Hushed Echoes

He withdrew from the place where he had been standing and went straight to Maria, making countless effort to soothe her, ” please it’s enough, stop weeping and place your faith in God, he will surely Grant him eternal rest”

“.. though my friend meant a lot to all of us, there is absolutely nothing we can do about this, death had snatched him away from us, therefore not even a river of years would bring him back to life”

Jamal’s wife who had been holding and consoling Maria used her handkerchief to wipe off the tears from her face, ” it’s alright Maria, i pray God grant you the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable lost”

She laid her wreath and was led out of the graveyard by some friends, however jamal wife suggested that she went with her and spend the night at her place to enable her take adequate care of Maria and her son.

But Marco’s mother objected and decided to go home with her son, Jamal’s wife felt that was not enough and subsequently decided to postpone all her engagement and follow her home.

There she assisted in washing, cooking and cleaning the house, Maria was completely impressed to the extent that she made her appreciation known to her.

Inspite all these, Maria was still depressed and demoralized.

By all intent and purpose, it was obviously her that she should be challenged with the responsibility of having to bring up her son alone, she decided to grid the loins in regard and determination, she exhibited this with a deep sense of responsibility and a firm desire to give her son’s the best kind of education, no matter what it would cost her.

The only sledge hammer that had almost smitten her head open was her late husband’s family members, they made it a point of duty to create problems for her, they further went and confiscated her late husband’s properties, as if that was not enough, they resorted to calling her names and all manner of insults.

Maria became totally helpless, thus when she was just at the threshold of getting over the disconsolate and griveous turn of events which had obnoxiously reared its ugly head in her life, all that was finally left for her by her late husband were taken away and her image dented.

All these brought her an unimaginable hardship, while her husband death was like a gust of wind that had blown her hat off her head, the aftermath attitude of her husband’s relatives shattered her psyche.

It was as though she and her son were jumping out of the fry pan into the fire, everything she laboured for with her late husband was carted away, leaving her with nothing except her only son whose mind was too young to comprehend what was happening.

There was absolutely nothing she could do about the turn of events in her life other than to seek comfort from God, she perceived this turn of events as a passing phase in her life and that of her son, she comforted herself and promised to deal with the brutality of life as they come.

Meanwhile all through this period, Jamal and his wife were very supportive, they assisted her with foodstuffs and sent her money to get a room for herself and her son, they even extended the generosity to his education.

Marco grew up to be very dutiful and handsome boy, having being told several times by his mother about the calamities and miserable burden she bore as a result of his father’s death.

The subsequent heartless maltreatment his mother suffered in the hands of his late father’s relatives made him determine in his heart that he would do everything in his power to make his mother a happy woman.

That was why he would always cross-examine himself whenever he felt he had acted from base motive be ns would never do anything that may hurt her feelings.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

As a mark of responsibility, Maria worked harder to better the lot of her son, most times she would go hungry to make sure her son was satisfied, nothing in this world was important to her than Marco.

As the years rolled by, Marco on his own part embrace hardwork as the only master key to his accomplishment, each time he return form school, he had his lunch, the next thing is to assist his mother in the menial job she does.

Shortly after his highschool, he gained admission to study Geology in a university.