A KIND STRANGER (SHE BECAME A MOTHER FOR ME IN ANOTHER MAN'S LAND) PART 1.

...and God always has a way of making a way for me, even in a strange land.

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It all happened when we left for our NYSC. We spent the normal three weeks in the camp. My first few days in the camp were not fun at all because I was still trying to adapt to the camping lifestyle, where your bunk becomes your wardrobe, bedroom, kitchen, and store all in one. That life of waking up to the sound of the bugle by 5 a.m. and rushing to the parade ground was a whole new experience. To make it harder, I went to camp with just my transport fare and a little cash which didn’t even last me up to a week. I couldn’t enjoy anything because I was cashless. My phone screen also got spoilt, so I could not communicate with my family for some days to tell them that things were not going well at all. I was just left with myself and my thoughts, managing everything I had.

After the first week, I became more familiar with the camp and started enjoying it a little. The reason I began to enjoy it was because of a woman I never knew from Adam. She became a mother to me in the camp. She had a shop at the Mami market, and she was so kind. Her children were also kind and welcoming. There were times when I had no money, and I would go to her shop to explain my situation. She would give me and my friends food to eat, and we would pay later. In my spare time, I would always go to her shop to sit, even when she was not around, because her children made me feel at home.

I never liked the afternoon parade, so whenever it was time for it, her shop became my hiding place. Truly, she made the NYSC camp fun for me. She was a mother to me in another man’s land. Even on our last day in camp, she called all her family together, prepared cake and drinks, and her husband was also present. She prayed for me and two of my friends from Akwa Ibom, the same ones I used to visit her shop with. She made me feel at home in the NYSC camp, even though she had never met me before.

Even after I left camp, she still called from time to time to check up on me. She was so selfless and so kind. This is one memory I will never forget. Her kindness will always remain fresh in my heart, and I pray that God will bless me and keep her alive so that when I fully make it in life, I can visit her again. I know I can never truly pay her back, but going back to say thank you to her and her family will be a joy.

This is me saying, God bless you and your family ma’am. May God give you long life and prosperity.