FORSAKEN BLESSING Episode 1

EPISODE 1: THE CHILD HE REJECTED

Baba Samuel was known in Apapa.

A strong man.

A tireless bricklayer.

A man who worked from sunrise till late night, his hands permanently stained with cement and sweat. People admired him because he provided for his family. Five children already depended on him, and he never rested.

But the truth was, Baba Samuel was tired.

Tired of responsibility.

Tired of mouths to feed.

Tired of life.

So when his wife, Mrs Titi, gently told him one evening that she was pregnant again, the room went silent.

“Another one?” Baba Samuel asked, his voice cold.

Mrs Titi nodded slowly, her hands resting on her stomach.

“We can’t afford this,” he snapped. “Terminate it.”

Those words pierced her heart.

“This child is from God,” she replied softly. “I can’t kill it.”

Baba Samuel stood up angrily.

“Then pack your things and leave my house. If you keep that pregnancy, you’re on your own.”

Mrs Titi cried that night. She begged. She reminded him of their vows. She spoke of faith and destiny. But Baba Samuel’s heart was hardened by fear and poverty.

By morning, she made her choice.

She packed a small bag, carried only her wrapper and tears, and left the house in Apapa, Lagos.

With nowhere else to go, she found a small face me I face you room in Ikorodu. The room leaked when it rained. The floor was bare. Nights were lonely. Hunger was constant.

She suffered alone.

Morning sickness.

Back pain.

Sleepless nights.

Sometimes she would hold her stomach and whisper,

“My child, forgive me… I’m trying.”

No husband.

No family.

No support.

Only God.

Months passed.

Then one night, the pains came.

Strong.

Sharp.

Relentless.

She screamed for help until a neighbor, Mrs Rodiat, heard her cries. Without hesitation, Mrs Rodiat rushed her to the hospital, paid what she could, and stayed by her side.

When Mrs Titi went into labor, she struggled like her life depended on it.

She called Baba Samuel.

Once.

Twice.

Ten times.

He didn’t pick up.

At dawn, a baby boy cried into the world.

Weak.

Small.

But alive.

With tears rolling down her face, Mrs Titi named him Akin the brave one.

She held him close and whispered:

“You may be rejected by your father…

but you will never be rejected by destiny.”