The moment I came across this prompt, the first thing that came to my mind was my final year in the university.
I got admitted into the university in January, 2016 and Kaduna state University is in my state of origin, so I have a number of relatives who are professors and lecturers there. And then there was professor Keturah who is my father's younger sister.
Professor Keturah lost her husband in a car crash the year before, particularly in October, 2015, so by the time I got my admission she was still in grief.
Three weeks after I moved into the hostel, I had just concluded my registration and documentation, when my Dad called me and told me that Aunt Keturah ( that's the professor) requested that I come live with them. (She and her two daughters, my little cousins). The names of her daughters are Sandra and Sharon. Sandra was five years old and Sharon was two years old at the time.
I was hesitant at first, but I decided to move in with them. Considering the fact that she had just lost her husband and knowing that an extra hand would go a long way for her. Also, I knew that my presence would provide the company she needed at that moment.
Living with my aunt was not all rosy, but I persevered to my final year. We both had our differences, but I tried to be good, ignoring a lot of things that I would normally frown at.
One day in my final year, my little cousins accused me of insulting them. They claimed that I called them “useless”. They reported it to their mum in my absence. But then I noticed that her mood towards me that evening was so unusual. She made dinner herself, helped the children with their homeworks and put them to bed all by herself. These are things that I would usually do, especially making dinner and helping the children with their homeworks.
After tucking them in, while I was studying that night for a test, she called me and began to tell me that despite the fact that she's a widow and the children are fatherless, the Bible says God is the father to the fatherless and husband to the widow.
I was really confused, but then she went on to tell me how children are very sensitive to the words spoken to them and if those words are negative, they affect their self esteem. She went on and on until I asked her why she was saying all that and she said the girls told her that I called them useless.
I never expected it so I was shocked! The word useless is not even in my vocabulary. All I could tell her that night was “I didn't say that”. I could not even defend myself there.
She gave me a long sermon that night and I went back in, but I could not even focus on my studies that night. I cried and prayed to be vindicated.
Meanwhile I have a Buddy, Andrew. He's the only friend I had at that time. We joked a lot and I'd insult him most of the time. It was all part of our cruise. I called Andrew and told him someone accused me of calling them useless and the first thing he said was “I've never heard that from you before”.
To cut the long story short, in the morning I called Sandra and we went to my aunt's bedroom together. I asked her when and where I called them useless and she narrated that they were standing by the window in their room, while I was spinning the laundry and I called them useless.
I then called Sharon and asked her the same question and she narrated that she was in the toilet and I was in the living room and she heard me calling them useless. Their stories didn't add up. It was at that point that their mum began to investigate and they confessed that they were lying.
I got vindicated and I forgave them. I also tried to be a good big cousin to them. I taught them a lot of good life lessons and they appreciate it till today.
By the way, at the time that this happened, Sandra was nine years old and Sharon was six years old.
My little cousins of that time are big girls now. Sandra will be fifteen years old this year and Sharon will be twelve.
I love them and I always want to see them. By the way, my aunt got married two years ago.