Brooklyn Chronicles: Save our Sons and Daughters

Chapter Six

It had been three weeks since Zipporah hadn’t heard or seen her family. As the days went by, it was starting to seem like they were never coming. Malaika kept reminding her to have faith, something she was learning to have.

“Malaika, does God hear our prayers?” Zipporah asked out of the blue as she looked at the Bible sat on the dining table. She brushed her hand over it’s leather cover thinking.

Malaika walked to her side, “Yes, every prayer, even the shortest.” She smiled. Zipporah looked at her carefully, “I’ve been praying for Izrahiah, Santanna, Theo, Blue and Tank to come home, but they haven’t come home so does that mean he’s not listening?” She asked.

“No, it doesn’t mean he’s not listening. God’s timing is different from ours, he does things in a time that he knows will be the best for us because sometimes he knows we are not ready for certain situations and tests in life. He will delay situations we are not ready for and when the time is right it will happen, that’s why we shouldn’t give up, we should keep having hope.” Malaika comforted her.

Under Malaika’s influence, Zipporah had been enrolled to a school nearby Malaika’s home where she had been living and Zipporah was beginning to adopt Malaika’s lifestyle as a Christian woman. She had learned to pray and she had her own youth Bible that Malaika had got her. Malaika hadn’t forced her to learn about her faith, but Zipporah had asked to attend church with her.

From just that, Malaika could sense the majority of the family had been raised in Christian homes and generation from their biblical names but some of them had abandoned life with Christ in exchange for what she recognised as a life of danger.

Just when Zipporah was preparing to go to sleep once she finished praying, the doorbell rang.

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It had taken a lot of thinking and Izrahiah alone was now standing at the door with a final decision. He had gone against the rest of the family’s decision. His little sister ran into his arms for a tight hug. He promised to never leave her as they brought his belongings into Malaika’s home. Malaika welcomed him in her home. 

It was a struggle for him to understand if she was just a woman trying to help a young troubled seventeen year old man like him or she had other hidden motives behind her actions. But he warned her about Tank in advance, Tank was a man people feared, even his family of six. He was a man he couldn’t protect her from and Tank was after Izrahiah.

A few weeks later, Malaika had managed to get Izrahiah enrolled in full-time education, but when he wasn’t at his classes, he would always stay out of trouble and off the streets where Tank was looking for him. His life was at danger and so was his little sister’s, any person who had crossed or gone against Tank always ended up dead in the end.

Izrahiah walked from the kitchen holding a plate of food for his little sister, Malaika was at work for most of the day so it was just him and his sister and in fear, he had made sure all the doors and windows were locked. He was half way across the hallway when a loud bang came from the door. 

He dropped the plate and stood back, he held his little sister back who was scared for life. 

“Run upstairs, now and lock the door.” He warned her as he grabbed a baseball bat. She raced up the stairs and prayed locking her door. 

Izrahiah said a quick prayer in his head as he approached the door holding the baseball bat. “Tank just stop this madness, I’m still your brother damn it.” He yelled over the banging. 

“Izzy it’s me!” A voice he recognised responded. Izrahiah didn’t think twice, he removed the locks and opened the door to his brother, Theo. 

He threw his arms over his brother’s shoulder hugging him. He looked at the skies in the clouds thanking God his brother was ok.

Theo forced his way into Malaika’s home and closed the door behind him locking it.

“What’s wrong?” Izrahiah frowned looking at Theo’s face covered in fear. Theophilus was the second oldest out of the family of six, and he was the closest to Izzy. Theo had come from a similar  childhood background and they had met on the streets like they had met the rest of the family.

It was not until now that Izrahiah noticed the Theo was bleeding and his oversized white t-shirt was soaking it like a sponge.