Chapter II
Sasha stretched her body on the bed as she woke up to the glint of light that had taken over the room. It was a new day. Last night, she had prayed to not be part of today; she had prayed for death.
But then, "Does God even answer her prayers?" She was about to begin her pool of questions when she admitted to herself that it was too early for that. Sasha knew she had sinned in the past but did God not say to ask forgiveness and forgiveness shall be given? Why then was her case different?
She smuggled out of the bed and walked barefoot into the bathroom. She brushed and washed her face. "Good morning world. It's another day to throw your worst at me," she mused.
To be sincere, nothing would make her happy. If there was anything then it was to hear that Harvey had been crushed by a train. No, she doesn't want him to die, death would only be an easy escape route for him. She wants him to be in a situation in which he'd have to wish for death but he would not get it. She continued to imagine the type of punishment that she thought was befitting a beast and a devil like Harvey.
He had not even displayed a slight feeling of remorse when Daniel gave up the ghost. He was rather happy. "We won't have to worry about his school fees anymore" was what he had said.
Their own son had died and all he could think of was paying school fees? As if he was the one who's been paying for it.
She looked at the watch hanging by the door and saw that it was almost past 10am. She was going to start her life anew. She was going to build her her broken life again. Like every building, the foundations was important – that was where she'd be starting from.
She opened her bag and brought out her phone. Then, sat at the edge of the bed and began to scroll through her mails.
"Oh shit!" The exclamation ran out of her mouth. She was to bake a wedding cake for a wedding that'd be holding tomorrow. She remembered promising to deliver the cake a day to the wedding day. Here she was…
"God! Why did I forget this?" She asked herself. The truth was: why wouldn't she forget it after all she's been through? She had bought everything she needed to bake the cake, unfortunately, it was at Branimirova.
What will I do now? How can I get everything I need when I don't even know anywhere here? Her mind ran marathons from questions to questions.
Then, like being struck by a thunderbolt, her brain recalled the driver from last night. "Yes, he had given me a card." A little bit of hope crossed her body as she scrambled through her things to find the card he had given her.
She dialed the number on the card and waited for it to ring. As it rang for the first time, it was unanswered. She called again, praying that he'd answer. She was ready to pay him any amount he asked for if he'd get her what she needed.
"Hello," she said as he finally answered the call after she had rang him twice.
"Hello."
"Good morning. I'm the lady you took to a hotel last night…" she paused and waited for him to speak. Whatever he says next would determine her own response. If he remembered her then he had saved her the stress of having to explain who she was. I doubt if he would forget her, their encounter was not really a pleasant one and would take someone with dyslexia to have forgotten so quickly.
"How are you feeling today, ma'am?" He asked with a tone of familiarity.
"I'm fine. I would like you to get me some things from the market if you had the chance. I will understand if you're busy. Truly, I am to deliver a wedding cake tomorrow and I've no idea where to get the baking ingredients from." He listened to her as she explained herself to him.
"No problem, ma'am, I was just about to go home. What will I get you?" He was about to tell her that money would be the only hindrance he would have in getting her what she needed when she spoke again. "Can you call out your Bank details so I'll send you the money, please?
"Okay." He called out his bank details to her and the call ended when she excused herself to be able to send him the money. She logged into her bank application and sent him some money.
Ting! Ting! Ting.
The sound of her debit alert came in. She began to wonder how it was possible to send money from one part of the world to another part by just clicking a button, some distance would take a plane a day or two to cover. But with Bank transfer, it takes only a blink of her eyes.
The driver called back to confirm that he had received the money. Sasha went ahead to list out the things she needed to him, hoping he was jotting them down somewhere.
It would be better for her in terms of cost since he would not have to go back to the market to get things he forgot. And for him too, it would be less stressful. It would save their time.
"Hope you won't forget any of these things?" She inquired to make sure he was following her.
"Yes ma'am." He went ahead to list everything she had said to him. She was amazed, "did you write them somewhere?" Her surprise was visible in her tone.
"No I did not. Do not worry, I won't forget anything."
"Okay, then, I'll be waiting for you. The room number is 67." She said to him.
After the call had ended Sasha realized there was a much bigger problem, she had no oven to bake the cake. "Why had she forgotten about this?" She asked herself. "There is no way I can make a cake without an oven."
One of her bad omens again.
Sasha called the hotel service and ordered for some food to be sent to her room. Soon, the food arrived and she paid and thanked the delivery woman as her food was handed to her.
She ate her breakfast, had a shower and hoped there was somewhere she would be able to get an oven to bake the cake.
*********
There was a gentle knock on the door and Sasha knew who it was, it was the driver she had sent to the market. She prayed he was abluto get everything she had sent him.
"Come in. The door is open." Sasha told the person knocking, giving whoever it was permission to Walk into the room.
"Good day, ma'am. How are you doing today?" He smiled at her.
Sasha had answered this question of his before, on the call. She guessed it was just his way of making people feel comfortable. His smile was elegant, charming and contagious. His bright, white teeth enhanced the calm on his face when he smiled.
He wore a black jeans and a shirt. On the shirt it was inscribed: PRAY TO GOD, FOR HE ALONE CAN SAVE YOU.
"Thank you very much for yesterday. These days it's very hard to meet people like you. May the good Lord bless you." She prayed for him with full sincerity, punctuating every word to show emphasis.
"Amen, ma'am. It was hard to look away from you last night. Too vulnerable and miserable. The lord spoke to me on the instant that you were in trouble and needed some help. When I got close to you, I realized your problem was money, not food, you didn't look homeless either. The lord directed me to you, ma'am and I had to make sure you did the lord's bidding."
If Sasha's expression were put to words, the words would read: all these for a God that cares little about you? For a God that let my son die?
"Once again, thanks."
"I want to know that the Lord is always with you. He's with you in the light and in the dark. He is an arm length away from you. Run to him and he shall shelter you for he alone relieves the heart of pains. May the Lord ease yours, ma'am."
Sasha was tired of him praying for her. She doesn't need prayers now, perhaps in the future but not today.
"O! I forgot to get your name last night and it wasn't right of me to do so over the phone." She muttered as politely as she could. Indeed, she was supposed to have asked him for his name, let it be from him directly. She had seen his name when she had sent him money but it wasn't enough, she needed an 'out' from his evangelism.
"My name is Matthew McConaughey, ma'am. I'm an African, from Uganda. Been driving for five years now and I run a small church at…"
"You're a pastor?" Sasha interrupted him.
"Yes. I remind people of the importance of turning to God." He explained himself proudly, as if his work as a pastor was different from any other pastors. "I hold praise and worship sessions, you should come this Sunday."
Sasha knew that was an invitation that she wasn't going to accept but it's of no use telling him she won't come, it'll only give him more chances to preach, preach and preach to her.
She remembered the giant hurdle in the wedding cake was going to bake. "Mathew, do you know a place close by where I can lend an oven? I can't bring an oven into a hotel room, you know. But if I can see a… well, a place to just bake the cake when I'm done mixing it… I don't mind paying."