Because you don’t know tomorrow, be careful how you treat people
She had heard derogatory words from the Mude’s family but this day, it was the peak. “Useless girl, just to serve my guests with water became a difficult chore your deficient brain couldn’t coordinate, get out of my sight before I put you up for adoption” Rita Mude, her Aunt exclaimed.
Betty Bassey was the only surviving child of her parents. She had 2 other siblings who died in a fatal accident. The shock was too much for her mother, a petty trader trying to make ends meet, after six months, she died and 1 year later, Betty lost her father too. Betty’s father was a road side mechanic. She was left to be at the mercy of her mother’s sister Ruth Mude who is a successful business woman and her husband an Engineer working at an oil company as one of the directors.
Easy to say Betty was in good hands right? Well, so it seemed because she had to stay with them after she lost all her loved ones but she had fast become a house maid.
After embarrassing her in front of guests, Betty ran to her room, she cried and cried until she was exhausted. In her weak state, she looked up and said “God, please help me, this is too much, help me…I love you and I trust that one day, you will wipe my tears away and I will suffer no more”.
Despite the chores at home, Betty made sure her grades in school were intact. She would wake up at odd hours of the night to read. She wrote her WAEC exams and came out with distinctions, she wrote JAMB and chose Medicine, her result was one of the best. She was so happy she took the results to her Aunt, she congratulated her coldly and asked “hope this wasn’t because you cheated?” Her husband, Victor Mude wasn’t happy about the statement. He saw clearly that it affected Betty so he took the result from his wife and said “Congratulations Betty, we are proud of you, perhaps you will join Lilian in America when you are done with your first Degree in Medicine here”. Lilian is the only child of the Mude’s and she is a Neurologist in America.
“Thank you so much sir, I truly appreciate. You have been very kind to me. God bless you and your family sir”. By this time, Ruth wasn’t having it at all so she interjected “That’s ok for now, bring me my lunch” Betty went to the kitchen and served her.
Betty got admission to Obafemi Awolowo University to study Medicine. A part of her was happy she was leaving but another part of her was going to miss her uncle who always supported her.
Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and months to years, finally, Betty was done. As promised, her uncle supported her financially and she travelled to America. Ruth ensured that she was nowhere near where her child was practicing.
Betty got to America, furthered her education, continued working and studying and constantly calling home and sending messages but only her Aunt’s husband was responding. Years passed and she became a Consultant Cardiologist. Her Aunt was already in her 70s. Ruth had always been hypertensive but they managed it well. While in America with her husband for vacation, Ruth suffered a major heart attack. When Betty heard, she pleaded with her Aunt’s husband to bring her Aunt to the hospital she worked. Lilian didn’t object because Cardiology wasn’t her area of speciality. They flew her down to Betty and she made sure her Aunt received top notch attention. After carrying out tests, she informed her Aunt and uncle that she had to undergo a heart surgery but that she will be among the surgeons to carry it out so there was no need to worry.
While preparation was going on, Betty walked in to check on her Aunt and met her in tears “Aunty, please don’t cry, you will be fine, I am here and I am going to do my best”. Ruth stretched out her hand to Betty and pulled her to herself “Betty, I am so sorry, I have treated you badly over the years, now God has planned it in such a way that the heart where every wickedness I have shown you came from is the same heart you will be having a surgery on” “Hmn,” Betty breathed deeply and continued “Aunty, all of that is in the past. I am grateful to God that I can be of help. I have long forgiven you Aunty” she said in tears and they both hugged.
On the day of the surgery, Lilian and her dad were both around. While the surgery was going on, Betty became emotional, tears dropped from her eyes but she had to control it quickly. She remembered the years she suffered, the embarrassment that made her cry out to God that day when she spilled water in error came to her mind again but she knew she had to let go. Here she was, about to save the life of someone who hurt her deeply.
The surgery was a success and everyone was happy. Lilian and her father kept saying “Thank you” to Betty and all she said was “That is what family is all about”.
After staying a week in the hospital, she flew with her husband to Lilian’s place in Chicago, stayed there for three months and came back to Nigeria. Her relationship with Betty has grown impressively and her health is getting better by the day.
Moral of this story, be careful how you treat people you meet along the way, you might need them someday and your action towards them can either speak for you or against you. Be careful!
Kemi Ajumobi