Loved; A Christmas Special

Chapter 2

Mike's family had refused to drop the charges. They'd been determined to portray Mira as a vindictive woman who had killed her husband in a fit of rage. She didn't have it easier from the church and community. The case was long and messy, but Mira's lawyer was good. With the doctor's report and the lawyer's proficiency, Mira was acquitted and discharged.

After the trial, she relocated to Port Harcourt, she was done with Abuja. Port Harcourt was noisy, and Mira liked it, as it was easy to get lost in the noise. With her mother's help, she was able to secure a job at an oil firm. In a few months, her life had returned to normal... well, almost normal. On the outside, she was a young woman who was doing great; she was successful, rich, flourishing, but on the inside, she was depressed, lost, confused, angry, sad. She spent nights crying, battling nightmares and despondency. She often contemplated suicide but couldn't go through with it, knowing that she wasn't ready to face Mike anytime soon. Mira had grown to hate God, and on such nights, and cursed her luck for meeting Mike and had constantly blamed him for letting her down and forgetting her. For the babies she'd lost; for the life, she could've had, for everything that went wrong. Popping the antidepressants into her mouth, she selected a soothing instrumental. She had too much on her mind to wallow in her depression.

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Beauty Saturday was what she called it. A practice she developed since she arrived in Port Harcourt. Mira devoted the entire day to taking care of herself; from spa treatments to shopping, she ensured she got the full package. In her defense, it helped her relax and take her mind off her pitifulness.

The afternoon attendant had an irritating habit of putting in gospel tapes and although Mira had initially complained, she'd accepted it as it was a better option than listening to her trying to preach about her pastor and God. One might ask why she didn't just change salons, but irrespective of how irritating she found the attendant, she did an amazing job. The preacher today spoke on God's love and Mira couldn't help but scoff when she heard the topic. "A selective love." She muttered to herself even as she plugged in her earphones and listened to her favorite playlist. Halfway through, she had to take off her earphones. The speaker talked about the love of Jesus. Coming into the world in a little way and his ultimate sacrifice. And all Mira thought about was why he'd do all this and let the wicked prosper while just men suffered. She wasn't perfect, but she lived right, yet she'd been dealt the worst hand. The ringing of her phone broke her train of thought.

"Hey Clara, what's up?" She answered as she picked the call.

" I'm great. Hope you didn't forget the party at Oxygen?"

" How could I, when all you've done this week is to remind me about it." She said as Clara laughed. "I'll be there by 8."

"Great, don't forget the cake." She said as she ended the call.

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Oxygen was one of the hottest clubs in GRA, and it was frequented by the rich and famous of Port Harcourt. The club offered the full package - a bar, dancers, strippers, sex workers as well as having a hotel above it. Clara had booked a private room for Beverly's bachelorette party. And although this was the last place she wanted to be, she couldn't deny Beverly this. The girls ate cake and drank wine while the loud music blasted from a music player. The girls finally retired to bed after exhausting their list of jokes, stories, drinks, and food.

The wedding took place the next weekend. Mira watched as Beverly walked down the aisle smiling like a loon. Looking at the groom watch her walk towards him, she felt a strong wave of sadness and jealousy. She realized that Mike never looked at her that way. She still remembered how beautiful she'd looked that day. She'd spent months, designing and sewing her gown. She'd been ready to give her all to him. To a man who didn't value her. The sound of clapping dragged her out of her reverie. She forced a smile on her face and celebrated with her friend.

The sermon was simple and precise, and the preacher spoke about the union of Christ and the church as that of a groom and his bride, urging the groom to love his bride the way Christ loved his church, even until giving himself up for it. As Mira listened, she wondered what it'll feel like to be loved so deeply, so intensely, so truly.