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I had just finished my junior secondary school examinations and couldn't contain my excitement. In Imo State, JSS3 students always finished their exams before other classes in third term, which meant one thing for me then, "I was going to spend my holiday in my uncle's house in Lagos" the excitement of out of these world.
My elder sister who was studying at Micheal Okpara University Of Agriculture Umudike, was supposed to take me to Lagos after her exams. The problem was her exams were still going on, and i was too excited to wait.
Then an idea came to me.
Our neighbor, Aunty oge was to travel back to Lagos in few days. Since she already knows my uncle's house in Lagos, I suggested to my dad that I should travel with her instead of waiting for my sister. She could simply put me on a bus to my uncle's house after we got to Lagos. Everyone thought over it and concluded it was a good idea. So proceeded to pack my clothes.
I could barely sleep that night.
Long before dawn, I woke up full of excitement, rushed my morning prayer, took my bath quickly, got dressed and sat waiting.
I was so eager that I couldn't even eat breakfast. Looking back now, it was probably because I was so excited to have an appetite.
Anty Oge had told us that she wanted to board the first bus, and asked us to meet her at her house by 5:00 am. So we could get to the motor Park on or before 6:00 am.
I did everything to meet up with the time, but my father was my big problem that morning. His prayers that morning seemed to be endless.
I kept watching the clock, becoming more anxious every minute. In my young mind, I couldn't just understand why his prayers had to be so long that morning. At a point I couldn't wait again I had to knock on his door " Daddy, we're running late," I said severally.
He simply continued his prayers. It was really frustrating that morning.
By the time he finished, it was already closed to six o'clock, I was almost certain Anty Oge would have left.
He finally carried me and my small travelling bag on his motorcycle to Anty Oge's house.
Lo and behold, she had already gone. I burst into tears.
I could no longer hide my disappointment. " Daddy, it's because of your long prayers," I complained through my tears.
I begged him to ride all the way to the motor Park to see if we could still catch up with Anty Oge.
He refused and told me he had an appointment with someone that morning and can't ride that far to the park.
As I sat back to the motorcycle, I cried all the way back home.
To prove how upset I was, I rejected breakfast that morning. But my mother kept comforting me.
" Be patient," she gently said to me. Your sister will soon finish her exams and she will still take you to Lagos. I wasn't even hearing that one, I was still crying.
As the hours passed, I gradually calmed down and consoled myself that my sister will still take me to Lagos.
I unpacked my clothes and joined with the rest of the house chores.
Around 5: 00pm, we got ready for our Wednesday midweek service. The service lasted for One hour and 30miniutes .
After the service, we were walking home, when we saw a group of village women hurrying to the opposite direction. My mother had to stop them and ask where they were hurrying to.
One of them answered breathlessly. " We're going to Dee Obioha's house , there's news that Oge was involved in a terrible motor accident and there's news she's dead."
Everything around me suddenly became silent. I stood there staring at them. I looked at my mother and my mother looked back at me. Neither of us knew what to say.
Just that morning i had cried my eyes out because i couldn't travel with Anty Oge.
My mother asked that i go home with my brother, while she followed the women to Dee Obioha's house.
We waited for her to come back and tell what really happened, when she finally returned, her face told the story before she could even start. "They said the vehicle ran into an incoming trailer and all the passengers died" my mother finally opened up.
" It's true, Oge is dead " she added again.
At that I I couldn't speak, I slowly walked towards my father and gave him a tight hug.
"Daddy thank you," I whispered to him while fighting back my tears.
"God really used you to save my life, if not for your long prayers that delayed us this morning, I would have been in that vehicle, I would have been dead too." I said.
My father smiled gently and said to me, " Some delays are blessings in disguise".
Many years have passed, but I still remember that unforgettable morning . Not every delay is a denial, sometimes it's actually God's protection.
It wasn't a missed trip, it was a detour that saved my life.
