A Pastor's Daughter's Diary

Afterwards

Dear Jesus,

As soon as the bomb was dropped, Mrs Trimon fainted. I was shocked to my bones, as was everyone else. We eventually revived Mrs Trimon, who broke down in sobs as Mom struggled to console her.

Felicia is my age mate. How on earth was she pregnant? She's not the kind of girl who seems promiscuous. It dawned on me that that could actually have been her reason for the attempted suicide.

The doctor said we could go see her one at a time in the convalescence ward they'd moved her to.

When it was my turn, I walked in cautiously. The sight that greeted me was so unbelievable. Felicia was lying on the bed with her eyes closed. She had become so thin and pale that I could hardly recognise her. Surely this wasn't the same lively and robust Felicia I had always known.
I suspected some of her blood had been drained to let the drug out of her system.

Several blood bags surrounded her bed. Tubes were connected all over her, passing blood and water.

A sob escaped my lips. I took her hand in mine. I espied several cuts on her wrist. Had she been cutting herself, damaging her body?
I didn't have the slightest clue that anything had been going on. We weren't particularly close, but still, I felt a little guilty.

"I'm so sorry Felicia. I'm sorry. I prayed today not knowing it was you God was asking me to pray for. Please, come back to us. Your mom and dad and sister want you back. We love you. I love you," I muttered as tears dropped from my eyes.

Knowing I had limited time to spend with her, I kept praying while holding her hand. She didn't move an inch.

I was still seated by her side, engrossed in deep prayers, when I heard the door to the ward open.

A young man, who looked awfully familiar though I couldn't quite place where I had seen him, walked in. I hurriedly rounded off my prayers. He just checked the monitors and then took a file on her bedside.

Out of curiosity, and cos the silence was so deafening, I spoke up.

"Should I excuse myself, sir?"

That was when he looked at me.
I took in his comely features. I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes. My eyes widened as the neurone of recollection in my brain clicked.

"You-"

"You-"

We both stuttered at the same time as we pointed at each other.

"You came to the orphanage three days ago. Am I right?" he asked.

I was too shocked to speak. I simply nodded my head. He was the guy who I had seen placing his hand on Lydia's shoulder when we were saying our goodbyes.

He had the same bold, chocolate-brown eyes, ebony-black hair, and pointed nose. The only confusing thing was that he was wearing a white overall that made him look almost angelic.
Was he a doctor here? I had thought he was one of the orphans too.

He was the last person I expected seeing. Oh bother! I must have looked like a mess with my tear-smudged face.

"What are you doing here?" I finally managed to ask when the cat had pity on me and released my tongue.

His shocked expression melted into an enchanting smile. It was such a sweet smile that my heart skipped a beat.

"I'm an intern here. I'm actually studying psychology and medicine in MyCheynne College."

Jesus, my curiosity at this point had sky-rocketed to the third heavens.

He chuckled slightly, probably amused by my gaping mouth.

"Is she your sister?" he asked rather abruptly, breaking my mini-trance. His head gestured at poor Felicia, who I had forgotten was lying down pitifully on the hospital bed.

"No! She's a friend." I paused to ponder the validity of my statement. I didn't want to make a wrong first impression. "Actually, she's a member of my church."
Now that I think of it, Jesus, I should have just stuck with the friendship status.

By that time, he looked as though I was delaying him from something he had to go do. When I noticed that, I apologized.

He requested for my number.

Alarm bells began ringing loudly in my head. No guy has ever asked me for my number. I mean no single guy.
I'm sixteen and I've never gotten a date, all thanks to my reputation of being a pastor's daughter. Jesus, I must admit I was hesitant at first.

But then, I felt this inner reassurance, coupled with my immense curiosity. I went ahead and gave him my number.

"It was nice meeting you, uh..." he droned.

"Radiance, Radiance Abraham," I completed for him.

"Oh Radiance. I'm Fredrick Tyson by the way."

"It was nice meeting you too, Fredrick," I said cheerfully as his form slid out the door.

Hmm... So Tyson huh! I wonder if he's in any way related to the almighty Mike Tyson.
*Chuckles gleefully* This is getting interesting.

Well, I got back home late. As in, very late.

After we left the hospital, we went to the Trimon's to provide morale support. Mom had to practically insist that Mrs Trimon eat something.

Ever since she was revived from the fainting spell, she was mute and wouldn't stop shedding tears of sorrow. If one could view the thoughts in her mind, I'm sure she must have been blaming herself for all that happened. She was so ashamed that she couldn't look my mom in the eye. My sweet mom went ahead to cook a simple meal of rice and stew for their still-distraught family.

Jesus, please resolve the issue in this family. May they know that despite all that is happening, you still love them, and that we still do. Don't let them leave the congregation because of shame.

*Sighs* That's almost wishful thinking. I hope this adversity doesn't take away this family's faith. Let it be an avenue for them to get stronger in the Lord.

I was so hungry by the time I got home. Mom and Dad were exhausted from the full day's ministering.

Thankfully, we had some grilled chicken in our freezer and a little bit of fried potatoes. I microwaved that and we ate in silence—a very rare phenomenon. The tension from the day's event still lingered. We were each lost in our own thoughts trying to process it all.

My mind drifted to a particular intern with chocolate-brown eyes. I unconsciously glanced at the screen of my phone.

No missed call. No message. What was I expecting?

I lay on my bed for a while, thinking. Kathlyn and Priscilla had sent me a message on our WeChat group. I didn't have the heart to reply.

I drifted off into sleep, after I prayed to you.
I should have used that antidote for induced insomnia much earlier.
Prayer, I have found is like a sweet tranquilizer. I'll use it more often.

**********
And there you have it! Two chapies in one day. I'm sure you loved it.🥰
So... *Eyebrows wriggling* What do you think of Frederick? 😋
I'd love to see your comments and votes. 😍
Until next time, buh-bye.💤 God bless.🙏