A BAD BEGINNING HAS A GOOD ENDING.

Sometimes I use to think I was unfortunate in life, I came from a family of four, I was a bright and intelligent girl when I was school. My parent were rich and my brother and I was taken to one of the best schools, we were a very happy family, and often shared jokes after dinner. All this stopped one Wednesday morning when my parent were taking me and Richard to school.

We were in my father’s car, he was driving us, we were talking and laughing when suddenly a car hit us from behind and we ran into a very big tree near the road. We all screamed, the next thing I knew was  finding myself on a bed. I looked around me and was trying to figure out where I was, I was still wondering when the door opened and a man in while overall and Richard  came in, it was then I realize am in a hospital. When they came loser I noticed that Richard had been crying; his eyes were swollen and red. Without saying a word, the doctor went out and left Richard with me.

Richard sat on the bed beside me , I saw his lips were trembling as if he wanted to tell me something, but he only busted into tears. I asked him why he was crying and he broke the news; Our parents were dead. It was the worst news I ever heard, I was dumb for a moment trying to sort out things, then it all dawn on me. Oh God! We had an accident and my parents were dead. I hugged Richard and wept, oh, we both wept our little hearts out. I was fourteen and Richard was twelve years old then, we became orphans at a young age.

We went to live with our Aunt two weeks after the incident, we returned to school, we went to school for the rest of the term. We were given holidays in school and that was when it all started. Richard and I would be woken up very early to go and fetch water, we sweep the house, we cook, we wash plates, we wash clothes, we did all the house cores. At night when my aunt and her children are watching the television, we would be asked to go to bed. We barely  ate food, we were always starving. Every night me and Richard wept ourselves to sleep.

We started hawking sachet water on the road, we will work from morning to night with empty stomach, we only ate at mornings. As time goes on, Richard became sick. I told my Aunt about it, but she said she did not have money to buy medicine for him, Richard was left like that and the sickness grew with each coming day. Every night, I massage his body and gave him medicine I bought with the little money I could steal from hawking sachet water.

The worst happened one day when I came home and found Richard lying down on the floor, I woke him , but he did not wake up, I called his name, I shouted his name, I jerked him, but he never answered me. I put my ear on his heart and noticed his heart has stopped. Oh! Richard’s dead, I wept, I shouted, I screamed, I begged him to come back that he should not leave me alone, but he was silent and silent forever. Richard was buried days after near my parents grave, Oh I wept that day, I have never wept that much in my life. I could not get myself to believe all my family were gone and I was left alone in loneliness and sufferness, I had nothing of them except the memories of the times we had shared together. I would have made anybody who told me that all this going to happened to me few months back eat back his words. I wish I could turn back the hand of time, I would have told my parent me and Richard was not going to school that unfortunate day that they died. But, what will happen has happened, there is nothing I could do than accept fate, to be strong and go on with life.

Few years later, I was seventeen years old then, I was hawking sachet water when a young man called me, I turned and saw him. I was surprise he knew my name, at that moment I could swear I have never saw him in my life. He saw the look on my face and he introduced himself as Charles; a school friend, I recognized him the moment he said his name,. Charles was my best friend when I was in school, few years older than me, we quarreled a lot then. HE asked me why I was hawking water, he asked about my parent and Richard, I started weeping and I told him the story, by the time I finished the story, he was also weeping. I apologize I was sorry if I hurt his feeling by telling what happened, he said I did not hurt him that he was only sorry for me.

He told me he was working and have a house of his own, that I should come and live with him. I did not even give it a second thought, at least its better than living with my Aunt. I went to live with Charles and with time we fell in love with each other. Two years later, he proposed to me and I accepted without even a hint of hesitation.

Now I am married to Charles , I am happy. I never thought myself happy since the day Richard died, but am happy now, though I have my sad moment when I remember my parent and Richard . I will have to live that way, I have grew to know there are sad and happy moments in life.