In the Loving Arms of Servitude

35. The Aftermath

(...A Few Weeks Later)

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"Tobi, wake up. It is time for morning mass." Uju calls out while gently tapping Tobi, who is fast asleep. After a few moments, he wakes and tries to sit up, although completely dazed by the bright fluorescent bulb above him. "Good morning" he mutters. Then Uju replies warmly, "Good morning. Time to bathe... The Sisters will soon start morning devotions."
At the moment, Uju is sitting beside him on a small bed. There is also a similar bed on the opposite side of the room, where Uju sleeps. The room has a single large window with a small wooden cupboard just below it. And on top the cupboard, there is a Crucifix at the middle, beside a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which almost seem to demarcate the room into two halves when viewed from the door. "Okay" Tobi replies, rising up slowly, afterwhich Uju leads him out of the room to take his bath. This small relatively empty room inside the Divine Mercy Convent is where Tobi and Uju live now. It is about a stone's throw from St. Aloysius. Sister Gertrude gladly took them in, after Femi's family members threw them out of the house.

Following the sad episode of Amara's suicide, the family's initial plan was to send Tobi to live with some relatives in Ijebu-Ode, where he would have had to relive many of the painful experiences Uju went through, as many desolate children do; some of whom are willingly given out by their impoverished parents. But unlike Uju, Tobi is a boy; a young vibrant boy, more than ripe to be plucked for slavery. He would have made quite the valuable working tool to whichever family he lived with, as a glorified house boy. This was why Uju earnestly begged Sister Gertrude and Fr. Paul, the Parish Priest to do everything in their power to convince Femi's family to allow Tobi be raised with the church. Being tossed from one family to another as a house boy would have brought him unimaginable suffering and probably scarred him for life. Unlike Uju thus far who seems to be handling it fairly well, not every child easily recover from the psychological damages inflicted by trafficking and servitude. This in no manner implies that Uju is any less scarred. However, her enormous willpower seems to be what enables her even at this point, to tell her story with a pale smile on her face. It would seem that another secret behind the somewhat nobility of Uju's heart is healthy influence. Nne's shining example, her sheer love for love itself and for doing the right thing are what encouraged some of the best parts of Uju to flourish. Nonetheless, she still has a lot to learn, as life progresses.

The fight for Tobi's custody was a heavy tug of war for the church, since legally, only the family has claim to the custody of a child. But miraculously, the church was able to convince Femi's family to give up their tussle for Tobi's custody. They never liked Amara in the first place after all. Therefore, they felt that maybe spitting him out would help dispel whatever residual evil her presence left hovering over the Balogun family. To them, she taking her own life meant that her evil deeds finally caught up with her. Thus, they did not want to harbour any child of hers under their roof. It must have been God's handiwork really. Usually, a victory of the church over the family is nearly impossible to achieve. Fortunately for Uju also, Amara was the only link Obiageli and uncle Obinna had to her. Hence, in a way, she is finally free from their wicked clutches. She might not necessarily be in paradise. But she would rather live here in peace with the Nuns, than suffer at the wicked hands of her beloved uncle and his wife.

Uju has not been to school for a while now. Nevertheless, ever since Amara's funeral, she has been communicating with Mr. Akintola via cellphone. His efforts combined with those of Fr. Paul have already secured her a university scholarship; she and Tobi actually. So all Uju needs to do now is to pass her WASSCE, in order to become eligible for a university admission. Then she would finally be able to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional engineer.