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EPISODE ELEVEN
Allen's elder brother Jonas, was married to Margaret and she bore him three kids. They had lived happily together for a long time until Jonas came down with boils and sores all over his delicate body, for he was a very handsome man. The cause of the illness, no one knew. This greatly distressed his family members, relatives, friends, particularly Lina who had been intimated about Jonas' health over the phone by Kate and later, Allen. Jonas had been taken to almost all the hospital in that region with no good results.
It seemed that no doctor in the whole of the country could handle Jonas' condition. His wife, sensing this, said to herself.
"I have to disappear from here fast because I cannot continue to be the wife of a man who is so disfigured with boils and sores that one cannot even look at him twice." The following morning, as early as 4:00am, Mrs. Jonas packed her things with her three kids and fled. At the break of dawn, everyone in Jonas' house, Allen, their mother and father, his sister and few other relatives woke up to pray but his wife was nowhere to be found. They went on with their prayers anyway. At the end of the prayers and other household activities, Margaret had not returned with the kids. On checking her room, her things and those of her kids were not there. This development was promptly reported to her husband who only groaned in pains. He cried and asked why he would be treated in that manner by the woman whom he married and who is expected to be his source of strength at that trying time.
Lina was already making plans on how to go back home even though she was not yet through with the assignment she had gone to do at Shebshi. She actually wanted to go back home just to see how she could offer suggestions that might be of help to Jonas' condition, if not for anything, to impress Allen. Amidst disagreements and arguments between she and her boss, Lina still packed her things and left Shebshi for Ammu. On her way to Ammu, she was engrossed in thought of Allen.
"Surely Allen will be interested in me this time. I pray that whatever solution I shall prefer, would work for the good of everyone in his house and then I will be proclaimed the heroine, then Allen would have no choice but to love me. Oh God, I love Allen more than anything else in this world, even more than my own life, " she declared in her heart. "I will do... "
She was interrupted by a fellow passenger who was seated beside her. He had bought some bananas from the itinerants on the road and was willing to offer her some. He seemed to be so much interested in Lina who apparently did not even sense the presence of anybody sitting beside her. All she could sense was Allen's presence on and even outside the bus. Smiling passionately, the young man said. "Have some bananas." "No thanks," Lina replied. "Where will you be alighting?" He asked. "At Ammu," Lina answered. "I am Sam, " he introduced himself. "Lina," she said.
The young man who felt encouraged by her response spoke further.
"Can I have your number please...?" "On hearing this, Lina furiously shouted almost at the top of her voice.
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