The Village Girl Who Said No — But God Sent Her a Billionaire Instead Part 1

PART 2:

 Let me clean this right away. First night is over. It gets easier to move through. Even if it never gets easier to feel. I just want to go home. Come sit and eat before it gets cold. Tomorrow is another long day. Thank you, Joy. Please do not ever try to run. Your family outside is not safe if you do that. But we can still keep praying.

Since I came here, I gave my life to Christ, too. Only God can save us now in this place. I will pray with you, Joy. How many girls do we have total? Counting the other branches. 22 in total, ma, across the three houses. Good. Some of them are ready to be moved to the border. Get the car prepared. ” Joy, where are those girls going? Search me. I don’t know.

 I have been lucky in 10 years. Nobody has put me in that car. The only thing I know is that they go and they never come back. ” Joy, why did they take our telephones from us? Do you think they will ever let you have a phone in this kind of place?  ” While Chioma learned the true cost of Mama Grace’s promise, Amara remained in the village, weeks passing quietly, still refusing every invitation to follow the same road.

” Give me the best crate you have. I don’t want any how tomatoes. ” This one is fresh from this morning, sister. Very good price for you. ” Let me see the money. ” Of course. This one here. ” Sister, how will we pay our school fees? We have not paid yet. Don’t worry, Jude. I will talk to the school.

 But what if they send us home? Will they let us stay? They will. Trust me. Sister, we are going on a school trip. I need to buy one book, but I don’t have money for it. ” I understand, Abigail. Don’t worry. We’ll find a way. Don’t worry. When you come back from school, I will give you the money for your book. ” Thank you, Amara.

” All you do in this house is give back talk. ” Mama, I’ve been working all day. ” Cooking is not enough. You must learn respect. ” I try, mama. Try harder. You are weak. You are evil. You don’t want to support this family. Mother, that’s not fair. I’m doing my best. Your best is not enough. It never is.

 I go to the market every day. I cook. I feed you and the children. What exactly do you do besides insult me? You have no shame. Everything I have done is to lift myself up. Do you want to remain in this village like me forever? I will not remain like you, but I will never take the part. Fran,  ” whatever chaos surrounded their home, Amara made sure her siblings never missed a day of school.

Whatever else happened in that house, the children always came home to a table Amara had prepared. God, elevate my business. Let it grow so my siblings never lack anything. And help me one day to locate the fathers of my younger ones. I don’t want them to grow up not knowing where they came from or one day marrying their own blood without knowing it.

 There is one particular girl in that village, very beautiful. If I can get that one, our money will increase. The tomato sell the one who refused to sign up. That is the one. Prepare the van. We will go back. The van is ready. Ma, should we head to the village now? Yes. Let us go and see this tomato girl for ourselves. Mama Grace was returning to the village.

This time her target was clear. A girl with your face should not be standing under this sun selling tomatoes. Come and work for me. In 3 months, I will send you to London myself. Thank you, ma’am. But I am not interested. I have a job. It takes care of my family. You will regret refusing me.

 Girls like you don’t get this offer twice. Then I will regret it in peace, ma. Good afternoon. She said no. Ma, she said no. But there is more than one way to bring a stubborn girl to heal. If she will not come to me herself, maybe her mother can convince her differently. Yes, Ma. ” Amara had said no. But Mama Grace was not a woman who accepted no easily.

 She would find another way in through the one person who owed her nothing but obedience. ” Mommy, there is something heavy on my mind that I have to figure out. What is it, Amara? Tell me now. I can’t explain it yet. It’s complicated. You can tell me anything. You have four children by four different men. I was lucky.

 I know my father. The other three don’t know theirs. Every time a stranger came from town, you tried to be the one he noticed. Every time you got pregnant, the man ran. That is how you ended up with three children outside marriage. You don’t understand. I understand enough. Amara, do you have a husband? Mommy, are you married to any man? No.

 Then why do you want to push me into that same life? For the sake of my younger ones and for my own sanity, I have to find their fathers. Do you know how long it has taken me to go around the village gathering information about each man you were with just to know which father belongs to which child? ” Mama Grace had sent word quietly.

Amara’s mother, unable to resist the promise of easy money, agreed to meet her away from watching eyes. ” Your daughter has refused me twice now, a stubborn girl. But I understand you are the one carrying the real burden of this family. She thinks she knows better than everyone. I see. It’s hard. Since your daughter refuses to come herself, let me help your family in another way.

Take this 1 million naira. No one needs to know. God will bless you, ma. Remember, this is between us and one day that money will need to be accounted for one way or another. Yes, ma. Thank you, ma. ” She told herself it was harmless. just a little help. She did not yet understand what she had truly agreed to.

” Show me your best fabric. Something bright. Something everyone will notice. Of course, I have just the thing. How about this anara? Oh, that’s beautiful. Yes, this is perfect. This one just arrived. Very expensive. Very fine. Wrap it. Money is not a problem again. In a matter of days, the money was already halfway gone.

Good afternoon. Oh, God has been good to us. Mommy, where did you get money for all this? Does a mother not have the right to enjoy herself? Enjoy yourself or hide something? You question me in my house. I deserve the truth. Don’t ask me questions. Leave me alone since you don’t want to help me. Amara did not yet know where the money had come from, but something in her spirit told her it would cost more than her mother understood.

” God, whatever my mother has done, please don’t let it fall on this family. ” Jude, go and call your sister. Tell her to kill these chickens and cook for us today. Yes, mama. Right now. Yes, now. Now she should start preparing. Okay, mama. ” I don’t know where this money came from. I will not touch anything bought with it. Amara, we need them. Please. No.

Mama. ” Mommy, where did you really get this money? Amara has never lied to us before. ” Jude, what are you talking about? I earn it. You know that. ” Abigail, what’s happening? Fine, then I will cook it myself. None of you deserve what I try to give this family. From now on, I will cook for all of you myself.

 I will take care of everything you need. While her mother made promises she rarely kept, Amara quietly continued doing what she had always done. This should cover Abigail and Jude’s fees for the term. Please let me know if either of them is struggling with anything. Thank you, Amara. They are doing well. I’m glad to hear that. Make it long and full.

 I want it to shine when I walk through the village. It will shine. Ma, that woman has changed since that money came. New hair, new clothes, new chickens. But nobody knows where it came from. Even her own daughter looks worried these days. ” Sister, people in the village are talking about mommy. ” They say the money did not come the right way. I have the same fear, Jude.

But I don’t have proof yet. God, cover my siblings from whatever is coming. Let this money not bring shame to this family. Don’t worry. I will give you the fee before the deadline. Go to school in peace. Thank you, Amara. ” Thank you. ” Give me the best one you have. I want it to look like the ones the town people carry.

” This is our best model. It’s perfect. ” Let me see it. ” It has a great camera. ” Perfect. ” Your mother is looking rich these days. Even bought a phone. It’s not what you think. Life is sweet when you know how to enjoy it. Small, small. You are right. My sister small small enjoyment. Yes, exactly. Cheers to that.

” Sister, why does mommy not stay home with us like she promised? Some promises take people longer to keep than others, Zoe. But I am always here. Mommy is not a good person. She doesn’t treat Amara right, even after everything she does for us. ” It’s true. She should be doing everything for us the way Amara does.

Instead, she blames Amara for everything. ” Maybe mommy is just tired. Maybe she doesn’t have the strength anymore. ” Tired? She hasn’t been herself. You only say that because you always take her side. Even when she does bad things. Whatever any of us feels about mommy, we still eat as one family tonight.

 Let’s not carry anger to the table. Lord, cover this family. Give us strength for tomorrow and peace in this house. Come and eat. I cooked this myself today. Please come. We are not going to eat from that money. Mommy, we don’t know where it came from. Fine. If none of you want to eat what I cook, I will call somebody to come and cook for me instead.

 God, please help mommy see clearly before it is too late. Lord, cover this family. Give us strength for tomorrow and peace in this house. ” God, please make mommy happy again so she will not shout anymore. ” Amen. You don’t even know where I got this money. If anything happens to me because of it, it will be on your head.

 You will be the ones to pay it back since you refused to help me. She hired a woman to cook in her place. Proof, she believed, of how far she had come. At least one of my children still sits with me. ” I love sitting with you, Mommy. ” Have you spoken to your daughter yet? No, not yet. Ma Good.

 Wait until the money is finished before you tell her anything. That is when she will have no choice. So that is why you did not tell the daughter from the start. Ma, ” exactly. If she knew from the beginning, she would have made her mother return the money. Now it is already spent. Now she has no way out. ” Amara, come outside.

 Someone is here to take you to Lagos. Amara. Mommy, what are you saying? You want me to go with a stranger? What is wrong with you? ” Amara, please. It’s for the best. ” No, I won’t go. ” Mom, we need to leave soon. ” That money you were spending. What happened to all of it? Mommy. ” One month had passed. Mama Grace had returned.

 This time she was not looking for new girls. She had come to collect what she believed was owned to her. ” Your daughter refused to come and work for me. So I am here for my 1 million naira. 1 million naira. We don’t have that kind of money. Find it or there will be consequences. Ma, I have already spent it. Spent it on what? gowns, chickens, a phone.

 You people always think free money has no cost. Ma, what is going on here? Amara, my daughter, we must talk now. Your mother took 1 million naira from me and has spent it all. [music] Since she cannot repay it, she will come and walk it off with the other girls in Lagos. Amara, please tell her you will go instead. Save me from this. No, mommy.

 I told you before I have siblings to take care of. If something happens to me, they have nobody. You made this choice alone. You will face it alone. Amara, please. I need you. I can’t. Come. You will walk off what you owe. The same way the other girls do. Don’t make me ask again. ” Mommy, don’t go. Please. ” Oh my Zoe. I have to. ” No. Stay with me.

” Sh. My love, I will come back. Promise. Don’t leave me. Is that you? Is that you? Amara’s mother. What are you doing here? Cha, I had to come. How did you get in here? This is impossible. Tell us why you’re here. Joy, is that you? Ma, you are not an old woman to be brought here. What are you doing in this place? I was told this is where I must stay now.

 I took money from Mama Grace. My daughter refused to work for her. So now I am here to pay it back myself. [sighs and gasps] Your daughter was smart to refuse. Look at us locked here like slaves, walking and walking every night. And you, you took 1 million naira. Now you have to walk it off to auntie.

 I don’t know how long you’ll be here. ” No, this can’t be. Ch my daughter, it’s a long story. I spent the money before I told her. When Mama Grace came back for it and I could not repay, she took me here to walk it off instead. ” Oh, mama. ” If only I had behaved like Amara. If only I had just behaved like her. [gasps]  Amara has always had a different spirit.

She prays every night. faithfully. I think God has been protecting her from a place like this.  I think so too. I never understood why she believed this place was dangerous. But she kept refusing no matter how much I insulted her for it. That is the wicked girl. Her own mother has been taken away because of her stubbornness.

 All her mates went to the city. She refused. Now see the result. Let her stay there and learn. Maybe when she comes back, she will finally understand what she did to Amara. ” You’re right, Jude. ” Sister, why don’t you go and take the job in Lagos instead so they will release Mommy? ” Oh, Zoe, it’s not that simple. I wish it were. ” But mommy needs us.

” I will never do that, Zoe. Not for mommy. Not for anyone. I have all of you to protect. [snorts] People should stop calling that girl wicked. Amara is the one who has been taking care of that family since her father died. You are right. She works so hard for them. And if Amara had agreed to go instead, what would happen to those small children? Who would feed them? Who would send them to school? She pays their school fees herself.

 She cooks for them. She goes to the market every single day. What does the mother do? Ah, Mama Uuchchi, it’s a heavy burden. And when the money came, did she save it for the children? No. She was flaunting it everywhere. New gowns, new hair, chickens, phone. Ah, Mama, not for the children. Don’t mind them, my dear.

 Some of us know exactly the kind of person you are. Thank you, Mama Ron. That means so much. You keep your head high. Before that woman even went to Lagos, she would just sit down all day doing nothing. Amara was the one carrying this whole family. If it was my daughter, I would be proud, not angry.

 She has never once let those children go hungry. True talk. Some mother should learn from a girl like that. ” Thank you, ma. That means more than you know. ” You’re welcome, my dear. ” Say what you want. History will judge that girl kindly. Mark my words. That girl prays every night, walks every day, and still they call her wicked.

 God sees everything. I don’t know why everybody keeps talking about Amara. My daughter is always sending me money. That is not my problem. I am beginning to get worried now. What is it? Tell me worried about what? Didn’t you say the girls doing this work are doing fine? Why should Amara’s case be any different from what the others are experiencing? It’s not the same. Amara is different.

The only problem is I have not heard her voice in a long time. Ch’s mother, that is hard. It is. I worry. Then why haven’t you called her yourself and asked her directly? Don’t you at least have the woman’s number? The one who took her. Mama Grace. No, I don’t have any number. You mean your daughter went all the way to Lagos with a stranger and you didn’t even take that woman’s number? I was in a hurry. I didn’t think.

 You didn’t think? ” 4 months of silence. The gold on her wrist no longer felt like a blessing. ” God, help me. Help me. help me. Please let this be okay. I also remember my friend Amara. God, I hope she is praying for me too. I will start praying for her as well that God keeps her safe from all of this. ” They were only allowed home once a day, just long enough to eat.

Then it was back to the club, walking the floor for hours on end. Sorry sir, it was an accident. ” An accident? This suit is ruined. ” Please let me get you another. I am so sorry sir. This will not happen again. Ch. This is unacceptable. Control yourself. [gasps and panting] [snorts] You embarrassed me and yourself in front of my customers.

 You will go to the guard room for your misbehavior. One full day, no food, no water. ” For punishing a mistake she never chose to make, Chioma spent the next full day locked away alone. ” God, what kind of life is this? I don’t know how much more I can bear. If only my mother knew what I am going through in this Lagos, she would come and take me from here.

 A full day without food or water had left Chioma weaker than she let anyone see. I know this is hard. Auntie, just follow me. I will show you what to do. It’s okay. You’re doing great. I did not know it was like this. I did not know at all. Now you understand why your daughter refused. ” For the first time in her life, Amara’s mother understood exactly what her daughter had spent every day protecting her from.

Choma, are you feeling well? You don’t look yourself these days. ” I’m fine, mama. Just a little tired. ” You sure? You can tell me. ” I know. I’m fine, auntie. Just tired. We are all tired here. ” You don’t look fine, Chioma. It’s nothing really. Tell me what’s wrong. ” Ma, please.

 I am not feeling well at all today. Again, you must finish your work.   Ch, talk to me. What is wrong? My head, everything is spinning. Joy, stay with me. Chioma, I’m here. So dizzy.  Chioma. Kioma, stay with me. Chioma, please wake up. Don’t you leave me. Help. Somebody help. [sighs and gasps] [panting] ” Get her upstairs now. Fast.

” Okay, Kelvin. I’m ready. We’re here to help. Let’s go. ” Careful with her head. Move. ” Ma, please. Chum is very sick. She needs to see a doctor. That is not my concern. You know the rules. But she’s in pain. Please, Mama Grace. Enough. Get back to work. Give her some paracetamol and let her rest one day. She will be fine.

 I am not wasting money on hospital for tiredness. That’s final. You are burning up, Chioma. This is not just tiredness anymore. I feel so weak. Shh. Rest now.  She needs a hospital. This child needs a doctor, not just water and rest. We have to go now. Her breathing is getting worse. It hurts, mama. Mash, she collapsed tonight.

 This is not tiredness anymore. If we don’t get her help, she could die. Joy, you disturb me again with this. Please, Mama Grace, I’m begging you. Enough. Go home. God, please. I have done many things wrong, but but please don’t let this girl die because of any of it.  Through the night, Amara’s mother refused to leave Chioma’s side.

 The first selfless thing she had done in a long time. ” God, you know Chioma’s heart. Please don’t let her die in this place. Please, God, not like this. That night, Amara could not sleep in peace. Something inside her kept whispering that Chioma was in trouble. Amara did not know where the vision had come from, but she knew without question that Chioma was in danger.

”  ” God, I don’t know why Chioma is on my heart tonight, but I feel it strongly. Please, wherever she is, cover her. Don’t let anything happen to my friend. Chioma promised she would call me. It has been so long now. Her phone is not going through. It has not gone through for a long time. ”  ” Every time that woman’s vehicles came to this village, I wrote down the plate numbers. I did not tell anyone.

” Amara had passed all her GCE exams with strong grades. She had once dreamed of becoming a lawyer. That same sharp mind now turned to a finding her mother and her friend. ” Jude, I need to tell you something I have been keeping to myself. What is it, Amara? ” It’s about our family. Every time that woman’s vehicles came here, I wrote down the plate numbers.

 I have three of them now. Sister, you have been carrying all of this alone. ” I had to, Jude. There was no one else. ” You don’t have to [music] anymore. I’m here now. We will find them, Jude. One way or another, we will find them. ” This is Banana Island, home to some of the wealthiest families in the country.

Among them, one family whose fortune began generations ago in a small village called Obasi. Soon, all of this will be yours to run. But before I hand it to you, I need to know the kind of man and the kind of family you are building around yourself. Mecha, I am proud of you. I have always respected the man.

 You have grown to be a wonderful man. That is why your mother and I are so proud. Thank you, Dad. Knowing the kind of man you are, going back to the village to find a wife is the best decision you could make. But you must not let them know who you truly are. Hide your identity completely until you are certain.

 You are a Christian born again and you have kept yourself pure through all these years. Even with so many girls chasing after you, not one of them has known you because you refuse to let any of them close for the wrong reasons. Go back to Abasi. Go quietly under disguise. If you find a girl there with real character, trustworthy and humble, you will know she is not chasing your money because she won’t even know who you are.

 This company was built from nothing by one man. Now he wanted to be certain his empire and his son would be left in the right hands. He was going back to Obasi, the village his family left behind before he was old enough to remember it. This is a Mecca. What Obasi did not know was that the modest young man walking their dusty roads had been born from this very soil and was now one of the wealthiest young men in the country.

Your face, it reminds me of a family that left this place many years ago. Are you sure we have not met before? I don’t think so, sir. I am just passing through. He did not know it yet, but a few steps ahead, his path was about to cross with a girl who sold tomatoes for a living. Good afternoon, sir.

 Can I help you with something? ” Ah, good afternoon. Yes, please. I’m looking for some fresh tomatoes. ” Of course. These ones are very fresh. Picked this morning. ” They look perfect. I’ll take some. You said you brought these yourself this morning. From where? ” I go to the distribution center outside town.

 I like to choose the best ones myself, not just take whatever is given. ” That’s dedication. They look perfect. Thank you. That is real hard work and real discipline. Not many people your age think that way. ” Thank you. I try my best. ” I came back for more of your tomatoes. And maybe to ask your name properly this time. ” Oh, hello. My name is Amara.

” Amara. A beautiful name. I’m Mecha. ” Welcome back, Amecha. ” Let me help you carry some of this. Which way are you headed? ” Oh, thank you, Amecha. I’m heading towards the village road. ” All right. Lead the way. ” It’s just this way. All right, but only because you asked nicely. It’s this way, not far.

” Thank you, Amara. I appreciate it. ” Be careful with it. ” It was a short walk home, but it was long enough for something unspoken to begin between them. ” This is where I live with my brother and sisters. Come, let me introduce you. ” It’s lovely. They’re excited to meet you. ” I’m looking forward to it.

” Jude, this is Mecha. Mecha, this is my brother, the man of the house since I take care of everyone. ” Hello, Amecha. Nice to meet you, Jude. You too. And your mother? I don’t see her here. ” That is a long story. ” A woman came to this village offering girls walk in Lagos. My mother wanted me to go. I refused.

So my mother secretly took money from that woman without telling me. When she could not repay it, that same woman took my mother away instead to walk off the debt in Lagos. ” Do you know where they took her? Do you have any information at all? A name, a phone number, anything? ” I don’t know, but I can try to find out.

I don’t have her exact address, but I have been writing down the plate numbers of every vehicle that woman has brought to this village. See this one from last week. ” This is exactly the kind of thing an investigator would do. You are very smart, Amara. ” Thank you, Amecha. ” I actually have a friend who works in security.

 Someone who could look into plate numbers like this. Would you let me ask him to help? ” Yes, please. Thank you, Amecha. You would really do that for someone you just met. ” Yes, Amara, I would. ” You didn’t have to be responsible for your siblings the way you are. You chose to be. People like that deserve help when they need it. I need you to run three plate numbers for me. It’s urgent.

 And keep this between us for now. It’s already in motion. Give it a [music] few days, we will find her. Amara, ” no news yet, but my friend is still working on it. I promise I will tell you the moment I hear anything. ” Thank you, Amecha. I appreciate it. ” Day by day, something quiet and unplanned was growing between them.

[laughter] something neither of them had expected to find in a village market. ” Did you ever think about doing something else with your life besides the market? School maybe? ” Sometimes I do, but it feels so far away. I passed all my GCE exams. I wanted to become a lawyer, but my siblings needed me here, so that dream had to wait.

The plate numbers Amara had quietly written down for months were finally being traced by people with the resources to follow them. You found the address. Send it to me right now. I need to speak to my father right now. It’s urgent. Echa, there’s something else I never told you. My best friend Chioma was also taken by that same woman months before my mother.

” Chioma too? I had no idea. Chioma, wait. ” That could mean she’s in the exact same place as your mother. It would make sense if it’s all one operation. ” Do you really think so? Could they both be in that same house? ” I’m beginning to believe it, but I can’t say it for certain. is just a strong guess right now.

 Let’s wait for confirmation before we get our hopes fixed on it. But either way, we are moving forward. Mom, I need to tell you about someone I met in Obasi. A girl. Tell me everything. What is she like? ” Her name is Amara. She’s kind and beautiful. Mom. ” Oh, tell me more. She’s smart. I think you’d really like her. ” Her name is Amara.

She has three younger siblings and she takes care of all of them by herself selling in the market. By herself? What a wonderful girl. That kind of responsibility is rare these days. ” I know, Mom. She really impressed me. ” You must bring her to meet me. What was so special about her that they paid money up front to bring her? That is unusual even for that kind of woman.

” I don’t know, Mom. It’s strange. That’s exactly it, Mom. Imagine a village girl and everyone else was jumping at the chance to go. She refused. ” She refused? That’s very surprising. Tell me more. ” I will, Mom. Even when they came to threaten her and take her mother instead, Amara stood her ground.

 Amat said her mother had to be the one to go. ” Since it was her mother who took the money, ” not her. The mother even bought a live chicken with that same money and asked Amara to cook it. Amara refused to touch it at all. ” She really bought a live chicken. Amara must have been shocked. Exactly, Mom. ” Wow. This is a very responsible girl.

 I am so happy you were introduced to her. ” You wouldn’t even believe it, Mom. She’s also a believer, born again, just like me. ” That’s wonderful, Amecha. I’m so happy for you.