The girl he did not seem to notice

The year 2001 was definitely a year like no other for Isabelle(FL). The previous year 2000 had slid by with all the attention and mystique that many attached to it and was now settling down.Suddenly the world was rudely jolted by the most unprecedented and intense "never been heard of" events.Intimidating , indomitable symbols of power were reduced to rubble in split seconds.. 9/11 the world trade center had been bombed down, the Pentagon was attacked. Over here in Nigeria,Jos plateau state a serene beauty had been attacked....the beautiful terminus market which had been a symbol of it's economic prowesss had been bombed down.The cloud of despair and despodency was palpable at a frightening level all over the world. Isabelle(FL) had asked her father "is there any place safe on Earth again?" and He responded,"the only safe place on earth is under the shadow of the Almighty God"... His response then was going to make more meaning to Isabelle in the future.All these events still lacked the propensity to prepare Isabelle for what was about to happen to her family that will forever chart the course of people’s lives in a direction we never envisaged. Isabelle’s(FL) parents were an interesting duo. Her dad was definitely mum's lover boy..... tall,dark,an eloquent speaker, had dashingly good looks, was succinctly witty with a calm demeanor and loved God. He was as neat as a pin, very meticulous and organized (he kept all receipts, report cards since nursery and all letters Isabelle and her siblings wrote him while in school and the ones he exchanged with my mom). He was a fantastic story teller and poetic.He loved to suprise Isabelle’s mum with presents ,loved gardening and animals which he recorded all of their birthdays on his calendar! Isabelle’s(FL) Mum was beautiful,tall had a great shape with lovely legs.She had an overtly caring heart and was great at home keeping. Every thing about her was modest...modest in appearance and even how much she ate. She loved God and was so zealous she seemed to be a member of every Christian organization;she was a member of the Bible society, women Aglow ministry, prison ministry, Eternity ministries,Mission Supporters' league (MSL), was a women fellowship leader and on and on. At some point,dad encouraged her that to be more effective ,it would be wise to streamline them. They were both committed and zealous in service unto the Lord. Together, this duo formed a formidable team that even death couldn't separate.There were a number of things that lasted all through their lives...they called each other ' Love '.Mum called him 'My Darling'. She always stood up to welcome Isabelle’s(FL) dad at the door.He loved to play pranks on her. One of his favorite was pretending he didn't want to eat because he was in a haste to go somewhere only for her to pick up the dishes and discover them empty...he had eaten but will cover up the dishes as though they were still full. He seemed to enjoy the attention she gave him dotting over him. They were different in certain ways.Isabelle’s(FL) dad loved cold weather, her mum didn't.Her mum loved to sleep with a mosquito net over her, her dad didn't.So the side of his bed where he slept always had a standing fan directly on him , half of the bed had mosquito net and no fan.This was mom's side. In all of Isabelle(FL) and her siblings years with them,they never saw them exchange harsh,unkind words when they were upset with each other. They were however able to decode their give away signature mode when upset. Dad will begin to Whistle a tune,go to the garage where he always had a bag of ground nuts(pea nuts)and walk in to garden. He would make a fire outside,roast and eat the nuts and whistle until he felt okay to come back in to the house. This was his antidode for dousing tensions. Once back in,it would only be a while and you would hear them chatter again, laughing as though nothing had happened. Dad had always been enthralled by mom.He told them stories of how he always wanted to impress her before they got married like washing and polishing his bike with Vaseline just to see her and give her a ride in town. He planted gardens when they were younger and wrote poems for her on placards with inscriptions "sweet garden".He was poetic and a fantastic story teller. He always spiced up their relationship with one surprise or the other (though at times mum will be upset when he purchased something she felt was over the board).He continued this feat all through his life. Their union produced four children whom they totally loved and cherished their names were Isabelle(FL), Annabelle, Maxwell and Travis.They were lavish and resolute in both their love and discipline towards them. They truly were great parents and were intentional in training and teaching their children to love God. Isabelle’s(FL) dad was an English teacher,and would stop at nothing until he made copies of himself in us. Hence,during the holidays,he would give them all the letters they wrote him while in school and make them correct and rewrite them(they really didn't appreciate that).He would correct them while they spoke and insisted that their grammar and tenses were always on point. That particular year 2001 they were all excited.Their mom had previously had some health challenges but was now recovering after surgery. Mum and dad insisted they have a beautiful family photograph.It had been a while they had done such. They were all excited about this photoshoot.....just that it was the last we were ever going to have with them Dad and mum were gradually entering into their "empty nest" phase. Isabelle(FL) had been posted to Borno state Nigeria for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps NYSC.Two of her siblings were undergraduates and the last of us had just gained admission in to university. Isabelle had met a lot of people during her Nysc camp she also had a crush on a very handsome guy from a distance cause she never got to find out his name till they had left camp. One of those rare times when they were all at home at the same time,they had finished their usual morning devotion and had each received a hug and a rub on the back from both of them (which was a usual practice),dad asked them to sit back. They asked them to tell them what they were doing to them that we didn't like.Each of them took turns to speak out while they both listened with keen interest without interrupting. They went ahead to ask for our advise on steps moving forward in relating to them.This they also listened to with rapt attention.They both apologized to them and reassured them of their unconditional love. They made a promise that when each of them had their own homes in the future,they would visit so they could learn a thing or two from them. Looking back now,I am filled with awe at how humble and loving these beautiful people were and how naive we were. That same year of 2001,marked the silver jubilee of Isabelle’s(FL) parent's wedding. They seemed to be overly excited about it as they told Isabelle(FL) and her siblings how grateful they were to God for making them attain this milestone feat and really wanted to celebrate it. They chattered about this "anniversary thing" like 2 love birds planning to wed. The event was not a lavish show but the way they put all their heart into it showed it meant something deeper to them. There were no IV's or jingles. Isabelle’s(FL) dad went round and gave verbal Invites.They weren't going to stop at any thing to thank God for helping them attain this great milestone.This was a platform they used to tell the world how much they meant to each other. The simple event took place in their living room.They talked about their love for God, each other,their children and others.They mentioned that if they had another choice to select a spouse for themselves, they would still choose themselves. All this love was what Isabelle(FL) saw and wished and prayed to God for. Isabelle(FL) returned from camp sometime in the year armed with a list of things she had wanted her parents to buy for her. The list included a stereo player,a small refrigerator,a tv set and "wall to wall" carpeting (which was trending then). she really wanted to be "comfortable" when she got back to her station. She handed over the list to her parents and they said they needed time to study it. They called Isabelle(FL) after some days and surprisingly declined ALL her request. Isabelle(FL) tried to bribe her mom on a separate account into changing their mind but to no avail.She tried same too on dad but met a brick wall. They both were unanimously resolute! She knew she had to accept her fate but didn't understand why. It was time for Isabelle to go back to her station, her sister was to go for her IT (Industrial Training Fund) in Port harcourt , Rivers, and my brother to school in lokoja, Kogi state. The morning they were to leave,they asked Dad if he could drive them to Jos where all of them would find their various bearings from.He obliged and cancelled his appointments. The trip from Bauchi to Jos was great with a lot of story telling, singing and chatter. They got to the park in Jos.At one end of the park were vehicles boarding for Kogi,on the other those boarding for Port harcourt. He dropped Isabelle(FL) off first and then her brother.Her other sister remained in the car while dad drove round and round the park from one end to the other taking turns to stay with each of us until we took off(till date I have fond memories)...this was going to be the last time we would see daddy... Back in Borno,Isabelle(FL) was determined that since her parents were not willing to grant the requests she had made to them,she would save some money every month from her NYSC allowance and from the stipend she was getting at her place of assignment. She resolved that each month she would buy at least one new thing for her room.She did this consistently and within a short time,She began to gradually see her room transform. Isabelle(FL) also resolved not to ask for money from her parents but learn to manage whatever she had. Isabelle(FL) earnestly yearned to impress them,to show them she was more responsible now and had grown. She planned to get some presents for them. That year there was something trending..the silk aso oke. She travelled to where they were known for their unique weaving style just to purchase these for mom and dad. She called them to ask for their colors of choice and bought them, excited that the next time she visited them,she will present these gifts to them.She had grown and was learning to really be more responsible. This I guess was what they wanted Isabelle(FL) to learn especially as the first child; these lessons were going to come in very handy all her life.One of those days in September,she spoke with mum and dad (from a phone booth). They were excited to hear from me. We talked about a few things especially the scary events happening round the world in 2001.Isabelle’s(FL) Dad reminded her that the only safe place on earth is under the shadow of the Almighty God and encouraged her because she was really afraid.She told her mum that she wanted to eat something she had prepared by herself.There was going to be a wedding which she was going to attend and some friends were also attending from some other states .Isabelle(FL) asked her mum to send the parcel to her through them.Isabelle’s(FL) Dad and mom had promised to call her on the 1st of October 2001.She was to receive their call on the landline of the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship NCCF family house . They prayed for her on the phone and blessed her as well. It was time for Isabelle(FL) to travel for the wedding with a lot of excitement.She was going to see a number of friends and brethren whom she hadn't seen in a long while, but more excited about what her mum will send to her .I was excited to receive the package(she had made snacks for me,chinchin and roasted nuts) and a letter she had sent.She was so excited, that she didn't wait to sit before opening the letter from home.Isabelle(FL) began to read with excitement but soon that excitement died down as She read on. Mum had written that the one,greatest thing they had to offer to her in this life was Jesus.She urged her to be faithful to Him,attesting to the fact that He had never failed them.She went ahead to say Isabelle(FL) should not spend her money on them but plan for the future which she had no fears for us. She wrote that she and dad were having a great time and were learning to love each other more.... On and on she went.There was something about this letter that Isabelle(FL) just couldn't explain.Anyways...Isabelle(FL) told herself she still had an appointment with them on the 1st of October, So she will ask her mum some questions.She returned back to Borno after the wedding pondering over the letter. The day was 1st of October 2001.Isabelle(FL) was so excited she was going to speak with mum and dad that day ,then she will get to ask her those questions. She was early at the NCCF family house and waited for their call,and waited and waited...they never called, She went back to her house,it was quiet late so she couldn't go to the phone booth to call.She didn't sleep well that night.The next day interestingly for some reason,she was given a notice to quit her accommodation.The owner wanted to put it to some sort of use.she sat on her box wondering where she would go when she had an unexpected visit from an elderly couple(the Samsons).Isabelle’s(FL) mum had asked her to get in touch with them while in Borno but for some reason,they kept missing themselves.Now they were finally meeting but it was not going to be on a palatable note.They had traced Isabelle(FL) through the NCCF and had now come to deliver a message to her.They had come to inform her that her dad had been involved in an accident.That was all the information they could give me. Isabelle(FL) couldn't understand....her dad was a very careful driver so how was he involved in an accident ?(she thought). They prayed with Isabelle(FL) and encouraged her. All Isabelle(FL) kept thinking was how her mom would be so devasted sitting beside him on his hospital bed.The next morning Isabelle(FL) put out some simple dresses in a bag.She figured they would be convenient for staying with Dad in the hospital.She reasoned mom and I would take turns taking care of dad She set out on the longest journey she had ever made in her life, the journey from Borno to Jos on the 2nd of October 2001.One of Isabelle’s(FL) Corper friend(Nenrit) said she was also travelling the next day to Jos so Isabelle(FL) and herself may travel from the same park ,Isabelle(FL) had asked her Corper friend why she didn't alight at Jos since she said she was going there but she told her that she would just go briefly to see her dad and return back. Isabelle(FL) got to the gate of the university quarters where they lived.lt was evident something was grossly wrong.There was heavy trafficking in and out.Two of Isabelle’s(FL) friends Ladi and Jumai were at the gate, they were waiting for Isabelle(FL) ,the NCCF(dad was one of their patrons)bus was stationed,waiting for Isabelle(FL).How did they know she was coming at this time? The Corpers welcomed them into the bus and began the drive from the gate to where they lived.As they approached the house there was no iota of doubt that something was gravely wrong.It was strange to Isabelle(FL) that when she alighted,no one had eye contact with her. Every direction she looked, every one was looking the other way (every one was distraught) Isabelle’s(FL) brother appeared beside the bus and gave her a long warm hug and attempted to lift her up.He said "let me lift you up the way daddy USED TO"(Isabelle(FL) and her sisters were all daddy's girls.He always gave them a warm bear hug and would lift them up when ever they met).Now her brother was saying "used to"? ( Isabelle’s inner thought ) Isabelle(FL) walked in to her house and went straight for their bedroom asking where her mom was.She looked everywhere and spilled out in a desperate tone "where is my mom?".All she wanted to do now was to fall into her arms and hug her so tightly and find out if everything was okay.No one could say anything to her. Isabelle’s(FL) brother asked her to sit,held her hands and began by saying " dad and mom"Dad was the one driving.lt was only two of them in the car.They had a fatal crash.Dad was the first to go,the impact of the crash was so bad that even after the funeral when they went to the scene of the accident, there were still pieces of his skull on the driver's seat!! Mom joined her lover boy 3 hours later! There was a story of love so sweet,so divine.Nothing was going to separate them.. not even death.They had fought the good fight of faith together and won together.They had prayed, taught, laboured over our lives and had handed to their children the keys they needed for the future ...in their love for Jesus,in their service,in their teachings, training, discipline and examplary lives. Little wonder wonder mom said in her letter "we have no fears for your future".The baton had been passed on... Mom and dad were gone!They had gained their Independence from this sinful world and were now beholding the face of our heavenly father.He has personally taken up our responsibility as the father to the fatherless. He has done that for the past 20 years.The day was 1st October 2001.Dad was 62,mom 57…this was a really hard for Isabelle to take all in.