The evening was peaceful; the streets were illuminated by the brilliant rays of the setting sun. Nnenna rode slowly in the car, her gaze moving towards the big old Chapel, the familiar building stood imposingly at the top of the little hill. She remembered Reverend Father Dibia, the Catholic Priest who conducted morning Masses and took confessions. She smiled broadly as she remembered her first confession when she was thirteen. Amata, a boy in Form IV had written her a love letter professing his romantic feelings towards her, she had hidden the letter from her Mom and had gone on to see 'Father' the next morning, confessing to liking Amata and nursing impure thoughts in her heart. She recalled him saying to her;
"Go home daughter, your sins are forgiven, sin no more".
And she had avoided Amata like a deadly plague! How naive she had been back then!
This was many years ago but the memories still lingered, today it brought smiles to her beautiful face.
Staring at the withered oak tree as she drove by, she recollected all the summer holiday afternoons she and her childhood friends had spent playing around it. Friends who had moved on to different places, pursuing their education and their goals. She had not stepped her foot into this village for the past six years. Now she was home with the news her mother had been waiting for, she had earned an MBBS degree and was now a Medical Doctor.
She reached the end of the street and halted before their old house. It looked smaller than she remembered, but the memories inside loomed larger than life.
She knew her Mom would be so shocked to see her, because she didn't inform her she would be returning home from London where she had travelled to, for her studies. She wanted to shock her mother with the greatest News, she wanted it to be the greatest gift to the woman who had laboured selflessly to give her the best life.
With much happiness bubbling inside of her, she stepped out of the car.
Thank you for reading!