“Of course, a lot is going on with you and I demand to know.” Tina looked at the sad expression on her friend’s face and she didn’t want to imagine it was what she was thinking.
“Like I said, nothing is going on and I’m not in the mood for all these pet talks.” Mercy had anger layered in her voice and frustration plastered on her face as she attempted to walk away but Tina pushed her down and she fell backwards on the sofa.
“You are not going anywhere until we get to the root of the matter.” Tina was not ready to let Mercy bear her burden herself as she was overwhelmed with deep concern for her friend whom she knew was definitely hurting in one way.
Just then, Mercy’s phone rang and it was Tuby calling.
“Hey babe, are you ready?” Tuby’s voice could be heard from the other end of the line.
“I’m almost ready.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting for you and please don’t keep me waiting for too long.”
“Where are you going?” Tina asked as Mercy dropped the phone and made to enter into the room.
“I’m going on a date with Tuby.” She was a bit relieved that she would be free from her friend’s questioning. As much as she wanted to let Tina in on what was wrong with her, she couldn’t because Tuby made her promise she won’t tell her friend. And knowing the kind of person Tina was, she was certain that she wouldn't allow her to take the decision she was about to take. Mercy got ready and left, leaving Tina to just hope that everything would be fine with her.
Tina was a very observant lady and she noticed the indifferent in Mercy’s countenance as she answered Tuby’s call. She remembered when she first met Tuby and when they started out, how Mercy was all over him and was always gushing with excitement at even the slight mention of his name. But she had been so indifferent of late and she hardly even talked about him and whenever Tina asked her she would just say he was fine and that would be all. At first, Tina thought she was having a problem with her relationship but then with the date she said she was going for, Tina hoped they would sort out whatever was wrong so she could have her lively and cheerful friend back.
Tina waited till around 11pm for Mercy and when she didn’t arrive she concluded in her mind that she was spending the night with Tuby since that was not the first time she would be doing that even without prior notice. Tina didn’t want to encroach on them so she did not bother to call.
After about 2pm the following day Tina had still not heard from Mercy and though she had no cause to worry since she was with her man but Tina was just agitated. She tried Mercy’s number after much hesitation and it went unanswered. She tried the second, third, fourth and until the umpteenth time and she was about giving up when the phone was answered.
“Hey Mercy! Where the hell are you? Where did you put your phone? I’ve been calling you since morning,” Tina blurted out without even waiting for her to reply.
“Sorry ma’am, this is our patient’s phone and her guardian just stepped out for a moment. I noticed the phone was ringing non-stop and that was why I decided to answer the caller,” a voice replied and it left Tina shocked and confused. She heard patient, guardian and other gibberish she could not make sense of. She checked the caller id again to be sure that she had dialed the correct number.
“Please, where is the owner of this phone?”
“The owner of this phone is presently unconscious in our hospital and is undergoing treatment.” Tina was really shocked to hear that and could not think of what could have happened to her friend in less than 24 hours to make her unconscious in a hospital. She had been worried about her friend since the previous night but had been holding herself from calling her and when she eventually did that afternoon, the call was not connecting and when it connected it was unanswered and she thought of calling Tuby but she didn’t have his contact since Mercy refused to give it to her.
“What happened to her?” She finally asked after gaining her voice back from her moment of shock.
“How is she feeling now? Where is your hospital located?” Tina bombarded the person on the phone with series of questions.
“Calm down ma’am, I’ll give you the address of the hospital,” the voice replied calmly. Tina got the address and got ready as fast as she could and hurried down to the hospital.


EPISODE FOUR
Tina got to the hospital in less than an hour. She rushed down to the first nurse she saw and started asking a series of questions. The nurse directed her to where Mercy was and she was able to locate the room where her friend was. She was surprised to see her friend who walked out of the house on her two feet the previous day looking lifeless on a hospital bed. She needed explanations as she could not understand all that was going on. In the midst of her dilemma, a nurse walked in and directed her to the doctor’s office.

At the doctor’s office, Tina got to know that her friend aborted a pregnancy and when she was bleeding heavily, she was brought to the hospital. Tina was sad and angry at the revelation because she could not believe that her friend kept such a thing from her and she was angrier because she had been asking Mercy for a while what was wrong with her and all she got was nothing. She asked about her welfare and the doctor said her condition was stable and all that was needed was to wait for her to wake up from the effect of the sedatives that were given to her to make her sleep so as to be relieved from the pain she was feeling.

Tina stayed in the hospital with her friend and at about 7pm, Tuby showed up. Tina was angry at him for putting her friend through so much pain and she really gave him a piece of her mind. Tuby then apologized for the pain he caused and looked on as if it was not a big deal. Soon enough, Mercy came around and was very happy that Tina and Tuby were by her side. Tina contained all her anger and did not react because her friend was still looking a bit weak.


*****
After about three days, Mercy was discharged and Tuby was there to drive her and Tina home. When they got home, Tuby helped with the cleaning of the house because everywhere was messed up due to the fact that Tina had stayed with Mercy throughout her stay in the hospital and she only went home to change and have a bath. Tina made dinner for them and after dinner Tuby left and then Tina got the chance to release the anger she had been bottling in.

“Can you explain the meaning of all this drama?” She asked Mercy angrily.

“What drama?” Mercy tried to feign ignorance even though she knew what Tina was implying.

“You very well know what I’m talking about so don’t try to play dumb with me cos I’m not smiling.” Tina wore the ugliest frown she could to drive home her point.

“Well, where do I start from?”

“From the very beginning.”

“You already know I’m going out with Tuby and you know almost everything going on between us. What do you want to know again?”

“Where the pregnancy came from and the abortion and why you did not tell me? Those are the things I want to know and do you remember I once asked you about this but you didn’t give me a meaningful answer.”

Mercy explained all that happened to Tina. How she discovered that she was pregnant and told Tuby about it and how he convinced her to get rid of the pregnancy because he was not ready to be a father. How she used the drugs he gave her and started bleeding and how he took her to the hospital.

Tina listened to her friend with so much astonishment. She could not believe that Mercy would agree to an abortion at the age of twenty-eight. She was talking like a confused teenager.

“Are you too young to be a mother?” If he was not ready to take responsibility can’t you take care of your child yourself?” Tina kept asking her various questions to express her dissatisfaction with what she had done.

“It’s not like I did not want to keep the baby, but you know I’m engaged to Tuby and he said he didn’t want us to have any of our children before the wedding.”

“So, you can’t have the wedding before you put to bed, right?” Tina was getting pissed with the way her friend handled the matter.

“I also thought of that and I told him but he said he had to get some things together before we settled down and he would need enough time for that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because he told me not to tell you.” Tina could not stand her friend’s naive and gullible attitude especially when it came to men’s issues. She was used to playing the fool in all her relationships and always ended up being used, broken and dumped.

“You agreed to an abortion again after all you went through the previous times.” Tina was still looking at her in disbelief and wondering how on earth could someone be so stupid.

“You don’t have to remind me of my past pain and besides that would be the last time I would be doing it.”

“If you are not ready for babies then at least you would use protection so you don’t end up killing all your unborn generation.” Tina walked away angrily.

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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE FIVE
Gradually, things went back to the way they were before between Mercy and Tina and they were living their normal lives once again. Things were also going on well between Mercy and Tuby and she had been extremely excited of late because he just proposed to her officially and even gave her a ring and they had a lavished engagement party.


Olatunbosun or Tuby as he was fondly called by his friends, had travelled for over three weeks and Mercy had not heard from him and she was getting agitated because his phone had been switched off ever since. She had a bad feeling about his journey and her inability to reach him further heightened her apprehension.


“Tuby’s number is still not going through, right?” Tina asked as she walked into the room and met her friend pacing to and fro in the room with her two hands holding her waist.

“Yes,” Mercy replied, almost weeping.

“Have you tried checking him at his house or his place of work?”

“No, I haven’t. He had asked me not to come to his house or office unannounced as he won’t be able to attend to me because there were strict procedures in his office.” Mercy explained the major reason for her dilemma because as much as she wanted to visit him and check if he was back and how his trip went, she didn’t want to disobey his orders.
Tina was not pleased with Mercy’s reply and she could not but wonder why a man would ask his fiancée to always inform him before visiting.

“Now that you can’t visit his house or his office and his number is not connecting, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know, I just don’t know,” Mercy said and broke into tears. “I don’t know if he arrived safely, if the trip went well, if he is back, I don’t know anything,” she added amidst tears. Tina had always known her friend to be so emotional and that was why she loved easily and got hurt easily.

“How long was his trip supposed to last?” Tina asked, trying to proffer a solution to her friend’s dilemma.

“I don’t know!”

“Then you have to get answers to all these questions you don’t know. You have to visit him at least to be sure all is well with him.” Tina said as the best solution she could come up with.

“No! I reject that,” Mercy replied sharply.

“I’m not cursing him, all I’m saying is that it is not normal for a man to travel for over three weeks and his number would be off.”

“But I can’t visit him without informing him.”

“Then you are not really worried about him.”

“I’m worried but I’m also scared, I don’t want to offend him.”

“He can’t be offended since you would be visiting for a good cause and besides, this would help you get answers to all your questions.” Tina just hoped it was not what she was thinking because her friend cannot survive another heartbreak.


*****
After a little persuasion, Mercy agreed to visit Tuby and since it was a Sunday, they went to his house. Mercy had been to Tuby’s house before then, even though it was once. They mostly met at hotels, restaurants or at her house because Tuby always insisted that his house was too far for them to hang out there.

It took Tina and Mercy about three hours to get to Tuby’s house because of the distance, traffic and the bad road. By the time they got there, it was almost 5pm. Mercy knocked at the gate and the gateman came to answer her.

“Please I’m here to see Olatunbosun.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Mercy, his fiancée.” She was not satisfied with the way he was questioning her and looking at her.
The gateman was shocked to hear the word ‘fiancée’ from Mercy’s mouth. He knew his boss was promiscuous and that he do bring a lot of women into the house but none of them had ever claimed to be his fiancée.

“Please can you repeat what you just said?” The gateman requested wanting to be sure he heard correctly.

“I’m Mercy, his fiancée.” She was getting impatient and really worried.

“My boss is around but I don’t know if he would want to see you because he didn’t tell me he was expecting you. Wait, let me inform him of your presence.” The gateman left, closing the gate behind him and leaving them standing outside.

Mercy was taken aback by the news that Tuby was back from his trip and could not give her a call to inform her and she didn’t hide her disgust as she complained bitterly to Tina who was standing by and watching the drama keenly.

“Calm down, he must have a good reason for that and maybe he just arrived.” Tina tried to calm her friend down and to convince herself that nothing bad would happen. Just then, the gateman returned to give Mercy the greatest shock of her life.

“I’m sorry madam, you’ve got the wrong address. My boss said he doesn’t know anyone by the name ‘Mercy’.”

“Are you kidding me?” Tina asked in utmost shock. “Tell him it’s Mercy Adeoye, his fiancée,” she added.

“He already instructed me not to disturb him again so please call his number and leave this place.” He closed the gate.

Mercy was shocked to the bones, she could not even utter a word, she was just gazing at a distance.

“What are we going to do now?” Tina asked, looking at her friend.

“I’ll wait and see him myself. Let him say it to my face that he doesn’t know me,” Mercy managed to say amidst tears.

“We can’t just wait here like this. You know it is getting dark and we might not get a cab to take us home,” Tina said looking worried.

“I don’t mind sleeping here.” Mercy was determined to get to the root of the matter.


******
After about thirty minutes of waiting and endless pleading by Tina to her friend to let them leave, a red car parked in front of the gate and blared its horn. Just when the gateman opened the gate, Mercy beckoned at the driver to stop thinking it was Tuby and that he wasn’t home the whole time. The driver stopped and Mercy was quite disappointed because it wasn’t Tuby. The driver was a young lady of about thirty years, she was dressed in a jumpsuit and had dark shades on. At the back seat of the car were two lovely kids, a boy and a girl of about ten and eight years respectively.

“Yes ma’am, what can I do for you?” The lady asked Mercy from inside the car with her gaze fully on her.

“Do you live here?” Mercy asked.

“Yes please, with my husband and kids,” she said confidently with her gaze still on Mercy. “Why do you ask?” She asked. Mercy was quite taken aback with the statement. She had been to Tuby’s house before but she didn’t enter. Tuby had instructed her to stay in the car even though she wanted to go in, she had no choice but to obey him.

“Is this house more than one flat?” Mercy asked, trying to see the possibility of her being Tuby’s neighbour.

The lady didn’t understand why Mercy was bugging her with questions and she became irritated at her for wasting her time.

“Please madam, I’m sure you didn’t leave the comfort of your house to be asking silly questions. So whatever it is you are here for, just say it and let’s have peace,” she said angrily.

“I’m here to see Olatunbosun, the owner of this house, my fiancé.” Mercy was getting desperate and it showed in her every statement and body gestures.

“You mean you are Olatunbosun’s fiancée?” The lady asked to be sure she heard correctly.

“Yes, I am!” Mercy was relieved to know that the lady knew Olatunbosun, her own Tuby.
The lady laughed hysterically and asked them to come in. She drove into the compound and Mercy followed in the company of Tina.

Olatunbosun was seated on the sofa in his living room when the door opened and the two children ran into the house screaming, ‘Daddy! Daddy!’ and ran over to him to greet him.

“Welcome my little pumpkins” He lifted each of them up and kissed their cheeks.

Just then, he looked up and saw Mercy and Tina standing by the doorway with the young lady who apparently was his wife. He was flabbergasted to see them and could not utter a word as he thought they had left when he instructed the gateman to turn them away.

“Do you know these ladies?” She asked, pointing at Tina and Mercy.

“Ehn, hmm,” Tuby stammered and could not utter coherent words.

“You have not answered my question Mr. Man,” his wife said furiously, dropping her bag and standing akimbo.

“I know them,” Tuby finally said after a brief silence and a lot of emotions hanging in the air.

“So, it is true!” She clapped her hands. She had somehow suspected that her husband was cheating but she didn’t know he had gotten to the point where he would allow his whores come to their home and worst still claim that she was his fiancée.

“What?”

“She said you are her fiancé.” His wife was sending flames of fire across to him with her eyes and he would have been roasted if looks could kill. But he was catching the heat as perspiration appeared on his forehead.

“Hah! Me! Fiancé! No!” Tuby screamed trying to sound as convincing as possible because he was not ready to incur the wrath of his wife.

“What are you trying to say?” Tina intervened as Mercy was just looking like a zombie. She was too shocked at everything she was just discovering about the man she had thought was different from others. She was seriously hoping it was just a bad dream that she would soon wake up from.

“What I’m saying is that I only helped this lady when she was stranded on the road and gave her a ride to her house and that was all. I don’t even know her name or how she got my address.” Tuby was looking at his wife with so much hope that she would believe him because he valued the peace he was enjoying in his house and as much as he was not faithful to their marriage vow, he still loved her so much that he hated to hurt her.

“What!” Tina screamed and rushed towards Tuby to give him a resounding slap which was successful. She wanted to do more but she just respected her friend and went back to where Mercy was standing to compel her to say something but then, Mercy fainted.

“Nobody should come and die in my house oh. Please take your fiancée out of my house right now!” His wife walked away obviously not believing anything Tuby said.

“Take your friend out of my house right now and never return. And you might want to do that very fast because my wife is very aggressive and if she meets you here when she comes out, you might not like the outcome.” Tuby also walked out leaving Tina bewildered, perplexed, bitter and angry. She wouldn’t have been so angry if Tuby had shown a little bit of concern for Mercy but his carefree attitude infuriated her the more. She asked help from the gateman and was finally able to take Mercy out with the hope that Mercy would be able to overcome the trauma and live past it.

OTHER BOOKS BY RAY OF HOPE STORIES

PAULINA… A LIFE WITH A DIFFERENCE

LOVE SO TRUE

THE CLOAK OF DARKNESS

THE GREATEST HEARTBREAK

ALL AVAILABLE AT OKADABOOKS

Thanks for reading, feel free to share but don't edit. Like our Facebook page at Ray of Hope Stories to follow up on this series and others.

MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE SIX
After about six hours in the hospital, Mercy regained consciousness. She sat up on the bed and was busy asking Tina series of questions about how she got to the hospital.


“Don’t tell me you don’t remember anything.” Tina was looking at her to see if she was being serious or just trying to feign denial to overcome the heartbreak.


“I can’t remember all I know is that I had a terrible dream that felt so real but I pray it will never come to pass.”


“If you don’t remember then it is fine. Just get well and let us go home”.
The doctor already told Tina that her friend was six weeks pregnant and she had been through a lot of stress lately that had put her life and the pregnancy in a critical state. She needed a lot of rest to normalize her BP so Tina would not be telling her why she was in the hospital because that would only complicate her health.


But on a second thought, she felt it would be best to tell Mercy then that they were in the hospital so that whatever would happen to her as a result of the news would be taken care of by the doctors to avoid her losing her friend who was already looking like she would drop dead anytime soon.


“Where is Tuby?” Mercy asked to bring Tina back to the present. Tina could not believe her ears. Tuby should be the least of her friend’s worries at the moment if only she knew the bigger issue.


“What did you say?”


“Where is Tuby?”


“In his house with his wife and children I guess.” Tina wanted to spark up her friend’s memory to remember the incident that happened the previous day.


“You are very funny.” Mercy laughed but she stopped when she noticed that Tina was not smiling.


“Are you being serious right now?”


“Of course, can’t you really remember all that happened yesterday?” Tina became filled with concern and pity for her friend.


“I can’t, but I had a terrible dream.”


“Please narrate the dream.” She narrated the dream to Tina and she confirmed to her that it was the same incidence that played out at Tuby’s house the previous day. Mercy broke down in inconsolable tears. Tina felt pity for her friend because she had gone through a lot in life and bad things kept on happening to her.



*****
After some days, Mercy was discharged from the hospital and went home. The doctor already told her about her pregnancy and how critical her condition was. The doctor even told her about the possibility of losing her pregnancy or her life if her BP kept on increasing.


Mercy sat down in her room, ruminating over her condition and the way forward. She could not afford to keep the pregnancy because of the shame of having a child out of wedlock and the fear of losing her job. She was also scared of committing another abortion because she barely escaped death the last time and the doctor had warned her against it.


Tina walked in. “I bought some fruits for you.” She handed over the bag she was holding to Mercy.


“Thanks a lot.” Mercy took the bag.


“What are you going to do?”


“I’ll abort it.” Mercy didn’t want to think about the consequences of that action.


“Abortion again?” Tina was dazed at her friend’s decision.


“Yes, or what do you suggest I do?”


“You can work for about four more weeks and take a leave from the office before you start showing and then you can travel to your hometown to stay with your parents till your due date. You give birth to the child, wean him/her and leave her with your parents so you can come back to start a new life.”


“That sounds easier said than being done. How would I cater for the child when I’m out of job? How would my aged parents cope with the news of the pregnancy and also take care of an infant? It would be a lifetime of sorrow because each time I see that child, I would remember all the evil he did to me and besides, what will I tell the child when he starts asking questions about his father?” Mercy could not stop her mind from producing various reasons why she could not keep the pregnancy and then unrehearsed tears escaped her blephara.


“When you get to that bridge you would cross it. But please don’t even consider abortion at all. You are old enough to carry a child and you can make enough money to give the child a good life with or without a father.” Tina wanted to convince her friend from making a drastic decision.


“I don’t have the strength to carry Tuby’s child. I won’t be able to carry the pregnancy to full term because the hatred I feel for him right now is what I feel for his child that is growing in me.”


“Just do whatever makes you happy but don’t do what you would regret. A mother can never hate her own child no matter the circumstance that surrounds his birth. Give yourself time and you will find yourself loving the child more than you can imagine.” Tina was still trying to convince Mercy to drop the idea of an abortion and think of better ways of getting back on her feet.

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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE SEVEN
Mercy went through with the abortion not minding Tina’s counsel and disapproval. She went to a doctor at a local clinic near her place of work where she cleaned up the pregnancy. It seemed as if everything went well until one day later, she collapsed in her office during working hours and she was bleeding profusely. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she was attended to.


The abortion was badly done and a part of her uterus had been ruptured and that was what led to the bleeding. The doctor had to perform a surgical operation to remove the womb totally to save her life. The news of the abortion spread like a wild fire and everyone was talking about it as it became the hottest topic for gossips. She was retrenched from her place of work after she was discharged from the hospital. Their excuse was that they needed to protect their reputation and her scandal was a blow.


Mercy could not contain all the calamities that had befallen her and to even imagine that she could no longer have a child of her own made her more hopeless. She wanted to live past the pain and focus on her job squarely but that too was taken away from her and she decided that suicide was the only option left for her. She had gotten to her limit and was broken beyond repairs and she felt like the world was no longer bearable for her and she wanted out.
She tied a long rope to the ceiling fan in her room, climbed the table and she was about to tie the rope around her neck when Tina walked in.


“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Tina yelled upon seeing Mercy in that condition.


“Isn’t it obvious? I’m trying to put an end to this miserable life of mine and don’t even think of stopping me.”


“I won’t stop you, my dear. In fact, go ahead and I promise to make sure you die before bringing your body down. But I tell you that all the men that had abused you and jilted you will continue to enjoy their lives while you rot in hell.” Tina sat down on the edge of the bed and looked away from Mercy.


The words of Tina made some impacts on Mercy as she dropped the rope and stepped down from the table to sit on the floor.


“What have I done to deserve this kind of life? Am I the only one on earth? Ever since I have come of age, I have never experienced peace with any man. They all take advantage of me and even my very own uncle did not spare me.” Mercy drowned herself in her tears.



*****
Mercy was about thirteen years old when her parents brought her from the village to the city for proper education and sponsorship since they were not buoyant enough to sponsor her education. They brought her to Enginnayin, where her father’s brother lives. Uncle Bassey, Mercy’s uncle, was married with two children and he consented to the request of his elder brother to help take care of his daughter.


Living with Uncle Bassey was like an answer to prayer for Mercy because she was exposed to a lot of opportunities that she lacked in the village. She was very passionate about education and was a quick-witted student who loved to study. She was able to blend well into the city lifestyle and was able to top her class right from her first term in the school. She was the envy of most of her classmates and friends. She was docile, deferential and fascinating and that made her the perfect description of beauty and brains with character.


Things began to change after her fifteenth birthday. Her uncle started making advances at her. Though, she was smart enough to decode what he wanted, she didn’t know the best way to turn him down since he was the one sponsoring her education. He would instruct her to remove all her clothes and stand before him naked whenever she made a slight mistake and he would claim that he was punishing her.
Sometimes, he would touch her sensitive parts and would say he was making sure she was growing properly. She didn’t like all he was doing to her but when her aunt met him at it, she didn’t see it as a big deal and so Mercy also concluded that it was not a big deal since he was like a father to her.


One fateful night, they all travelled for a function and Mercy boarded the same bus with her uncle while the rest were in a separate bus. One thing led to the other and her aunt and cousins could not make it back that night and Mercy had to sleep in the house alone with her uncle. Being so young and naive, she didn’t sense trouble until her uncle got to her room and tried to rape her.


“What are you doing here and what do you want?” She shouted in fear as her uncle kept advancing towards her like a tiger its prey.


“I want you my dear.” He had uncontained lust in his eyes.


“Please, don’t hurt me.” Mercy pleaded with him in tears.


“I won’t hurt you, my dear. I love you too much to do that to you.” He yanked the duvet off her body.


“Why are you doing this to me? You are supposed to be my uncle and I’m your niece. This is not right!” Mercy was hoping she would be able to convince the man that had gone mad with lust for his own niece.


“This is the right thing to do. I’m only trying to reap from where I have sown and there is nothing wrong with that. I have been taking care of you for over two years now, feeding you, accommodating you, clothing you, and sponsoring your education and so much more. So, what is wrong with you?” He gave a wicked laugh and went over to the door, locked it and kept the key in his pockets before going back to the edge of the bed where Mercy cuddled herself crying.


“Would you remove your clothes yourself or I should do it for you?” He asked and advanced towards her. Mercy was confused on what to do.
She had been looking at the best way to run out since the door was opened but just as if he could read her thoughts, he had locked the door leaving her trapped. She knew screaming would not do her any good and she was left with only one option and that was to give in to his request so it would be less painful for her.


She cried her eyes out as she watched herself being broken, used and abused by the very person that was to protect her. She felt wasted and lost all her vibe and she just wanted to commit suicide but she just kept living with the pain.


Her uncle did not make it a one-time affair. He was always coming to her room at night and he would stuff enough clothes into her mouth to silence her. When she tried locking her door and refused to open the door for him when he knocked, he punished her severely the next morning. He accused her of stealing his money and brought out a long whip to teach her that it was bad to steal. His wife supported his intent to punish Mercy because stealing was a bad thing. He took her to her room and asked her to UnCloth and right there he did it again with his wife standing outside the door and screaming “beat her very well! She needs to be thought a lesson that stealing is bad.”


At that point, Mercy knew she could not tell anyone about what he was doing to her because he always threatened to kill her if she did. She could not run away from the house and so she was stuck. She endured all the emotional pain and physical pain that were inflicted on her and she somehow knew she would be free someday.



EPISODE EIGHT
After about a year, Mercy gained admission into the university to study Accounting. She was elated and ecstatic with the news and with the thought of finally leaving the claws of her uncle. Uncle Bassey on the other hand was not so pleased with the news but he tried to hide it in a charade. He had initially disagreed with the idea of Mercy pursuing a degree immediately after she left secondary school. He had told his wife then that it would be best for Mercy to learn a trade first and after which go to the university later. But his wife had a different opinion about the whole issue. She felt it was best for Mercy to apply to the university and she can stay back only if she was not offered an admission. Uncle Bassey had seriously prayed she wouldn't gain the admission because he was enjoying his escapade with the young girl and he didn’t want it to end soon.


Uncle Bassey made everything available for Mercy to get ready for school and everyone was beaming with smiles as they went shopping for the stuff she would need. Her young cousins had always looked up to her as a perfect example especially in her academics and she was happy that she didn’t disappoint them. Her aunt had also been so supportive ever since she got to their house but just that she trusted her husband too much to not notice the way he looked at Mercy lustfully. The only devil in the house was Uncle Bassey and Mercy had come to hate him with so much passion that if she had a gun she would have killed him long ago.


A night before she resumed school, he came to her room as usual and after he had satisfied himself he gave her a piece of his mind. He told her that she belonged to him and that she had no right to date anyone on campus and she didn’t even have the right to love any other man aside from him and that made Mercy chuckle because she knew that she could not hate any other man more than she hated him already. He also gave her a condition for him to sponsor her education and it was that anytime he needed to pay her bills, she would pay him back with her body. Mercy knew better than to argue with him and she just agreed to his condition with a different plan on her mind.


*****

Immediately Mercy settled in school, she decided to hatch out her plan and that was to cut off all ties with her uncle and his family. She felt bad especially because her aunt and cousins were good people in their own way but she was tired of being used by her uncle. She told her parents about her decision and gave them a flimsy reason just so they could understand her. She told them she was old enough to take care of herself and was tired of being a burden to her uncle. Uncle Bassey tried to reach out to Mercy but she shut him out. He promised to stop abusing her but she was determined to stick to her decision and after a while, he gave up. Mercy experienced freedom for the first time in a long time. She could sleep without fear or panic and she became happier and more optimistic about life.


The struggle to survive also came with the freedom package and Mercy had to deal with it. There was no one to send money to her again and she needed to map out a plan to cater for her expenses. Her uncle already paid for her tuition and accommodation and her aunt got her enough provision to last for a while and she also had little cash with her. She would soon be running out of money and she had to take up a job.


She began to do some menial jobs for her hostel mates and colleagues that lived off campus. She would wash their clothes, iron them, and clean their rooms, the toilet, wash plates and many more. She also added petty trading to her hustle and sometimes she did assignments for her coursemates for money. Life was finally getting together for Mercy and she was making enough money to cater for her present and future needs.


When she got to her third year in school, things began to go bad because school activities were so overwhelming that she had little time for her business and could no longer do menial jobs because she had become a big girl that was so popular on campus for her good grades.


A lot of her friends were into prostitution as it was like the only means of survival for some of them while others were doing it for fun.
They had advised her to join them and make cool money but she always turned them down stating that she had made up her mind to make an honest living and not to do anything she won’t be proud of, like selling her body for money. Though things were had and she had to put up with a lot of ridicule from people that called her a lowlife, she did not yield to the pressure.


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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE NINE
Terry was a guy in his final year, Accounting department, and he has been disturbing Mercy for a relationship ever since her first year but she had not really given him much consideration, yet he was persistent. Tina, Mercy’s roommate and friend had advised her to give him a chance but she had always refused with the claim that she didn’t need any distraction in her life. But, the truth was that she was yet to recover from her uncle’s abuse and she had developed hatred for the male gender.
Mercy kept telling herself that she didn’t have the capacity to love any man but the more Terry persisted, the more her heart softened towards him. And in her third year in school, she gave him a chance to prove his love.
Terry was really a gentleman and in no time Mercy had fallen head over heels for him and though she was afraid he would hurt her, she fell notwithstanding. He tried to consummate the relationship but Mercy had not overcome the trauma she had gone through with her uncle. She told him everything and promised to give her time to heal without forcing the issue. He gave her all she needed and money was no longer a part of her worries.
Mercy told her friend, Tina, all what her uncle did to her and she earned her sympathy. She also told her of how she could not satisfy Terry and she wanted to heal fast so she could pay him for all he had done for her. She felt love was a give and take game and since Terry had been doing all the giving, she knew that sooner or later he would get tired of giving and walk out. She wanted to give him what he wanted but anytime she tried she would always see her uncle’s scenes playing out in her head and then she won’t be able to satisfy him.

******
After Terry’s final exam in the school, he organized a party with his friends to celebrate their successful completion of the university and Mercy was also in attendance. She tasted alcohol for the first time that night and could not stop drinking until she was so drunk and tipsy. Terry took advantage of her vulnerable state and had his way with her. The next morning when Mercy confronted him about it, he just brushed it aside as not a big deal. Claiming that they were both drunk and besides there was nothing wrong with what he did since she was his girlfriend. Mercy was finally able to overcome her trauma and she was able to give herself to Terry.
Terry left the school shortly after his exams and that was the last Mercy heard of him. It was when she was mourning his departure that she discovered that she was pregnant. She was not able to contact Terry to tell him about it no matter how hard she tried. She guessed he changed his contact immediately he left the school and none of his friends gave Mercy his new contact.
Mercy didn’t know what to do about the pregnancy and she felt her whole world was crashing before her. She was to resume her final year soon and wouldn’t be able to cope with the pregnancy and the stigma of carrying a pregnancy out of wedlock was enough to make her know that she didn’t have the strength to go through that route. She also didn’t have enough to take care of her expenses and having to cater for another life was definitely going to be difficult if not completely impossible.
It was in her confused state of mind that her friends advised her to get rid of the pregnancy and move on with her life. She heeded their advice and got rid of the pregnancy. She had been afraid that there might be complications or she might even die but there was no complication and she was surprised that abortion could be that easy.
Since she started dating Terry, she had closed down her petty trading and when he was gone, she had no source of livelihood. She decided to join her friends in prostitution. It was not a problem for her to get clients because she was very beautiful and in no distant time, she was a pro in the game.
At first, she did it for the money but later she started enjoying it and did it more for fun. She got pregnant many times and she didn’t hesitate to eliminate them. She got so wild and wayward that she lost every sense of decency and innocence. Her wayward lifestyle affected her studies greatly but she was able to graduate with her mates though with a third class.
She was posted to a far Northern state in Nigeria for her youth service (a compulsory one year program for all graduates where they serve the country in a state that is different from their states of origin). Her other friends were posted to different states and it was during her service year that she saw life differently and turned over a new leaf. She was determined to live a meaningful and different life henceforth.

EPISODE TEN
After her youth service, she got a decent job and started living an honest life. She was determined to maintain her integrity so that a good man would come her way and she would settle down and start a family of her own. She was in the midst of positioning herself well so she would attract decent and honest men when she met Samuel, Sam for short. Sam came to the state where Mercy was for a business meeting and he was lodged at Lady Michael’s suite, where Mercy worked as an accountant.
He was always cracking jokes and spending time with her. One thing led to the other and they started dating. Samuel was Mercy’s kind of man. He was gentle, good-looking, and cool and he was independent. He just started his business and was yet to reach his peak but Mercy admired his fighting spirit and quest for excellence. Samuel worked in another city but he would always come to pay Mercy a visit and to spend some time with her.
Mercy was enjoying the relationship so far and she wondered where Samuel had been all her life. She fell so much in love with him that she was always looking forward to when next he would visit her. She would have loved to also pay him a visit but her schedule was so tight that she could not squeeze out time to travel to where Samuel was.
There was a day he came crying to her that he was swindled and had lost a lot of money to the swindlers including the one he borrowed from a co-operative society. He told Mercy that if he didn’t return the money, his business would fold up and he might even end up in jail. Mercy felt pity for him and went out of her way to help him raise the money. She borrowed from her friends and took a loan from her place of work. After Samuel collected the money, he left and that was the last she heard of him. She called his number which suddenly became unreachable several times and after some time, it dawned on her that he had played a fast one on her and she had been used, cheated and dumped.
At that point, she knew she had bad luck with men and just wanted to live a happy life even if it meant she wouldn’t have to be married. She was successfully doing that before Olatunbosun came into the picture and made her fall head over heels for him only to discover that he was married with two children and could never be hers. She had lost everything precious to her and then she could not even have a child of her own anymore just because she played the fool.
“I just want to end all these calamities.” Mercy spoke after a prolonged silence.
“Do you know what I’m thinking?”
“No, I don’t know and I don’t want to know.” Mercy didn’t want to delude herself with whatever her friend was scheming. She just wanted out from all the calamities she was facing and from the world if that’s the only path to peace!
“I think we should play a game.” Tina was beaming with smiles.
“What game?”
“Let’s pay men back in their own coin. You have suffered in the hands of so many men that it’s time you stop loving them and deal with them real good.”
“How?”
“We are going to target married men or the ones that are in serious relationships. We will get them to go out with us and after getting them where we want, we will take a picture and send it to their wives or fiancées and watch them suffer the pain of rejection and heartbreak like we have suffered.”
“Is that playing them or prostituting ourselves and what about the innocent ladies that would be hurt?” Mercy asked innocently.
“Screw them all! Where were they when you were suffering in the hands of guys? Besides, they also do a lot of women and call it enjoyment not prostitution. So, my dear, we are going to play their game with them and beat them to it.” Tina was oozing with confidence.
“We are going to let every man pay for the pain you have gone through and watch their ladies feel pain too.” Tina stood up.
“This would be a very tasking mission.” Mercy was not so convinced she wanted to live her life in revenge.
“Yes! Very tasking and we are going to spend our lifetime achieving that. We have nothing to lose after all. We get their money and break their relationships while we walk out of their lives and leave them to lick their wounds.”
“Are you in or out?” She asked Mercy straightening out her blouse.
“I will think about it.”
“Think and decide fast, baby girl because this is going to be fun.”

OTHER BOOKS BY RAY OF HOPE STORIES
PAULINA… A LIFE WITH A DIFFERENCE
LOVE SO TRUE
THE CLOAK OF DARKNESS
THE GREATEST HEARTBREAK
ALL AVAILABLE AT OKADABOOKS

MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE ELEVEN
Slut! Ashawo! Prostitute! A lady shouted at Tina and Mercy as they walked out of the shopping complex. It was over a year since Mercy started her revenge mission and she had gotten used to that kind of embarrassment from embittered wives and fiancées. Mercy and Tina had to hurry into their car and leave the scene because the woman was attracting people’s attention to them and was creating a scene.
The new life that Mercy had chosen to live had given her access to a lot of wealth. She was living in a duplex at GRA and had a fleet of cars and she also had other houses around. She was the proud owner of a large shopping complex at the heart of the city.
“Do you know that lady?” Tina asked as they stepped out of the car.
“How am I supposed to know? I just want to eat and sleep. I don’t have any business with her, she can go and confront her husband if she feels cheated,” Mercy said as she sat on the beautiful sofa in her large sitting room.
“So, you do know her then?”
“Of course. Sharon! Sharon!”
“Yes ma! Welcome ma’am.” Sharon, a young lady of about twenty years old, entered the living room.
“You didn’t know that we are back, right? Or if I didn’t call you, you won’t greet us.” Mercy had been so strict in dealing with her maid.
“I’m sorry ma’am.” Sharon went on her knees immediately.
“Take the bags to my room and set the table. I’m hungry.”
“Ok ma’am.” Sharon dashed off.
“You better take it easy with this girl.”
“Take what easy? At her age, I know what I was doing to survive. So, what is the big deal with what I’m asking her to do and besides, she gets paid for her services.”
“Just take it easy with her and back to our discussion, who was that lady?”
“OMG! You are such a pain in the ass. Can’t you just forget that?” Mercy yawned, wanting Tina to realize that she was tired and not in the mood for pet talks.
“Well, I can’t forget and you better start talking now.”
“She’s chief’s wife,” Mercy responded when she discovered that Tina won’t let her be until she has heard everything.
“Which of the chiefs?”
“You are not serious jor. It’s the present chief,” Mercy said smiling.
“Chief Patrick, right?”
“If you know you know.” Mercy walked over to the dining where her dinner had been served.
Mercy was going out with Chief Patrick for over two months after she wrecked the family of a famous engineer. She met the chief at a club and they had been together since then. Chief Patrick was a wealthy man and that explained why Mercy was still with him. He was an oil magnet, a successful one at that. He owned a lot of gas stations all over the country and he was also very generous and spent money lavishly. Her code of conduct for her revenge mission was to get enough money from her victim and then get the wife or fiancée of her victim informed about their relationship and then she backs out while watching the marriage or relationship of such victim crumble. But she could not get herself to stay away from Chief Patrick and though his wife had been trailing her for about a week, she was not ready to let go.
“What are you still doing with that chief?” Tina asked scooping a spoonful of rice into her mouth and giving Mercy a stern look.
“I’m yet to collect all that is mine from him.”
“Really?” Tina asked and Mercy nodded.
“But his wife has been harassing you for a while now.”
“Just ignore her.” Mercy took her phone. “I know what to do.”
“What are you going to do?” Tina asked but Mercy didn’t respond as she kept on scrolling through her phone. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear.
“Hello chief, I’m done with this relationship. I can’t continue to suffer like this and this was not what you promised me,” Mercy said in tears making the chief panic.
“What is wrong with you my baby girl?” Came Chief Patrick’s husky voice from the other end of the line.
“Your wife sent thugs to attack me and she came with them to rain curses on me. In fact, I was terribly injured and I’m currently receiving treatment in a hospital.”
“What! You can’t be serious,” the chief exclaimed.
“I’m serious.”
“I’m so sorry my dear. Please, let me handle the situation in my own way. I’m going to deal with her that she would regret ever doing that to you. You know what? I’m going to send a little something into your account now.”
“That’s my chief,” Mercy said smiling.
“Bad girl!” Tina said excitedly just as Mercy ended the call.
“If I’m a bad girl then what are you?”
“I’m still a learner o.”
“Naughty girl,” Mercy said and continued devouring the plate of food before her.

Thanks for reading, feel free to share but don't edit.

MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE TWELVE
It was around 5:30pm when Chief Patrick’s wife, Tinuola, arrived at her apartment and she was surprised to see her husband in the house that early because he was a night crawler.


“What are you doing at home by this time?” She asked, looking at him with ire and disdain.


“Silly woman! Where are your manners? Is that how your mates greet their husband?” Chief Patrick spat anger in his every word.


“I’m not in the mood for bullshit. If you can’t answer a simple question then go to hell.” She made to walk away but the chief pulled her back and she fell on the couch.


“Do you want to beat me?” She shouted and got back on her feet shaking her body vigorously.


“Yes, I’m going to beat you just like you beat up that innocent girl.”


“Which innocent girl are you talking about?”


“The one you sent thugs after today and even went around town disgracing yourself. Don’t you have shame?” Chief said in disgust.


“Hah! Hah! Hah!” Tinuola laughed so loud that she fell back on the chair and continued laughing.


“What is cracking you up?” Chief asked, looking confused because he didn’t know what was so hilarious in all he had said.


“Was that what she told you?” Tinuola said after finding her voice from laughing so much. ‘She has just given me an idea of what to do to her the next time I see her anywhere close to you.”


“It would be best for you to stay away from her because the next time she reports you to me, I’m going to kill you.”


“You can’t kill me, you can’t,” Tinuola screamed back at her husband and she wondered what went wrong with her lovely husband who had then become a monster.


“Watch and see!”


“I’m going to tell your children,” Tinuola threatened.


“Tell them and let them come and stop me from having fun,” Chief said and hissed. Chief’s children were all married and were living abroad and though he had always loved to be a perfect picture of a good father and husband to them, he was done with his wife using them to stop him from having fun. Tinuola was surprised that he was not scared when she threatened to report him to his children and then she knew that his heart had gone far away from her.


“This man has been bewitched,” she said crying.



*******
After about a week, Tinuola made up her mind to pay Mercy a visit and plead with her to leave her husband alone. Because Chief had stopped going to the house ever since their little argument and he had not answered her calls nor replied to any of her texts. She felt the best thing to do was to get Mercy out of the picture first then she can work on how to win back her husband and make him hers again.


Mercy’s gateman allowed Tinuola into the house without much interrogation and she was led into the living room where Sharon made her comfortable with a glass of juice before she went upstairs to inform Mercy that she had a guest. When Mercy arrived, she was amazed to see who her visitor was.


“What can I do for you?” She asked, trying to pretend as if she didn’t know who she was.


“Don’t you know me?” Tinuola asked.


“I don’t know you and I don’t have excess time to do that. Kindly tell me what you want from me,” Mercy said rudely.


“I want you to leave my husband alone,” Tinuola said frankly. “Just tell me all you want and I’ll do it for you but please leave Patrick alone for me,” Tinuola added and got on her knees. She was desperate to get her husband from Mercy’s claws and was ready to do anything and that included her kneeling for a girl that was probably younger than her last daughter.


“I don’t know what you are talking about madam,” Mercy said and stood up.


“Please my daughter, have pity on me. He is old enough to be your father,” Tinuola pleaded.


“Please madam, leave my house now or I’ll call the police,” Mercy said angrily.


Tinuola got back on her feet, took her bag and made to leave but she stopped half way and said,
“If you don’t want to leave him peacefully then you will leave him by force. I’m going to make you suffer for making me go through this pain in my old age.” She stepped out after saying that leaving Mercy to panic.

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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE THIRTEEN
After the threat from Tinuola, Mercy decided to stay away from Chief Patrick to avoid any disaster. She had always been careful in her dealings, especially with married men but she got so carried away with the chief’s wealth that she did not remember the consequence of allowing the man’s wife to know her and then she even knew her house. Chief Patrick was not ready to let go of her so easily and the more she tried to stay away from him, the more he was bombarding her with calls, messages and gifts.


Mercy was getting tired of the whole issue. She sought advice from Tina and the latter told her to meet up with Chief so they could break up officially, that it was wrong to break up with a man on the phone. She agreed to meet up with Chief Patrick for the last time to formally end things with him.


On the day of the meeting, Mercy dressed in a simple gown with a flat covered shoe and didn’t even bother to make up her face. She wanted to look unappealing to the chief so he would let her off his hook easily. She got to their meeting place which was the restaurant of a five-star hotel earlier than the chief and she had to wait for him. Chief Patrick arrived after she had waited for about thirty minutes.


“Hello, my angel,” Chief Patrick said as he moved closer to where Mercy was seated.


“Hi Chief,” she said without looking at him.


“I’ve really missed you,” he said exposing his dental set with a wide grin. Mercy was trying as much as possible to maintain a straight face so as to end the conversation on time because she was somehow scared that the chief’s wife would carry out her threat.


“I want us to stop this affair. I’m scared of your wife and I don’t want to die young,” Mercy said in fear. I’m the only child of my parents and I’m the one taking care of them because they are too old to work. Please chief, let’s end all this for our own good. Go back to your wife and make things work between you again but please leave me alone,” Mercy added and a few drops of tears came out of her eyes which didn’t escape the notice of the chief.


“Tinuola can’t do anything to you, my dear. You don’t have to be scared of her like this. And as for your parents, I’ll give you enough money to take care of them. Please, my angel, you have nothing to worry about,” chief said soothingly to make Mercy calm down and rethink her decision of ending the relationship.


“Chief! It’s like you don’t understand. I’m tired of this risky relationship and I want to put an end to it. It’s not only about your wife, it is also what I want,” Mercy said with so much determination in her voice.


Chief Patrick tried all he could to make Mercy see the reason to continue the relationship with him but she was determined and he had no choice but to respect her decision.
He got an emergency call from work and left Mercy after giving her enough cash and hoped that she would change her mind someday. Mercy waited a little longer to finish up the food she ordered before leaving the restaurant.


She bumped into a guy who was standing by the doorway and in the fleet of a second he had slapped her and poured something on her face before running off. All Mercy could do was to scream as she started having a burning sensation all over her face and the pain was getting excruciating. The security guards and other people around came to her aid and she was rushed to the hospital.

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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE FOURTEEN
After almost three days since Mercy was rushed to the hospital, she was yet to gain consciousness. Her face was wrapped up because of the effect of the liquid that was poured on her, which the doctors had confirmed to be acid. Her left eye had been ruptured and she can’t see with the eye again unless she would get a donor to give her an eye. The doctors were able to contact Tina through Mercy’s phone and she had been running around for the past three days.


The doctor called Tina to his office to intimate her about the latest development on Mercy’s condition.


“Yes doctor, you sent for me,” Tina said as she entered the doctor’s office.


“Yes I did, please sit, the doctor said and gestured. I called to inform you of our new findings concerning your friend.”


“Ok, I’m all ears.” Tina shifted uncomfortably on her seat. She was yet to come to terms with all the doctor had said earlier concerning Mercy’s condition and having to hear something else about it, made her uncomfortable and somehow nervous.


“We took your friend’s blood sample to the lab for some tests and we also did some scan on your friend to ascertain the level of the damage the acid has caused. But we discovered some other things that are wrong with your friend.”


“What are your findings?”


“I really want you to calm down as I know that some of the things I’m about to say might come to you as a shock but I want you to know that it is not the end of life.” The doctor was making Tina to become more apprehensive than she already was.


“Doctor, please go straight to the point,” she said impatiently.


“Your friend’s blood test revealed that there are some viruses in her blood which are sexually transmitted and we also discovered that she is HIV positive.”


“Yeeh!”


“Please calm down, miss,” the doctor said and continued, we also discovered through the scan that her left eye has been destroyed and she would not be able to see with it again and it has to be removed and replaced with a plastic eye to prevent it from affecting the other eye. The burn on her face has eaten deep into her skin and she would need to undergo a plastic surgery to correct the effect of the damaged face”… the doctor kept talking but Tina could no longer hear a thing as her feet went cold and beads of perspiration had gathered on her forehead. She could not believe her ears that all the problems listed by the doctor were just for one person and not just anybody, her best friend. She could not believe that she had been eating, drinking, playing, living and virtually doing everything with someone that was carrying a deadly disease like HIV.


“Is it possible that I may also have the virus?” Tina asked out of fear.


“We can’t ascertain your status until you undergo a test, which I seriously recommend.”


“I would like to do the test,” Tina said. She knew it was better she knew her status than to run away from the possibility of having contacted the virus too.


Her blood sample was collected and taken into the lab for the test. All through the period of waiting for the test result to be released, Tina was anxious and fervently praying that she would test negative to the virus.


The test result was ready the following morning and Mercy also regained consciousness that morning. She was shocked and sad at her present condition. Even though her face was wrapped and she could not open her eyes, she knew that something terrible that would change her life forever had happened to her.


Tina went with the doctor after he had attended to Mercy, in order for her to know her status. She was extremely happy when the doctor told her that she was negative. She thanked the doctor and paid her bills before leaving the hospital under the disguise of going to get something and that was the last time she was seen in the hospital. She fled and abandoned Mercy in the hospital. She was scared that staying close to Mercy might make her infected with the virus.


It was over a week after Tina left the hospital that Mercy was finally getting the picture that her best friend had abandoned her. Mercy’s wounds were beginning to heal so the wrap on her face was removed that morning. It was after that that the doctor told her about all her predicaments and she could not believe her ears.


“What have I done to deserve all these?” Mercy drowned herself in tears. Her entire life had been characterized with one suffering or another and yet it seemed life was not done with dealing with her cruelly.
She had experienced so much in her short life that she had gotten tired of living already. She made up her mind to put an end to her misery by dying quietly.


“Of what use is this life if bad things kept on happening to me?” She asked herself in frustration. She thought of ways to kill herself but could not conclude on any possible method and then she decided to ask the doctor for help.




EPISODE FIFTEEN
The next morning, the doctor moved from ward to ward for his ward round with the patients. He was affable and full of life and his patients were fond of him, especially children. He wore a smile as his second skin and asked after the welfare of the patients with so much compassion. He checked their temperature, blood pant, drip, blood pressure, as the case was for each patient and wrote some things in his book as he chatted with them happily. The patients expressed their joy of seeing him by smiling intermittently, nodding aggressively, speaking and various other gestures they could render depending on their level of recovery.


He entered Mercy’s ward and she greeted him with a smile and he was more than pleased to see her smile for the first time since her face wrap was removed.


“I’m so happy to see your radiant smile this morning,” he commented with a reciprocating smile.


“I’m also happy that you are happy to see me happy,” Mercy said and the doctor looked at her surprisingly as he never had the impression that Mercy could be sarcastic. She had been unconscious for the first few days she was brought into the hospital and when she regained her consciousness, she had been crying and gloomy about her situation and the doctor had even recommended therapy for her to be able to accept her condition and live a normal life but she had refused help and had not heeded any of the doctor’s advice and so hearing her make such remark and the smile he saw on her face that morning was enough for him to conclude that she had accepted her condition in good faith and was ready to live with it.


“That’s funny.”


“I need a favour, sir”


“From who?” The doctor asked, trying to continue with her sarcasm.


“From you of course,” Mercy replied, frowning and the doctor had to snap out of his sarcasm to hear her out.


“I need you to give me an injection or a pill that can just take my life quietly.” The doctor was more than surprised to hear that from Mercy. He had thought she was finally accepting the situation because of the positive change in her countenance when he walked into her ward that morning and her sarcasm.


“I have thought over it and I’m more than ready to push through with it and please, don’t try to convince me otherwise. And if you are afraid because of your job or the reputation of the hospital then you can just give me the pills and I’ll go and use it in my house or on the street so that I won’t die in your hospital.”
Mercy kept on ranting and every word that she said was surprising to the doctor as he had never met anyone that clueless before.
“I’m not afraid for myself but I’m scared for you,” the doctor finally said after he gained his voice back from the shock.


“I have nothing to lose so you don’t have to worry about me. I have enough money for my parents to enjoy for the rest of their lives and all I need is just someone to get it across to them,” Mercy said in a bid to make the doctor agree with her ridiculous request.


“You have everything to lose if you should die today. Do you know that life doesn’t end here and after death there is another life?”


“What do you mean by life after death?” Mercy asked the doctor, looking confused.


“Just know that killing yourself is the worst damage you can do to yourself and it is better for you to keep it out of your mind and focus on the best solution out of all this mess which I’ll explain to you later.”


“Why not now?”


“I have to attend to other patients now. I’ll see you in the evening after my shift and then we would be able to talk better and don’t do anything stupid,” he chided Mercy like a father would a child.


“Have a nice day,” he said before stepping out.


“You too!”



******
The day went by slowly and Mercy stared at the clock intermittently and evening seemed like eternity as she awaited the doctor’s promise of explaining some things to her. He had the habit of always advising Mercy and she would just make light of it but that day, she was eager to hear what he had to say.


The day was also filled with torture and could be described as the longest day in Mercy’s life so far. She was tired of living and now the doctor’s question kept on ringing in her heart ‘do you know that there is life after death?’ a question that she can’t even think of a possible answer to. She knew that death was the inevitable end of anyone living or would ever live on earth but the question of a life after death was really difficult for her.


There were various beliefs about the subject of a life after death and some people even claimed that there was nothing like that and that all there is to a man ends once he breathed his last. Notwithstanding, Mercy had zeroed her mind not to believe in myths and fables and would know if there was life after death indeed once she dies. But the doctor’s question had made her restless and somewhat afraid of facing the reality of an afterlife that might be worse than her present.


“But is there any place that can be worse than this earth?” She thought to herself.

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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE SIXTEEN
The doctor kept to his word and came into Mercy’s ward immediately his shift was over to save Mercy from the mental torture she had been through since he left.


“Good evening doctor,” Mercy said immediately he stepped into her ward and heaved a sigh of relief.


“Good evening Mercy, how are you and how was your day?”


“I’ve been expecting you since you left. Please, can you explain what you meant by what you said in the morning?” Mercy asked anxiously not minding the doctor’s question.


“You don’t even know my name and you didn’t bother to ask.”


“I’m very sorry about that.”


“Permit me to tell you a short story,” the doctor said and sat down.


“Please, go ahead.”


“The story is about a young man who had a very promising future. His name is Emmanuel and he was born into the family of struggling parents. He was the only boy of the five children his parents had and the only one that enjoyed the luxury of a tertiary education. Because of the financial condition of his parents, they could not afford to see all their children through the university and so they had to play their best card by making sure that the only male child they had was properly educated. His siblings dropped out after secondary school and his parents had to sell many things and even had to borrow to see him through school.


He gained admission into the university to study Medicine, which had always been his dream and he was determined to do his best and make his parents and siblings proud.
Emmanuel was an intelligent student and he was committed to his studies. He never allowed the distractions on campus to get to him, he was always in class or in the library.


But he had a problem, he was lodged in the school hostel with six other roommates who were far from interested in studies or school work. They would drink, party, smoke and even bring ladies into the room which was against the school’s prospectus. He tried to keep up with the situation but got so frustrated that he had to voice out. He expressed his displeasure to them about their behaviours and explained how it was affecting him as a fellow legal occupant of the room but they just ignored him and asked him to join them if he could not beat them. He went ahead to report them to the hostel authority and even the school but nothing was done to remedy the situation.


He was so pissed off with the whole situation that he had to spend most of his time outside the room either in the library or class and would only go back to the hostel for a bath and a change of cloth. He decided to confide in his friend to know if he could give him any advice on what to do because the situation was really stressing him out.


Emmanuel spoke to Kunle, a course mate and also a friend. After narrating the whole situation to him, Kunle advised Emmanuel to move out of the hostel and the latter was shocked because he wasn’t expecting such suggestion from a friend that knew all about his family’s predicament and knew very well that Emmanuel could not afford a pen and if not for the fact that the accommodation had been included with the school fees, he would have been living on the streets because he won’t even be able to afford the luxury of transporting himself from his parents’ house daily.


Kunle stayed off campus and he lived a life that was totally different from that of Emmanuel. He also didn’t take studies seriously but not as loosely as Emmanuel’s roommates. He hardly attended lectures and was mostly grooving around the city in his car with different women to satisfy his appetite. He got so close to Emmanuel because the latter was brilliant and diligent and Emmanuel was willing to help him with tests and assignments and lecture notes in exchange for some money and the friendship grew from there and it had been favorable to the both parties. Emmanuel also helped many other people with tutorials and assignments and most of them loved hanging around him but he was careful about choosing his friends and somehow he felt Kunle was worthy to be one.


Kunle advised him to move in with him and asked him not to worry about the rent or transportation as the offer was a favour from him.
Emmanuel was more than grateful to Kunle for being a life saver to him and he fantasized about things he would enjoy from living with Kunle. He had been to Kunle’s apartment before and was mesmerized at the beauty and magnificence of the place a student like himself was living.


Kunle stayed in a two-bedroom flat that was duly furnished with everything a man could ever want in a house. He lived with another guy who was not a student of their university. Kunle introduced him to Emmanuel as his cousin who was in town to do some business.


Emmanuel was very convenient and he was beginning to like Kunle’s way of life. He asked about Kunle’s parents one day and he was surprised to find out that his parents were even financially more stable than Kunle’s parents. He found out that Kunle was the one sponsoring himself and was even sending money on a regular basis to his parents. Emmanuel was very challenged and knew it would be a great relief and a wonderful way of paying his parents back for their efforts on him if he started sending money to them and they never have to worry about his schooling anymore. He asked Kunle to introduce him to whatever he was doing and that he was ready to do anything to come out of poverty and his struggling to survive. Kunle was hesitant but Emmanuel was desperate and Kunle finally had to succumb to relieve himself of Emmanuel’s constant nagging.


Kunle told Emmanuel about his business and the latter didn’t really understand what he was saying.
Emmanuel was shocked when Kunle took him to an uncompleted building where he met some scary looking guys including Kunle’s cousin.
Emmanuel later understood that they were into high level internet fraud and wished he could opt out but it was already too late. He was initiated into the group and he took the oath of loyalty and secrecy.


Emmanuel began to work for them and no longer had time for his academics because he spent the nights dwindling people of their hard-earned morning and the day strategizing on their next victims. In no time, the level of his life changed and he became a confirmed big boy.


At the end of his first year in school, Emmanuel had a lot of carryovers and he was withdrawn from Medicine to another department but he cared less. He hardly attended lectures and by the end of the first semester of his second year, he decided to drop out of school to face his work squarely. Since he was going to school to be able to have money to cater for his family who had sacrificed a lot for him and he could do that then while he was still in school, he felt school was a waste of his time.


When he started sending money home, his parents had called him to question him but he simply told them that he was introduced into an online business and they chided him to face his studies and allow them to worry about money to avoid distracting himself but he said it was not distracting and they left him.


The internet fraud business was gradually losing profit and Emmanuel and his gang were losing their clients. They lost most of the social media accounts they were using to connect with clients and were unable to hack any other one. They were frustrated with the situation and could no longer keep up with their riotous living as money seemed to be running away from them.


The gang held an emergency meeting as regards to their situation and they decided to pick up their weapons again to rob. Emmanuel had not witnessed any physical robbery by the gang before and had thought it would never happen but that was no longer the case. He braced up himself and got ready for the operation. They planned to rob a small bank in their neighbourhood and they carefully strategized on how to execute their plans.


On the night of the robbery, everything was going as planned and they were able to break into the secret safe of the bank, they took enough money they wanted and were about heading out when the police busted them. The police opened fire on them and there were gunshots here and there. Emmanuel, Kunle and about three other guys from the group were shot down, some of them died on the spot while others were seriously injured and the rest tried to escape but were apprehended after some days. The ones that survived were taken to the hospital while the dead ones were taken into the mortuary. The news of that incidence spread like wildfire, pressmen from different stations were on ground to cover the incidence.


Emmanuel opened his eyes in the hospital and was more than happy that he survived the situation. He felt life going out of him after he was shot many times by the police and as he laid on the cold floor, he remembered his parents and the hurt they would go through if they should hear about his demise. He wished he would have another chance to life and he would live well.


He asked after the other guys and was told that they all died one after the other, making him the only survivor. He was sad at the news of the death of his friends and then sudden fear gripped him when he saw the police man on standby. He knew there and then that he would be the only one to bear the consequences of the crime they all committed together but he could not wish for death and was still grateful to be alive. He was prosecuted after his discharge from the hospital and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Because of the wound on his leg, he was confined to a wheelchair. His parents developed high blood pressure and died a few weeks after his imprisonment.


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MERCY
GRACE OLAYEMI

EPISODE SEVENTEEN
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Emmanuel watched his whole life crash before his eyes. His sisters deserted him and blamed him for being the cause of their parents’ untimely death. He was all alone in the world and when his inmates began to maltreat him he wished he had also died like his other friends.
He started scheming suicide and tried every means he knew to take his life but his life refuse to go away from him. He was tired and frustrated with his life and continued to wish he would sleep one day and not wake up again. He knew the importance of food to the body and decided to stop taking both food and water and he was sure that he would die after some days. He starved himself for nearly forty days and yet he was still alive. He was furious with himself and didn’t know when he spoke out ‘why the hell am I still alive?’ he said to himself when he discovered that he still woke up to see another day.


“Because you are yet to fulfill the purpose of your creation,” a voice answered him.


He turned to the direction where the voice came from and he saw an old man sitting on a stone under a tree.


“What do you mean by that?”


“Don’t you know that everyone that is born into this world is born for a purpose and it is a must for everyone to fulfill that purpose?”


“But what purpose can I fulfill in prison? I guess my own purpose in life is just to be useless.”


“No! Every useless man chooses to be. No one was created to be useless. You have a purpose and the potentials that you need to fulfill your purpose have been embedded in you since your creation. But it takes your personal effort to discover your purpose and watch towards achieving it.”


“If truly I have a purpose and was not created to be useless, why did I end up in jail? Why were my parents poor? Why did I have to make wrong choices?” Emmanuel asked in confusion as he had always blamed his ill-luck in life to fate.


“The answer lies within you.”


“I don’t understand.”


“You have the potential to fulfill your purpose already but you can decide to fulfill purpose or create your own destiny. Everyone is born to be great, to rule, to dominate, but not everyone achieves this because of wrong choices, wrong association, ignorance and excuses. When a man blames his failure to lack of proper education, poor parents or poor country then such a person is an excuse giver and would definitely not fulfill purpose.” Emmanuel was really touched by the old man’s speech. In his entire life, he had never heard anything about purpose or potentials and all he knew was that what would be would be. But the man’s speech suddenly turned on a light of hope in him and was optimistic if he could have a different fate other than rotting in jail.


“How do I then fulfill purpose since I’m confined to this place?” He asked sincerely.


“You can’t fulfill purpose without knowing your manufacturer.” Emmanuel looked at the man stunned. He was beginning to appreciate the man’s speech but then he was no longer making sense.


“I don’t have a manufacturer. I’m a human being not a commodity.”


“Really? So you created yourself, right?”


“Of course not. You should have said creator then,” Emmanuel said and chuckled, something he had not done in months. Somehow, his meeting with this strange man was relieving him of his pains. “God is my creator and I know that.”


“Nice! But it takes more than a general knowledge of God to fulfill purpose. Who manufactured airplane?”


The Wright Brothers.


“Do you know why they created it?”


“Not really!”


“That’s exactly my point. A general knowledge about your creator is not enough to fulfill purpose. You have to have a relationship with him.”


“How?”


“In john 14:6, the bible says, ‘Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man can come unto the father, but by me.’ Also in John 3:16, it says, ‘for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ The only way to know God is by His son, Jesus and all this is done by faith.


Once a man believes that Jesus can save him and that no matter how rotten a man’s life can be, Jesus can give him a fresh start. All you need to do is to confess all your faults to Jesus, ask him to forgive and cleanse you and ask Him to write your name in the book of life to secure your eternal destiny, reveal the purpose of your creation to you and make you relevant in life, believe that He has done it and that settles it,” the old man paused and looked at Emmanuel who was already on his knees pleading for mercy. The old man prayed for him and that was the beginning of a new life for Emmanuel.


After the prayer of the old man, Emmanuel felt a kind of joy and peace in his heart that he had never felt. He became happy and hopeful. He did all his duties and even hard labours with joy. He was always wearing a smile and he began to tell others about his encounter with the old man that changed his life. He was soon named a pastor and he even started a fellowship in the prison he was really growing in faith and was enjoying the Christian journey. He sent letters to his sisters asking for their forgiveness.


After about twenty years in prison, Emmanuel was granted state pardon and once again he was free. He joined himself to a fellowship and the church sponsored his education after they heard about his story. He went back to school and pursued his dream of becoming a doctor. He graduated as the best student in his set and he was employed at the teaching hospital. He took a year leave and went to the bible college where he was trained and after a year, he was ordained as a pastor.”


By the time the doctor got to this point in his story, Mercy was already shedding tears. She could not believe that just accepting Christianity can change a man’s life drastically.


“Not just accepting Christianity but accepting the sacrifice of the only begotten son of God, who is the creator of heaven and earth. This single decision can redirect a man’s life to the right course,” the doctor said and Mercy wondered if he could read her thoughts.

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“So, where is Emmanuel now? Mercy asked in a bid to confirm if it was a real story or a made-up story by the doctor to calm his patients.”


“Sitting right before you.” Mercy looked as though she could no longer understand English. Was he trying to tell her that he was once a notorious cyber criminal and an armed robber who also became a prisoner. She could not resonate how a calm and gentle looking doctor like that would claim to be an ex-convict.


“What a transformation!” She heard herself say after recovering from the shock.


“Yea, a transformation indeed, only made possible by Jesus.”


“Hmmm!” Mercy heaved .


“Are you ready to give Jesus, the only one that can mend a broken life, a chance in your life?” The doctor asked enthusiastically as he was hoping that Mercy would make that great choice so as to start living her best life.


“I’ll think over it,” Mercy replied and his heart sank.


“But you know you don’t own your life, right? And the owner can request for it anytime. So, you don’t have time to think, all you have to do now is to give your life to the owner for transformation,” the doctor said in a bid to make her realize the urgency of the matter and that delay could be dangerous.


“My life is the only thing I have left. I can’t give it to anyone. I have to make my life fulfill purpose.”


“But, you can’t fulfill your purpose outside of God.”


“I want to do it my own way. I don’t want to be religious. I don’t want to be a pastor. I just want to live a happy life.”


“Jesus is the source of joy and true happiness. Looking for it elsewhere is just a waste of time.”


“Thank you doctor for reviving hope in me and making me believe that since I’m still breathing, I can amount to everything I want to be,” Mercy said and the doctor sighed and stood up.


“Always remember that Jesus loves you and all He wants is your life and He would be patiently waiting for you to give it to Him.”


“I won’t ever forget that. Thanks a lot doctor,” Mercy said smiling. The doctor stepped out of her ward and she felt relieved, with hope and optimism about life revived in her again.

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OTHER BOOKS BY RAY OF HOPE STORIES
PAULINA… A LIFE WITH A DIFFERENCE
LOVE SO TRUE
THE CLOAK OF DARKNESS
THE GREATEST HEARTBREAK
ALL AVAILABLE AT OKADABOOKS

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