I walked away from Professor as fast as possible. Rather than going to the gents, I walked around looking at the paintings. I couldn’t recognize all the teenagers. “ Are they new?, Do they also live in the Lighthouse?, where did they all come from?” A lot of questions running through my mind… Out of the blues, I saw a painting that looked like me… I walked towards the painting… fortunately the teenager who stood beside it was not familiar… “ You drew this?” I asked “‘No, one of us by the name Kenneth did this?” “ Oh… the man looks just like me…” I said and the young boy looked up to confirm it… “ That’s true, but I think he is dead, his name was chuks and from what we were told, he is the brain behind this vision. We were told a certain girl who was an agent of darkness lured him out of the Lighthouse. It was Sammy who Mr Chuks met in captivity that came back to the Lighthouse who told us how they had both been trapped in a room…. “ the young boy was saying but I was confused “ Sammy… Who was Sammy? Or Did Sammy from the dark room go to the Lighthouse? How did he get there?” A lot of questions were running through my mind, when I heard a voice behind me… “ I knew you were not dead…” Mercy said… I turned and I saw Mercy staring at me…I pulled her away very fast towards a corner… “ Mercy… how did you come back?, I mean when?” “ I made a decision to come back to God despite my errors… I left Saudi Arabia, forfeited the money I was meant to make… I went to the embassy on my own and asked to be deported…” “ Good you!… so how did all these happen?” I said referring to the Light Up Lagos event “ I was told A young man came to the Lighthouse stating that he met you in the forest, where you had been kidnapped… He said you had told him about the vicinity where the Lighthouse was located, so he traced the house…. I met him when I got back and I must tell you Uncle Chuks, He is like you… He has your zeal in him, He was the one who picked up the Light Up Lagos Vision and here we are…” “ Chuks!….Here you are…” I heard Professor saying from behind…. “ You can have her number and you discuss further talks later…I can tell you she is a smart young lady” Professor said smiling as I understood him. He was indirectly saying it was time to go… He walked away from us towards the car… I didn’t bother to give Mercy my number… It was obvious I was no longer needed… God had seen that I had disappointed Him by having sexual intercourse with Rejoice, so He had given my place to Sammy who despite being locked up in a room, for over a year still held on to God… I walked away from Mercy… “ Uncle Chuks… What has happened?, where are you going?, we need you…” Mercy called out, but I turned back with my eyes filled with tears I refused letting down… “ No, I am not needed again, I have been replaced, because I have messed up…” “ Gloria?… Are you truly responsible for her pregnancy…?” She asked “ Gloria? … No … Was that what she said” I asked very surprised “ Yes, after you left, I was told she confessed you were responsible, but she was afraid too say it back then because you told her not to…” “ And everyone believed?” I asked but Mercy didn’t say a word… I nodded, really angry that no one could vouch for me… “ Your mother?” I asked “ She has been silent over the issue, but she misses you, she makes reference to you every now and then…” Mercy said The phone Professor had given me rang and I knew instantly he was the one calling… “ I have to go…” “ Will you come back to the Lighthouse?” I also did not give her a reply… “Uncle Chuks, I don’t know what you think you might have done, but Know this… To fall is bad, but not getting up is worse. God is able to forgive our mess ups… If humans can forgive how much more God… I never thought Kenneth would forgive and even still find me attractive despite becoming a Sex slave in Saudi Arabia, but Uncle Chuks you need to see how he gushes over me… That’s makes me know that when we come back to God, After a fallout, He will forgive us and gush over us as well….” Mercy said and though the words made a lot of sense, I still could not forgive myself…. I walked away towards Professor’s car and got into the Driver’s seat… “ About time…” Professor said, but I was not in the mood for any chit chat… I drove off silently…. ********** I got myself neck deep in reading and arts. Professor encouraged me to go for a masters program. He decided to sponsor my education. I kept tabs on the Lighthouse, as they had opened a social media page… They were recognized in the nation… Lightup became a movement. Teens were proud to associate with the group. The Light Up campaign was being taken from state to state… Miss Uyai, the owner of the Lighthouse was fulfilling her promise, as she got sponsorship from friends in government and foreign grants…. I saw on their page how, Ajaara was placed on scholarship, Gloria had given up her baby for adoption and returned to school, Kenneth had been taken up by a foreign art company as a freelance artist… The Kids were doing great without me… I decided to find my own happiness. In 4 years, I was through with my masters from two universities. The teens had become youths. I followed their lives online…and there were nights I wept sore when I saw how far they had gone without me…. I noticed a young man started showing in their videos and in no time, I realized he was Favour’s Fiance. “ She also has moved on” I said to myself … Sammy had become a vibrant youth pastor. He was loved by a lot of people online… I went for PhD and in 2 years … I had two top universities offering me the job of a lecturer. Professor made sure I picked the one with great prospects… I returned back to the classroom as a Fine Art lecturer… My first day in class…, To be continued….
