Sunday 23 January 2011

The day the unexpected happened...(A Short Fiction Story)


As the thundering noise increased, the lights came closer and closer. I tried to free my leg again, but the pain from my sprained ankle was too much. “Help,” I shouted but no one came to my aid. The rattling of the strong steel wheels chugging towards me, made me aware of the imminent misfortune about to befall me. I screamed. The train hurtled towards me at an alarming speed. I screamed again and raised my arm to shield my face, then everything went black.
                                                                               *****

It had begun like any other day. My ten minute shower followed by Special K with Semi Skimmed milk, a boiled egg and a slice of toast. To say I was motivated to go to work would be a lie. It was almost half past seven in the morning but it was still quite dark. I disliked winter mornings. It took twice the amount of effort to get out of bed and go to work. Once breakfast was out of the way, I fixed my long hair into a ponytail, grabbed my coat and bag and headed towards the door. Bluebury Park Station was ten minutes away which meant another gruesome walk in the cold.

Apart from two or three dedicated workers on their way to work, my road was almost deserted. The trees looked bare and bony as their leafless branches lay exposed with bits of fluffy white frost scattered around like an old man’s beard. The buildings had an air of gloom as their grey concrete walls hung almost lifelessly in the cold musty atmosphere.  I plugged my iPod headphones into my ears and trudged along the road wishing I was on a Caribbean island somewhere.
When I arrived at the station, it was busy with people topping up their oyster cards and rushing to catch the next train. I glanced at the information board and realised that my next train was about ten minutes away. There was some kind of delay. What’s new? I thought to myself. With the kind of delays and overcrowding on these trains, they should have been letting us travel for free because we were certainly not getting what we paid for.
I gazed at the adverts that lined the sides of the escalators. I mused over the Biogut Plus an ad for a revolutionary yogurt that could do wonders for your immune system, the latest theatre shows, making a mental note, I need to watch something with the girls soon. My mind was brought back to reality as an overweight man with the most pungent smell pushed past me on the escalators, almost knocking me over. I sucked my teeth in annoyance but decided not to pursue it. I watched him as he ambled off onto the Westbound platform.

The train was still eight minutes away, so I found an empty seat next to two smartly suited  gentlemen and sat down. I took out my bible and started reading Psalms. I read Psalm 88 right up to 91 and then I suddenly felt a strong urge to pray so I started praying silently.  Shortly after, I decided to get up since the platform was beginning to get crowded and I didn’t want to miss the next train. I edged my way nearer to the platform and stood huddled up in my coat, trying to ignore the cool air coming from the tunnel. The train was now two minutes away.
Today was Treat Friday so we were scheduled to go out to some fancy restaurant for posh nosh with some of the office folk. Maybe I could –
It happened so quick I didn’t even have time to react. One minute I was thinking about gourmet meals and the next some burly hands were forcefully shoving me over the edge of the platform. As my body lunged forward and realisation of what was happening came to me, I screamed. My lungs deflated considerably as my scream sucked out all the air that was within me. I flew into the air face down and fell right into the middle of the track. I tried to get up but my ankle seemed to be having a game plan of its own. I felt the most excruciating pain shoot from my hip right to the tip of my toes. I had no idea what it was but all I knew was it was bad. I looked up and I could see people on the platform scurrying about and somewhat gasping at my misfortune.

“Help, someone help me!” I cried as I heard the rumbling of the train approaching. I remembered the scriptures I had read a few minutes ago in Psalm 91, “... shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty...He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings you shall take refuge...for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”

The thundering noise increased. The lights came closer and closer. I tried to free my leg again, but the pain from my sprained ankle was too much. “Help,” I cried as I tried to move my body on my stomach. The rattling of the strong steel wheels chugging towards me, made me more aware of the imminent misfortune which was about to befall me. I screamed as the train hurtled towards me at an alarming speed. I screamed again and raised my arm to shield my face. At that moment everything went black

When I came to I was lying on a stretcher and a group of paramedics were attending to me on the platform. I sighed in relief - I had not become a statistic.
“What happened?” I asked the female paramedic in a green uniform who was attending to me.
“You fell onto the train tracks and you passed out from shock but you’re going to be ok,” she replied.
“Am I injured?”
“You have slight bruises and you sprained your ankle but other than that you’re ok. You sure had a lucky scrape young lady,” the paramedic replied.
“That wasn’t luck! I saw what happened,” an elderly woman with a Canadian accent said, “It was a miracle I tell you. As you lay there, I saw a group of Angels standing over you with their wings shielding you. It was unbelievable but right then I knew that you were going to be ok. Then as the train approached, one of the Angels put out its hands towards the train and brought it to a complete standstill. It was like one of those things you see in a Hollywood movie but this time it was happening right in front of my eyes.”
“...a real miracle...” I mumbled as the sedatives started taking effect and I nodded off.

Later I was told that my attacker was a mental health patient who had a strong dislike for Christians because his father who’d been a Missionary, had been had been killed during a mission trip in the tropical forests of some primitive country. Irrationally he had blamed the church for his father’s demise. Seeing me reading my bible had somehow caused him to snap and decide to attack me.

As I recovered from my minor injuries and battled the trauma of the ordeal, I prayed in my heart that God would give me the grace to forgive him. It was hard and I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight but I knew that with God’s help I would someday be able to let go of the resentment I felt towards the man who had almost brought my life to a devastating end.

Friday 21 January 2011

Stylish and Versatile Blog Award


 Whilst the Hollywood Celebs were donning their Donna Karan and Viviene Westwood gowns and getting awards at the 68th Golden Globes Ceremony, I was getting my own Stylish and Versatile Blog Awards from two great bloggers: the lovely Blessing  and dearest H. Well here's the speech I'd prepared for when I win my Oscar, I'll just use it now...*urr uhh...clearing throat..* "Thank you ladies, I'm so humbled ...first I wanna say thanks to my mum and dad who raised me .... *wipes off tear*, I also want to thank my Lord and Saviour for making this possible, *pause for dramatic effect* I also wanna send a big shout out to my homies for their support..." lol OK enough of that...


So here's the rules and regulations of the award:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Tell us 7 things about yourself which people may not know.
3. Award 15 other bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know that they have won.


And here's 7 things about me:


1. I don't like fish.
I may occasionally eat Salmon Fillets but that's as far as my fish eating habits will venture. The idea of bones getting stuck in my throat made me steer well clear of fish. Don't laugh, this is a serious matter. :)

2. I love dancing.
I have taken Salsa classes and it was invigorating especially when you do the fast cha cha dance...you should see me...lol, I have also done an African dance class and I'm now doing Bhangra dance. It's so much fun, I may just take a trip to India and get a dose of the real thing. I would also love to learn the Tango and maybe Ballroom at some point.

3. This is gonna surprise some of you, but for the record, I'm not Nigerian.
Yup, none of my parents are Nigerian and I wasn't born in Nigeria either so yes even though I am close to so many Naija peeps, I'm not one myself. *shocker* The reason I decided to include this one is because people always think I'm Nigerian even in my own church...he he he. I'm not sure why people think so, but maybe it has to do with the fact that I associate with a lot of Nigerians... lol
As to my origins, for those that don't know, this will be revealed in due course in another blog post... something for you to look forward to :)

4. Reading is my greatest past time.
I love burying myself in a great book and escaping to unknown worlds. In fact I've been reading novels since I was about 7. Now I read Christian novels mostly by Francine Rivers, Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker and I read a lot of Non Fiction stuff and Biographies as well.
I read the adult bible for the first time when I was about 6 (from Genesis to Esther skipping Deuteronomy, Numbers and Leviticus for obvious reasons...) because I couldn't find a book to read...that's how much I loved reading.


5. I am absolutely terrified of snakes.
I can't even look at them; if one appears on the TV, I quickly look away and change the channel or if it's in a book, I just slam the book shut. Uggh. One thing I like about living in a very cold country is you never see snakes...thank God for that. Better stop talking about them. ...uhhmm the hair on my skin is rising as I am typing this...


6. My knowledge of "circular" celebs is somewhat limited.
For example, I had no idea what Drake looked like, until my teen sister said she wanted to get married to him a few weeks ago so I decided to google him and check him out.lol On the same topic, I wouldn't recognise Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj if I met them on the street. Am I bothered about that? hell no! I've heard of them (this wouldn't do their ego much good I reckon, lol) but I have no idea what they look like. he he he... don't laugh now, and No I ain't a bush person, I'm just not interested. I don't listen to their kind of music and I only hear it when I'm in the gym or shopping mall. Yes, it may shock you but I'm one of those people that hasn't watched MTV and similar stuff in the last 6 or 7 years...and I don't have time for celeb magazines either... lol
If and when I do listen to circular music it is mostly 80s or 90's stuff, jazz, classical or African. So if someone asked me, Beyonce or Brandy? it would be Brandy any day... :)

7. I'm a romantic and I love the the feeling of being in love.
Yes, *giggling* I love the idea of dinner by candlelight,  cuddly teddy bears with "I love you" written on them, long stemmed lovely red roses and the whole shabaz....hhhmmm maybe it comes from watching too many chick flicks. :)


That's it for me...

And now I'm gonna give the following Bloggers the award, here goes, in no particular order :


Rainjoy

LDP


ChizzyD

Mbini

oluSimeon

Temiville

FavouredGirl

MissDramani

Waiki

Maid of Heart

Vimbai

Jaycee

Tendayi

Statuesque

Patrina

Right that's all for now, now I need to go and let these Bloggers know the great news.... Take care folks!

Sunday 16 January 2011

The 10 Commandments to Keeping Your Man Happy



Hey peeps, hope you've all had a great week. Mine's been great, I managed to get myself in the gym after what seems like a life time, so hopefully I will be seeing the results of my continued efforts soon.
Ladies, I hope those of you with a "Mr in the Vicinity" have been getting lots of pampering from the men as they've been putting those commandments into action. Well, I think it's about time we returned the favour....

I'm sure by the time the ladies are through with their ten commandments and the guys with their ten, love will be sizzling : renewal of wedding vows, candlelight dinners and engagements rings, cupid working overtime....divorce lawyers will be out of business soon and guys will be poppin the question faster than the Reverends can get them all married. To all ma Singletons, this will be your year.... :)

And here they are: *smiling*


1. Thou shall watch football, baseball, boxing or whatever sport tickles your man's fancy. You will not complain when he begins to exhibit  weird behaviour such as *pointing at the screen wildly, calling out at the screen and jumping up suddenly through out the game*
You also have to memorise the names of every member of his favourite team and manager plus their stats.

2. Thou shall cook his favourite meal thrice a week sorry I mean, everyday of the week except Sunday when you will order his favourite take away.

3. You will keep your hands off the remote and surrender all your "soap watching rights" so that he can
watch Top Gear, Discovery Channel and Match of the Day.

4. You shall never, ever expect him to help with the cooking, washing, ironing or anything that remotely resembles a chore. If you have any mini me's, you will undertake to always do the homework with them, change diapers, take out the trash and so on.
 
5. You will entertain him and his friends when they come round to play on the PS3 Move, Nintendo Wii or X-Box Kinect, making sure their bellies are "full and begging for mercy", glasses never going below half, loud music playing in the background.

6. You should notice and comment on how big his muscles are developing after a few days at the gym because they will obviously be bigger and more developed than Van Diesel. And that isn't a pot belly you see...no it's part of his 7 pack.

7. You will always hold your tongue in the car when he is driving and never say I told you so after you get lost because he didn't listen to your directions. You will also not laugh or tell him off when he and another man in the car next to yours at the traffic lights, decide to test the strengths of their engines like it's formula racing.

8. You will steer well clear of his wallet. His credit cards are not yours, his cheque book is also not yours. And his money doesn't have your name on it. His money has other purposes other than your Jimmy Choo shoes and Prada bags.
9. You shall refrain from schooling your man about the toliet seat. Cut the man some slack, he can't be expected to remember to put it up before use, then put it back down. I mean c'mon.

10. Thou shall cheerfully pick up after him (yes the socks, the shirts, magazines, cups and other bibs and bobs) without a single word of complaining or mumbling. Infact you shall hum his favourite songs as you pick up his trail of stuff.

And if that doesn't work, then I don't know what will. Now Feminstas take a chill, before the lobbying and protesting starts, remember this is all done in the name of fun and games. :)

Have a lovely week and may you love and be loved this year. xoxo

                                                                 © 2011 Gospel Girl

Tuesday 11 January 2011

The 10 Commandments to Keeping your Woman Happy

As I've been trawling through magazines, blogs and the like, the issue of relationships seemed to crop up quite a bit and I think it suffices to say that people are looking forward to new relationships in this new year or bettering the ones they're in. Many are even hoping to meet "Denzel" look alikes in 2011 and settling down in a cute house with a picket fence and living happily ever after until maybe a big bad wolf comes along....
Well to get the guys on a flying start this year, I came up with Gospel Girl's very own list of "must do's" to keep the females : happy bunnies.
So guys read and learn and ladies make sure your man reads and learns.
And please women can I get a big Amen at the end!

1.  As the heavens shower the earth abundantly with rain, shower your woman abundantly with gifts.

2.  Thou shall compliment your woman when she changes her hairstyle even if it’s the fourth time that week.

3.  Always go shopping with her, smile and look like you’re enjoying yourself as she prances from shop to shop comparing prices and searching for bargains. Never ever sigh when three hours later she returns to the first shop you visited and buys the first item she saw.

4.  When you do wrong, always say sorry. When you’re not sure whose fault it is, say sorry too and when it’s her fault you know you have to say sorry as well don’t you?

5.  Order or buy beautiful flowers for her regularly just to let her know how special she is. Flowers were not just created for decorating special events like weddings and parties. Duh, you didn't know that one did you?

6.  Text and call her frequently during the day so that she knows that you’re thinking of her. Even if you’ve run out of free minutes find a way of making it happen.  “Facebook” her or “tweet” like a bird on Twitter if you have to.

7.  Your woman loves to talk, so let her talk, when she is not talking encourage her to talk more. Let her talk to her heart’s content until she has nothing else to say about anything.

8.  Get rid of all action movies and always watch romantic movies with her like Titanic, My Best Friend’s   Wedding, The Sound of Music and 27 Dresses.

9.  Don’t forget birthdays and anniversaries.

10. Repeat points 1-8 several times a month and you will have the key to her happiness.

© 2011 Gospel Girl

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Till death do us part...or maybe not...

So you and your "hubby/wifey to be" are getting closer to the wedding day, the wedding gown is ready, flowers have been chosen and the cake's been ordered and suddenly your partner says, "Errr honey I've been thinking, I want a pre-nup?" What would your reaction be....

 A few of my friends were discussing the issue of pre-nups, which are now legal in the UK after Paper heiress Katrin Radmacher won a £100million divorce battle in October 2010. The Supreme Court ruling against her ex husband effectively gave pre-nuptial agreements official status in English law. The 41-year-old heiress only had to pay ex hubby Nicolas Granatino £1million from her vast fortune. (personally £1 million is still a lot and that would have still been plenty for me...)

The Supreme Court’s ruling brought England into line with most of Europe and the US where pre-nups are legally binding. Previously in the United Kingdom, pre-nuptial agreements had no legal standing. "The divorce courts had the last word in the division of all matrimonial property and would ignore any pre-nuptial agreement if they thought that it was in any way unreasonable to either of the parties involved, particularly regarding to the maintenance and housing of children. For example, regardless of whose name a couple’s property was in, a court could order it to be transferred to the other. This applied to all property that was owned separately or jointly." (Weddingguideuk)

A pre-nuptial agreement (pre-marital agreement) is a written contract between a couple before they are married that sets out how their assets are to be distributed (or remain theirs) should their marriage fail. Hhhmmm.

This brings me to a very important question, should Christians have pre-nups?
Personally I think that pre nups indicate a lack of faith in your relationship and I don't understand why any Christian would even want one. It is almost as if you're saying, this marriage is probably not gonna work and if so I don't want the other person to use me and run away with some of my money. This seems to also denote a lack of trust in the other person and creates a shaky foundation for your marriage from the onset. But that's my own view. What do people think about this issue? Is there anything in the bible that can help people decide on the best course of action...?

If you were stinking rich and getting married, would you have one?

Saturday 1 January 2011

2011's gonna rock...

Two donkeys were in the field nearby Jerusalem . The one donkey said;

"I don't understand it, just yesterday everyone was throwing their clothes and palms on the road when I was carrying Jesus on my back but now I am back to being a nothing. Those people don't even see its me who was carrying Jesus."

The other donkey said: "It works like that my brother; without Jesus you are nothing in this world"

                                                                    ****

Someone shared this little story of the donkey and I think it highlights something that we should remember as we enter the new year.

We may have many goals and plans for 2011, but let's take the time to seek God's will for the year ahead. Let us ask Him to direct our plans Let us... "commit our plans to Him so that they will be established." Proverbs 16:3

They say life is what you make it, your attitudes and responses to life will determine how you will fare in life's journey. If life is sour and hands you  lemon, make lemonade...
Happy New Year and may it be the best one yet for you!

You May Also Like

Related Posts with Thumbnails