My main characters.

Audrey

Riana

Audrey and Riana have been married for more than fifteen years now, with no signs of children.

They have been depressed, devastated and they felt the God they worshipped had forgotten about them and does not want to come to their appeal.

They were happily married couples, and their love was one of a kind and one of the best, after being in a strong and unbreakable relationship for many years, before they were brought together by court.

Riana got up one morning, blaming God for all her problems, she prayed, gave arms fasted and did all why she was advised to do.

Some of her friends even tried to convince her that her husband might be the problem, probably he had a low sperm count, and difficulty in making an egg fertile.

But she stood by her loving husband for fifteen years, with the hope that one day she would dance with her baby in her hands.

Audrey had several dreams that never came through, dreams of throwing his baby up in the air and playing with his own kids.

And even though his friends mocked his wife and advice him to remarry, he still stood by the love of his life.

One faithful evening, Audrey was taking a stroll when he met an old woman that stopped him on the way.

"Be patient my son, don't be too desperate... It my seem late but it's the best time, keep your good deeds and wait for your time, may you get all you desire."
Audrey saw what the woman said, as a mere prayer and inspirational quote, he wanted to pay her humbly for the prayers, but the woman refused.

Audrey told his wife of an old woman that prayed for him,  and all these was three years ago and now there is still no sign of their prayers getting answered.

Audrey took his friend's advice and before he could even realise, he had numerous concubines.

He changed for the worse, he was no longer humble or honest...
He would go as far as screaming at beggars, he would yell at children, his workers and employees at work were not an exception.

Riana would often see kids around her area and this made her feel so bad, and later on she was introduced to a very good and well known fortune teller that also practiced black magic.

However the warning she was given was that the gods would take somethings in exchange for a child.

"Anything to carry my own baby, anything, anything at all." desperation flashing in her eyes.

"And so it shall be, you shall have your child, one you shall see but the payments will not be mild, a baby with the prettiest face, one with the best gaze, will be given to you by my god, I pray it gives you all the happiness in the pond."

Riana left without paying the fortune teller since she refused to take money... She said it was an abomination.

And in the next nine months, she was holding her own baby boy.
One with the prettiest face indeed, behold! Their son Nelson.

Young Nelson.

      In this case there was also a bad news, fraudsters had duped Andrey leading to poverty, and their status suddenly changed, a family that enjoyed unlimited food supplies, now struggled to have a days meal, they struggled to make ends meet.

Nelson grew older, and the poverty increased, the recession the economy was facing was not helping either.

Frustration and depression started to grow in Riana, Taking drugs and staying with the prostitutes helped to reduce the depression according to Andrey.

Riana met one of her old friends in school, Quinn always loved her since high school days, and they met again.

Quinn

      He promised to help Riana financially she was happy that someone has come to their aid, but Andrey did not want the help of Quinn and this led to a fight between Riana and Andrey.

And every single day was a new Kung Fu.

    Nelson lived with this, and he would watch them fight day and night, and if he tried to interfere his father would hit him so hard because Audrey was often drunk.

Riana started to collect help from Quinn secretly, and before she knew what was happening she was already intimate with him.

Andrey was getting addicted to hard drugs, he would even steal drugs if he did not have the money to buy them,  he would beg for money to buy drugs... And at some point he only came home whenever he wished.

Riana enjoyed the luxury life, she introduced Nelson to Quinn even though the boy never liked the man, he had to live with him because of money!

One day, Nelson came back from school just to hear noise coming from their one bedroom flat, he knew his father was around.

And this time they were not only arguing, it was a violent bloody fight, his father was pushing his mother out of the house while fighting.

And this was going on in the corridor near the stairs leading downstairs, since their flat was amongst the ones upstairs,

the boy tried to stop the fight by separating both sides.

Unfortunately, his father pushed him away angrily, Nelson hit his head on the wall before tumbling down the stairs.

And after that, Andrey no longer cared about the fight, he had suffered to get a child, he would not want to loose Nelson

Months of their son being in the hospital in a very critical condition, and no money to even pay his bills.

Andrey started begging on the streets, one of the beggars that begged him when he was still rich and proud mocked him, since he had once chased the beggar away.

Riana ran back to the fortune teller, but there was nothing she could do at all.

And Quinn refused to help since he has already gotten what he always wanted, to spend a night with Riana.

"I gave you a warning but you turned deaf ears, for the second time be patient and God will answer your prayers."
Andrey recognised the woman, it was the old woman of the other day... He wanted to thank her for her prayers but now he got confused.

Was he not patient?

After all he only had concubines, which he had even gotten rid of?

Or did his loving wife do something.
His loving wife?, more like his foe.

"...However, the kindhearted ones always find a way, change before things change!" The old woman said before leaving, her words were never clear.

Andrey decided to apologise to his wife so all his problems could go, being kindhearted to his wife was surely the answer.

The kindhearted ones always find a way.

They could have waited only five more years to get their child, but ten years of living in abstract poverty and pain was what they used to pay.

Soon Nelson was responding to treatment, and after what seemed like decades, Audrey finally found a job.

The family finally became complete, not until another good news came... And in another years time Audrey was celebrating the birth of his daughter.

Nora.

Friends who were not there to help during their time of need, came to rejoice with them....

Ohh well!

What a world we live in.

The end.                                            

Thanks for reading, it means a lot to me.

A big shout out to the NWBC,  Nigerian writers book club,
    👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆

A big shout out to the judges of this book.

Thank you all.❤❤❤ 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

I'm forever grateful.😇😇

#stay_Safe👈
#Together_Alone 👐