Dedicated to chidihc❤❤
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I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power. --Psalms 69:29 (NLT)

"I'm so glad you could make it. And I'm sorry for disrupting your plans," Posi all but cried out as she ushered Funmi into her two-bedroom apartment.

She had just arrived from her studio when she heard her door bell ring.

"Babe, what are you talking about? I'm always here for you. Nothing is too important that I won't be able to make time for you," Funmi replied.

Posi knew her friend was watching her, scrutinizing every move she made. Funmi was very perceptive and she was sure she'd figure out that something was seriously wrong soon enough.

Funmi's hold on her hands brought her back to the present and she looked up to see a sheen of tears in her friend's eyes.

"Babe, what's happening? What's really going on?"

Before Posi knew what was happening, she broke into tears with shudders as if she was in physical pain. Funmi moved closer to her and hugged her tight through the moment, not saying a word. She just rocked her back and forth like a mother would.

After the tears had subsided, Funmi cut off tissues that had somehow found itself on the centre table before handing them to Posi. As she tried to compose herself, Posi shifted in her seat and cleaned up her tear-stricken face.

She had put on a strong front too long and Fort Posi was on the verge of collapsing -- if it already hadn't. The whir of the air conditioner could be heard in the silence as Posi tried her utmost to keep her roaring emotions at bay enough to tell her friend what was wrong.

With a little straightening of her back and a last sniffle, she began.

"I was thirteen when my mum decided to tell me what I really meant to her. As a young child, I had always wondered why my parents felt the 'un-need' to love me like I had seen  with my friends' families and even my cousins'."

She paused, sending a quick glance in her friend's direction. All she saw was love and empathy. It was almost like her friend could feel the physical turmoil she was in. And that encouraged her to continue.

The piece of tissue in her hands was already in tatters with the way she squeezed, twisted and moved it from one hand to the other. She sniffled, took a long breath and continued.

"Apparently, my parents had been married for about two years when my father's family began to ask questions about when my mother was going to deliver a child and most importantly, a heir to carry on the family name. There was added pressure because my father was the only son on his side of the family. My paternal grandmother had been a very peculiar custom-made thorn in her side. So there was great joy when my mum finally conceived. But the joy of her conception was soon eclipsed by the discovery that it was to be a baby girl. It had been a disappointment to both my grandmother and my mother too."

Posi felt Funmi squeeze her hands as if to say "I'm here for you".

"According to what my mother said, my father was pretty indifferent about the sex of the child at first. So, they kept trying for other children over the next few years. But it seemed it wasn't to be as mother had two miscarriages and a stillbirth, all whose sexes were male. There was no medical explanation for it. Her doctors were astounded as they claimed my mother and father were healthy. My grandmother turned to local herbs of every kind and from every part of the world for a solution but the situation remained the same."

"After a while, everyone got tired of the situation. The just-enough care and love I had been receiving stopped after this period as my mother sank into severe depression. Her mind couldn't comprehend why she couldn't have male children if she was healthy like they said. She began to lash out at me with painful words and neglect. I took it all in. Every. single. word."

The tears began again, this time like an avalanche, and her hands began to shake as if she was reliving the terror of the hurtful words that had been spoken to her. Her eyes widened in fear and her lips quivered looking like imperfect sine waves. She began to sweat even in the cold room. For a moment, she was lost in the world of the ill words her mother had spoken to her and began to whimper like a wounded animal.

She could hear her friend speak in that alien language once more and felt her hands on her. Immediately, her friend touched her, she felt a soothing presence around her and the fervency in her friend's language increased several notches.

That was the last thing she heard till she fell asleep.

******

Posi woke up the next morning to the aroma of food being prepared. She sat up as she remembered what had happened.

How did I get in here? She looked around her purple-themed bedroom and yawned again. She felt rested like she hadn't felt in a while. Like she had dropped part of her burden. It was probably true what they said about a problem shared being half-solved.

Rising, she went into her bathroom and freshened up before padding barefooted towards the kitchen.

There, she heard Funmi's voice and a male voice she recognized as Gerald's, talking in soft tones, probably not to wake her. She watched as Funmi tried to clean up without making a noise and smiled.

She had the best friends and she was grateful for them.

"Why are you guys talking so softly? Gossiping about me?" she said in a loud and clear voice.

Funmi jumped with her hands on her chest while Gerald erupted into a loud, boisterous laughter. He had seen her walk towards them and seen the glint in her eyes.

"Why would you do that? Are you a cat or something? You have no foot fall!" Funmi screeched.

"And you guys are the most silent conversationists ever! Besides, it's not my fault you scare so easily," she responded with her tongue finding its way out.

Gerald just sat there laughing as Funmi turned her glare at him.

"What? She has a point, you know," he said. They all burst into peals of laughter as Funmi flung the dish towel at him which he failed to dodge.

"Yeah, and you have the slowest reflexes known to man!" Funmi hollered. They all burst into another round of laughter that reverberated through her apartment.

All of a sudden, the atmosphere died down and Gerald took the first step towards Posi and gave her a tight hug as Funmi followed suit. They stayed in the three-way bear hug for several seconds before Posi muffled out something. The other two loosened their grip and peered at her as she repeated.

"I'm hungry."

They beamed with smiles as they all settled to eat a breakfast of steaming hot boiled yam and scrambled eggs. The easy banter that flowed all through breakfast made Posi throw up another word of thanks to whoever sent them to her.

"Babe, what happened? I came here as soon as I could," Gerald said with worry in his tone. He looked around before asking, "Where is Posi?"

Funmi gestured to the sofa which he had missed while trying to get to her.

"She fell asleep. I tried to make her as comfortable as possible on the couch."

"And?"

"We need to pray and be there for her more than ever, Gerald. I have never seen her like she was some minutes before she fell asleep. Thank God for the Spirit of God," Funmi spoke as tears welled up in her eyes.

It was about 3am when he saw Funmi's text. He had had to wait till it was about 5:30am before he made a move to Posi's. He had been praying since then and while he drove down to her place. His mind couldn't even fathom what could have happened.

Gerald reached for her and gave her a hug before he said, "Tell me all about it. Before then, let's get her into her room."

He released her and smiled at her. "God is always in control."

She nodded and they moved towards their friend. After settling her in her bed, Funmi narrated the whole story.

They prayed for a few more minutes before Funmi settled to sleep beside her friend while Gerald took to the living room to continue praying before he nodded off.

**********************************

Be present. Be there for someone anyway you can.

Love and Light. ❤☀