"What is your name?" Shade finally asked Julianna after some seconds of watching her desperately explain herself to them.
"Julianna"
"Okay, Julianna. I want you to calm down and let your mind be at peace. Know that everything is going to be alright. The fact that you are alive with your baby is enough reason to be thankful to God.
Kano unrest is not the end of the world alright? Whatever it is you've lost, God has the power to replace in many folds. Okay?" Shade asked firmly, to get through to Julianna's mind.
"Okay..." Julianna replied and smiled thankfully towards the kind, angel of a woman. She felt relieved with the words of encouragement.
"You said you only have your parents inlaw. What about your husband and your parents?" Tade asked
"I lost my husband six months ago. He was a soldier. I just gave birth, and he was on his way back home to visit us when he lost his life during a highway robbery attack.
"Six months ago? Shade asked, her face frowned in concentration.
"Yes! On Kano-Zaria road."
"Kano-Zaria road!? Six months ago..." Shade wondered aloud, the frown on her face got deeper. "Could it be corporal Segun?" Shade asked Julianna.
"Yes, but how did you know?" Julianna asked with surprise
"Oh my God!." Shade was shocked to the point of crying but she tried to control her emotions. "How could this be!?" She asked no one in particular. "I was also on that bus!... W-we were sitting together at the front... He was sitting near the door!
He seemed like a nice kid. Even in uniform, he smiled a lot and was respectful. We got talking... Actually, he did most of the talking... He talked mostly about his wife... Said he just had a baby that he named Abidemi. He was very happy... Said he couldn't wait to get home to his family.
He said and I quote: 'I wish I could fly right now. I can't wait to see my girls.'"
A tear nearly fell out of her eye, so she quickly got up from her seat and pulled Julianna into a hug to cover up. She didn't want to say much more than necessary about the nightmarish incident to the young widow.
She wouldn't have been able to control her tears if she had continued talking. Recounting the gory incidents would have been bad for both of them, even worse for Julianna. When her husband was shot, he fell backward on Shade and died in her arms.
'What Julianna needed right now is comfort and words of encouragement' Shade thought, so she said comforting words to Julianna who was sobbing silently again.
"So sorry for your loss dear. I'm sure your husband would want you to be strong for yourself and your daughter. God is your strength and he's a merciful God, he will surely lead you through."
"Thank you! Thank you so much ma!" Julianna said and finally smiled through the tears. Tade on his part felt awkward because he didn't know the right thing to say or how to console her.
"But what about your parents?" Tade asked with concern when the women had settled back in their chairs "why not go back to them?"
"I'm an orphan, My dad was Yoruba, from Ogun state. He met my mom when he came to work in Portharcourt. Mom was Igbo. I never knew her neither have I met any of her family. She died while giving birth to me.
While my dad was alive, he never talked about his family. All I knew was, he came from a small village in Ijebu land to work in Port-Harcourt city. He died when I was fifteen.
I'm an only child. My stepmother didn't have any kids with my dad, and since he left the little he owned in trust for my education, my stepmother kicked me out. She made it known to me that she was not my family that I couldn't stay with her in the same apartment.
The landlady of the building gave me the room her son was staying before he traveled abroad. She also helped me talked to her friend who owned a bakery to give me a part-time job. I worked at the bakery and stayed with my landlady till I got admission to study Business administration in Kano.
I met my husband through my mother-in-law after my diploma and we got married immediately when I was twenty years old. That was three years ago."
"I think the baby is hungry," Shade said softly indicating towards Abby who was now fidgeting and about to start crying.
"What will she eat?" Tade asked since it was obvious Julianna had nothing on her except for the Bible she left beside her plate on the table.
"I'll go breastfeed her," Julianna said and excused herself to go feed her baby.
After Julianna had left the table, Shade turned to her husband...
"She can stay with us, right?"
"She can!?... no, no, no, she can't! How can you suggest that!? She's a total stranger, we don't know anything about her. What if she lied about who she is to us? What if sh..."
"Why would she lie? She has absolutely no reason to..." Shade interrupted.
"How do you know? How can you tell?"
"I just know okay!" She replied vehemently.
"Just look at her. What is not to trust about a woman who had nothing on her except a Bible? The Bible she refused to let go of, even when her life was threatened. You saw for yourself how she didn't forget to pick it up when it fell from her hand."
Shade opened the first page of the Bible and saw what was written inside in a fine and neat spiral handwriting. She read it before she brought the page closer to her husband.
'Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor...
Julianna ❤ Segun'
"See... The name of her husband checked out and they indeed got married three years ago." Julian's said with an I told you so look on her face. "Tade please, let's help her. If not for anything...but for the sake of that poor child. Let's please help her." Shade pleaded with her husband.
"I'm sure God has a hand in this..." She added with convictions. "This is destiny, Tade! Otherwise of all the cars on that highway, why must she jump in front of us!? Me that was with her husband when he took his last breath!? You can't tell me otherwise Tade, I'm sorry. I want to help her. I want to help take care of her child. This is destiny!"