Thread by @GbengaWemimo

His mother died when he was 12 years old
His father started raising the five of them y himself
His two younger ones were 10 and 8 years old respectively
The older ones were already in secondary school
They were aged 12 and 15 respectively
He ought to have been in secondary school

too but he had some challenges in primary school and had to repeat some classes
It was later discovered that the challenge had nothing to do with his brain but much to do with his eyes
By the time he was given a pair of glasses and he started picking up, he had lost two years

his mother died just as he and his immediate younger sister were writing the common entrance examination
She was said to have been afflicted by a strange disease
Doctors couldn't fathom it and neither could any of the spiritualists her father and relatives took her to for help

Their father coped with raising them for two years
He tried his best to do it alone and honour the memory of their mother but common sense prevailed
The balance between work and family was lost and he was torn in between both
Their firstborn became their pseudo mother by defult

but the responsibility was taking its toll on her academics and life
Their father had to come to terms with the fact that marrying another wife would be the best thing for everybody
He told one or two people about his decision to remarry and asked them to pray along and be on the

lookout for any suitable candidate for him
That was when all hell was let loose
It was as if the vultures had been waiting for him to open that door or lurking in the shadows for him to declare his intentions
Relatives started coming to the house at various times of the day with

with prophets, alfas, and spiritualists to pray for the family Their father was a very simple man whose motto in life was not to offend anybody
He accommodated all those who came claiming they were trying to help him not to make the same mistake he did with their mother by prying

into the spirit realm to get him the best
Religion and manipulation are close relatives
It turned out many of those coming around claiming to want to be of help already had a candidate or the other in mind and were only trying to use the spiritualists to plant their candidate in

the house
Within three months the hidden agenda of the four people who were frequenting their house in the name of helping out became obvious as they met at a family meeting and began to expose one another's secrets
His father was not a spiritually sensitive man, he lived on the

assumption that spirituality was meant for those with a calling
All he did every morning was say a simple memorized prayer in the morning, recite some psalms and face his day but the drama regarding his remarriage and the plot of his family members really got to him
He didn't

know that the so-called cord of brotherhood that he had trusted to come through for him could be turned into a cord of strangulation and manipulation
He gave up on the idea of getting married altogether and for another eighteen months continued to struggle between raising his

family and other aspects of life
By this time he was in Senior Secondary School 1 (science class) and he was struggling
He had told his father he wanted to be a medical doctor and this prompted his being placed in the science department
He simply couldn't cope with chemistry and

physics
He was encouraged to pay a visit to the guidance and counseling office of the school for a review of his academic and career choices
He had a lengthy discussion with the guidance counselor in which he was asked many questions
He answered the questions as much as he could

At the end of the day, he was given a letter to give his father
The letter invited his father to his school for a meeting with the guidance and counseling officer
The recommendation of the lady was that he should change to Art class as that was his area of strength but the change

had to be effected with the understanding and cooperation of his father
His father drove him to school the next day & waited to see the guidance and counseling officer
It was the first time his father had been dragged to school because of him and it made him very nervous
He kept

glancing out of his classroom to the school's car park where his father's car was parked
He waited and waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of his father as he left the school premises
He waited until the school closed
His father's car was still there and his father was still in the

guidance and counseling office
Eventually, his father emerged with a smile as bright as the sun on his face
He was standing by the car & saw his father humming and walking with a spring in his feet for the first time in many weeks
He knew something had happened but he had no idea

what it was
As they drove home, his father kept humming and smiling
It was puzzling
The next day, as he was leaving for school, his father told him the change to Art class has been agreed upon& the process by which it would be managed without him losing a year had been worked out

He was glad
That morning he was moved to the Art class and an arrangement was made for him to have an extra hour in school with the Government, literature, and CRK teachers so that he could catch up with the syllabus
When he closed from school that day, his father was waiting for

him at the school gate
It was very unusual, to say the least
His father was a dealer in roofing sheets and asbestos, he was the owner of his own business but he never joked with his work
How come his father was in his school for two days in a row and with a smile as bright as the

sun on his face!
What was really going on?
He searched himself but couldn't make sense of it
They drove home in silence
When he closed from the school the day after that his father was waiting again to pick him and drive him home
It continued for two weeks, one day just as he was

about to ask his father what was really going on
His father called all the children together and told them they would be having a visitor later that afternoon
Their father really urged and encouraged them to be at their best behaviour
It was puzzling
Nobody had any idea what was

really going on
At about 2 pm, the august visitor arrived
It was his guidance and counselor in school
His father introduced her to all the children and informed them he would be getting married to her in a few weeks!
That was when everything added up
His father had found himself

a good thing
His guidance and counselor was in her early forties
She had never been married and had been waiting on the Lord for the fulfillment of her marital destiny
She said the Holy Spirit said to her as soon as he walked into her office that fateful day for counseling
"This

is your son!"
She said she ignored it and did her job
Six months later, she was married to his father and he indeed became her son.

PS: This event happened in Ibadan in 2009
The young man is now a journalist
His father and his stepmother are still making each other happy

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