Lightning and Thunder

7

𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑

EPISODE 7 (JUDITH'S POV)

I awoke and unconsciously patted the side of my bed, as it had been my custom for the past years that I lived with Judith.
Ruby stretched and shook his furry body.

The weight of stone dropped into my stomach again when I saw the spot where Judith would have been, now occupied by my new puppy.

I dragged myself up, rubbed my eyes and knelt by my bed for my quiet time. I must confess, my mind was swarmed with bittersweet memories as I fought to focus on God.
Today was a very special day. A day to remember the good times, and to drown out the sad times.

If anyone had told me around this time last year that I would be a lone ranger without the lady I had come to see as my covenant sister by my side, I would have rebuked the enemy. We were sisters. We shared every single thing and even slept on the same bed.
Not anymore.

After I finished my chores and freshened up, I left the house and headed to the flower shop with Ruby accompanying me. I got a bunch of fresh white carnations-Nisha's favourite flowers.

While I drove to my destination, I watched the buildings, vehicles and people as they flew by. The events after that day at the beach came back like a tsunami.

After Nisha's first deliverance, she still underwent a lot of sessions of deliverance and therapy, thanks to Rev Iyua and his lovely wife who was a professional psychologist.
Nisha became totally free but her health didn't improve.
Those moments were our closest bonding moments.
God taught me the true art of love and intercession.
After a while, he health got so bad that she had to be bedridden in our shared apartment. I bought her an expensive golden retriever puppy to cheer her up- Ruby.

I kept believing that she would get better. I never saw it coming. No one did.
Austin was the worst hit. He simply disappeared. After her funeral, the next thing I heard was that he had left for a missionary trip to Madagascar.
I was shocked and confused. He had left everything, his business, his low-key ministry here, and me. I suspected I was the major reason he was running away.

It felt as though my whole world had ground to a halt. I was like a petal bobbing up and down in an endless ocean, lost, disoriented. Only God and the company of sweet little Ruby kept me sane.

Today's Nisha's death anniversary. It's been one year since she went to be with the Lord. On getting to the cemetery, I waved to the keepers at the gate and promised to give them something on my way out.

With slow steps, holding Ruby's leash, I went to her marked gravestone.
The embossed cursive epigraph read:
Nisha Silvani, Princess of Lightning, a heroine of faith. Fought to the end. Rest in the bosom of the Lord.

I took in a shuddering breath and dropped the bouquet on the glittering marble.

I stood there staring, having no words to express how I felt. Wasn't time supposed to have waned the pain?

"I miss you, Nisha. I can never forget you."

Teardrops slid down my cheeks till I could taste salt.

I sniffed. "Remember what you told me the night before you left? Well, seems like your prediction was off point..."

I smiled wistfully as I recalled what she had said.

That night, she was in high spirits and her normally pale face was filled with colour. She begged me to put a wig on her then-bald head and plait it. It was a silly request but I happily obliged. I had been optimistic that perhaps the miracle had started.

"Judith, when you and Austin get together, I want you to know you have my blessing. Don't feel guilty. I want you to take good care of him. He is a good man."

I chuckled dryly and said, "Looks like that not ever going to happen. Austin that has been treating me with a polite distance as if I'm his grandma..."

Nisha had tugged my hand till I squatted to reach her eye level. Her eyes twinkled and a playful smirk was on her lips.

"He loves you, Judith. He's just too scared to admit it. I've seen how he looks at you when he thinks neither of us is looking. I know he's trying to be good to me since we're still officially engaged. That man is stubborn; I don't know why he has refused to break it off."

I rolled my eyes. "Miss Nisha. Stop the fanciful talk and just get better quickly."

Her eyes filled with moisture and said softly, "I love you, Judith."

I laughed and playfully rubbed her cheek. "Awww... I love you too, Miss Lightning."

The next morning, she lay peacefully on the bed, lifeless. I think my scream of shock at the realization that she was gone must have been what woke the entire neighbourhood. I was unable to function for days. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit slowly comforted my hurting heart over time.

I tucked my hair behind my ear. "Well, Austin has vanished. No calls, no nothing. I don't know if I'm still supposed to wait..."

"No need to wait anymore."

My head snapped up, my eyes widened and I couldn't feel any part of my body except my madly beating heart.

Austin?

He continued speaking. "Judith. I'm sorry for disappearing. I knew God's instruction and I first had to sort out some things."

He sighed loudly and I finally turned to look at him. Oh, good Lord! He looked much more alive than the last time I saw him at Nisha's funeral. His beard was neatly trimmed and his hair was styled in a way that made his eyes more appealing.

"I couldn't stop thinking of you, Judith. I even secretly stalked you on social media. Your unconditional loving spirit has a unique refreshing aroma that I can't resist. I just knew I would find you here today..."

He slowly went down on one knee and brought out a small white box.

I never saw it coming so I couldn't breathe for a split second.

"Austin, what are you doing?"

He nervously opened the box to reveal an intricately patterned silver ring and cleared his throat. "I know this isn't an ideal location for something this sensitive and I know you might want some time to process my request. But please, Judith, can you do me the honour of being the woman I'll do life with?"

Tears fell fast and I moved to him and made him stand.

"I'll grow old this minute if I have to wait any longer. My answer is yes, Austin. Let's make this work, by God."

He looked relieved and surprised. "Wow, Holy Spirit, that was easier than expected," he muttered to himself before finally helping me wear the ring. "Thank you for saying yes, Judith."

As I admired the ring, emotion clogged my voice and I glanced at Nisha's grave.
"Think she'll be happy with us?

Austin pulled me into a hug. "Of course, she's in heaven. She'll be eternally happy. Besides, God orchestrated this, and that's all that matters."

As I hugged him back and wept into his shirt, Ruby raced around our legs, yapping in glee.

~~~

Author's note: A quick behind-the-scenes note from me. I wasn't feeling in the writing zone today at all so I began by writing this author's note of how I feel. Yesterday when I saw the assigned prompt, it was like pure gold dropped on my lap. While some of you are quite disheartened and saddened by the fact Nisha died, it was already clear in my spirit that she had to go, so I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to pop it in.
I cried while writing this prompt because I had to revisit my first experience of visiting a cemetery to pay homage to my late big daddy. (even though I didn't cry then).
Now, one thing we must understand is that we cannot fathom God. Sometimes, we repent and expect a miracle and the opposite just happens. Remember that some heroes of faith died while they waited for what they believed. It doesn't make God less of God; it just means He is God. We should stop trying to reason out God with our tiny brains.
So, Nisha had to die, but at least, she had the privilege to be set free genuinely.
What are your sincere thoughts on this episode? I'd love to have them in the comments section.