“We had life very rough growing up, I remember eating biscuit was a luxury which only happened if anyone of us came out outstanding in our grades in the public schools we attended. This time, I was referring to was when I was about 6 years of age. My father was into repairing of electronics, especially Television and Radios. That was the time of the big colored Television. Father’s business had been going down with the imports of the Flat screen Televisions. His work as a repairer was gradually phasing out and at times for weeks there won’t be one single T.V or Radio to repair. Then, my rich estranged uncle visited us. He threw his weight around during his visit. He spent lavishly and made us happy for the few days he spent with us. Few days before he left us, I noticed he and my parents had a very long talk that lasted hours. He looked like he was trying to talk them into accepting an idea. The next morning , my siblings and I woke up to the shock of hearing that my father was leaving with my uncle. The explanation given was that Uncle was going to get him a better job and once he was stable, we would join Him where he was… Days turned into months, months turned into years. We never saw father for 6 years, but as each month and year passed, our existence was getting better. Father was sending us money on a regular basis. We were living large… When friends asked us about our father, we told them he was a business man who was working faraway. A friend of mine had joked about if my father was a fugitive, since no one knew his whereabouts and yet he was sending us lots of money. I returned back home in tears asking my mother why we had not seen our father for years…. “ Mummy, is daddy a thief?” I had asked innocently Mummy and Daddy spoke literally everyday, but that day, after crying profusely and questioning my father’s whereabouts, my mother apparently pleaded with him to come back home… The day my father came back, the kind of welcome he received would have rivaled any presidential arrival in those days. That was the beginning of our family woes. After the excitement of having him back fizzled away, my dad decided to have a family talk with us. The talk that shook me to my marrows… “ I am so happy that I met you all in peace and I am grateful especially to you, Gozzy for taking care of the children in my absence. You didn’t make my years of hard work be in vain. Having stayed with you all for a week, I suddenly realize how much of family time I have missed in years. With your mother’s permission I have decided to bring my job home. I will therefore need your cooperation and promise of secrecy that you will keep my business secret. Sammy is the youngest and may not understand what all this is about but you elder ones will understand what I do. Very simply put, I use my brain to make money…” At that time, my eldest sister was 19, while the eldest boy was 17, the third child was 15, while I was 12. My father thought I did not understand what he meant but somehow I figured out what it was about, because he was able to indoctrinate my siblings into the business. He taught my siblings how to change their voices and deceive people over the phone… Trouble however started for me, when I became born again at age 15 through one of the teenage teachers in the church we attended. I explained to my teacher the business my father was into and I asked if I could still be involved in it as a Christian, since we were told to obey our parents. He told me about the story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, the men who rebelled against Moses in the Bible and how God destroyed them and their families. He however pointed to me that most people do not realize that out of the three men, the sons of one of them who was called Korah did not die with the others. The earth did not swallow the sons of Korah because they disowned their father’s act, and separated themselves from his tent and company. My teacher showed this to me from the scripture and a particular Benson commentary.” Sammy had been saying to me and I was shocked because no one had ever taught me that the sons of Korah were not swallowed up by the earth… “ Really?, I thought the earth swallowed the men and their family members” “ Numbers 26:11 became my anchor scripture after that. I told myself that if I did not follow my father’s ways what ever destruction that was coming for my father and the other members of my family would not come near me…” “ Hmmm… So that is why your father kept you here?” “ Yes, But That was after my family felt fire !” “ Fire?” “ Well that was what I feel happened because when I turned 14 I had a dream and I saw my brother being strangulated by a dog my father was playing with in the dream. The next morning my brother died… Under one year, my mother and my two siblings died as well.” All fingers pointed at my father… To be continued
