MY BROTHER'S DEATH

I was working in a local school and was earning NGN8,000 per month. It wasn't a lot of money but I was happy. I had something profitable I was doing but this was like a side hustle for me and something to write on my empty piece called curriculum vitae.

I got dressed early that fateful day, arranged my work materials, held them on my hands and walked to work. It wasn't really far, just a ten minutes walk from my house.

Got to my workplace, signed in and headed straight to my small office or at least, I thought it was. Before I could get settled in, the bell rang for assembly.

The school rule made it mandatory for teachers to come out for assembly so I quickly joined the students on the assembly ground. We finished assembly about thirty minutes later and I went to my class to go teach my students.

After about three hours of teaching, the bell rang for break and hurray, all the students rushed out to go play.

As I settled in my office, I decided to check my phone and I saw numerous calls from my mom who resided in the village. I had to quickly call her back. She picked and all I could hear were cries. "Mummy, what happened?", I asked. "Favour, Marvelous is gone. He died this morning", she replied sorrowfully.

I almost lost grip of my phone, my body temperature suddenly changed. "Have you tried using the anointing oil or communion?", I asked as a believer. "I've tried everything. He was shouting 'my leg' all through night. We eventually lost him in the hospital". I couldn't take it anymore so I ended the call.

Marvelous was my junior brother and the most handsome amongst us all. I tried to fathom the reality of the situation but all I could do was walk home, I was shedding tears and was walking in an unsteady manner.

I got home, saw my dad outside and before he could say a word, I said, "mummy said Marvelous is dead". He dropped the cutlass he was holding and sank on the plastic chair on our balcony.

He was asking different questions, "how?", "what have they done to my son?". Prior to this time, news had reached my sister in school and that one was running mad.

Here I was questioning my faith. "But why? What did I do wrong? I've been following this God with all my heart so why would he let this happen?". My African mentality struck in, "it was a spiritual attack".

Spiritual, physical or whatever, the news was the news; my brother who I haven't seen in years just died. I've heard of death cases but I never for once thought it would happen to me.

My mentality changed. I said to myself, "if it can happen to one, it can happen to anyone".