Hope
Hope
There once was a little boy named Adebola who lived with his mother and father in a small village called Dertu in Kenya. They were one of the poor families that lived in the village but that didn’t stop them for being thankful every day that they survived. Adebola loved to wonder off in the field with his friend Janay who also lived in the village called Dertu. They had a secret hut in the fields where they would play and lay down and look up at the clouds.
“One day I will be a great man” Adebola said.
“I believe you will be a great man, I see greatness in you.” Jendayi said.
“Will you be my friend forever and ever, no matter what?” Adebola asked.
“I sure will. You are my best friend and I will always be here with you. That’s a promise. “She said.
Every day was pretty much the same. After their chores were done they would escape to their private meeting place and talk about what they would become when they got older, the cars they would drive and the house they would live in.
A few years later the land faced some hard times. There was no rain for an entire year and the fruits and the trees on the land withered away. There was nothing but dust. The water level by the river shrunk and shrunk and soon enough there would be no more water left in the land. The animal population in the village was only half the amount that it was before and times were really hard. People were starving. There was no food to it and the village master had to control all food kind and water in the land. The next village was miles and miles away and if anyone was to try to move to another land they would die during the journey.
Even though time was rough, and the drought continued longer than was expected, Adebola mother and father were still hopeful that things would get better. There was a knock on the door and Adebola rushed to see who it was. It was Juji the village leader.
“Adebola, I need to talk to your parents in private.” He demanded and in a blink Adebola was out the door.
“I’m sure you guys are aware that you owe a lot of money for the food that you’ve been taking.” Juji continued. “ I know times are hard now but you have to find a way to pay back for the food that you have been taking. “
“I appreciate all your help and what you have been doing for the village but we simply don’t have enough money. There has been no work since the drought and we used up all our savings.” Adebola’s father said.
“I understand but I have an ultimatum. I need some help with cleaning my home. How about you let your son work for me and I will erase your debts?” Juji said.
“It is something to think about chief Juji. We will think about it and give you a final answer.” Adebola’s father said and Chief Juji was out the door.
It was the hardest decision to make but they had no choice. The decided to take Chief Juji up on his offer just until things got better. Little did they know that they were selling their son’s freedom? They never saw young Adebola nor the chief again, they both disappeared without a trace.
That’s all Adebola could remember. There was a whole chunk of his life that was missing but one thing for sure he knew was that he missed his mother and father. Why did she give him away he thought as he made his way to class? Adebola was now 20 years old a college student. He had been living at a shelter but since the age of 18 he was able to find a job and pay his way to college. In an act to forget the past and the pain associated with, he changed his name while living at the shelter. His new name was John Williams and he set off to start his new life as an adult.
He had no family now and desperately tried finding a partner that he could start his family with. There was one girl in his class that he was head over heels with. Her name was Jen. Her skin colours was a smooth caramel colour, her eyes were dark and a lips were full and she smelt like a rose. She was perfect for him he thought. There was something about her, he didn’t know what he was but he was in love with her, she was specially made for him. As time passed they became friends and discovered they shared a lot of things in common. The time they spent with each other increased and they became fond of each other and started dating.
One say she decided to take Adebola to meet her parents. “Mom, dad, meet John.” Jen said blushing like a high school girl in love.
“Adebola? Is that you? Is your name Adebola?” Jen’s mother asked with eyes wide open.
“Mom, come on now. Let’s not bring that up. His name is John and he’s my boyfriend.” Jen said looking a little embarrassed.
“What did you just call me? Mama?” He said with tear coming to his eyes.
“Son! It’s me” she said and ran to hug him.
All his life he hoped he would see his parents again. He was happy to see his parents again but one thing had him puzzled. Had he been falling in love with his sister? He looked at Jen who was looking at him.
“It’s me Jendayi” Jen said. “If it is really Adebola I hope you will remember me.”
Jen was Jendayi the girl from his childhood. Her parents perished in the horrible drought and his parents took her in and took care of her ever since. They then moved to the States in search of a better life. It was a happy ending to his story, he got his parents and his soon to be wife back in his life. Years later he and Jendayi got married and had a baby girl that they named Hope.
