My Promo-Mentors Writing Challenge - His Voice I Still Hear Calling My Name

Holla Steemit
@keban writes

Am not much of a good writer but I have decided to participate in this #promo-mentors writing challenge and I want to specially thank @futurethinker for this opportunity, please just read it as one reading the heart of mine, it's a real story I will never forget.

On the 13th of May 2016, I had just come into town from my journey, I had been away for about 3weeks doing charity and youth restoration programs in few villages with no network receptions, so I stayed with no contacts from Portharcourt or anywhere. Coming into Portharcourt in Rivers State, I switched my phone back on and immediately I got a call.

"Are you Dadi?" the voice asked

Only very few people close to me call me that especially my mentees

Paused for a moment thinking who this may be, the voice rang again with so much agitation and anxiety,

"Are you Dadi?" Yes I answered, "Your son is in the Hospital" the voice said.
Which of my sons? I asked because people call my mentees my sons or daughters to me.

Jephthah your son is in the hospital at UPTH "the voice answered".

Image credit PIXABAY

It has been a long day for me, just getting home to rest from a journey that had lasted for 3 weeks, on hearing Jephthah my strength got back like a 100% voting power, this was one special kid to me, I loved his zeal and attitude about life, we had good relationship as I was helping him breakout of some bad habits he had cultured and also was his life coach practically supervising him in reaching his life goals, I remember his name was Reuben but I gave him the name Jephthah which was even accepted by his parents and with time everyone got to call him Jephthah.

That was his father over the phone who had told me that Jephthah had been in the hospital for over a week, he has gone through several tests and x-rays but nothing seems to be diagnosed, nobody could medically say what was wrong with Jephthah, but he had strong and serious stomach disturbance, it was so severe that when I asked to speak with him he could only call my name "Dadi! Dadi! Dadi!" he cried with so much pain in his voice, I could hear him struggling for life, I quickly ran to the hospital......Getting there he had been moved to the theater, I asked what happened cos standing with me then was his father, who told me that the last scan showed the image of an object in his stomach.
He was operated on and a live millipede was brought out of his stomach, it was terrifying, unimaginably terrifying. How can a millipede be alive in the body of a living person?

He was finally revived, we stayed with him in the hospital for 4 months as he began to recover because this sickness ate him deep, so deep that he lost all weight and his skin to his bones was just like a thin paper glued to a wall, it took days, weeks and months for this recovery process, we were all happy as Jephthah finally resumed his normal life activities, he was a drummer, a singer and a choir director, he began going for all meetings and concerts where he was invited and though he was very young, a teenager of 17, he was already directing and training singers and choirs, I have never been so proud a father having a mentee like Jephthah.

Days past, weeks, months and on the 22nd of July 2017 I called him to accompany me to a youth convention where I was a guest speaker, he came, we saw and with him in the convention we had an awesome time together, we had a time out, tried to talk about his school and business, this young man really had great vision and was ready to pursue it at all cost. I admired his courage and he was really making plans to be better, at that young age Jephthah had already started supporting his family financially cos they were poor, he was a light to his family and friends around him. Then I just heard about steemit and of course he was the first person I told and he was ready to start steeming the moment we have time to talk more about it and have a clarity on how this platform works because as at then I was a novice that finally abandoned his account. We parted ways that day and I headed for home.

On the first of August I had a call, it was Jephthah, "Dadi! Dadi! Dadi! am dying......." that was all he said, his voice was filled with so much pain and fear like someone who was alone terrified and faced with horror. I had traveled out of town and had business to tend to, i called back and told his parents I'll be back in two days time.

Image Credit PIXABAY

On the 2nd of August I got a call from Jephthah with great screams and painful stuttering he said to me "Dadi I can't see again, Dadi I can't walk again" then he screamed out loud "Dadi! Dadi! Dadi!......" like a hundred times before the call ended, he said help me....... I tried to round up what I was doing because Jephthah was family to me, and on the 3 rd of August I tried reaching them heading back to town and I then went on facebook to see the unthinkable heart quaking and head shuttering news, his younger brother had posted .......Jephthah is dead........Gone too soon, I was confused, didn't know what to do, immediately my phone rang, it was Darlington, one of us who is now @darlingtoncj on steemit here one of my protegees like Jephthah, he was also close to Jephthah and he broke the news to me......he said

"Dadi have you heard? Jephthah is dead"

Not long after Jephthah's dad called me and said my son was dead, it was the most shocking news I have ever heard, it destroyed my heart and feelings, I became like a 0% voting power, my bandwidth was zero and every strength I had ran away from me, all of a sudden hot tears ran down my cheeks and not minding I was in a public cab I screamed and groaned but I didn't find that place of hope and peace ........ I couldn't bear the news so I headed back home..... I never believed Jephthah is dead, he has even been buried........ It really left a hole in my heart and a lesson in my life

Only if I had come a day earlier maybe he wouldn't have died, only if I was just there for him, for family, and since then I made up my mind that no matter what business I have or opportunity am pursuing I will give time to my Family and Friends, now I have the opportunity I will show them much love and greatest care I can, I have learnt to always be there because they are the reason we are trying to be better people so if we don't have time for them what's the sense in that?

I still hear his voice in my heard and I hear it everyday calling "Dadi! Dadi! Dadi! Dadi!............help me"

Please now you have the opportunity give time to your loved ones, your family and friends, neighbors and acquaintances, show them the care you can now before it's too late, death is inevitable and without invitation nobody knows when it comes knocking, always keep your life straight.

That is my experience and one I will never forget.

Thank you to @futurethinker for the opportunity given to express myself and finally write about this for it has been on my heart for long.
Thanks for reading.

I remain @keban
Changing Lives through Steemit.