Little Surprise

"Mummy ! what are you doing here in Lagos ?" Ivy exclaimed at the top of her lungs upon seeing her mother standing in front of her with a polythene bag in her hand,her long hair was roughly tied in a bun and her dress was looking not too good for someone who came all the way from Delta State to a bustling city as Lagos but Ivy didn't care less all that mattered to her was her beloved mother was in Lagos with her and her Father,she was filled with joy despite her mother's pale face, though she wondered why but the joy of seeing her mother made it difficult for her to ask so she took her mother inside their one room apartment,the jobless neighbours whose only routine was to discuss about every kind of breeze that blew around them and anything or anyone that passed by,so when Ivy came with her mother into the house Iya Aishat,Iya Bolu and Star girl as she was commonly called were all seated beside the entrance wooden door that led to the dark hall way leading to the residents apartment either a room or two they occupied."Ah Ivy baby,who be dis wey dey follow you back ?" Star girl asked chewing gum with the sound that followed" She's my mother,she came in to Lagos today"Ivy replied avoiding eye contact with them" Welcome o mummy Ivy,how was your journey" Iya Aishat asked looking at her with the corner 9f her eyes"It was good" Ivy's mother replied and hurriedly followed Ivy inside avoiding any further questions from them.When they got inside the dark room of their apartment,Ivy raised the curtains to illumine the room,her mother looked around the room,a raffia mat folded together and placed by the wall,a Ghana-must -go bag placed ajacent to where her mother stood,the paint on the wall were already peeling and didn't give the room a homely look,the stood was beside the bag,a small gas cylinder with a small pot on it was all that the room had,the room lacked taste and needed immediate furnishings that was what her mother thought and their little house in the village was at least better than what was before her,she thought their coming to Lagos would bring any difference but it was worse,she cried silently and when Ivy noticed it she stood close to her and held her shoulders and brought her to sit on the stool"Mummy what is it ,why are you crying,are you not happy to see me?"Ivy asked searching her teary eyes for the answer" My Ivy I'm very happy to see you it's just that I'm not happy with the condition of how I met you in Lagos and it's hurts me"she replied sniffing her nose with the hem of her faded wrapper"Mummy it's not easy here in Lagos, things are hard here and Daddy got a job that's paying, very soon we'll leave here to a better place, so don't cry,now that you're here we'll enjoy it together as one happy family"Ivy said trying to cheer her mother.Her mother sighed and Ivy rolled out the raffia mat for her mother to lay on and she went outside to get something for her mother to eat.When she got back,she gave her mother the beans and bread she bought and changed her clothes to go for evening prayer meeting with the Charismatic group at St.Mary's Catholic Church where she worshipped"Mummy I'm going to church for prayer meeting, I'll be back before 9pm or after 9pm as the Spirit leads"Ivy said tieing her scarf and getting ready to go while her mother ate the food hungrily,she glanced at her mother and felt pity but adjusted her dress and headed to church with her large Good News Bible in her hand.Ivy trekked to church though it was not too far from the house,it was a 45 minutes journey, so she walked hurriedly humming one of the songs sang in Charismatic meetings.Ivy got to the church and the programme had started,she was a member of the Deliverance team and a very active member,she was among those who went with their leader to people's houses praying for them and evangelizing,so she joined the congregation as the praise and worship section was going on,she dance and praised God like they was nothing that mattered to her in the world,the band gave them melodious song that one couldn't resist but dance.The worship took place after the praise and worship and it was heavenly,the anointing of God rested upon her and she spoke in tongues reflecting the power of the Holy Spirit ,the anointing turned her around that the stewards came and made her kneel down to avoid hitting other worshippers .When she got her self,she was called upon to give the Words of Exhortation and she walked with Bible held tight in her hand and ascended the podium and opened her Bible to Romans 12:1 which was her passage she was going to share with the congregation.She spoke the Word of God with authority and power that the congregation marvelled at her understanding and eloquence in speech.The auditorium was quiet as they all listened with rapt attention, when she ended the section a standing ovation was awarded her and she felt fulfilled having touched their heart with the Word of God.She descended the podium and resume her seat while those seated close to her whispered"That was a wonderful sharing sister,the Holy Spirit really used you tonight, keep it up"and she nodded slightly not wanting to receive the glory that was due to God. The co ordinator of the Charismatic group led the prayer section and it was a very vibrant one as each person was either prayering in tongues or vibrating physically and the shouts of "Holy Ghost fire " boomed in the large speaker and in the air.The prayer meeting ended and each person went to their various destination while to the leaders of each ministry sat behind to discuss their weekly activities.Ivy went home filled with joy of how the programme went and went she got home,she opened the door and went inside and found her mother lying still in the mat ,so with the excitement she came home and she shook her mother, waking her to break the news to her but her mother remained motionless and she shook her the more but she remained still ,she checked her pulse and found out she wasn't breathing,her mother was dead.