Love Will Prevail

by Emma Easter

  Leila smiled and then took her hand. She looked around, knowing that she had to make the prayer brief since they were in public, and not in a very Christian-friendly place. She prayed in a very low voice, asking Hauwa to repeat the words after her. She told her to confess that Jesus was a Lord and that he died to rescue her from her sins.

  “I ask you to come into my life right now,” Leila said, and Hauwa repeated the words after her.

  After they finished praying, Leila hugged her and said, “Hauwa, you are now a child of God and you belong to Jesus. Welcome to the family!”

  Hauwa’s face lit up with a huge smile. Suddenly, a beam of light briefly shone on the girl’s face and then disappeared. Leila’s eyes widened in surprise and then she smiled. That was clearly supernatural. Hauwa was now a new creature in Christ.

  Hauwa laughed with pure joy, and Leila laughed along with her.

  “I feel like a brand-new baby,” Hauwa said. “How come?”

  Laila answered, “It’s because you have just been born into the family of God. It’s a spiritual birth.”

  “I am so happy,” Hauwa said. “I can’t contain this joy. I have to tell my grandmother.”

  Leila sobered immediately. She knew the kind of trouble Hauwa would be in once she began to share her faith. However, she couldn’t stop the girl, no matter what persecutions she would face in the future. Hopefully, she would not be treated the way Leila had been treated in her own community when she’d given her life to Jesus. Like Zainah, she had first been ostracized and then chased out. Thankfully, she had met Miriam, who had taken her to the women’s camp. Leila looked at Hauwa with her new-birth glow and the huge smile on her face and knew she might have to be Hauwa’s Miriam one day. However, for now, she would let things be.

  Someone walked up to the table and asked to buy some candies. Hauwa sold the candies to the man with a huge smile on her face. Other people began to come and Leila marveled at that. It was as though the Lord had kept the customers away until Hauwa had come into the family.

  They stayed at the table, intermittently selling candies to people, while Hauwa peppered Leila with questions about the kingdom of God and about Jesus. Leila answered her questions with great joy in her heart, but with a sliver of dread. Would the same thing that had happened to her happen to Hauwa, too? She could not predict the future, but whatever happened, God would take care of Hauwa.

  From time to time, Leila’s mind went to Malik. Maybe he had already gone to Hauwa’s grandmother’s house. He would be disappointed that she wasn’t there. He was probably at the farm now or helping one of the farmers with something.

  If only Malik could come to Christ as easily as Hauwa had done. She would have to speak to him before the end of today. Hauwa’s salvation had increased her faith. There was nothing impossible with the Lord. If He’d saved Hauwa, then He would definitely save Malik.

  Leila kept talking with Hauwa and then she turned and looked around her. She was surprised when she noticed that it was already getting dark. How long had they been sitting here talking? Where had the time gone?

  She opened her purse and brought out her wristwatch. She looked at it. The time was almost seven o’clock. She gasped. “Hauwa, I have to go.”

  Hauwa held her hand. “Where are you going?” she cried.

  “I have to go find Malik. I need to share the gospel with him like I have shared it with you.”

  Hauwa let go of her hand. “Then you must go now,” Hauwa said, smiling.

  Leila smiled back at her and then hurried away. It was getting late. She had to speak to Malik this evening in his house and then hurry back to Hauwa’s grandmother’s. She didn’t want to spend too much time in Malik’s house alone with him.

  She got to Malik’s and found that the door was locked. She knocked and waited, but he did not come to open the door. She groaned. She had guessed right. He was still somewhere on the farm. She turned and scanned the farm, but because it was getting dark, she could not see so well.

  She considered waiting for him, but she also did not want to be outside when it was dark. After what had happened to her on the day she arrived, she knew she had to be careful. She was never out this late unless she was with Malik. She had to go back to Hauwa’s grandmother’s now and hope that Malik would come to see her tonight. If he didn’t, she would have to wait to speak to him tomorrow. No matter what, before the end of tomorrow, she would share the gospel with him. She would know one way or the other what his decision was and if they had a future together.

  Fear, hope, and doubt raged in her heart as she walked back to Hauwa’s grandmother’s house. She reached the house and saw that Hauwa’s grandmother was not yet back from the next town, where she had gone to buy more candies to sell.

  Leila went into the inner room and changed into a simple kaftan. She came out to the small living room again and sat on one of the benches that was placed there. She brought out her phone from her purse to read her Bible while she waited for Malik, but she found that the battery was dead. She groaned, dropped the phone back in her purse, and folded her hands to wait.

  After a while, she grew bored, and went into the bedroom. Malik would call for her when he came.

  Soon, she fell asleep and then some time later, she heard voices — that of Hauwa and then her grandmother’s. In her subconscious, she willed the voices to include Malik’s. But they did not. She fell into a deep sleep after that, but not before drowsily praying that God would give her the right words to say to Malik; words that would show him how much the Lord loved him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lauren came back from church and went straight to her bedroom, feeling exhausted. She had gone straight to church from work for the welfare meeting. Today, they had gone to the Youth Centre and then to The Fruitful Vines. She glanced at her wristwatch and saw it was already a few minutes to ten o’clock.

  She sighed and changed out of her work clothes into her nightgown. Today, she felt too tired mentally and physically to get something to eat. As usual, stifling loneliness surrounded her as she climbed into bed. It was always the same thing. Once she came home after work every day, the reality of her life and her situation crashed down on her. She was a single woman in her mid-thirties without children or any hope of having any soon.

  She picked up her Bible from the bedside table and opened it to read, and her mind travelled to Nicholas as usual. Since their date at the restaurant, when he told her that he couldn’t see her again, she hadn’t heard from him or seen him. As much as she was angry with him, she also missed him. She missed the conversations they had on the internet. She also missed seeing his handsome face.

  It’s for the best, she thought.

  She began to read her Bible, but when she could not concentrate, she groaned. If only she had never met Nicholas. In just the short time she‘d known him, she had fallen for him. It was definitely too fast to fall for a guy, but she could not control the way she felt.

  You have to forget about him, Lauren. But it was easier said than done. She groaned again and put her Bible aside. She briefly said a prayer and shut her eyes to go to sleep. Usually, she caught up on one of her TV shows, but today she was not in the mood to watch television. In fact, she had not been in the mood for any of her regular routine since the day that Nicholas told her he didn’t want to see her again.

  It was strange how she felt now. Before she met him, she had been lonely and had prayed and asked the Lord to send someone. However, she did not have this heart-wrenching, empty feeling that she had now. Once again, she wished she had never met him. Not even when Faizan told her he couldn’t date her did she feel this sad and empty. And she thought she liked Faizan. In spite of what Nicholas told her on their date, she still had feelings for him. There was something different about him. Something that drew her to him.

  “Lord, please help me to forget him,” she prayed. She switched the light off and prayed she would fall asleep soon.

  Thankfully, she soon began to drift
away. And then, she suddenly jerked up when her phone rang. She blinked, wondering who would call her at this time of night. Maybe it was Trisha, or her other friend, Sally.

  She stretched out her hand and took her phone from the bedside table. She glanced at it and her eyes widened in shock as she saw it was Nicholas calling her. They had exchanged numbers before their date the last time. She didn’t even remember she still had his number on her phone. She had planned to delete it but had not. She stared at it, her heart thudding.

  Should I answer this? She shook her head and dropped her phone on the bed.

  It finally stopped ringing and she shut her eyes. Why was Nicholas calling her? What did he want? What if he wanted to apologize and tell her he wanted to see her again?

  Well, it was too late for that. He’d made it very clear that he didn’t want to have a relationship with her. What he wanted right now, she was unwilling to give. So why exactly was he calling? Had he changed his mind and now wanted a relationship with her? But he had told her that he didn’t live in Rosefield. Surely that had not changed. Just as he said after their date, there was no point. Like him, she did not want a long-distance relationship.

  Are you sure about that?

  She pressed away the uncertain thought and then switched the light off, shut her eyes, and tried to go to sleep once again. But sleep would not come. She groaned and tossed and turned on her bed. And then her eyes flew open as her phone rang again. For a few seconds, she stared at it. And then she switched the light on, reached for the phone, and, without thinking too much about it, answered.

  “Yes?” She didn’t want Nicholas to know she had kept his number, so she kept her voice neutral.

  “Hi, Lauren,” Nicholas said. His voice sounded hesitant and uncertain. “It’s me… Nicholas.”

  She pretended to be unsure of who he was. “Nicholas? Oh, Nicholas.” She injected a bit of nonchalance into her voice and asked, “How are you doing?”

  Immediately the words left her lips, she chided herself. How are you doing? What did that even mean?

  Nicholas answered, “Umm…. not so great, Lauren. Since the day we had that date and I told you I didn’t want to see you again, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.”

  Lauren’s eyes widened and she sat up. She hated herself right now for seeming too eager to hear what he wanted to say. But she was eager. She wanted to know whether he wanted them to be together.

  Nicholas continued, “Even though I’ve only seen you once and we have only spoken briefly online, I loved our date. I enjoyed talking to you and felt like I’d known you all my life.”

  He paused, probably waiting for Lauren to say something. But she said nothing.

  He went on again. “I’m so sorry for the way things ended. I wish I’d never said what I did.”

  Lauren finally said, “Nicholas, you were right for saying what you did say. I mean, just as you said, you don’t live in Rosefield. You don’t believe in long-distance relationships. I don’t like long-distance relationships, either. How is it going to work out if we get together and then you leave Rosefield? Besides, you’re only looking for something casual. I want something more.”

  Oh, no! What did I just say? She groaned as embarrassment flooded her. She had just insinuated that he wanted to see her when he had said nothing of the sort. He had only apologized for what he said at their date, but he did not tell her he wanted them to be together. She had just gotten ahead of herself.

  She held her breath, her heart beating with shame. He had rejected her then; he probably would do it again.

  “Lauren, I know I said I can’t do a long-distance relationship, and you were right. I was definitely not looking for something serious. But when I met you, I knew you were different. I have tried to forget about you but I just can’t. Will you forgive me and give me one more chance?”

  Lauren’s heart beat wildly. She had been dreaming of this since their date. However, every time she thought about this kind of scenario, she had always scolded herself for doing so, knowing it would never happen. But now, it actually had. She couldn’t believe it. He’d said he was just looking for someone to hook up with; now he was saying he wanted something deeper. But was that really true? She didn’t know what to say to him.

  “Lauren, are you still there?”

  Lauren took a deep breath and said, “I am here. I just don’t know what to say to you, Nicholas.”

  He said, “Say you will go on another date with me and give me another chance. I want to get to know you better. I own a restaurant, and though I am not a chef, I can whip up something great for both of us. Will you have a private dinner with me at my restaurant on Sunday evening? It will just be the both of us as the restaurant is usually closed on that day.”

  Her heart drummed as she considered his request. Should she accept his apology and go on this date with him? With all her heart, there was nothing she wanted more, but had things really changed? Did he really want to have a relationship with her? He had said he couldn’t be in a long-distance relationship. Had that truly changed now? And could she handle a long-distance relationship herself?

  She sighed. She did not know the answers to all these questions, but one thing she knew was that she wanted to see him again and she wanted to give him another chance. She finally said, “Okay, Nicholas. I’ll go on another date with you.”

  He hollered and she couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Thank you,” he said. “When exactly can I pick you up on Sunday evening?”

  “Umm . . . probably at about seven or eight.”

  He said, “It’s a date, then!”

  After the call ended, Lauren sat on her bed and leaned back against her pillow. She couldn’t believe the conversation she’d just had. Just when she was thinking about Nicholas and longing to see him again, he’d called, apologized, and asked her on another date.

  She felt excited as she thought about seeing him again and getting a chance to be in a relationship with him. And then all the concerns she’d had earlier crashed down on her again. Once more, she couldn’t answer the questions that crowded her mind. But none of the questions took away the exhilaration she felt right now. She felt nothing but hope for the future despite the many concerns in her mind.

  “Lord,” she prayed, “please let this work out.” She wanted things with Nicholas to work out with all her heart. “Please, let him be the one.”

  You don’t even know if he’s a Christian or not, a tiny voice in her head said. In fact, you can be sure that he’s not, especially with what he told you the last time about just wanting someone to sleep with.

  She pressed her lips together tightly and then pushed the thoughts from her mind. People could change. Just because he wasn’t a believer now didn’t mean he wouldn’t become one soon. For now, she would take one day at a time. They had very limited time to be together before he left Rosefield. She wouldn’t waste it on worrying about his faith or the future. She intended to enjoy the time she spent with him and cement their relationship so that by the time he left, he would not forget her. That was her plan for now.

  *****

  Leila rose from the mat on the floor and rubbed her eyes. She looked down at Hauwa, who was still asleep, and then at Hauwa’s grandmother sleeping at the other end of the room. She yawned and stretched and then went out of the room and opened the front door of the hut. Going outside, she grabbed a metal bucket from the side of the hut and took it to the well not far away to draw water to have her bath. It was still quite dark outside, but she wanted to hurry up and get to Malik’s house before he left again. Today, not only did she want to share the gospel with him, she wanted to spend time with him as well. After all, that was why she had come to Dogon. She missed him. They needed to spend time together, though they had to be careful as they would be alone.

  She finished fetching water from the well and reentered the hut. Quickly, she shed her nightgown and wrapped a towel around herself. She carried the water to the small bathing room ou
tside the hut. After bathing, she went back to the house and hurriedly changed into a long, striped dress.

  She stepped out of the sleeping room and remembered the last time she had worn this dress. It was when she and Zainah lived with Fatima and her children. She was going out to meet the man she’d been dating at the time. Zainah had been shocked by the dress, telling her it was too tight. But the funny thing was that the last time she saw Zainah, which was in Nira, Zainah had been wearing a similar dress. However, she understood Zainah’s line of thought at the time. They had lived mostly in long boubous and kaftans with their hair wrapped in scarves at the women’s camp. Maybe she needed to take Zainah’s advice today, as she was going to spend time alone with Malik.

  She went back into the room, opened her suitcase once again, and brought out a long scarf. Hauwa stirred and she looked down at the girl, thinking she was about to wake up. But she didn’t. However, in an hour’s time, Hauwa would be up and ready to go sell her candies. It would be a brand-new day for her as a follower of Christ. Leila quickly whispered a prayer for Hauwa, asking the Lord to be with her and keep her in Him no matter what she faced.

  Leila wrapped the scarf around her body and left the house. As it was still dark, she ran to Malik’s house and arrived at his front door, panting.

  Knocking on the door, she waited for Malik to open up for her and whispered a prayer, asking the Lord to give her the right words to say to Malik.

  Seconds later, the door opened, and Malik stared wide-eyed at her in his pajamas. He reached out to take her hand and gently pulled her into the house. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her, and then drew back quickly. “How come you are here so early?” he asked.

  “I wanted to make sure I caught you at home,” Leila answered.

  Malik threaded his fingers through hers and smiled. “I went to Hauwa’s grandmother’s house yesterday to get you, but you weren’t there. I figured you had gone to the bus station with Hauwa and began to head there. But Abu stopped me on the way and told me my attention was urgently needed at the farm. I’m really sorry, Leila. I know I should have come after I finished at the farm, but it was late. I knew you would probably be preparing for bed by then. I didn’t want to disturb you or Hauwa and her grandmother.”