Nimako gets dementia

CHAPTER 3

Nimako gets dementia

At that time, they had depleted all the money they had accumulated at the bank. They had also sold their jewelry, cloths and even their house back home in Ghana. They had virtually nothing on them. Going to God too means they needed some money because one could not go to God in an empty hand.

Nimako’s parents put their heads together to see if they could raise some money.

They decided to go to Mr. Emeka, a family friend who was also a businessman who had been exporting gold to UK. It was Ransford who suggested the idea of exporting gold to UK to Mr. Emeka. He also drew the business plan for him. Mr.

Emeka had suddenly become rich. When Ransford narrated her daughter’s sad story to him, he really sympathized with him but when he asked him to lend him just 10, 000 Naira to help him send his daughter to a prayer camp, he refused. Mr. Emeka told Ransford he could not help because he had spent all his money and that what his family would eat the following day was a problem.

In fact, Ransford could not control his tears. He thought if everybody would fail him, it should not be Mr. Emeka. He could help him if he wanted but he did not. The Bible is right to say that we should not rely on man because man will surely fail you. Mr. Emeka had failed Ransford. Whom was he going to again? At this juncture, Ransford was helpless and desperate. There was nobody he could turn to. The society had rejected him and his friends too had rejected him. Is that how unfair the world is? Do angels still exist?

What a wicked world! All that Spencer had in this world was Nimako and he was losing her. Even at the point he was thinking of what to offer the world and then something struck him that if the world could not offer him anything at that crucial time in his life, why should he think of what to give it back to the world. Such is the world that we live in. One thing that people should not forget it in life is that, in this world, ‘Never say that won’t happen to me; life has a funny way of proving us wrong.’ When you do something good to somebody it does not necessarily mean you will get something good in return. Ransford encouraged himself.

He became firm and forged ahead in life. Mr. Emeka denied him at the time that he needed his help most. He thought of going to see another person. Perhaps God would touch Mr. Chuku’s heart. Mr. Chuku was not Ransford’s friend but they were all living in the same vicinity. Though Mr. Chuku was accessible, Ransford had never gone to him for any help whether in cash or in kind. It was a difficult decision which Ransford had to take to save his only daughter from death. They say ‘A man is the one who takes a bitter pill’.

One evening, Ransford went with Stephanie his wife to Mr. Chuku’s house. After greetings, Mr. Chuku welcomed them and offered them a seat. He then asked them of their mission.

Nimako got dementia and she forgot everything she had learnt. Stephanie decided to help her but things were difficult.

Seeing the state of mind of Nimako at that time, Stephanie could not allow her waste away just like that. She used all means to help her. She started teaching her in the house which was not easy at all. ‘What’s your name baby,’ asked Stephanie? Nimako responded by asking same question, ‘What’s your name baby?’ Stephanie then asked the next question, ‘I’m Stephanie; what about you?’ Nimako repeated same question, ‘I’m Stephanie; what about you?’ Stephanie realized they really had a problem at hand.

Stephanie talked to Ransford about how serious Nimako’s dementia was.

They were confused as to what to do again because the problems were too many for them. Anytime Ransford was at the edge of giving up, Stephanie lifted him up.

Ransford took a family album and showed it to Nimako. He pointed his finger to Stephanie’s picture and he asked Nimako to identify it. This time she was able to identify her mom in the album. He then showed his picture in the album to Nimako and she was able to identify it. Ransford became happy because Nimako was gradually regaining her memory. She was 15 years young.

At this time, many things went through her mind. She was thinking about what she could do with her life. All her classmates, she started school with had finished the second cycle institution. She had stopped school for almost four years. She was thinking of whether to go back to J. H. S. 2 or to start from Primary 1. She had virtually forgotten all that she learnt at school. Indeed, she was totally empty. She was in a dilemma as regards what the society would say about a fifteen year old girl in primary 1.

One fateful afternoon, Ransford sat Nimako down and talked to her about the fact that, ‘The quality of a man is not what he has achieved but what he intends to achieve; Nimako, at the bottom of patience, one finds heaven. After all life is not about who takes the lead. The most important thing in life is to have a dream like you have and work towards it.’ He went on to say that it would be unpardonable for her to allow the society to kill her dreams.

It is only death that can bring one’s dream to an end and that age should never be a hindrance to one’s success in life.

Nimako laughed and got inspiration from her dad’s advice. The following day, she told her dad she was ready to go and start from primary 1.

The following day, Ransford took Nimako to Montessori International School to write her name. After some few tests, she was admitted to basic 1. She started school the following day.