Short story: Nothing left to lose

Nothing left to lose

In the early summer 1990, in the western part of Spain, a loud squeak was heard from the screeching windows of the house of Senor Santiago. “Oh goodness it’s a girl” the midwife told Santiago as he paced through the porch of their mansion gazing at the colourful courtyard Senora Auxiliadora has set. For Dora the scream was from the excruciating pains of delivery and for the fear that it’s the end of the marital journey she has with her darling husband Santiago.

Santiago is a tall light skinned man with the physique of a wrestler and dark long hair to compliment his blue eyes, for Dora that’s all she thought she could ever ask for in a man. His baritone and wealth made him almost irresistible; she failed to realize the fact that looking good almost has nothing to do with living good. Seven years into her marriage she discovered that her darling husband Santiago is the drug Lord in Sevilla!

What can she do to make it right? She realised a better part of her youthful years have been blown away by the sands of time after several still births and being few weeks from her slated expected date of delivery. Her fear was for Her innocent daughter yet unborn; bringing an innocent soul into a cruel and unjust world, to ease up her pain and hasten her thoughts towards making a better life for her daughter away from a cartel father knowing she can’t file for a divorce as it’s against the vows they exchanged on the altar. She focused less on blaming herself for falling into a wrong marriage for the wrong reasons and also on an unrepentant husband who says everything he does is for their family and focused more on plans of a brighter future away from Santiago.

Till the moment of her delivery all she could consider was giving her to a Christian orphanage where she could learn decency and core values for living. But the moment she held Esmeralda the gentle squeeze Esmeralda gave her thumb as she held tight to it and her blue innocent eyes gave Dora the mother-child love she ever hungered for. Dora discovered she won’t survive a breath without Esmeralda.

It was a beautiful morning for Santiago as he awaited friends and family to join him in the 7th day prayer and dedication of his beloved daughter Esmeralda. He went round the house calling “A’Dora” as he fondly called his wife but the entire house was filled with peace and quiet with songs of birds chirping from a distance. He entered her room and she wasn’t there, so he checked her closet which happens to be her study area. There on the table a piece of paper drew his attention, behold it’s a note from A’Dora:

“Darling Santiago, I can’t raise Esmeralda with a Lord of heroin and the head of a cartel, I can’t also file for a divorce which you know is against our faith, so I’ve decided to go far away from you and from Sevilla. I love you Santiago and I will miss you with every passing breath, I promise to tell Esmeralda how much you love her. Don’t bother looking for us you will never find us.”

The shock of the letter grieved him deeply; he couldn’t survive a day without his family, reaching out for his gun he shot himself to death.

A year after Dora and Esmeralda fled she found an orphanage willing to adopt Esmeralda into their school and have her work as a cook. Esmeralda grew up with so much beauty, grace and radiance being the best among her peers. For her it was a privilege to know her mother in her little world of orphans and nuns. She was greatly loved by everyone around her but deep within her were cravings of what the world over the fence was like. Beyond everything else she wanted to know her father; that would mean the world to her.

One Tuesday evening after work as Dora lay to rest to prepare for busy Wednesday she heard a knock on her door, she reached for the door. It was news of Santiagos’ death! The shock from the news gave Dora a heart failure and instantly she dropped dead.

The world finally came to an end for Esmeralda; the orphan stood numb and seeing the only place she knew as home burning to ashes. She lost everything that moment except the Bible her mum gave her. Found herself walking down lonely streets as the noise from the fire outbreak grew faint, she could feel nothing except tears rolling down her cheeks under the silver full moon.

She held tight to her Bible as life became totally helpless and hopeless, she felt a void deep down her soul with flashes of suicidal thoughts flooding her mind. Her feet were sore from walking and the cold breeze of the night made her shiver. Hungry and thirsty she laid under a tree to rest only to be attacked and raped by a group of travelling bandits. She cried and called out for help but there was none; the bandits left her there in a pool of her own blood.

“Good morning” a strange voice called out to her. Struggling to open her eyes as she felt keen pains in her body, Esmeralda saw an old woman with a seamless smile. She was frightened but with little or no strength there was nothing she could do so she laid still with many questions on her mind. She struggled to ask; “where am I”? “Somewhere safe and warm” the old woman answered before handing Esmeralda a bowl of porridge and insisting she gets more rest.

At dawn the roster’s crow woke Esmeralda up. Her body pains had eased but in her mind were lots of pain and struggles;she wished she wasn’t existing. “There you go!” The old woman handed her warm clothing and some water to drink. “I am Hermosa, and you are in my farmhouse. I found you sleeping outside in the cold night so I brought you home. mi casa es su casa (my home is your home)” She said with a smile.

After a week in the farmhouse brimmed with the kindness and love she felt around Hermosa, Esmeraldarealized Good Samaritan still exist. She went on to ask why Hermosa lives all by herself in a farmhouse with a lot of work to be done. Hermosa handed Esmeralda her Bible, apologized for holding onto it that long and Began to tell her of the morning that changed everything about her life as she sat beside her by the fireplace.

It was a cold morning after her wedding anniversary, she was walking in the farmhouse and everywhere was quiet. She wondered what everyone was doing asleep by the third watch of the day so she went to check on her family just to realize they were all stiff cold and not breathing. At first she thought it was a dream and she wanted waking up badly but it wasn’t.

She had to come to terms with the fact that she will never see her three sons, their wives and her five grandchildren or even have them play again. With every breath she wished it will be her last because life became meaningless and hopeless. “In my days of grief I was visited by a Christian friend who prayed with me and handed a copy of the Holy Bible to someone who was religiously into idol worship; it was my first copy.

I felt it was time to try something new, also the breeze of peace and calm I felt during the prayers were unexplainable. Before leaving he encouraged me with his favourite scripture in the Bible Proverbs 23:7 “ For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” It will be difficult for you he said but if you think peace, joy, happiness or any other good thing, it will be in your life.

It seemed all impossible at first but as I opened up to daily study of the Bible I felt renewed every day, it was like pieces of my life were being replaced with so much joy and piece I couldn’t explain.” With a deep sigh, Esmeralda couldn’t help but ponder in her mind how Hermosa is this strong and happy after all she has been through. She went on to ask Hermosa if she has completely forgotten everything that has happened to her which Hermosa answered “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away behold all things are new.”

Even if she might not forget the loss of her family, she feels the pain no more because it is all in the past. In Christ all she has is joy, peace, hope and an expected end. Esmeralda was filled with astonishment from everything she was learning, she wondered if truly so much good was in the Bible she had all along but she never knew.

Hermosa could notice the addle mind of Esmeralda brimmed with questions, worry and doubt. She wondered if she could tell her the redeeming story of Job, or tell her how the yoke of Christ is light and His burden easy Hermosa reached for her hand and shared a word of prayer with her as she read one of her favourite verses to her: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what men shall do unto me”. (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Years went by and the ladies lived happily upon the promises of God’s word, the peace and joy it gives and sharing the good news with people who are burdened, helpless and hopeless giving them hope, joy and peace once again using the word of God to change what looks like graves in the lives of people into gardens.

I am Lifa Maliki Daniel, from the northern part of Nigeria, Adamawa state.
I am quite the shy type, I try my possible best to avoid crowded places, I am a passionate lover of God.

Well I love writing because it’s a medium to express myself without actually being there. I have a very creative mind, i allow my mind wonder far and near and I try to understand people and their situations.

writing should be very detailed and have much impact, as I try to make ever character have a message to pass across. Besides writing I love reading, RnB music, animations and listening to people’s story.

Thank you for having me here❤️