THE WAIT

Have you ever had to wait? 

Perhaps?

Definitely?

Waiting to get served at a restaurant

Waiting to catch the train

Waiting for the Uber to arrive

No, I mean really wait

Waiting to exhale 

Waiting for that big break

Waiting for that unreachable promotion

Waiting….

The kind that leaves you hopeless, weary, searching, grappling for meaning

The kind of waiting like you're wrestling with time

No, not the fake wrestling on TV

The real wrestling like Gladiators in a Colosseum 

The type of waiting that left the foolish virgins feeling like the Bridegroom would never arrive

The waiting that leaves you feeling like you are in a Kungfu fight with time

Perpetually racing against time

****

Iyke and Amara had been married for nine years. Their marriage had lost the spark that once existed. The first three years into their marriage had been amazing, filled with love and all the toppings like pistachio and strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone.

Theirs had been a whirlwind courtship. Boy meets girl, sweeps her off her feet and bam! Married!

Iyke thought about his wife. Caramel skinned, vivacious, great personality and beauty were the things that had drawn him to her when they'd met at the Belfort Country Club in Glamorgan on that sunny summer day.

They'd been married for four years when Amara began to constantly nag and complain. It all boiled down to the fact that she felt like he acted nonchalant about them not having any children yet. The truth was that somewhere in his mind, he knew that they'd have children at some point and he wasn't worried.

Five years into their marriage and his family began to ask questions. Some of his aunts suggested that Amara take concoctions that would make her pregnant and he had marvelled at the ridiculousness of their suggestions. He could take the heat from his family. What he couldn't take was his wife's moodiness and the fact that she was fast becoming someone else. 

“When, Lord? When?” Amara cried. She had gone the IVF route five times and it had failed woefully. Why was she given a cursed body?

Why did her body have to be so complicated? She shook her head vigorously. No, no, this wasn't happening to her.

Every day, people gave birth to children they didn't want. The other day, she'd seen the interview of a woman on the news. Her baby had been declared missing and investigations had pointed back to her as the prime suspect. She said the baby had been unresponsive beside her and so she'd picked him up and left him around the garbage a few miles away from her home. Who decided that the best way to bury a child was to drop him in the trash can? Where did this woman come from? The lady looked like a crack head! 

What was the thing her Yoruba mother said? “The person with a head doesn't have a cap.” So apt! African proverbs were the best. She chuckled in her misery. 

****

The promotion list was announced by the Chief Operating Office and his name was not on the list as usual. Iyke was filled with rage. He worked hard. He had given this company his all, working late at night and on weekends. He was one of the best Fintech employees at Kraken Investments. 

Duke his manager was a man hard to please. He knew it but he had thought that with all the hard work he'd put in lately, his manager would root for his promotion.

He had put in the work necessary to become a director at Kraken Investments. How in the world was his name not on that list? 

What was his problem anyway? Why did he keep grappling at straws, wasting his time at the company that would never recognize him for his talents?  It was time to quit. That's what he needed to do. He needed to stop waiting around for a promotion that hadn't happened in 3 years. His plan was to be promoted to Director, work at the company for one more year and apply to become Managing Director at another company. He was an Oxford University graduate. He knew his onions. Number crunching was something he did in his sleep. 

Bob his coworker walked to his desk. “I saw the list.”

“Yeah, I did too.” Iyke responded.

“Sorry, man! I know you were looking forward….” Bob’s voice trailed off. 

“I was,” Iyke answered.

“Duke is a douche bag! You need to get out of here.” 

“I know right. I should. I dunno why the promotion at this company means the world to me.”

“Maybe it's because you know it'll pave the path for you elsewhere?”

“I'm done,” Iyke said, exasperated.

“I can imagine. How's Amara by the way?”

“So so...” Iyke replied.He didn’t want to say more. The growing tension between him and his wife had finally created a chasm between them.

“Do you want to go out with us tonight? It's Friday.” Bob said, with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Sorry man. I can't. Have to get home.”

“I understand. Maybe next time?”

“Yeah, Bob.”

When he got home later that night, everywhere had a spark to it. The house had been rearranged. There were lit scented candles around. There was an arrangement of food on the table.

“Darling....” Amara came out in a red silk gown. Her long hair covered her shoulders.

“What's the occasion?” He asked, placing his jacket on the chair.

“Nothing. I just thought... You know... It's been a while...”

“Uhhmmm... Lemme go take a quick shower. I'll be right back.”

When Iyke walked back to the dining area after taking a shower, Amara was seated at the dining table. He gave her a warm smile and sat. 

“This tension between us.. this pressure to have children. Why is God punishing us?” Amara asked in a tearful voice.

“Sorry, I can't help myself.” She wiped the tears away.

“You think he's punishing us?” Iyke asked his wife, with a brow raised. 

He reached for the bottle of Sparkling wine on the table while he thought of what to say. He'd had a tough day and although everything in him wanted to walk away from having this conversation with her again, he decided against it. “Lord, give me the right words.” 

“I mean, why isn't he granting our heart's desires?” It was a different thing if she'd done several abortions and damaged her womb in the process. She'd married a virgin so why couldn't she have children? Even those who’d undergone several abortions and had damaged wombs still gave birth to children. She heard these breakthrough stories now and then.

“You know, I don't think he's punishing us. We understand in part right? I know this one thing, that the one who created us loves so much. Trying times try to tell us otherwise but can anything ever separate us from his love? Life can't, death can't, the angels can't... Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow cannot keep his love away from us.”

“Roman 8:38.” Amara blurted.

“Yes, my love. So we'll wait. We'll wait with grace despite all the pressures in this world. Societal and family. We'll keep trying and trust God for a positive outcome.” 

“And what if that doesn't happen?”

Iyke sat back and looked at his wife. He had promised himself one thing, that he would never walk away from her. That he would never listen to the naysayers who whispered in his ears from time to time.

“We are believers. We are not doubters. Amara, let's quit the pessimism and believe in God for a positive outcome. We mustn't let this situation consume us anymore. If you're worried that I'll walk away from you one day, please know that it's not going to happen. I made a vow to God and you in the sight of everyone the day that we got married.”

Amara looked at her husband lovingly. People said men were the scum of the earth, men were this and that! Her husband was one fine specimen of a man. He was beautiful on the inside and the outside. She wanted to give their marriage her best shot. Most of the pressure and disgruntlement had come from her. 

“By the way, did I tell you that you're the most beautiful woman on earth? You take my breath away effortlessly.”

“Dah-ling!” She chuckled.

Watching her laugh warmed his heart. It had been a while since he saw her laugh from her heart. The struggles he'd had earlier in the day were soon forgotten. In comforting her, he had been comforted.

 The End.....

****

So are you waiting for some kind of breakthrough?

How are you waiting?

What are you doing in your period of waiting?

Are you sitting on the rocks, counting the stars while time passes?

Are you waiting with grace?

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment.

Ciao!!