WHAT LIFE BRINGS

When martins banged the door after leaving, she sat down on the sofa and wept. Halima was pained,
she couldn’t ever imagine missing Bola’s wedding. Her best friend for that matter: she and Bola had
been friends ever since. From the time they were kids. They had daydreamed a lot, imagining how their
future would turn out to be. “I would love to marry a wealthy man, maybe a banker” Bola would say
excitedly. “Oh! I would love to marry a fair and tall man and maybe an Engineer” Halima would continue
from where Bola stopped. Many years ago, when they began being aware of their environment, they
found themselves getting along. Luckily they were neighbors. They had also attended the same school;
they had been together till after secondary school when they parted. But Bola and Halima never stopped
getting in touch with each other. Bola moved to Enugu to continue her studies; Bola was studying mass
communication while Halima remained in abia for her own Bachelor’s degree programme; she was
studying nursing.
They always had a little get together at the end of every month in either Bola or Halima’s house.
The both parents of Halima were still alive, while Bola’s mum was the only parent she had; All thanks to
Diabetes. Mama Bola always shouted for joy whenever Halima came around; she would hug and shout
and shout saying “BLESS YOU MY DAUGHTER!”
Years passed, and it was time for Halima to marry; what a coincidence, her dream man came
through for her. Martins was an Engineer who just got registered and certified as one the previous year.
Bola couldn’t stop crying for joy; it was a day of mixed feelings. Mama Halima wept; all papa Halima
could do was to smile and say “All is well my daughter”.
And when the coupled kissed that morning in church, Bola understood the reality that her friend
was on a new level. It had many implications; she wouldn’t be visiting anyhow, she had to adjust to the
new lifestyle. She hoped for better days to come.

As the insecurity in the country increased, people had to be back home even before 6pm to
protect their life. Martins and Halima had relocated to Abuja due to the nature of his Job and the
demand. One of the days, Halima came home from the hospital where she worked. A message popped
on her screen.
“I finally got engaged bby, let’s have a Video Call; M so excited!!” It was from bola. Halima calmed
herself down; she didn’t know if she was more excited than Bola. She had really been waiting for this
day to come. She believed her friend would finally become as happy as she (Halima)was. During the
video call, they chatted and shouted, they said lots of gists and gossips. “I really love his
expeeennssssiivveee perfume” Bola said out of excitement, stressing the word EXPENSIVE to make
Halima know it was really expensive.
The wedding was in some months time. It would be a massive one, where mama Bola would
shout and shout again; where Mama Halima would weep again, and papa Halima would smile and tell
Bola again “All is well my daughter” everyone anticipated it.

Halima lost her Life that morning, a day to the wedding.

Before Martins banged the door and left, these were his words to her “I don’t want to lose you, the
roads are dangerous these days for any of us to make movements, and the venue is very far” It was
still like a bombshell to her. She sat down on the sofa and wept. Two weeks before the wedding, all the
airports Nationwide were shut down temporarily because of the new development in the climate. It was
an action taken by the aviation minister till further notice. “NO!!!” Halima cried, “I can’t miss this” she
sobbed. In the true sense, the insecurity had risen to its peak and even in broad day light, armed
robbers, kidnappers and other crime lords operated especially on Federal highways linking one state to
another.
 “My love, please I don’t want to lose you, I’m really sorry for this and I’m even supposed to
attend this programme, it’s just that it is going to be a great risk embarking on such.” Martins said in a
cool voice the night before she died. She begged and begged. “Nothing will happen to me Martins,
Even if you don’t come, I just have to go. She’s more than a sister to me” He refused. She decided to go
without his consent. That night she quietly packed her things while he slept. To him, he knew Bola, and
he knew how close his wife had been to her. He felt bad for everything, but there was little chance she
would survive or come back alive if she made the 9-hour journey to Bola’s place.
After he went to work that morning, she left. She sent Bola a text message immediately the
journey started. “I just left, I’ll be there by evening” she was determined to make bola happy even
though it was a bit at the expense of Martin’s. The wedding would take place the next day. It was after
four hours of journey that it all happened.
Martins quickly rushed home few hours later; he had forgotten an important document. He
found the door locked; he was a bit confused. “Could she have gone to buy some things in the market?”
The Halima he knew wouldn’t pay deaf ears to his instructions. He opened it with his own key; He
shouted her name severally, He called her phone. It rang; Halima didn’t want to pick, she let it ring on.
She decided to pick up; she was ready for the worst. “I’m on my way to see Bola” she muttered. Before
he could speak in anger, frustration and fear, he heard screams and shouts over the phone. “Halima,
what’s happening? Are you Okay?” he heard something like a crash.
An oncoming Trailer had collided with the bus; it crushed everyone to death.
He sat down; he tried comporting himself, it looked like a movie being played. He recalled what they had
talked on, the previous night. He would never forgive himself. He slumped.
The wedding was to be the next day. Bola waited and waited for Halima, she called but to no
avail; she called again, but no one picked; it rang and rang. She called martins and a doctor Picked up the
phone. “He just slumped and was rushed here about an hour ago, please do you know the
whereabouts of his wife?’’
That night, the news showed the accident scene; it was horrible, even the newscaster almost
wept, for three horrible events had taken place on the same road that day; an accident, an armed
robbery case and Abduction. Bola who had become frustrated since morning happened to sit and stare
absent mindedly at the television. She had called and called, she had searched and searched, she had
informed the police, maybe the car must have been attacked by evil individuals. She had prayed for the
safety of her friend.
When she saw the news on TV, she blacked out. She woke up on the hospital bed beside her
fiancé. “Martins says he ordered Halima not to leave due to the high level of insecurity these days, and
he expected her to inform you and plead on their behalf for not attending”
She began regretting ever allowing her friend to come for the wedding. She didn’t even know it was a
tug of war for Halima to leave the house that morning. Oh had she known that martins refused, she
would have done the same when Bola said she was coming.
She became weak again. She wept silently; “oh Halima, what have you done”. She couldn’t
imagine waking up in the hospital on her wedding day. She blacked out again. She awoke some hours
later. She blacked out again.
Mama Halima wept and wept, she was speechless; Papa Halima remained quiet as tears rolled
down his eyes. All wasn’t well anymore. Mama Bola stayed with Halima’s Parents all night; she quiet; to
her Halima was like her second daughter. She wept
It was the worst experience of Bola’s life. The wedding had to be shifted till further notice.