GREENER PASTURES

CHAPTER THREE

Sitting in her best friend's living room, Talia cried as she explained everything to her. Gray and Talia became friends during their first year in secondary school due to their middle names, Brown and Gray. Their Literature teacher who loved to be called Pa KWEMAI made them sit on the same bench, and from then, they have become inseparable.

After high school, while Talia went to a medical school, Gray went to a teacher's training college because it trained primary school teachers for a shorter time. This was to make ends meet due to her family situation. Her friend could do nothing but hug her.

"I was thinking, have you ever thought of traveling out of Cameroon?"

Gray has always dreamed of traveling out of the country because according to her that is where she can make good use of her talent as a makeup artist. She dreams of working in a big makeup company in the US. However, Talia knew that her friend was looking for a place to start fresh, a place where no one would dictate her every move. She was looking for an escape.

"Well...I have thought of that, but..." It had once crossed Talia's mind but the means to travel was the problem. "Well, we could travel," Gray says, shrugging like it was not a big deal. Talia looked at her friend with her eyes wide open as she explained.

"I came across the greener pastures association the other day. It is simply for people who wish to leave their countries for one reason or the other. They provide security in number. They use other routes to travel to the USA. Well, after they explained everything to me, I decided to join. To travel, you need a passport and some other documents and most importantly money. I know how risky it is, Brown, but I am willing and determined to take that risk to achieve my goals."

This got Talia thinking, she thought about the possibility of actually making it big out there and proving her dad, sister, and all stereotype parents wrong. She thought about her mother's feelings. She knew how her departure was going to affect her; she was going to miss her that was sure. She thought about her kid brother Jessy who will soon finish high school and be forced into a career like hers. She thought about how Samuel always encouraged following her dreams no matter the cost.

She started asking herself some questions, was she doing this for herself or to prove a point to her parents? Was she ready to take this risk to become what she wanted to be? She finally made her decision, not to please anyone but to be adventurous and see where it takes her. She was ready to take the risk to exploit the foreign land, she was determined to make things work the way she wanted them to work.

The problem is, is it what God wants? Whom is she living for? Is she being selfish? Hell no, she was just giving herself an opportunity of a lifetime. She was not going to spend the rest of her life being guided like a blind man. She knew her purpose, she knew her goal and she was ready to go the extra mile to make them become a reality.

"There is a truth we all have the attitude of ignoring. As much as we have our God-given goals, they are not the reason for us to live our lives the way we want. We are so selfish that we think only of ourselves, and how we will benefit when we finally become what we want to be. Have we ever taken out time to think about why God created us? Why does he give us these goals, visions, or whatever you may want to call it?

It is all for him! He is the reason why we live; the accomplishment of our goals is useless if we do not fulfill the purpose for which he sent us here on earth. What do you say when you think of finally making it? Do you say: I have made it, now I can rest, or do you thank God for using your goals to fulfill his purpose on earth?

We, humans, have been living a selfish life for so long, the life we live is not ours, but we have taken everything into our hands. This evening, I want you to do an auto check of your life and see where you are lacking, tell God you want him to feel you up, and tell him you want your goals to fulfill the purpose for which he sent you here on earth."

The words from the radio preacher of FM 99.0 made Talia think hard. She always loved this man's teachings though she always tuned to the station when he was already preaching. According to Talia, these were the words she needed to hear, it finalized her decision, and she was joining the GPA. She was tired of people leading her out of God's plan so she thought.

In the confinement of their room, Mrs. Mofor could not stop worrying. In short, there were times she cried. She could no longer understand the man she got married to. It was like was trying to live his dream through his children. It was taking a toll on them because he was being hard. She knew her children very well and over the years, she has come to realize that they are not happy. That inner joy that comes with doing something you love was lacking in the lives of her children.

She saw the sparkle in the eyes of other children whose fathers were not stereotyped. It was missing from her children. "Leonard, you are being so hard on this child"

Mr. Mofor looked up from where he was trying to remove something from his bedside cupboard.

"Not again Cicilia, I thought I already made it clear that this particular child of yours needs an iron fist." His tone indicated an end to the discussion, but she couldn't let it go, she will do her part of talking.

"Can you not see my dear, our kids no longer see you as their hero or model, you are like a terrorist. They are not living their lives, Leonard, it is your life they are trying to live." She had tears in her eyes already.

"I repeat, it is what is best for them." With that, he went under the blanket and that was the end of it.

The only thing Mrs. Motor could do was pray for her children.

A/N

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