THE STRANGE PROPOSAL
Part 20
ยฉ Franca Uwuigiaren
My father-in-law’s burial was fixed, and I travelled to Rivers alone without my wife and kids. My in-laws were devastated and felt disrespected when my wife didn’t accompany me to the burial. They couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t make the effort to pay her last respects to her father, despite her poor health. They felt that her absence was a betrayal and a sign of disrespect to their family.
My mother-in-law was particularly hurt, feeling that her daughter had abandoned her in her time of grief. She couldn’t comprehend why my wife wouldn’t put aside her own struggles for just a few days to support her family. She felt that my wife’s absence was a personal rejection, and it added to her already overwhelming sorrow.
My father-in-law’s younger brothers, on the other hand, were angry and felt that my wife’s absence was a deliberate snub. They couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t make an effort to be there, even if it was just for a short while. They felt that she was putting her own interests ahead of her family’s needs, and it infuriated them.
Their reaction was a mix of sadness, anger, and hurt, and it created a rift between our families. They felt that we had let them down, and I felt that they didn’t understand our situation. The tension was palpable, and it seemed like a chasm had opened up between us.
I tried to explain my wife’s condition to them, but they wouldn’t listen. They felt that I was making excuses for her, and that she should have been there, no matter what.
After the burial, the family gathered and brought up the issue again. My father-in-law’s brothers lambasted and insulted me, but I didn’t take their insults to heart.
I listened to their perspective, acknowledging their hurt and disappointment. I validated their feelings, letting them know that I understood why they felt the way they did. I made a video call and allowed my wife to speak for herself. When my mother-in-law and her children saw my wife, they screamed, and some wept, but I told them not to bother, that God had healed her, waiting for manifestation, that we weren’t seeking sympathy.
They looked at me like I was crazy.
“How can someone be so sick like that, see her body covered in boils, and you say she has been healed, waiting for the manifestation?” The taller of my wife’s uncle asked.
“Ah! We will not buy this; we will not let our daughter die.”the other uncle said.
“My husband spoke to him about this until his death, but my son-in-law is stubborn… too stubborn to the core.” My mother-in-law interjected.
“We don’t want any more death in this compound.” The taller of the uncles said.
“No one is dying. Definitely not my dear Oroma.” I told them.
Slowly but surely, the tension began to ease. My in-laws started to see that we hadn’t meant to disrespect them, and that my wife’s absence was not a personal rejection.
They began to understand that her health struggles were real, and that she had been genuinely unable to attend the burial.
Having settled with my in-laws, I went to see my family. They had attended my father-in-law’s burial, but I wanted to settle with my in-laws first, that’s why I didn’t go with them.
My parents were genuinely glad to see me. They wanted to know how I was faring. I explained to them that God had been good to me and my family. I narrated how my children had been healed.
“Oroma has been healed, just waiting for the manifestation.”
“So how have you been managing to cater for the family?”
“Papa, like I said earlier, God has been good to us. He has been too faithful.”
Obiama, you’re my first grandson. I don’t believe your talk about your wife’s healing. Now that you are in the village, let’s see the powerful juju man your father contacted for…”
“Will you stop this?” I said, getting angry. I want you all to understand that I have totally surrendered my life to Christ and will never ever be a partaker of this nonsense. My life is in God’s hands, and He alone paddles my canoe. I will never give any obeisance to any water goddess, and when you do, don’t mention my name or family’s name. My family is for Jesus. Like Joshua said, and I will echo it, “Me and my house will serve the Lord.” I said.
Silence descended on the house.
“We have bought items for sacrifice, waiting for your return,” my father said weakly.
“Destroy them!” I said.
My mother was just sitting there, saying nothing. Suddenly, grandma stood up angrily.
“All my efforts on you are wasted. When you were born…and as I carried you in my arms, all I wanted to do was ensure that you do not suffer in life. I told the river goddess to make you wealthy. What wrong have I done? You don’t know anything. I have seen many moons before you were born. Mind you…ask your father. We were told that the river goddess will not leave you alone. That the covenant cannot be broken unless you return all the things she gave you.”
“That covenant has been broken already, grandma.”
“You risk her anger…more than you can imagine. Why don’t you accept her…her wealth? There’s nothing you can’t receive from her.” She continued.
“God forbid!”
“I will not allow my grandson to die. God forbid! You will not be buried before me.” She said vehemently.
Turning to my father, she said, “We are not going to be foolish. Now that he’s here, we will do the needful. We will go to the juju man and tell him that Obiama is here.”
“So?”I asked.
“The juju priest said that you’re rejecting the River goddess’ proposal because you are afraid of her due to the stories you have heard…so now that your feet are on the soil of your ancestral home, he is going to carry out a ritual.”
I began to laugh.
Grandma stared at me for a while, then continued.
“The moment the ritual is performed, your spirit will be calm and not afraid. Also, when the river goddess comes to you again, you will be the first to propose to her. As it is now, she’s very angry, but after the rituals, she will be calm.”
Grandma’s explanation looked so bizarre and confusing as I listened to her.
“That’s the truth,” papa said.
“You won’t say something to your son now,” grandma said to my mum.
“If he doesn’t want to, I…I…think he should be left alone,” my mother told her.
“Left alone to die? It will not work. Tomorrow morning…No! This evening, the rituals must be performed,” she said.
“I support,” papa told us.
I was already angry in my spirit.
“Don’t go anywhere for such rituals. Don’t do it. Don’t allow whatever you do to backfire. All this why you people have be talking about rituals and I said I am not part of it.”
She laughed.
“Before your father was born, we have been worshipping the river. You don’t know the power in that our river. You don’t know the blessings we have enjoyed from that goddess…you then refused the goddess. It’s a rare privilege seeing the goddess propose. Instead of you to just enjoy the gift of the…”
“Stop it, grandma. Enough!”
“Stop us if you can,” she said. “Come and stop me from visiting the juju priest. Stop me. I must see that the ritual is carried out today.”
“I can’t stop you, grandma, but I have a God who can stop you,” I told her.
I was really angry. I came to see them, but not to start listening to grandma talking about rituals.
By afternoon, my father and grandma were dressed, and I knew they meant business. As soon as they left, I told my mother that I wasn’t going to sleep in the house.
“I don’t have money for a hotel. Tonight, I am leaving Rivers. I will take a night bus, and…”
She began to beg me to stay, but I had made up my mind. She wanted me to wait till the following day so she could organize some foodstuffs for me to take along, but I refused. I carried my bag, and she came to me and hugged me tight.
“I’m sorry for everything. I have been thinking for a long time…the way you stood your ground…”
“Mama, everything is Christ, and Christ is everything. My life is nothing without Jesus Christ.”
“I want to serve God. I want to rededicate my life to Him.”
I was dazed for a moment, followed by excited. I took my mum’s hand and kissed it. I prayed for her, rededicating her life to Christ. I was super excited as I did so. She was crying by the time I was through praying for her. She hugged me again. She went in and brought out some money, but I refused to collect it. She told me I should collect it for my children, and I thanked her.
I soon left the house for the motor park. I chided myself for not going straight to the motor park earlier instead of coming to see my parents. Well, I was consoled by one thing – that my mother had rededicated her life to Christ. And that’s all that matters.
I felt also that she’s afraid of grandma, that’s why she follows her to do things she’s not supposed to. In my younger days, I knew how grandma used to command mum to do this and that, and dad would never say a thing. It was like grandma was in control of the family.
If grandma didn’t support mum’s decision, dad would never support her. Anyway, I was glad mum took the right decision to rededicate her life to Christ.
I got to the park, and the bus I boarded didn’t fill up on time. We left the park a few minutes after eight, and by the time I got to Lagos, it was late morning. My family was excited to receive me. I appreciated my neighbour who came to assist my family in my absence.
I took my bath, ate, and then went to bed. I needed to sleep properly after the long journey.
When I woke up, I saw thirteen missed calls from my mother. I had to call her back. She shocked me with the news that my grandma was blind.
“How?” I asked, surprised.
“Hmmm! When your father and grandma left the house, they boarded a vehicle to the village where the juju man resides. The vehicle got to the village, and as grandma alighted from the vehicle, she cried out that she couldn’t see a thing. Your father became confused and afraid. He had to proceed to the juju man. There, grandma was told she dared a higher authority.”
I was taken aback by the news, but I knew that my God is a higher authority.
“Eeeh!” I exclaimed.
“Your grandma told the juju priest that she hasn’t offended anyone or dared any authority, but he told her she dared the God of his grandson.”
I sighed deeply.
“He didn’t proffer any solution to her. Just told her to go. They’re at home now. By evening, your father would take her to the river side to appease the river goddess to help her regain her sight.”
“Mama, the goddess cannot do anything for her. All power belongs to God, and not in the water goddess. If only grandma would turn to God, if only she would repent and surrender her life to Christ.”
Mama was quiet.
“I…I…don’t know. I can’t make that decision for her.”
“Can you give grandma the phone?” I asked.
“Give me two minutes. Call in two minutes’ time.”
“Alright!”
She cut the call, and I looked at Oroma, who stared with wide eyes at me. I narrated my ordeal with my family.
“God is all-powerful. He has proved Himself. No wonder He is called the monarch of the universe.”
“Yes oo! I call Him the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is incomparable. How I wish grandma would surrender to Him. The energy with which she tries to convince me to worship the river…such energy could be used to do God’s work. Apostle Paul was once like that, fighting and killing the Christians because of their belief in Christ, but when he had an encounter with Him, he experienced transformation. God used him mightily, and today we still talk about him.”
Oroma soon reminded me that two minutes had passed. I called mama back, and the phone was with grandma. The moment she heard my voice, her response sounded so weak.
“I’m sorry, Obiama.”
“Grandma, the way you feel now is how I felt when I was without Christ. My life was empty, without direction. My life was full of darkness; I was blinded. Since I allowed Him to be the captain of my life, things have changed now, grandma. This is why I want you to surrender to Christ. The river goddess has nothing good to offer you except death.” I said.
For the next thirty minutes, I spoke extensively about God’s love and the importance of Christ death on the cross. Gradually, grandma loosened up and began to respond. She challenged me, but thank God for the Holy Spirit, who helped me. She asked so many questions, then kept quiet.
“Do you want me to give you time to think about it…”
“I want to give my life to Jesus.” She said bluntly.
“You want to do what?” I heard my father ask from the background.
“I want to give my life to Him, and you should too.” Grandma told him.
“I’m following the way you and papa showed me, mama. You told me that…”
“I’m sorry! I don’t want to follow that way again. I think Obiama’s God is the true God.”
For a few minutes, grandma spoke in their dialect to my father. They argued until he said finally, “I’m ready too.”
I could feel a shake in the kingdom of darkness. There were screams and I felt like laughing at the devil at that time.
“Close your eyes and repeat after me.” I said to them.
“Okay!” Grandma said.
“Lord Jesus…”
“Stop it! Don’t take these ones from us…” There was so much commotion, but I ignored the voice and prayed for papa and grandma, and they chorused Amen.
I used fifteen minutes to encourage them to look for a bible-believing church and start fellowshipping with other brethren there. When my mother came online, she was so excited and cried. She told me she was dreaming. I laughed so loud. She promised to purchase bibles so they could start studying God’s word together.
I shared the news with my children, and we used the opportunity to thank God for the souls won for God.
Few days after my return from Rivers, Alabo alerted me of military activities in the compound. Surprised, I went outside but saw nothing abnormal. As usual, there was movement in the street, but nothing unusual.
“Alabo, I didn’t see any military man or woman outside oo.”
“But I can see them, even as I am in the house. Vehicles are in the street and this compound”
Then it dawned on me that Alabo didn’t see the military men with his physical eyes. My son’s spiritual eyes are now very sharp.
“But what are the military men for?” I later asked myself, pondering on Alabo’s revelation.
Over the week, he would tell me it seems the military men are waiting for their Commander, and this would make me laugh.
“It’s what I see, dad. They’re everywhere.”
“It’s alright. Our God is a man of war; if there’s an ongoing war, He is already fighting for us.” I told Alabo, trying to reassure him.
But deep down, I knew that something was amiss. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that a spiritual battle was brewing. I decided to pray and seek God’s guidance, asking Him to reveal the truth behind the mysterious military presence. As I prayed, I felt a sense of peace wash over me, and I knew that God was in control.
To be continued…
