Nwala: THE BITTERSWEET EXPERIENCE

CHAPTER 36 –
© OPEYEMI OJERINDE AKINTUNDE

After realizing I had actually missed my period, I was torn between going to a proper hospital for a pregnancy test or going to a pharmacy to get a home kit.

I finally gave in to buying the pharmacy pregnancy strip. I went very far away from home and I had my shades on, plus a face cap. I didn’t want anyone to recognize me a bit.

The five minutes of waiting for the result from the kit was like waiting forever. I stood in the bathroom waiting and praying that it would be negative. With very shaky hands, I picked up the pregnancy strip and since I was familiar with negative and positive results, I didn’t need a doctor to tell me I was carrying a seed in me.

The strip showed positive, but there was no positivity in me one bit. What I was feeling in my heart was all shades of negativity ranging from fear, sadness, anxiety, and anticipated shame.

“God, who is the father of this baby in me? Daniel or Reuben?” I asked and within me, I was torn. There were two loud voices trying to fight for attention.

“Daniel”

“Reuben”

This was as Bishop had prophesied. He had said exactly a year ago, that by the time, God was going to visit me with a son.

“How come the son was coming exactly a month after I slept with Daniel”.

“God, what are you doing with my life, you told me to marry Reuben, but why would Daniel get me pregnant?”

“Reuben’s son is in your womb” I heard the words softly within me, but I was too afraid to believe it.

“God, I am sorry but I have to get rid of this pregnancy to get rid of any iota of doubt “ I concluded.

I disposed of the pregnancy strip and left the house.


I was at the cheap-looking hospital very far from my home. I had driven three hours away from my home, I lied to the nurse at the reception that I had six children already, and I was already pregnant of the seventh child. The nurse had believed my lie and had told me to wait for the doctor.

I had lied to Reuben I was going shopping.

My phone rang as I sat waiting for the doctor, and I would not have expected that call that day. It was my Father-in-law, the Bishop calling. Instant fear gripped me. I suspected what was coming. My Father-in-law had the Prophetic Grace, he had the gift of open eyes. I didn’t pick up. I allowed it to ring to the end. I was about to turn it off when a text message dropped…

“The Lord said if you do what you are about to do, you will die!” the text read

I knew there was no escaping. Bishop already knew what I was up to.

The phone rang again. I knew I had to pick.

“Hello Daddy”

“Beauty, leave where you are now, and meet me in the office”

“Ok sir”


I sat in front of my Father-in-law in tears. There was no point lying or pretending. I told him the truth…

As Reuben’s father, I saw the pain in his eyes, but as a shepherd, I saw the pain in his eyes for me.

“Beauty, I warned you about that boy, you should not have tried to help God. I told you God was going to visit you by this time this year, that did not mean you would physically have your baby in your hands. God visited Zechariah in the temple and promised him a child, God also visited Abraham and promised him and Sarah a child. That was what God was saying to you. God did not say by this time this year you would carry your child in your hands. It is important to understand the details of God. You and Reuben made love that same day Daniel slept with you. That was your day of visitation. Beauty, you have let the devil corrupt your testimony…”

“Daddy, honestly I went there to reverse the curse when I saw that after the name change & Prophesy, the child was not coming”

“Beauty, never try to help God, Uzzah in the Bible tried to help God when he saw that the ark of the covenant was about to fall as the oxen stumbled, but guess what, God killed him. Why? There was a law that no one was to touch the ark because it was holy. Most times, in our bid to help God, we actually end up doing what angers him. Let me tell you a story no one knows about me.

To be continued…