EAGLE FROM THE RUBBLE: CHAPTER 47

geniusvic(54)

Published in

#story

Words

610

Reading

3 min

Listen

Play

Preparations were in the final stages for the burial of Fr. Richard. From counting in weeks people were now counting in days. It was just three days to the day. Obioha joined actively in the preparations. From the day he heard of Fr. Richard's death till date, he had not shed a tear. The tears simply refused to come. Rather, he discovered that the old anger he used to nurse against everything was returning. He could not understand why Fr. Richard had to die.

Why should he be inflicted with the illness in the first place? Why did his illness have to be terminal? He knew of others who had heart diseases and were cured. Why would Fr. Richard's own be different? Was this not an indirect punishment and torture for himself? Was it not a continuation of the assault on his person? These were the questions that ran in his heart and they fired his rage.

Then the tears finally flowed. It was on the day of Fr. Richard's vigil mass. He had been flown in a week before and deposited in a nearby hospital. On the vigil mass he was laid in state at the cathedral church. The church was filled to the brim with mourners. Obioha found a seat at the rear of the pews. He maintained an unreadable expression but when the casket was opened he could not resist the temptation to move closer. He got up and as he got nearer to the casket, he nearly fainted.

What he saw was not the Fr. Richard he knew. Rather, this was a collection of bones. The sickness had left him completely drained. He stared in utter stupefaction. He was grief-stricken and in his grief he took hold of the casket and wailed, screaming at the top of his voice. All efforts to console him failed as he remained disconsolate. He was eventually, forcefully disentangled from the casket and led away. He had bruises over his body and he lost his voice. Throughout the remaining part of the funeral, the Vicar placed him under surveillance.

He went through the whole burial ceremonies like a moron, not really aware of what was happening. After the burial, it took him several weeks to recover. At a point, the Vicar became worried and had him admitted into a hospital for treatment and counselling.

It was quite sometime before he started picking up the pieces of his life once more. He decided the best he could do for Fr. Richard as it stood now was to excel in his course. Therefore, he put all his energy into it. When the time came for him to travel abroad, the Vicar gave him his blessings and drove him to the airport.