As the thundering noise increased, the lights came closer and closer. I tried to free my leg again, but the pain from my sprained ankle was too much. “Help,” I shouted but no one came to my aid. The rattling of the strong steel wheels chugging towards me, made me aware of the imminent misfortune about to befall me. I screamed. The train hurtled towards me at an alarming speed. I screamed again and raised my arm to shield my face, then everything went black. *****
It had begun like any other day. My ten minute shower followed by Special K with Semi Skimmed milk, a boiled egg and a slice of toast. To say I was motivated to go to work would be a lie. It was almost half past seven in the morning but it was still quite dark. I disliked winter mornings. It took twice the amount of effort to get out of bed and go to work. Once breakfast was out of the way, I fixed my long hair into a ponytail, grabbed my coat and bag and headed towards the door. Bluebury Park Station was ten minutes away which meant another gruesome walk in the cold.
Apart from two or three dedicated workers on their way to work, my road was almost deserted. The trees looked bare and bony as their leafless branches lay exposed with bits of fluffy white frost scattered around like an old man’s beard. The buildings had an air of gloom as their grey concrete walls hung almost lifelessly in the cold musty atmosphere. I plugged my iPod headphones into my ears and trudged along the road wishing I was on a Caribbean island somewhere. When I arrived at the station, it was busy with people topping up their oyster cards and rushing to catch the next train. I glanced at the information board and realised that my next train was about ten minutes away. There was some kind of delay. What’s new? I thought to myself. With the kind of delays and overcrowding on these trains, they should have been letting us travel for free because we were certainly not getting what we paid for. I gazed at the adverts that lined the sides of the escalators. I mused over the Biogut Plus an ad for a revolutionary yogurt that could do wonders for your immune system, the latest theatre shows, making a mental note, I need to watch something with the girls soon. My mind was brought back to reality as an overweight man with the most pungent smell pushed past me on the escalators, almost knocking me over. I sucked my teeth in annoyance but decided not to pursue it. I watched him as he ambled off onto the Westbound platform.
The train was still eight minutes away, so I found an empty seat next to two smartly suited gentlemen and sat down. I took out my bible and started reading Psalms. I read Psalm 88 right up to 91 and then I suddenly felt a strong urge to pray so I started praying silently. Shortly after, I decided to get up since the platform was beginning to get crowded and I didn’t want to miss the next train. I edged my way nearer to the platform and stood huddled up in my coat, trying to ignore the cool air coming from the tunnel. The train was now two minutes away. Today was Treat Friday so we were scheduled to go out to some fancy restaurant for posh nosh with some of the office folk. Maybe I could – It happened so quick I didn’t even have time to react. One minute I was thinking about gourmet meals and the next some burly hands were forcefully shoving me over the edge of the platform. As my body lunged forward and realisation of what was happening came to me, I screamed. My lungs deflated considerably as my scream sucked out all the air that was within me. I flew into the air face down and fell right into the middle of the track. I tried to get up but my ankle seemed to be having a game plan of its own. I felt the most excruciating pain shoot from my hip right to the tip of my toes. I had no idea what it was but all I knew was it was bad. I looked up and I could see people on the platform scurrying about and somewhat gasping at my misfortune.
“Help, someone help me!” I cried as I heard the rumbling of the train approaching. I remembered the scriptures I had read a few minutes ago in Psalm 91, “... shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty...He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge...for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”
The thundering noise increased. The lights came closer and closer. I tried to free my leg again, but the pain from my sprained ankle was too much. “Help,” I cried as I tried to move my body on my stomach. The rattling of the strong steel wheels chugging towards me, made me more aware of the imminent misfortune which was about to befall me. I screamed as the train hurtled towards me at an alarming speed. I screamed again and raised my arm to shield my face. At that moment everything went black
When I came to I was lying on a stretcher and a group of paramedics were attending to me on the platform. I sighed in relief - I had not become a statistic. “What happened?” I asked the female paramedic in a green uniform who was attending to me. “You fell onto the train tracks and you passed out from shock but you’re going to be ok,” she replied. “Am I injured?” “You have slight bruises and you sprained your ankle but other than that you’re ok. You sure had a lucky scrape young lady,” the paramedic replied. “That wasn’t luck! I saw what happened,” an elderly woman with a Canadian accent said, “It was a miracle I tell you. As you lay there, I saw a group of Angels standing over you with their wings shielding you. It was unbelievable but right then I knew that you were going to be ok. Then as the train approached, one of the Angels put out its hands towards the train and brought it to a complete standstill. It was like one of those things you see in a Hollywood movie but this time it was happening right in front of my eyes.” “...a real miracle...” I mumbled as the sedatives started taking effect and I nodded off.
Later I was told that my attacker was a mental health patient who had a strong dislike for Christians because his father who’d been a Missionary, had been had been killed during a mission trip in the tropical forests of some primitive country. Irrationally he had blamed the church for his father’s demise. Seeing me reading my bible had somehow caused him to snap and decide to attack me.
As I recovered from my minor injuries and battled the trauma of the ordeal, I prayed in my heart that God would give me the grace to forgive him. It was hard and I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight but I knew that with God’s help I would someday be able to let go of the resentment I felt towards the man who had almost brought my life to a devastating end.
Keeta stirred. Her stomach hurt. She hadn’t eaten for days or was it a week? She couldn’t remember anymore. Several flies buzzed around her and her three sisters and brother all huddled together in their tiny shack. Someone in the corner coughed so hard, it seemed their lungs would explode. A few rays of sunshine invaded the wooden shack through a big crack in the roof. It was almost noon but she was too weak to move. The memory of her last meal had almost faded. She and her four siblings had shared a measly roasted dry dove which Baba had killed. There had been nothing else after that.
Keeta slowly licked her top lip - letting her tongue move slowly across it moistening her chapped dry lips, whose cracks resembled the cracks of a dry dessert. Maybe today would be different. Some of the others said the trucks might come today. Keeta didn't want to hope too much. Last time she had hoped that they would come and they didn't. She had waited and waited. And nothing. Later she had heard Baba discussing with his friend that The Aid Organisation had run out of funds. The Aid trucks usually brought bags of supplies and big fat men and women would unload food, water and sometimes they had these special things called medicines which helped you feel better. Keeta had never seen people like those big fat men. Their skin always seemed to glow and they were always smiling. Keeta supposed if she was fat and had a glowing skin she would smile as well. Nobody she knew smiled much. Everyone she knew was thin and bony. Everyone moved slowly and never said much. She shifted again. The pain in her stomach was almost unbearable now. She closed her eyes hoping that maybe she could miraculously go to sleep and forget the pain and misery ruling her life.
A thousand miles away 5th Avenue - New York, 3rd of July
Mandy looked at the price tag again. $1 250 for a pair of shoes? “Tiana this is too expensive. Why don’t we look for something cheaper?” “Why? You can afford it,” Tiana said pouting like a goldfish. “Yes, but just because we can afford it doesn’t mean we should buy it. Do you realise that there are people in other parts of the world that don’t even have a crumb of bread to eat? You don’t realise how lucky you are.” “What do you want me to do mum? I can’t feed the whole world.” “Maybe not, but it’s kind of like the story about eating an elephant. You don’t attack the whole beast. But you do it bit by bit. You start off by helping one person at a time. If you help someone and the next person also helps someone else, before you know it all of us would have helped so many people.” Tiana rolled her eyes indignantly, “Eeeew, elephant is certainly not on my menu for today so forget that. Anyway mum someone else can help all those poor people, I mean does it have to be me?”
Mandy merely stared at the monster of a child she had created. There was no twinkle in her eyes except when she was getting something new which would inevitably find its way to the back of the wardrobe unworn and forgotten. This scenario had replayed itself so many times in their lives, it was beginning to grate on her.
“Right, I’ve made up my mind, I like these heels and besides all the other ones are far too common. I want something that will,” Tiana paused as she thought for a moment, “ something which will make a fashion statement. I want people to think wow, that girl’s shoe rocks.”
Mandy sighed. It was mostly her fault that Tiana had turned out this way. She had spoilt her from the time she was born and no surprise she was so used to having her own way without an ounce of consideration for the next person. She could only hope that someday she would learn to empathise and find greater meaning to life than getting this, getting that and more getting. Hopefully she would eventually realise that there was more to life than a shoe that rocks.
A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it. While the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house.
The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream: "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.
But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?
“That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.
“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." Anonymous
Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.
But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.
There's a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in us! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!
Thank you to the cracked pots in my life. You have made life more interesting and beautiful.
I thought I'd share this coz it's such a beautiful and inspiring story and hopefully it will encourage someone...
She comes in with a big smile, puts her handbag and laptop on the table and gives him a kiss. He's sitting on the couch watching the NEWS. He's still wearing his tie and his suit jacket is dangling from the sofa where he threw it.
She: Babe, guess what? I was voted Executive of the Year.
He: (with little enthusiasm) That's good.
She: (slightly disappointed) So that was my big news. Anyway how was your day? You ok?
He: I'm ok, but a bit tired and my neck feels a little stiff.
She: Aaaw come here babe and I'll give you a neck massage.
He: Maybe later, thanks. What's for dinner?
She: Err not sure babe, I'm a bit tired, thought maybe we could get chinese or something?
He: Chinese? Uggh. I was hoping we'd have one of your nice home made dinners.
She frowns slightly.
She: I would've loved to make something babe, but I have loads of assignments that I have to hand in by Friday.
He makes a face. She wants to ignore it but she can't.
She: Babe I wish you would be a bit more understanding.
He: I'm trying but it seems like the MBA is now more important than me.
She: How can you say that? I cooked yesterday and the day before that. I wash, clean and iron three times a week after a hard day at work. I'm trying my best here and besides I only have three more months to go then I will be finished with the course.
He: I'll be glad when it's all over.
She crosses her arms and looks him in the eye
She: If you're not happy with the status quo, then maybe you should think about helping out a little. Don't just complain, do something about it!
He: Just forget it.
He gets up and logs onto his Facebook account.
She: Forget it huh, we'll see about that.
She watches as he fiddles about with it. Then out of the corner of her eye she sees something on his wall.
She: Whos' Davina?
He: An old school mate.
She: Why is she putting xxx on your facebook wall?
He: It says Hope you're well xxx.
She: Same thing. And what does x stand for in this case?
He: Look, I don't know why she put that there.
She: Are you seeing her?
He: Oh my gosh, of course not! I haven't seen her since I left High school 15 years ago.
She: So she doesn't mean anything to you?
He: No.
She: Ok, so delete her from your friend list then.
He: Why?
She: You said she doesn't mean anything to you, so delete her.
He: My goodness...she's just a friend.
She: So you're not gonna delete her? I'm gonna call Pastor now and book a conselling appointment for us.
He: Why do we have to start involving other people in this?
She: It's your call. Delete her and we sort this out ourselves or if we can't then we seek help...
What do you think he should do?
Relationships are funny like that. One minute everything is all dandy then the next minute it's fireworks all round. The words we speak have an effect on those listening, so watch what you say! Lend a helping hand whenever you can. Treat others with kindness, patience, respect and understanding. It will go a long way in enriching your relationships.
Agape Church was buzzing. The service that morning had been a big celebration and a discussion ensued amongst some of the three regulars.
Church Organ: I've got a headache.
Pulpit: Why? Did Mr Ekks play you too much yesterday? I could see him really getting into the praise and worship.
Organ : No, it wasn't that. It was the singing. There was a woman close to me whose singing was awful. She was in and out of tune so many times, I wanted to pull her hair out.
Baptism Pool : Was it that bad?
Organ: It was terrible. She was trying to sing alto but she ended up being somewhere inbetween a bad soprano and a retired tenor. The only thing I can compare it with is all those wanna be singers on the X- Factor.
Pulpit: X- Factor huh... (laughing) Ohhh it must have been bad then.
Baptism Pool: Well nothing could beat the kind of day I had. Do you know what? There was a woman being baptized today whose clothes were so thin, the moment she entered the pool I didn't even know where to look. The moment her clothes got wet, everything was exposed.
Organ: No! You don't say...
Baptism Pool: I kid you not.
Pulpit: They need to bring back those old baptism robes. They're so thick no one can see a thing.
Organ: Yeah and so heavy, you'd sink faster than the Titanic.
They all laugh.
Baptism Pool: Then to make matters worse, after that woman, a man came in who looked and smelt like he hadn't bathed for weeks. The moment he walked into the pool, dirt particles began floating all over the water. Even the elders noticed and they had to use the water purifier afterwards. It was disgusting!
Pulpit : What is this world coming to? Do you know I was thinking about how church has changed over the years. You know from my vantage point here I can see everyone and I can tell you I see all sorts of weird things.
Organ : Such as?
Pulpit : People sneaking off before the offering starts. Or just the other day, I saw a so called brother taking pictures of all the pretty girls that went past.
Baptism Pool: You're joking!
Pulpit: I'm not joking. That's not all, I've also seen groups of people who come into church and then a few minutes into the sermon, they fall asleep. I mean what's the point. Better to stay at home if you're gonna be sleeping and snoring like a pig.
Baptism Pool : (laughing) That's embarrassing.
Organ: It is but I'm wondering whether maybe the sermon was a little dull. I mean that visiting Pastor seemed to go on and on. Even I was tempted to sleep.
Pulpit: I think it was nerves. The poor man was so terrified his hands were shaking. Several times when he wanted to put his notes down, they almost fell onto the floor. I had a hard time trying to keep everything together during the sermon.
Baptism Pool : Oh I almost forgot, I heard something a little worrying today. One of the Ushers was babbling on as usual. Apparently they got such a big offering today, they may be replacing the organ and pulpit. I just thought I'd give you the heads up. I'm sorry.
Pulpit and Organ: But they can't do that. We've served this church faithfully since it was opened in 1991.
Baptism Pool: Hey don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you what I heard. I don't want you guys to go but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things pan out.
The Organ and Pulpit looked at each other. Sadness and confusion was etched all over them. Maybe this was just a rootless rumour and there was no cause for concern. But that didn't stop them from feeling blue. Maybe life as they knew it was about to change. Only God knows.
Huge pellets of snow began to fall all around them. "We have to turn back,"Andy shouted to the rest of the group.
It was at that moment that Angela lost sight of them. "Andy! Pete! Lorna! Jess!" she called. No response.
Angela came to a halt and looked around but she couldn't see anything. There were giant snow flakes everywhere and they were coming down so fast and hard as if someone was tipping a bucket of snow in the sky. Angela started skiing again and suddenly she felt her skis hit a huge boulder that was hidden under the snow and her body went flying.
****** A few hours before
Angela didn't know why she had let her friends talk her into going on this ski trip in the French Alps. She hated skating so there was little chance she would enjoy skiing. Never mind all the falling she would have to endure. But then, Andy was going, so that was an incentive for her to go along as well. Maybe this trip would be a chance for him to get to notice her.
The party of two girls and three guys set off from their chalet in the morning. Everyone else was quite experienced except Angela and it wasn't long before she started slipping and falling. "I can't do this," she exclaimed after her fourth attempt. "C'mon Ange, don't give up now. We all started out just like you. In fact I was probably worse than you right now." "Somehow I find that hard to believe," Angela said as she watched Andy manoeuvre his skis expertly like the people she used to see on TV. “It's not that hard. What you need to do is use the Snow Plow. Position your skis as if they were a pigeon toe and slowly move the backs of your skis outwards, away from your body, to stop yourself. You also can control your direction of movement by simply bending your knees and leaning to one side or the other,” Andy said. “So I have to bend my knees, keep my hands above my thighs and the tips of the skis have to be close together?” Angela asked. “That’s right. Kind of like an up-side down V shape.” As they slowly started skiing slowly down the slope, it started snowing.
After Andy's instruction, Angela fared a little better but she started lagging behind the rest of the group. Huge pellets of snow began to fall as the snow storm progressed. "We have to turn back,"Andy called to the rest of the group. They all went round a bend and it was then that Angela lost sight of them. "Andy! Pete! Mike! Jess!" she called. No response.
Angela came to a halt and tried to look around but she couldn't see anything. She started skiing again and suddenly she felt her skis hit a huge boulder that was hidden under the snow and her body went flying, her backpack landing on her arm. Angela felt immense pain in her leg and it was then she realised she couldn't move. Maybe she had broken a bone or something. The pain was excruciating. Her vision was getting hazy and she could feel her whole body trembling uncontrollably as fear and cold ravaged it. She pulled her scarf tighter around herself. She managed to drag herself on her stomach to a huge ledge which helped shield some of the snow. But at this rate she knew she wouldn't survive more than a couple of hours in the snow storm. She called out again but there was no reply. Only the small eerie echo that seemed to taunt and remind her of her dire need to survive. "Lord, please don't let me die out here," she prayed softly.
Minutes passed, though they seemed like days. The wind bellowed and the giant trees swayed threatening to fall on top of her. The icy coldness stung her fingers and toes, mocking her last bit of sanity. Each minute that went by was as precious as gold. Except for her breathing, there was no sign of life and hers seemed to ebbing away slowly.
Then she decided to reach for her rucksack so that she could get the chocolate bar she had in there to give her a bit of comfort and strength. As she reached for it, she lost her balance and knocked the the ruck sack from where it had landed. Angela watched as the rucksack fell down the slope disappearing out of sight, with it, her chocolate, flashlight, bottle of water, map, compass, flares and any hope of her survival.
She couldn't hold back the tears. Lord that was all I had left...if you're gonna kill me why didn't you at least let me enjoy the chocolate? Frustration overwhelmed her. She began to wail. Anyone listening would have thought it was a hyena caught in a trap, in great pain.
After a while the snow fall subsided. Angela lay in pain waiting. For anything. A rustling and twig breaking close by. What was that? Angela listened closely. Footsteps. She wasn't sure whether she was dreaming or if it was real. She wondered if she should shout? What if it was a bear or some other animal? Did they even have bears in this part of the world? C'mon focus, this wasn't the time to play Animal Habitats. Maybe she should keep quiet. But what if it was someone looking for her.
Grey and Black Boots. She recognised Andy's hiking boots. "Andy!" "Angela, thank God you're alright." "I'm so glad to see you guys. I thought I was gonna die out here. How did you find me?"
"We looked everywhere for you and we couldn't find you and we were about to give up. Then believe it or not, your rucksack fell and landed on Jess. We started walking in the direction the ruck sack had come from and as we approached this area we heard you crying.Thank goodness we found you before it was too late."
Relief swept over Angela and she couldn't help but thank God. It was then that she realised, that although losing her backpack had seemed like a terrible thing at the time, it was the very thing that God had used to save her life.
An apple here, an orange there. Then later a Nokia phone here, an ipod there.
When Jasper was younger his mum had always warned him about his new found habit. His grandma had also taught him the commandment "Thou shalt not steal." But Jasper had never paid any attention to them as a child and now as a grown man, he was set in his ways.
There was no changing his mind about stealing. After all it had taken many years and hard "work" to perfect his art. He was no ordinary thief. He was the Thief Extraordinaire...
Until one day when he decided to help himself to the offering basket at the Blessed Believers Church.
**** Zam Zam couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't easy being a wasp when you couldn't sting. Even her own mother was beginning to lose faith in her. Her friends were beginning to talk about her. After all who would want to hang out with a wasp that was useless at stinging? Wasn't it their job to defend the colony? Zam Zam knew what she was called to do. She was one of the Hundred Defending Wasps but she didn't want to inflict pain on anyone... She was just too kind...
But one day the taunting became too much for her. She was minding her own business when she overheard two of her friends talking as they ate some fruit and nectar on a tree branch.
"Here comes the wasp with an attitude.." the slim wasp said to the chubby one. She pretended not to hear them. "Miss Think She's Too Good To Do Her Job. I'll bet she won't ever find a mate. I mean who would want a woman who isn't all woman... What's a lady wasp without her sting?" the chubby one said with a sneer. They laughed. Zam fought back the tears. It was all too much to bear. Rejection by her family and friends. Why didn't they understand how she felt? She flew past them in a huff knocking over the leaf filled with the nectar which the two were enjoying. "Hey watch it!" the chubby one called, mouth full, waving its leg. Zam didn't care. She just wanted to get as far away from the colony as possible. She flew off, not sure where she was going.
****
Jasper clad in his only grey suit sat in the back row, so as not to arouse any suspicions. Half an hour after the service started, it was time for the offering.
"Give and it will come back to you," the choir members sang heartily. "Fools," Jasper thought to himself, "Today you're giving to me and it certainly ain't coming back to y'all."
As the basket was being passed round, Jasper smiled and pretended to sing along, clapping his hands out of rhythm.
Then the basket got to him. He pretended to put something and then dropped the basket on the floor. "So sorry" he called to the usher at the end of the aisle, "I'll pick it all up for you."
Faster than lightning, Jasper stuffed several £20 notes and several offering envelopes into his pocket. As he was about to get up from the floor where he was pretending to rummage for lost coins and notes, he saw another twenty wedged deep in the basket. He grinned. He had to have that one as well.
He shoved his hand right to the bottom where he could see the twenty pound note sticking out... It was then that he felt it. It was the sharpest pain he had ever experienced in his life.
"Ouch!" he shouted and everyone turned and stared.
Unbeknown to everyone deep within the offering basket sat Zam Zam, who had been relaxing after her long flight from home. She had seen Jasper's hand come towards her and fearing for her own life she had stung the young man using her ovipositor to release the venom.
"Owww help me, someone help me," Jasper cried as he pranced about scratching himself furiously. His face began to swell and go beetroot red. "Oh my gosh, what's happening to him?" "Something stung me and I think I'm having going into anaphylaptic shock. Help me, please!" "Calm down sir, we've called an ambulance," a young usher told him.
As he jumped around all the offering envelopes and money began to fall out of his pockets. "What's going on here?" "I don't believe this!"some of the church congregants exclaimed.
Everyone looked in amazement and as the reality of what had taken place began to dawn on everyone, the looks on their faces began to change. This man had tried to take from them. He deserved some form of punishment.
But they didn't have to worry about punishing him, because the Lord who works in mysterious ways had already done it on their behalf.
Susie watched him as he got out of the car, biceps like Van Damme, face like Denzel, a heart after God like King David. What more could a Christian girl want?
"You're so lucky to have landed such a fine boy," Maggie said as Tim walked over towards the three girls who were standing near the church entrance. "The Boaz prototype..." Anne added. "You two are funny but I am blessed aren't I?" Susie replied eyeing her boy wonder. He was such a sight for sore eyes.
Susie and Tim had been together for three months and they had tried to keep the relationship under wraps for a while, between them and their close friends but word gets out in church like this. Its as if there was a 24 hour news broadcast keeping everyone informed of the latest news. Tim had been the most sought after guy in church before he and Sue got together. Now that he was off the market, a number of females' hopes had been dashed. "Hey babe, you look great!" he said as he gave her a gentle hug. "Thanks, I'm on duty so I'll see you after service babe. Maggie hun, we'll catch up later ok." "Ok," she said turning her attention to Tim, "Did you watch the match?" Maggie asked him as Susie walked off. Susie rushed off and left them discussing Alex Ferguson's expertise or lack thereof.
****
"Anne, I just don't know what to do," Susie whispered in between tears. "I'm sorry babe, just pray and give it to God," Anne replied. "That's what everyone keeps saying but it's not that easy though is it?" "I know hun, just give it time." Susie grabs the Kleenex and blows furiously. "He says he just doesn't feel that its God's will. This is the same guy that told me that God told him I was his future wife a few months ago. As if God would change his mind; such a jerk!" It had been two weeks since their break up. Susie thought maybe he would reconsider but it didn't look that way. It hurt so bad, she still loved him. And then there were all the plans she'd started making. She'd even pictured the dress. She would get over it somehow.Yes she would, for now some Alicia Keys. Sleeping with a Broken Heart.
****
They were in a church service singing "Trading my sorrows," when Susie first noticed them. Tim and Maggie. They were sitting three rows ahead of her. She hadn't spoken to Tim for a few months now, other than a hi here and a hello there. She felt a little stab in her heart, that Maggie and Tim could still laugh and talk, yet her friendship with Tim had been destroyed along with the relationship. Susie tried to ignore them and went back to trading her sorrows.
****
Susie could not believe it. She had seen them sitting very cosily at the Singles picnic. She had blinked and rubbed her eyes. But when she opened them again, they were still there, they were now holding hands. She winced. It was as if someone had punched her hard in the stomach and knocked all the wind out of her. "Hey Susie, are you ok?" Anne asked noticing her gaze. "Not really. Are they...?" she couldn't even say it. Anne nodded confirming Sue's unspoken question. "I take it she didn't tell you. I'm so sorry, I thought you knew. I would never have suggested that we come here." "How long have they been seeing each other?" "Two or so months. They got together about three months after you guys broke up." "I can't believe it. She's my friend. Isn't there an unwritten rule somewhere about dating your friend's ex. Seems like she couldn't wait to pounce on him." "I'm sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable. It must be difficult for you but if it makes you feel any better, I don't think she intentionally meant to hurt you." "Yeah right. I think I'm gonna go." "I'll come with you." Susie told everyone she had a head ache or something to that effect and then she and Anne ambled off towards the car.
"Hi," a voice said. Susie was busy doing her makeup in the church toilet when Maggie walked in. "Hi," Susie replied. She was starting to come to terms with Tim and Maggie's relationship. It was hard but she was learning to let go of the resentment she'd felt towards both of them. "Look, I never got the chance to speak to you. I wanted to call you but I wasn't sure what to say to you. I wanted to tell you but I knew how you felt about him so it just made everything awkward but you know, he liked me and I liked him and then ..." "Its ok, you don't have to explain yourself. I'm fine." "Really are you sure?" "Yes, he's not God so yes, I can live without him. I'm over it, I hope it works out for you." And with that Susie walked out of the bathroom leaving Maggie gaping like a fish.
"Did you hear the latest?" "I don't wanna hear it. I'm done with Sky Church News." "I know, I know but I'll bet you want to know that Tim and Maggie have broken up and guess what?" "What?" "He's now dating Maggie's cousin." "No!" "Yup...I kid you not. What goes around comes around babe!"
I was running late. I glanced at my watch again. 11:45am and not a bus in sight. I had a little over 45 minutes to get to Old Street where I had an interview with a leading private Telecoms Company. "Where's this bus?" I muttered to myself.
An old woman coughed furiously as she walked past pulling her shopping trolley bag behind her. I looked at her sympathetically. Her frail pink skin was edged with lines of anxiety and weariness. She was muttering quietly to herself when she stepped on the edge of the pavement and almost lost her balance. I rushed over to her side and helped to steady her so that she wouldn't fall. "Thank you my dear," she said softly as she regained her composure. "You're welcome. Are you alright?" "Yes, it's so hard at my age to walk around dear. I don't usually do it but my son's been trying to encourage me to do it often, you know to get exercise and all that. He reckons it's good for the joints and all; but I'm scared of something happening to me. What if I fell and broke my hip? What if some of those crazy kids attacked me and stole my handbag? I wish my son Trevor was around. I'm sorry dear to be troubling you with all my problems, its just that I don't feel safe." "Where do you live?" "Near the end of this road, by the roundabout." That was about ten minutes away. I felt sorry for her but there was little I could do, I was already running late for my interview and if I escorted her home, it would just make everything worse for me. But I heard a voice saying "Escort her home." I knew that voice, I had learnt to recognise it over the years. "But Lord, I'll be late for my interview..." The voice spoke gently again.
I didn't really want to escort her because it would make me late, but I had learnt a long time ago that I should always do as I felt prompted in my heart. So hand in hand the old lady and I walked down the road towards her home. "My name is Mike," I said as we walked, "What's your name ma'am?" "Mrs Myles or you can call me Sue." "Mrs Myles it is." We got to her house and she fumbled in her bag for the keys. Two minutes later I was helping her into her house. She smiled back at me and said, "Thank you for your kindness. It's not everyday that people go out of their way for others. Are you on your way to work?" she asked as she gazed at my expensive suit which I had bought specifically for the interview. "Actually I'm on my way to an interview, which starts in about an hour's time," I replied as I got ready to leave. "You, young men of today work so hard. Even my Trevor is always busy slaving away in his city office. Anyway I wish you all the best in your interview." "Thank you," I said as I rushed out of her house back to the 271 Bus stop.
An hour and a half later I marched into the offices of London Independent Telecoms. A young receptionist ushered me to a seat and as I sat there with my hands trembling, sweaty palms and my heart doing a marathon, I looked around at the contemporary office with huge plants that reminded me of the Amazon. Young slender women walked in and out of the reception on some all important task. "Did you get the memo I sent?" one asked. "Yes, I will start actioning it this afternoon." I wondered whether the Managing Director who I was scheduled to meet would still want to interview me seeing as I was quite late. Surprisingly he still agreed to meet me.
I was led into his impressive glass paneled office and he asked me to take a seat. "I'm so sorry that I'm late sir but I had a bit of an emergency to deal with," I said wanting to make amends. "Don't worry about it for now, these things happen," he said looking at me intently. Then to my surprise the interview turned out to be a one to one interview. The rest of the interview panel was not able to make it for one reason or another. He glanced at my CV again and remarked, "Your qualifications are very good but I'm sure you understand that we get thousands of applicants who are equally as good?" I nodded not sure what to say. "Now I'm sure you know already from the Interview Pack we sent you that the biggest characteristic we're after for this job is someone who can show that they have the uttermost commitment and loyalty to the firm. We need a person who can be selfless and deny them self for the good of the firm." Again I nodded. This wasn't going too great. I felt like a silly child with all my nodding at different intervals. "Do you think that you can demonstrate such loyalty, commitment and dedication to the point of denying yourself? You know we may ask you to put in extra long hours - evenings and weekends, a lot of travelling will be involved as well. It will be tough, can you give up some of your own personal interests to see the company achieve its goals?"
"Wait a minute, you escorted a lady home today on your way here? Tell me what happened..." "I was waiting for the 271 bus to get here and this elderly lady almost fell..." "Mike what was the name of the lady?" "Mrs Myles," I said wondering why he was so interested. "I don't believe this," he said scratching his head, "That woman that you helped out today was my mum. Just before you arrived she rang me and told me that a nice young man had taken the trouble to walk her home, Mike she said his name was. And now it turns out, you happen to be that nice young man. Thank you for helping my mum. She gets so distressed sometimes and it makes a whole of difference when people like you pause their lives to help people like her." I was speechless. "Well I think it goes without saying that you are a self less and kind person and we would be honoured to have you join our team here." "I've got the job?" I asked unable to believe what was happening. "Yes, congratulations." "Thank you," I said and half an hour later as I walked out of his office; I couldn't help but marvel at the way the Lord worked in mysterious ways. Sometimes I never understood what he was doing in my life but I resolved from then on to try harder to listen to His voice and do His will.
A forty something year old man sits on a rush hour morning train from Brentwood to Liverpool Street talking to a fellow passenger.
"Look stop kidding yourself, there's no God," the man says to the young teen sitting next to him.
"I know and believe in my heart that there is a God. He's loving and kind and He's all powerful," the teen replied
"Kind? That's absurd! If He's kind why do we have wars and terrorists and all this bad stuff happening?"
"I'm not sure but I think its because we have removed God from every aspect of our lives. We have taken Him out of schools and other public establishments for fear of offending others but without Him we have no protection. Also we live in a fallen world where the enemy and sin prevail. I believe the enemy is responsible for all the chaos in the world. God is the perfect gentleman and He won't force His way into our lives."
"I don't know where you get all this religious tosh from but if I were you I'd stop myself from getting brain washed any further."
"I'm not brain washed, it's the truth. I hope some day you will experience the power of God in your life and know that He is real."
"Power of God, my foot!"the man says as he gets up from his seat to leave the train. No sooner had he taken two steps, his trouser, which isn't belted, suddenly comes down all the way down to his ankles. He frantically bends over to pull it back up and in the process loses his balance and falls over, landing face down with his backside in the air.
Everyone in the train carriage stares in amazement at his yellow poker dot underwear as he struggles to get up and get himself into a more dignified state, whilst mumbling all sorts of profanities. His eyes meet the young teen's gaze and the young teen winks at him and says, "There is a God!"
"Only a fool says there is no God..." paraphrase of Psalms 14:1
I wrote this story after being inspired by the incident below in the paper. See below... lol
As I drove home, I couldn't get Lyla out of my mind. I kept seeing her dark beautiful face and jet black hair shaped into a "bob" which made her look something like Rihanna. I decided I would call her tomorrow.
But when I did she didn't pick up the phone. It wasn't until I'd left three messages that she eventually called me back.
"Sorry I was out of it that’s why I couldn't call you earlier," she said in a hoarse voice like someone who had been crying.
"Lyla you have to tell me what’s going on, we can’t have a relationship if there's no trust or communication."
She sighed and said nothing for a minute or so.
"Are you still there?" I asked impatiently.
"Yes I'm here. I didn't want to talk about it but my grandmother passed away, that’s why I’ve been so upset. Sorry I didn't say anything earlier."
For a moment I didn't say anything I was stunned.
So that was it....she had been upset about her gran....
"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened, was she unwell?"
"Not really, she just died unexpectedly, that was the most shocking part. I actually called my family in St Vincent spoke last week and I spoke to her and she was fine."
"I'm really sorry. Do you want me to come over?"
"No, its fine. I just need to be alone for now."
"Ok but call me if you need anything. If there's anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask ok?"
"Sure I appreciate that."
"...Lylah remember that God will see you through this ok? I'll be praying for you."
"Thanks, I'll give you a call ok, maybe tomorrow or something."
After our conversation I felt relieved that Lylah had told me what was going on because I have to admit I had begun to get suspicions which I didn't like. I still wasn't comfortable with the idea of her smoking but maybe it was a one off. Maybe her gran's death had been too much and had forced her to give in. I guess I could let it go this time around. I remembered her warm smile and suddenly I felt good again, surely everything was going to work out fine. I prayed and then went to sleep dreaming about my bright future with Lylah.
Lylah didn't call for two days and when I tried to call her I couldn't get through to her. She eventually called on Friday and said she'd been grieving and she wanted to be alone.
"I understand that you may want to be alone but I'm your boyfriend. You should let me come over and cheer you up or just be there for you. I don't think it’s good for you to go through this on your own."
But Lylah declined my offer and said we could hang out on Sunday afternoon after church.
When I saw her on Sunday she seemed bright and cheerful and it seemed her grieving plan had worked.
"I liked the sermon today except the part about giving ten percent of your money...what do they call that again?"
"Tithing."
"Yeah that, what’s that all about?"
"Well it’s biblical," I replied and went on to show her scriptures in the book of Malachi that talked about tithing.
"I'm not buying that," she said after reading the scripture, "Do you know how much I earn, I take home about two grand and you expect me to give two hundred away every month just like that? No, not me, mama didn't raise no fool. Don't tell me you do it?"
"As a matter of fact I do tithe because the word of God says I should do so and because I'm grateful for everything God has given me. Everything I have including my job, God gave to me and if He wanted he could take it all away today. To be honest ten percent is little in comparison to what He's given me. And the best part is whatever you give to Him, He gives you back more in return."
"Yeah well if it works for you do it but I'll never be duped like that. That’s about two and a half grand a year. Imagine how many Jimmy Choos I could buy with that kind of money?"
As Lylah was talking I began to get an uneasy feeling. I had never realised that she felt so strongly about this. Maybe I just needed to explain it better and pray for her to get a revelation about it. Yes that’s what I would do. Our cars were parked on opposite sides of the car park so we went our separate ways and agreed to meet in Stratford.
As I walked to my car I saw Molly walking towards me with a guy I didn't know very well. They seemed rather friendly.
"Molly," I said calling out to her, "how are you?"
"I'm fine and you?" she replied as they got closer to me.
The guy she had been talking to gave her a hug and said "I'll see you later," then he walked off. I quickly walked towards her.
"So who's that?"
"That’s Dave,” she replied with a small blush.
"He seems nice," I said, hoping she would shed more light on the situation.
"Yeah he is."
I tried to act casual and engage in some boring small talk but my curiosity wouldn't let me walk away without knowing what was going on.
"So are you guys seeing each other?"
"Well he's told me he likes me and wants to get to know me and I think I'm gonna give it a go."
"Wow that’s good. I'm happy to hear that," I said although I was feeling a twinge which I couldn't quite identify.
"Thanks, I hope it will work out. How’s Lylah?"
"Fine. Things are going well." I wondered why I was exaggerating. I used to confide in Molly before but somehow I felt embarrassed to tell her the truth about my relationship.
She said she had to go and attend an Usher's meeting and rushed off. As she walked towards the church door I couldn't but help wondering why it felt like I had lost something which I had never had.
Lylah and I went to Pizza Hut in Greenwich for lunch and then watched a movie. Then she said she needed to go home and prepare for work the next day. I had hoped we would spend more time together but she assured me that we would see each other some more during the week. I walked her to her Rav 4 and watched her as she drove off before I walked to my own car and drove home.
I was fast asleep when the phone startled me.
I picked up my mobile and saw that it was Lylah ringing. I frowned and checked the time.
12:05am.
"Hello, is everything ok?" I asked.
"Yeah but I need you to come over."
"Why, what's up?"
"I miss you and I want to see you."
"But I saw you this afternoon and besides it’s after midnight. I don't think it’s a good idea for me to come over at this hour."
"Why not?"
"Lylah c'mon you're an attractive girl, I'm a human being...I'm tired and my brain isn't thinking straight. I don't want to put myself in a position where I might compromise myself. To be honest I would really love to come and see you but if I come, I'm afraid that I may not be able to resist the temptation."
"Well you don't have to resist....I'm game if you are..."
Warning bells began to ring in my mind. My brain was telling me: This is the part where you run... but every fibre of my being wanted to grab the car keys and rush over to her place. I could just picture her at that very moment...and my pulse started racing, what was I to do? I wanted to go and see her.
I sat up in my bed and put my head in my palms. I was sweating badly now and my heart was racing furiously. I grabbed my coat and trainers. As I started tying the shoe laces on my trainers a voice in mt head kept telling me to get back into bed and forget this. But I couldn't stop myself...I wanted to see her so much... "Are you still there...?" she asked. "Yeah.." "Well are you coming?" I wanted to see her so much but it would be going against everything I stood for.
And in that instant I decided.
"Look Lylah I'm sorry but I can't do this. I have come too far to let a few minutes a pleasure pull me down. The bible clearly tells us how unmarried people should conduct themselves in matters like this. I firmly believe that sex should be reserved for marriage. I really like you and as much as I would have loved to come...I can’t."
"The bible is outdated, this is 2010 for crying out loud."
"Lylah I know you may not understand how I feel but this is a non negotiable issue for me."
"Suit yourself," she said, "Goodnight." And she hung up.
Gosh what was wrong with this woman? The dream girl that I had fallen for was turning out to be a different person whose values I wasn't particularly thrilled about. For a few minutes I couldn't think straight and I realised that I was trembling. I felt a bit like a fool for passing up an opportunity with Lylah, but at the same time I felt proud of myself for doing what I knew would be the best thing in the long run. I wondered whether to call her back and talk things over but something told me to leave it for now. I needed to speak to someone about my relationship, someone who could give me an objective view of things. I finally went to bed an hour later after resolving to call my long lost friend... Isaac.
"You know what your problem is Solomon, you fall in love too quick and too deep," Isaac said as he furiously punched buttons on his PS3 console, "What you need to do at the start of the relationship is to take things slow." I had gone over to Isaac's place after work to get some friendly advice. As we sat there playing Street Fighter I couldn't help but realise how much I had missed hanging out with my boy, playing games and eating Dominoes pizza.
"So what are you saying man? Stop speaking in riddles like an old man," I replied as I thumped on his fighter with a double kick.
"Hey I wouldn't be so cheeky if I were you after all you're getting first class counselling for free so don't complain. Now like I was saying man, you rushed into this without getting to know this girl and now you're beginning to see the real her and it sounds to me like it's not what you were looking for is it?"
"She's not exactly how I imagined her to be but get this she's not that bad infact..."
"No buts! Gosh you're more love sick than I thought. Look in a relationship the person is supposed to add to you, how has she done that over the last three months? She tried to seduce you and she doesn't stand for the things you do. You said so yourself so why are you still finding it hard to admit that she aint good for you and just let go."
"You wouldn't understand. It’s not that easy."
"Oh yeah try me?"
"It's complicated; let’s just focus on the game for now."
"KO" the game announced as Isaac knocked me out with a double twist kick and punch. I put the controller down as Isaac started a new game.
I knew he was right; Lylah was just as good to me as kryptonite was to Superman. What's a man in love to do?
As I turned back to the TV screen I could see Isaac shaking his head and I didn't blame him I was sinking faster than the Titanic...
I had not heard from Lylah since her midnight call two days before, so I decided to call her the following evening. She didn't pick up so I decided to go over to her place so that we could talk about everything. I didn't like the way things were going and if things didn't change I couldn’t go on like this. I was gonna lay it all out on the table and hear what she had to say.
As I rang the bell I wondered whether to start by saying sorry for brushing her off and not calling. But then again she was in the wrong so technically she should have called me, to apologise.
The door swung open to reveal a slim tall guy.
"Is Lylah here?"
"Yeah and who are you?"
"I'm her boyfriend, and who are you?"
"I'm her ex, dude how come I'm the one in the house and you're the one standing outside the door. This is some twisted role reversal huh?"
I disliked his type, the ones who thought they were wise cracks.
"If you're her ex, what are you doing here?"
"Hey brother, what’s a man to do? Your girlfriend called me in the middle of the night asking me to come over."
"I think you should leave. Lylah and I need to talk."
“Anything you wanna say to her, you can say to me.”
"Jay, who is it?" Lylah called out from the kitchen.
"It's your so called man."
Lylah was out of the kitchen faster than a rocket.
"Solomon, what are you doing here?"
"Lylah what’s going on? Who's this guy?"
"Solomon it's not what you think...Jay doesn't mean anything to me. He's just my ex."
"Oh so now I'm just your ex huh? So is he the father then?"
"What is he talking about?" I asked turning from Jay to Lylah.
Lylah was quite for a few seconds which to me felt like eternity.
"Lylah, I said what the heck is going on?"
"I'm pregnant." It came out almost like a whisper. For a moment I wasn't sure if I had imagined it.
"What? How?" I asked feeling tiny sweat beads developing on my brow.
And then it dawned on me. The jigsaw pieces began to come together. The whole time she had probably been seeing her ex behind my back. I felt my knees beginning to give in and I staggered to a nearby chair. The room seemed to be spinning frantically and I felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs. Surely this couldn’t be happening to me.
“Solomon I’m sorry. Please say something...”
I didn’t know what to say. I could now feel that thin line between love and hate that people often talked about. I wanted to grab her and shake her so hard until she begged for mercy. I wanted to cause her intense pain like she had done to me but I restrained myself. She wasn’t worth all that trouble.
I only had one more question to ask and then that would be it.
"Lylah did your gran die last week?"
Jay who had been listening to our exchange with interest began laughing.
"Delylah...you killed your grandmother again. You're pathetic. Dude she goes around pulling that lie every time she needs some sympathy. This girl's gran died six years ago."
I stared at them both in disbelief. It had all been a lie.
"...and is your name really Delylah?"
"Yeah that’s my full name," she said quietly.
A part of me wanted to lash out at her and tell her exactly what I thought of her but as I looked at her I felt sorry for her. She was so lost and she didn't even seem to realise it.
I looked at her for a few seconds, puzzled that the beauty that I had once seen seemed to have somehow diminished. She had no substance- it was like looking into an empty glass case, there was nothing there.
“Solomon I can explain...”she began to say but I didn’t want to hear it.
"Lylah, or should I say Delylah.... spare me the soap drama. I guess it goes without saying that it’s over between us, I hope someday you'll find love in Jesus because He's the one man who can help you transform your life and enable you to love someone else sincerely."
And with those words I walked away from my Girl in Purple Heels.
This story is dedicated to all the Single people out there.... I believe that God has a good plan for your life, as His word clearly says in Jer 29:11.
You may be in courtship, engaged or still looking for the One... but wherever you at, even though you may face difficult and lonely times, remember God is faithful and if you will trust Him and submit to His guidance and direction, He will lead you to a wonderful mate and eventually into a God centred and God glorifying marriage.
All things are possible, only believe! (Mark 9:23 paraphrase)
