It was a beautiful Sunday evening, and my mother and I had just walked into the house from church. The pastor preached a sermon about loving thy neighbor as thy self. My mood was of a blessed child who believed that once there is life, there is hope. I kicked off the high heels I wore and rested my achy feet on the cold tiled floor. My mother changed her clothes and went to the kitchen to share out dinner, which she had prepared before we went to church. I looked at my cell phone and realized that I had a missed call from my friend, Sheila, fifteen minutes ago. The phone was on silence during church, and I did not change the ring option after. I called her back.
We talked for about fifteen minutes. Listen, I was so excited about the information Sheila shared with me. In the time when COVID-19 reigned supreme, and my place of work was closed until further notice, who else but God could have answered my prayers. Sheila had a death in her family ( this was not my prayer) and had to go to the village to take care of funeral arrangements. This event would take a long time, so she offered me the opportunity to take her place on a work assignment. I was going to get a job (this was my prayer). And to top it off, I was going abroad to America to work.
I was going to work in a nursing home. I know what you are thinking. No, I do not have a nursing degree, nor have I ever work in a nursing home. I was willing to learn. I was open to taking the chance. What else was in this place for me? Everyone around me was unemployed or self-employed. My family’s life saving was gone, and we had no means to support our selves and pay for the essential bills. I decided to take this opportunity and help my family.
She told me that I would work in a nursing home and take care of five patients’ daily needs. She assured me that it was easy and that I would have another person working with me. It sounded good. I took care of my grandfather before he passed away, and it was not hard. My only reservation was cleaning his poopy butt. Yes, I hated doing it, and he was family. Imagine me having to clean five strangers’ butts. I felt nauseated just thinking about it. Probably they will be able to wipe their butts. Why was I worried?
Sheila would make all the arrangements for the switch with the agency and give me as much detail as she knew. I was going to get paid two thousand dollars a month. Wow! That kind of money in my country would go a long way. I would be able to take care of my mother and siblings until they could go back to work. I have two sisters and one brother, and I am the second child. I would work very hard in America and save my money. I would stay for six months; that would be twelve thousand dollars cash. My eyes sparkled with the thought of so much money. I was going to be a rich girl. After the call, I went to tell my mother the fantastic news.
My mother was so happy. She placed her hands above her head and started to wave them in the air to praise God for such good fortune. Then she grabbed my hands and said, “Come child; let’s pray.”
“What is going on here?” my eldest sister asked as we said Amen.
“Your sister will be going abroad to America,” mother answered gleefully.
“Say what? When?” she asked as she looked to me for clarification.
“Yes, sister. It is true. My friend, Sheila, offered me the opportunity.”
“Where is America? New York, the Big Apple?” she asked excitedly.
“I do not know where and I do not know when,” I answered. I had forgotten to ask those two questions. What else did I forget? Oh no! I did not have the money to pay for the airplane ticket. What was I going to do?
…to be continued. “Ok, I said it!“
…waiting for the follow up 🙂
I hope I have visa already!