Vengeance Mission

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

What's the way out?

Babatunde came from a family without any advantage by default.

The big questions

Now that I have successfully finished writing my final examinations and I have gotten a good result.

If I should get admitted into the university, how do I get money for school fees?

Who pays the school fees?

How would my siblings cope with their school fees?

How do we eat at home?

There is no one to run to for help.

I had to resort to borrow money from one of dad's friends to settle my siblings’ school fees the last time they went to the cemeteries.

How do I get it settled?

Definitely, I will have to break my studies to work and sponsor my siblings at school.

There was no way our needs could be met and at the same time with every one of us in school.

I had to go for daily labor job to keep the family together, while my siblings go to school. This continued for several weeks, at least we were able to get what to eat on daily basis. Except times when I was either too tired to go for work or I had excess to sustain us the following day without having to go for work and rest.

Our parents died at early age, our uncle that would have taken care of us was a peasant farmer with already an extra-large family to take care of. My other siblings were equally not of age by the time our parents died in a ghastly motor accident along Ibadan- Lagos express road.

We were left to fend for ourselves at a town call Ayedade.

Until one faithful day when one of our father's childhood friend came asking after our parents only to be told that they were both deceased. We told our father's friend Mr. Lambe how we lost both parents the same day to motor accident.

"How did it all happened?" Mr. Lambe asked

The eldest son of the family, Lanre told Mr. Lambe "that on that faithful day they were all traveling in a, commercial vehicle when suddenly our car ran into a barricade made by highway robbers. Our vehicle summersaulted and at the end of the day there were only ten survivors out of the eighteen occupants of the commuter bus.

Our dad and mom died on the spot and since then we have been on our own without help from anywhere.

"Do you mean all this happened to you and there was no one to tell me?" Mr. Lambe exclaimed!

"As you can see, I'm not too comfortable but I will do all that is within my power and means to offer to my friend's children. Whatever help I can offer to you", Mr. Lambe said as tears ran down his cheeks. All of us could not hold our tears from flowing.

Mr, Lambe, wiped off his tears, sobbing, said "he would do everything possible to help and he promised to bring to us help on monthly basis in terms of materials ranging from food stuff, clothing materials and monthly financial help".

He added, it may not meet all your needs but I think it will go a long way to help you to survive.

We all knelt down and thanked him and prayed that God would always meet his needs.

He really demonstrated the saying, "that a friend in need is a friend indeed". According to the African culture, one who stands by you at the demise of your loved ones is automatically a great man or woman?"

To start with, Mr. Lambe asked Lanre, the eldest of us "if there were any big market around from where we can get some things for our family?"

Lanre said yes, and Mr. Lambe asked him "to come into his packed car" and they drove the long busy road to the market. Within an hour we were back home with car filled with the essentials for our sustenance.

Without any problem, these should take us the next three months without having to buy anything from the market. Again we all knelt down thanked Mr, Lambe for his magnanimity towards our family and prayed that God would always meet his family needs too. He said "our father was his tight childhood friend. We grew up together and went to the same elementary school and secondary school as well. We were both very brilliant in school".

By the way what about your education? Mr. Lambe asked,

Lanre our eldest brother said that he was a secondary school graduate hoping to go to University before the demise of our parents. He added, the other three were still in the secondary school.

"Then how have you been coping?" Mr. Lambe asked.

"We go round doing all sort of menial jobs for people to make ends meet. Like farming and daily job where any building project was going on".

"And how far does that go to meet your school fees?"

Lanre answered, "at least it is helping".

Mr. Lambe paused for a while and later said "he was going to pay the remaining school fees for my siblings in the secondary school and that he would try and secure a University admission for Lanre as soon as possible. Hope you are all as serious and as brilliant as your father."

We answered that we are all studious and hard-working.

"Okay, good hearing that from you all. It only means that whatever I am investing on all of you would not be a waste at the end of the day". Lanre cut in, "on the contrary, it would be a gain to you and to us because you'll be proud seeing us as your Investments. We would definitely make you proud and never to regret any help you are rendering to us".

"Before the month end I would get back to see you", he went to his car and he drove away.

He told us he was going to Lagos where his family lived. Mr. Lambe was married and had four children too. Two boys and two girls, his children had left the university, as a matter of fact, two of them had married and lived abroad with their families. While the remaining two: a boy and a girl were here in Lagos working in reputable companies.

Mr. Lambe traveled about four hours to get back home. At the gate of his house he blasted the horn of his car for the driver to open the gate for him. This he did almost immediately, welcome sir, the driver greeted him as he opened the gate. He closed the gate after his master drove in and he went and picked his bags in. Mr. Lambe asked, is there anyone at home? I need something to eat, I'm very hungry.

"Yes sir, madam and the cook are all around".

"Darling," as he went inside his wife was already waiting to receive him. She hugged him and gave him a peck.

"How was your journey?"

"Thanks, it was not bad only I got the most shocking news of my life today".

My wife cut in, "quickly go into the rest room as I go and warm your meal in the microwave oven". "Okay" I said as I made my way into the restroom. I took off my dress and made my way into the cold shower. I made sure I was satisfied staying under the shower before I came out. "Are you done with my food?"

She replied "yes dear."

I took my seat at the dinning while she served me. She decided to remind me of my last phrase: "that I had the greatest shock of my life, how do you mean?"

I responded "do you know what? I know you still remember Mr. Kolawole so well.

"Yes I do, your childhood friend".

"I went to his house to check on him after a very long time that we had departed at the wedding reception of Wale our son".

"That's quite long now, she nodded, what happened?"

"I got there only to be told that he and his wife died about a year ago in a ghastly motor accident along lbadan-Lagos expressway".

"This was a rude shock indeed", my wife reacted.

How about the children?

"They are there, but their condition was very much pitiable as they lived in abject poverty. No help from anyone, they fend for themselves and it has not been easy for them at all".

As I was about to continue, a call interrupted our discussion, it was Babatunde, one of my friends son calling. I picked it up and he said from the other end "we are very grateful for your magnanimity today. Please my other siblings would love to thank you sir". Each of them spoke one after the other expressed their appreciation and prayed for me and my family. As they took their turn praying for me I kept on saying amen. My wife was obviously very close to me at the dining table and she heard clearly every of their prayers.

Finally I told the last speaker, Lanre his first born "that it was a great pleasure for me to do what I did for them. More so, their father was a very nice person, we had always been of help to each other".

I told him "I would get back to him before too long" and I hung up. My wife said "what a set of loving and grateful children they had left behind. And she asked me, were you able to drop enough money for them?

"I did not have much on me by the time I got there but I made sure I got enough food items for them before I left".

"Is that all, do you have any of their account details?"

"No I didn't remember to ask them".

"It is better you do that very fast because there is always danger in procrastination. And more than that I have learnt that whatever good I can do today must not be postponed till later date", my wife added.

I responded, "then I would have to call them back after eating and do the needful, we need to transform their lives: bring them from nothing to something. If you have done that little for them and they have shown such a magnitude of gratitude, then any investment on such will never be regretted".

What is their educational level? She asked as I continued with my food. "The eldest one Lanre is a secondary school graduate with a good result, looking forward to having admission into the university before their father and mother died. The remaining three were all in secondary school. Do you know that none of their father's brother was ready to help them?" "You mean not even the one who has benefited so much from his wealth?"

Do you know that he was the one who built the house he lives in, for him? Sent two of his children to high school and bought clothes for his children every Christmas. Maybe he is poor? It is not just poverty but wickedness, I want to call it.