Bradley pulled his car to a halt when he could no longer see Ifes, when he had driven away from the street he left her. He leaned on his side and stretched out his hand to close his car door.
Leaning back on his seat, he exhaled slowly and heaved a sigh of relief. He was relieved that he had left Ifesinachi's accusing gaze, but was more relieved that she did not say a word to Mandy about him. "That's if she is capable of keeping to her words," he muttered under his breath. He fumed, remembering his conversation with her a while ago.
What nonsense! He glared at the passenger's seat as though she were still seated there. He had saved her today from the couple she collided with, and all she could do was to accuse him, to call him a liar. She was an ingrate. If not for the excuse he made up for her, the management would have paid for the couple's stained dress with her salary.
He pushed the thought of her to the back of his mind as it was beginning to suffocate him. He slipped his car keys into the ignition and drove away.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ifes felt a hand gently tapping her and her body jerked slightly. She tilted her head around to see who it was but couldn't see anyone.
Run back to your dorm room now!
Recognising the still small voice, she bolted to her dorm room. She was thankful that Bradley didn't take her out of the college. She got to the front of her dorm room, placed her hand on the doorknob and yanked it open.
Stepping inside, she looked around and saw that everywhere was in order. She began to wonder why she had gotten an instruction to run to her dorm room. Unable to figure out why she had come back, she made for the kitchen to get herself a glass of water.
"Go and check Mandy's bathroom," the still small voice stopped her in her tracks.
She whirled around and did as she was told. As she got closer to Mandy's bathroom, she heard her muffled sobs. Worried that something terrible had happened, she fumbled with the knob and opened the door. Her roommate was perched on the edge of her bathtub, wailing.
"Mandy! Why are you crying?"
Mandy raised her head slightly to look at Ifes, and brought it down again to her laps without uttering a word.
Ifes moved close to her roommate, then hunkered down before her.
"Please Mandy, tell me, why are you crying?"
Mandy raised her head again to look at her. "My, my mama. My mum!"
Panic rose in Ifes. "Yes, tell me. What happened to her? What's wrong with your mother?" she urged on.
Mandy buried her face in her palm, wailing without answering.
"Mandy, talk to me. Crying will not solve whatever it is that is wrong with your mum."
Mandy abruptly raised her head, making Ifes jerk slightly. "My mother has been given up to die!"
Her body went cold upon hearing those words from her roommate. She felt like someone had pulled both cold and hot water on her at the same time. The bathroom fell dead silent such that only the sound of their beating hearts could be heard.
Her dad, Mr Jonathan, called her that afternoon, wailing like a little child. She had never seen her dad weep like that and the sound of it tugged at her heart.
"Oh! Mandy, my baby. Your mum is leaving us. She's going. She's finally going!"
"W–what do you mean leaving us?" Mandy had asked.
"The doctors said they've tried all they could, that her sickness is beyond medical treatment. As I speak to you now, they are about removing her life support. They are just waiting for me to sign some documents."
Mandy clutched her phone to her ears tightly, afraid it would slip off her hands to the floor.
"One of the doctors has handed me the documents to allow them to remove the life support, but how can I? I love your mother so much and I can't even start to imagine signing her death warrant with my own hands."
"Then don't sign it!" Mandy spoke and was taken aback with her tone of voice. It was as though a stranger had spoken and not her.
"Yes, Dad," she continued in that same vehement tone, "You can't sign those documents. They don't have the right to take her life. Give 'em money, give 'em more money, give them enough money, and let them stop complaining!"
Jonathan Parker wasn't so perplexed by the way his daughter spoke. She had been in college and he would be doing her some injustice if he expected her to understand and know the amount of money he had pumped into her mother's treatment, or all his efforts, which had apparently ended in no success.
"Money's not everything, Mandy."
Mr Jonathan expected his daughter to understand that better than anyone. The quest for money had landed them into the mess they found themselves in.
She'd fumed. "What are you saying, dad? I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. Do you mean you want to sign those documents and allow my mother to die? Listen here, Dad. I will not forgive you if anything happens to Mum!"
Mr Jonathan thought he could find solace in his daughter, but his expectations had been crushed. What had he been thinking before placing a call to her? Was he expecting her to embrace the news lightly and nod an approval?
Inhaling and exhaling sharply, Mandy spoke through her phone's mouthpiece. "Hello, dad, did you hear what I said?"
Mr Jonathan Parker paused for a while and wanted to raise an objection, but finally resigned to his fate. "Yes, Mandy. I heard you clearly!"
The soft tone of her father's voice broke her heart. She knew she had hurt him with her words. She'd wanted to apologize to him for speaking to him the way she did, but he disconnected the call before she could open her mouth.
Ifes tried to stifle her anger as Mandy narrated her ordeal with her father but her facial expression gave her away.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do anything wrong?"
"No, Mandy. This time around, you've done everything wrong. I have to admit that to you now before it is too late!"
Mandy tilted her head to gaze at her. "What do you mean, Ifes?"
"Oh, don't give me that look, Mandy. You know exactly what I'm talking about?"
Mandy gazed at her, perplexed. "Are you also saying I should allow my Dad to sign those documents?"
"Will it give you a sense of satisfaction?"
Mandy jerked up from her bathtub and moved away from Ifes. "But how could you ask me such a question?"
Looking at her friend's facial expression, she felt bad raising her voice at her emotionally-wounded roommate.
Take a deep breath, girl, this is not what you were called here for.
She stood from where she hunkered down, and walked towards her roommate.
"I'm sorry, Mandy! I can understand the love you have for your mum. I will do the same for my own mother and even more if I were to be in your position. I just want to let you know that all hope is not lost. There is a solution waiting for her to grasp."
Her roommate gazed at her anxiously. "Please tell me because I'm ready to do anything for her!"
"Are you sure you are ready to do anything?"
"Yes."
"Anything?"
She nodded her head affirmatively. "Yes, anything! Just tell me, let me get started already!" she said, almost impatiently.
"The solution to your mother's illness is Jesus."
Her friend's eyes popped open as she gave her the look that read, "Not again!"
"I'm serious, Mandy!"
"I thought we had already discussed this."
"Yes, we have and I remembered what you said, but have you been able to consider if this is what your family wants? Have you been able to consider if they share your concept? Have you thought it over that they would reject Jesus as you are doing right now? Why don't you allow them to make their own choice as you have made yours?"
The room fell silent as Ifes waited for an answer from her friend.
"If your mother dies today, do you think she would be happy that you didn't get to let her meet the one who could save her? I'm sorry I'm speaking to you in this manner, but why don't you give me that benefit of doubt and see if Jesus will reject your mum as you have been thinking?"
"Yes, she's right, Mandy, I think you should listen to her."
"No, don't listen to her."
Voices in her head bantered and drew her to a state of turmoil.
"Please, can you get dressed and come with me to Texas? Let's go and meet my mum so you can pray for her," Mandy said, after finally making a decision.
"Anything for you."
She whispered a "thank you" as she stepped out of the bathroom so Ifes could have her bath.
"How could you agree to follow this girl to Texas? Have you forgotten that you are expected to report back to work tomorrow?" a voice in Ifesinachi's head bellowed.
Her body went numb for a while. Comporting herself, she went straight to her reading table and tore out a sheet of paper from her notebook. She yanked out her pen from her handbag and drafted a handwritten resignation letter.
Her roommate saw her writing on her reading table, then went close to see. "What are you doing?"
She hid it from her friend, but Mandy yanked it from her hand.
"You want to turn in your resignation because of me?" she asked, looking up from the paper, perplexed to her marrow.
"Jesus would do more for you if he were here in flesh." and blood."
Mandy was dumbfounded. "Did you mean Jesus would leave his source of livelihood for me even when he and I both know that I don't deserve it?"
"Yes, and even much more."
"And is he the one who asked you to do this for me?"
"I haven't seen him face to face, but his character and lifestyle in the Bible and even in the present day in heaven makes me take him as my role model. We can love like Christ."
Mandy broke down crying. "Please tell Jesus I'm sorry! Tell him I'm sorry for rejecting him and I'm ready to accept him now as my Savior and Lord!"
Ifes almost jumped in glee. Was this a dream or not? Was her friend truly asking to give her life to Christ or was it just a fluke? She wanted to ask her friend to pinch her to be sure it was a reality but quickly composed herself so she could lead her to Christ before she changed her mind.
She held both of her roommate's hands in hers. "Anything I ask, if you agree, just say, 'yes I do'."
"Alright, I will."
"Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, Mandy Parker?"
"Yes, I do."
"And you believe that he died and rose from the dead to save you?"
"Yes, I do."
Ifes embraced her friend excitedly as though her life depended on it. "Congratulations, Mandy! Welcome to God's family!"
Ifes wasn't the only one who felt the joy and peace that encompassed around them; her roommate Mandy felt it as well.
"Don't turn in your resignation. We'll explain to your manager when we come back. I'm sure he would understand it was a matter of urgency."
Ifes whirled around to look at her friend who was basking in the wave of the moment. "But you know it's not proper that I disappear without any notification? My boss is a man of protocols and I have to follow it."
"Alright then, why don't you write a letter asking for permission to be absent for some time?"
She wanted to tell her that Bradley had made her do that today but decided against it when she knew what would come after that. She had asked for permission to report back to work the next day. Going to ask for another one will not make her manager smile at her.
"Umm! Mandy, please don't worry about me, I can always find another job when we come back."
Her roommate wanted to say something but she hushed her.
"Please trust me, I'm happy doing this. Your mother is a million times better than my job."
Mandy succumbed. "Alright, if you say so."
Letting go of her friend's hAnd she stepped out of their dorm room with her resignation letter in hand while her friend sat on a couch, booking their flight to Texas online.
Ifesinachi's manager was perplexed to see her return to the restaurant the same day.
"I thought you were to report back to work tomorrow?"
"Yes, sir. I am here for a different reason."
The manager pulled off his spectacle and tossed it on his table. "Alright, let's hear it."
She stretched out her hands with a white envelope. "I'm here to turn in my resignation."
The manager leaned forward bewildered. She went on to explain why she was resigning and the manager understood.
"I'm quite perplexed at your level of honesty. We'll reserve your position for you till you're back."
"But, sir..."
"No buts. You are an honest staff and I would rather lose ten of my current staff than to lose you."
A lot of his workers always gave flimsy excuses just to stay out of work. Only a few, like Ifes, were devoted and took the work seriously like their own personal business.
"I still insist that you receive my resignation letter. When I return, if no one has occupied my position, I'll reapply."
The manager protested but she insisted and he finally gave in.